Seat Belt Systems: Service and Repair

Disposing of pyrotechnic belt tensioners

When storing or Disposing of Airbags and Pyrotechnic Seatbelts:

- Make sure that your dealership complies with federal, state and local regulations for explosive substances.
- Deployed airbags and pyrotechnic seatbelts can be disposed of as normal scrap.
- Undeployed airbags and pyrotechnic seatbelts are considered to be hazardous materials. When disposing of an undeployed airbag or pyrotechnic seatbelt that is either defective or expired, use the appropriate repair information and Airbag Deployment Device J-44210. Do NOT deploy airbags and pyrotechnic seatbelts in the vehicle
- All airbags and pyrotechnic seatbelts of a vehicle scheduled to be scrapped must be deployed using the Airbag Deployment Device J-44210.
- When using Airbag Deployment Device J-44210, wear appropriate eye and ear protection.
- If the airbag or pyrotechnic seatbelt cannot be safely deployed or removed from the vehicle, contact the Audi Dealer.
- Shipment of active airbag gas generators and pyrotechnic seatbelt retractors must be in accordance with the regulations published in the latest edition of the Code of Federal Regulations #49 (49 CFR). Shipment must be initiated and received by certified individuals. The penalties for noncompliance are severe. Civil penalties range the $250 to $27,500 per violation, per day. Criminal penalties, for willfully violating the regulations, range up to $250,000 for individuals and $500,000 for corporations.

CAUTION: This does not apply to belt tensioners operating under the Wankel rotary tensioner principle. These must not be treated like pyrotechnic units that have already ignited (e.g. airbags, seatbelts with belt tensioners, pyrotechnic battery-cutoff elements). The reason: Whether all ignition stages have ignited on belt tensioners with Wankel rotary tensioner principle cannot be checked using workshop tools.