Pretensioners provide additional tension on seat belts to help keep your body securely in place during a severe vehicle collision.
Caution: The seat belt pretensioners are not activated for approximately 7 seconds after the ignition key is turned to the ON position. Drive off after the airbag indicator lamp goes out.
Handling seat belt pretensioners
Caution: Do not repair seat belt pretensioner components or wiring, or use an analog tester to diagnose problems.
Note:
The activation of the pretensioner is accompanied by a loud bang and the release of smoke. The smoke is harmless to humans and does not indicate a fire.
Once the pretensioner has been triggered, it can no longer be used, so contact a service station to have it replaced.