Safety Belt Buckle Pretensioners, Safety Belt Retractor Pretensioners and Load Limiting Safety Belt Retractors - In-Vehicle Deployment
WARNING: This page is about a different car, the 2006 Mercury Milan, 2006 Lincoln Zephyr, and 2006 Ford Fusion. However, it is still accessible from the selected car via links, so may be relevant.
WARNING:
The safety belt pretensioner is a pyrotechnic device. Always wear safety glasses when repairing an air bag equipped vehicle and when handling a safety belt buckle pretensioner or safety belt retractor pretensioner. Never probe a pretensioner electrical connector. Doing so could result in pretensioner or air bag deployment and could result in personal injury.
WARNING:
Deployment is to be carried out outdoors with all personnel at least 9.14 m (30 ft) away to make sure of personal safety. Due to the loud report which occurs when the pretensioner or adaptive load limiting retractor is deployed, hearing protection is required.
NOTE:
A typical safety belt buckle and retractor disposal is shown that is similar for all vehicles.
- Depower the system. For additional information, refer to SUPPLEMENTAL RESTRAINT SYSTEM (SRS) DEPOWERING AND REPOWERING .
- Access the safety belt buckle or retractor electrical connectors. For additional information, refer to SAFETY BELT SYSTEM .
- Cut each of the safety belt buckle or retractor wires, leaving at least 4 inches to work with.
- Remove any sheathing (if present) and strip the insulation from the ends of the cut wires.
- Make a jumper harness to deploy the safety belt buckle or retractor.
- Obtain 2 wires (20 gauge minimum) at least 9.14 m (30 ft) long and strip both ends of each wire.
- At one end of the jumper harness, connect the wires together.
- Using the end of the jumper harness that the wires are not connected together, attach each wire of the jumper harness to each wire of the safety belt buckle or retractor. Use tape or other insulating material to make sure that the leads do not make contact with each other.
- Remain at least 9.14 m (30 ft) away from the safety belt buckle or retractor.
- From the end of the jumper harness that is not connected to the safety belt buckle or retractor, disconnect the 2 wires of the jumper harness from each other.
- Deploy the safety belt buckle or retractor by touching the ends of the 2 wires of the jumper harness to the terminals of a 12-volt battery.
- To allow for cooling, wait at least 10 minutes before approaching the deployed safety belt buckle or retractor.
- Dispose of the deployed safety belt buckle or retractor in the same manner as any other part to be scrapped.
NOTE:
Typical safety belt retractor pretensioner shown, other safety belt buckle pretensioners and load limiting retractors are similar.