book.book Page 5 Friday, July 19, 2013 12:53 PM Seat Belts Seat Belt Pre-tensioners Testing Seat Belts The front seat belts are equipped with To confirm that seat belts are operating pre-tensioners that work in conjunction with correctly, perform these three simple checks on the airbags in a severe frontal collision. The each seat belt. pre-tensioners automatically retract both the 1. With the seat belt fastened, give the seat belt anchor and the seat belt webbing, webbing nearest the buckle a quick pull. reducing slack in both the lap and diagonal The buckle should remain securely locked. portions of the belts, resulting in reduced 2. With the belt unfastened, unreel the forward movement of the occupant. webbing to its limit. Check that unreeling is free from snags, and visually check the webbing for wear. Allow the webbing to retract, checking that retraction is smooth and complete. 3. With the webbing half unreeled, hold the tongue plate and pull forward quickly. The mechanism should lock automatically and prevent further unreeling. If a seat belt fails any of these tests, contact Tesla immediately. For information about cleaning seat belts, see page7.13. If the pre-tensioners and airbags did not activate in an impact, this does not mean they malfunctioned. It usually means that the strength or type of force needed to activate them was not present. WARNING: Once the seat belt pre-tensioners have been activated, they must be replaced. After any accident, have the airbags, seat belt pre-tensioners and any associated components checked and, if necessary, replaced. SEATING AND SAFETY RESTRAINTS 3.5