Seat Belt System Operation Description

Seat belts are the primary means of occupant restraint. Seat belts help to keep the occupant inside the passenger compartment and also help to ride down the crash forces more gradually during the following events:

All seat belts have emergency locks in the retractors. During normal operation, the retractors remain unlocked to allow free movement of the occupant's upper body under normal driving conditions. The seat belt webbing is locked into position by a pendulum that causes a locking bar to engage a cog on the spool of the retractor mechanism under the following conditions:

In conjunction with the seat belts, this vehicle is equipped with a Supplemental Inflatable Restraint (SIR) System. Refer to SIR Diagnostic System Check in SIR.

Seat Belt System Operation Police Package

A driver side safety belt with a locking lap retractor is available as a dealer option. The purpose of this safety belt is to hold the officer more securely in the seat during maneuvers associated with high speed pursuits. To activate the system, buckle the belt as normal and then pull out all of the lap belt webbing. This activates a mechanism that puts the lap retractor into an automatic locking mode. Once in this mode the belt can be tightened by pulling the belt toward the retractor to return any slack. To deactivate the mechanism unbuckle the safety belt and let all of the lap belt webbing return to the retractor.

The mechanism in this optional belt is similar to that already installed on the passenger side lap belt and in both outboard rear seat safety belts. The feature was added to these other locations to allow a child restraint to be properly secured in the vehicle. See the Owner's Manual for further information.