Seat Belt Systems

DESCRIPTION This vehicle is equipped with a Lower Anchors and Tether for CHildren, or LATCH child restraint anchorage system for domestic markets. The LATCH system provides for the installation of suitable child restraints in certain seating positions without using the standard equipment seat belt provided for that seating position. The second row seats in these vehicles are equipped with a fixed-position child restraint upper tether anchor (2) for both the center and the two outboard seating positions, and child restraint lower anchors (1) (also known as ISOFIX anchors) for the two outboard seating positions only. Vehicles manufactured for export markets are not equipped with the upper tether anchors, but do have the ISOFIX lower anchors. The upper tether anchors (2) are each integral to the second row seat back panels (1). A label (3) imprinted with an icon representing a child restraint upper tether anchor is located on the back panels over each anchor location. These anchors are each constructed from short lengths of heavy-gauge steel wire that is securely welded into stamped steel cups that are integral to the seat back panels. There is a separate molded plastic trim bezel located around each of these anchor cups. The child restraint upper tether anchors cannot be adjusted or repaired and, if ineffective or damaged, they must be replaced as a unit with their respective second row seat back panels. The lower anchors (2) for this vehicle are integral to their respective second row seat brackets, which are secured to the rear floor panel at the front with studs and nuts, and at the rear with screws. These anchors are each constructed from a heavy-gauge steel wire loop that is securely welded to the seat bracket. The anchor loops are located where the second row seat back (1) meets the seat cushion (3). The child restraint lower tether anchors cannot be adjusted or repaired and, if ineffective or damaged, they must be replaced as a unit with their respective second row seat brackets.

DESCRIPTION The driver side front seat belt incorporates dual tensioners: one integral to the retractor, and one integral to the buckle. In vehicles manufactured for domestic markets (applies to domestic Nitro only), the passenger side front seat belt uses a single tensioner integral to the retractor. In vehicles manufactured for domestic and export markets (with the exception of the domestic Nitro), the passenger side front seat belt incorporates dual tensioners: one integral to the retractor, and one integral to the buckle. RETRACTOR TENSIONER Seat belt retractor tensioners supplement the dual front and side curtain airbag system for all versions of this vehicle. These tensioners are integral to the front seat belt and retractor units (1), which are secured to the B-pillars on the right and left sides of the vehicle. The retractors are concealed beneath the molded plastic B-pillar trim. The seat belt tensioner consists primarily of a molded plastic tensioner housing (2), a tubular metal piston housing (3), a piston, a short rack gear, a set of pinion gears, a pyrotechnically activated gas generator (5), and a short pigtail wire (4). All of these components are located on one side of the retractor spool on the outside of the retractor housing. The seat belt tensioners are controlled by the Occupant Restraint Controller (ORC) and are connected to the vehicle electrical system through dedicated take outs of the body wire harness by keyed and latching molded plastic connector insulators to ensure a secure connection. The retractor tensioners cannot be repaired and, if ineffective or damaged, the entire front seat belt and retractor unit must be replaced. The retractor tensioners are not intended for reuse and must be replaced following any front airbag deployment. A locked retractor that will not allow the seat belt webbing to be retracted or extracted is a sure indication that the seat belt tensioner has been deployed and requires replacement. Seat Belt Retractor - Removal. BUCKLE TENSIONER A driver side seat belt buckle tensioner supplements the dual front and side curtain airbags for all versions of this vehicle. In vehicles manufactured for export markets, a passenger side seat belt buckle tensioner also supplements the dual front and side curtain airbags. This tensioner is integral to the front seat belt buckle unit, which is secured by a large screw to the outside of the inboard seat cushion frame of the front seat. The buckle tensioner consists primarily of a buckle (2), a molded plastic scabbard (1), a cable and piston, a cable guide and bracket (5), a steel cylinder tube (4), and a small pyrotechnically activated gas generator. The buckle tensioner is controlled by the Occupant Restraint Controller (ORC) and is connected to the vehicle electrical system through a dedicated take out of the seat wire harness by a keyed and latching yellow molded plastic connector insulator to ensure a secure connection. The buckle tensioner connector is shared by two pigtail harnesses (3): one two-wire squib pigtail and a second two-wire pigtail for the integral seat belt switch. The buckle tensioner cannot be repaired and, if ineffective or damaged, the entire front seat belt buckle unit must be replaced. If the front airbags have been deployed, the buckle tensioners have also been deployed. The buckle tensioners are not intended for reuse and must be replaced following any front airbag deployment. Seat Belt Buckle - Removal.