186003787 - INTRODUCTION

WARNINGS

Work carefully on the fittings and use the recommended tools correctly to prevent damage.

PRECAUTIONS

FRONT SEAT BELTS WITH PRETENSIONERThe front seat belts are equipped with a pyrotechnic pretensioner.When performing operations that involve the pretensioners, carefully observe the safety regulations given below.PRELIMINARY REGULATIONS
Note that the pretensioners must be handled with care. Their use, transportation and storage are regulated by the procedures for handling such components, which are given below.
The installation and removal of pretensioners must be carried out SOLELY by competent, authorised technical personnel.Failure to follow the procedures described below could result in the accidental activation of the system, personal injury or repairs to the system that are not necessary.
Any pretensioner that fails to activate in the event of an accident should be treated as still active: pretensioners that fail to explode due to defects or because their warranty term has expired or that require replacement for other reasons, must be replaced (complete device) at an appropriate centre by applying the procedure described below.Pretensioners have been designed specifically to operate in a vehicle of a specific brand and type. They should not therefore be adapted, reused or installed on other vehicles, only on the vehicles for which they have been designed and manufactured.
Any attempt to resue, adapt or install one on a different type of vehicle could result in serious injury or even be fatal for the occupants of the vehicle in the case of an accident.
IT IS STRICTLY FORBIDDEN TO DISMANTLE PRETENSIONERS INTO THEIR COMPONENT PARTS. Never dismantle the fully system (pretensioner, shock-tube, sensor) in its component parts: any changes to their original conditions will invalidate their efficiency.
OPERATIONS FOLLOWING AN ACCIDENTIf any of the safety system components is damaged following an accident it MUST be replaced. This applies in particular to seat belts, if fastened at the time of impact: even if they do not display apparent defects, their properties of strength may be lost.If the component shows signs of distortion, breaks or bends it should be replaced.Do not attempt to repair seat belts or pretensioners.ACCIDENTS WITH ACTIVATION OF THE PRETENSIONERSThe pretensioners should always been replaced if the vehicle is subject to impact involving their activation (action of the device is revealed by locking of the belt: the belt should not be recovered even if accompanied).
If the seat belt is unfastened when impact of a certain severity occurs, the pretensioner will not intervene because a safety lock will prevent it operating when the belt is fully wound.
This does not apply to the central front seat pretensioner, which is not equipped with such a device and must therefore always be inspected in the event of impact of a certain severity.
HEALTH HAZARDS

Observe the following precautions when handling activated pretensioners:

  • wear polythene protective gloves and safety goggles;
  • after touching activated pretensioners, wash your handles and exposed body parts with water and soap.
EFFECTS OF OVER EXPOSUREThere is no potential danger of exposure to the propellants as the system is completely sealed.The propellant mixture is in a solid state therefore it is impossible to inhale it even if the gas generator cartridge is broken.There is no danger to human health if the gas escapes.Contact with the skin should be avoided and the propellant should not be swallowed.

In the case of:

  • Contact with skin: wash immediately with soap and water.
  • Contact with eyes: wash eyes immediately with running water for at least 15 minutes.
  • Inhalation: take the affected person into the open air immediately.
  • Swallowing: induce vomiting if the person is conscious.
A doctor should always be called in these situations.SAFETY REGULATIONS WHEN HANDLING PRETENSIONERS

The personnel working on the devices should be trained and should observe the following precautions:

  • Never handle the pretensioner by grasping by the belt.
  • Do not tamper with or repair the pretensioner. Send all defective pretensioners to the supplier.
  • Do not subject the pretensioners to percussion, drilling, machining or heating due to welding.
  • Do not subject the area round the pretensioner to high impact loads due to body work (e.g. use of a hammer). If necessary, remove the pretensioner assembly.
  • If radiant bulbs are used in the area around the pretensioner during painting operations or if welding or soldering are required, remove the reel - pretensioner unit.
  • Never allow the assembly to fall or subject it to impact. Pretensioners that have been dropped must not be used but returned to the supplier.
  • When operations carried out on the vehicle require their temporary removal, place the seat belt complete with pretensioner in a dry place protected against moisture. Place in a locked metal cabinet that meets legal requirements for the storage of pyrotechnic charges. It is forbidden to store pretensioners with inflammable material or fuel.
  • Do not bring naked flames, liquids, solvents or lubricants close to the device and do not expose to temperatures over 100°C. At temperatures over 150°C, the gas generator may spontaneously ignite.
  • If the device has recently been activated, it will be hot: always leave for at least 10 minutes after activation before carrying out any operation on it.
  • If exceptional environmental conditions (floods, high tides etc.) cause water and mud to reach the height of the device components, it must be replaced.
  • The full system (pretensioner, shock-tube, sensor) does not required maintenance and must not be lubricated under any circumstances. Any changes to their original conditions will invalidate their efficiency.
  • Pretensioners must always be carried in special type-approved containers
  • Shipping using on-road vehicles must take place in the luggage compartment. The device cannot be shipped in the passenger compartment.
SCRAPPING PRETENSIONERSPretensioners fitted in the vehicle must not be demolished with the vehicle but removed beforehand. Pretensioners must not be scrapped without first being activated.If a pretensioner fails to activate during an accident, the device should be considered still primed.All unexploded material MUST NOT BE ACTIVATED, but must be sent to a specialised centre (GECMA in Chivasso in the case of ITALY) and the following wording must be used on the delivery note: "AIR BAG CONTAINING PYROTECHNIC CHARGE TO BE DEACTIVATED".Observe the relevant local laws in FOREIGN MARKETS.The devices must be sent in the packaging that replacement components are received in and, if it is not available, the packaging only can be ordered from the PARTS DEPT.If the pretensioners are replaced, the original packaging must be left intact when forwarding unexploded devices.
Failure to observe these procedures could lead to unwanted activation of pretensioners and to personal injury. Unactivated pretensioners must NOT be disposed of using the usual waste disposal methods. Unactivated pretensioners contain substances that are hazardous to health and could cause personal injury if the the sealed container that holds them is damaged during disposal. Failure to observe this procedure during disposal may lead to breach of current legal regulations.
ORDERING METHODSIf necessary, the devices can be ordered, as and when required, from the Aftersales Parts Department - Volvera through the V.O.R. procedure since the Network should not keep these parts in stock. In any case, a record should be kept of internal movements by recording the module identification numbers and vehicle details (chassis number, registration date, model, etc.).REAR SEAT BELTSIf the belt is subjected to a great deal of stress, for example following an accident, it should be replaced together with the anchorages and the fixing bolts. Even if no apparent defects are present, the belt could have lost its properties of strength.