The driver and front passenger seats are equipped with seat belt pretensioners that deploy simultaneously with the airbags in a moderate to severe frontal collision. In a variety of moderate to severe frontal collisions, the seat belt pretensioner instantly retracts the belt, tightly holding the person's body with the seat belt, which, in combination with the airbag, makes the passive safety system more effective. The pretensioner is located in the seat belt reel housing. The use of these seat belts is similar to standard seat belts. When the seat belt pretensioner is activated, a loud bang is heard and smoke is emitted. This smoke is practically harmless to humans, but should not be inhaled as it can cause breathing difficulties and coughing. The seat belt pretensioner is activated by any hard impact applied to the front of the vehicle, even when the seat belt is not fastened.
The seat belt pretensioners may not activate in certain frontal collisions, even if the vehicle is severely damaged. This failure does not mean a malfunction of the SRS system, but is due to the fact that the forces during the collision were not large enough to actuate the SRS system.
Warnings
- (1) The pretensioner seat belt cannot be used once it has been activated and must be replaced along with the belt tensioner.
- (2) If the vehicle was subjected to a frontal impact but the seat belt pretensioner did not activate, have the pretensioner checked and, if necessary, replaced by a MITSUBISHI dealer.