Seat Belt Systems: Testing and Inspection
SEAT BELT SYSTEM INSPECTIONSeat belts and attaching parts can affect the vital components and systems of a vehicle. Therefore, they should be inspected carefully and replaced with genuine parts only.
Seat belt
Seat Belt
The seat belt webbing or strap should be free from damage.
Fully extend the seat belt to make sure there are no twists or tears in it.
Retractor assembly
Let the seat belt retract fully to confirm its easy retraction.
The retractor assembly should lock webbing when pulled quickly.
The retractor assembly should lock webbing even when tilted (approx. 15°C) toward the fore and aft or right and left directions.
Anchor bolt
Inspect all seat belt anchor bolts to verify that they are secure.
All anchor bolts should be secure and torqued to specification.
Belt latch
Belt latch should be secure when latched.
Inspect the seat belt buckle, ensuring that it locks and unlocks easily.
After buckling the seat belt, tug sharply on the belt, checking that the buckle remains locked.
Warning system
Check driver side seat belt strap switch for continuity by using ohm-meter.
Without inserted buckle tongue to buckle catch:
Terminal "A" and "B": Continuity
With inserted buckle tongue to buckle catch:
Terminal "A" and "B": No continuity (infinity ohm)
Automatic Locking Retractor (ALR)
As to seat belts with ALR (other than driver side seat belt), check them as follows in addition to above check.
- With vehicle at stop, pull seat belt all the way out, let it retract a little and try to pull it. It should not be pulled out, that is, it should be locked where retracted.
- Let seat belt retract to its original state. Next, pull it half way out, let it retract a little and try to pull it again. It should be pulled out smoothly, that is it should not be locked at this time.