Restraints and Safety Systems: Description and Operation

Seat belts are the primary means of occupant restraint.

Seat belts help to keep occupants inside the passenger compartment and gradually reduce the impact forces during the following events:
^ Frontal impact type crashes
^ Rear impact type crashes
^ Side impact type crashes
^ Roll-over type crashes

All seat belt retractors have emergency locks. The retractors remain unlocked during normal operation and under normal driving conditions. The retractors remain unlocked during normal conditions in order to allow free movement of the upper body of each occupant.

A pendulum locks the seat belt webbing into position. The pendulum causes a locking bar to engage a cog on the spool of the retractor mechanism when the following conditions occur:
^ A rapid extraction of the seat belt webbing from the retractor
^ An abrupt change in the vehicle speed
^ An abrupt change in the vehicle direction
^ Operation of the vehicle on a steep upgrade
^ Operation of the vehicle on a steep downgrade

The seat belts have an automatic locking feature, known as the cinch feature. After buckling the seat belt, pulling on the shoulder belt will cause the lap belt to tighten and hold.

Use of the cinch feature is recommended for securing a child seat.

The cinch feature may be canceled by unbuckling the seat belt.

This vehicle is also equipped with a Supplemental Inflatable Restraint (SIR) system. Refer to SIR System Description and Operation in Restraint Systems.