Seat Belt System Description and Operation
Restraint System
Note: If the vehicle has been in a collision, refer to
Repairs and Inspections Required After a Collision
.
The vehicle has front and rear seat belts that are the primary means of occupant restraint. Seat belts help to keep the occupants
inside the passenger compartment and to gradually reduce the impact forces during the following events:
• Frontal impact type crashes
• Rear impact type crashes
• Side impact type crashes
• Roll-over type crashes
All seat belt retractors have emergency locks. The retractors remain unlocked during normal operation and under normal driving
conditions. The retractors remain unlocked during normal conditions in order to allow free movement of the upper body of each
occupant. A pendulum locks the seat belt webbing into position. The pendulum causes a locking bar to engage a cog on the spool of
the retractor mechanism when the following conditions occur:
• A rapid extraction of the seat belt webbing from the retractor
• An abrupt change in vehicle speed
• An abrupt change in vehicle direction
• Operation of the vehicle on a steep upgrade
• Operation of the vehicle on a downgrade
The seat belts have an automatic locking (cinch) feature. The cinch feature is activated when the seat belt webbing is completely
extended from the retractor. The cinch feature prevents the webbing from extending beyond the position from which it is allowed to
retract. Use of the cinch feature is recommended for securing a child seat. The cinch feature may be cancelled by allowing the
webbing to wind back completely into the retractor. After the cinch feature is cancelled, the webbing is unlocked. After the cinch
feature is cancelled, the webbing will extend from the retractor. This vehicle is also equipped with a supplemental inflatable restraint
(SIR) system. Refer to
SIR System Description and Operation
.
Front Seat Belt System
The front seat belt system includes a driver and passenger seat belt pretensioner retractor and anchor. Both front seat belt
pretensioners includes a seat belt switch in the seat buckle which controls a reminder lamp and a tone alarm.
Note: The front passenger seat is equipped with a passenger presence detection sensor, which detects an occupant. If the
passenger presence detection sensor detects an empty front passenger seat, then the passenger fasten safety belt indicator will be
disabled.
• When the driver seat belt is buckled and the ignition switch is turned ON, the following events will occur:
-
The tone alarm will not operate.
-
The reminder lamp will not operate.
• When the passenger seat belt is buckled with an occupant sitting in the passenger front seat, then the ignition switch is
turned ON, the following events will occur:
-
The tone alarm will not operate.
-
The reminder lamp, which is located within the hazard warning switch, will not be turned ON.
• When the driver seat belt is not buckled and the ignition switch is in the ON position, the following events will occur:
-
The tone alarm will operate for 4–8
seconds and then go OFF.
-
The fasten safety belt indicator will turn ON for 20
seconds, until the driver seat belt is buckled.
• When the passenger seat belt is not buckled with an occupant sitting in the passenger front seat, then the ignition switch
is turned ON, the following events will occur:
-
The tone alarm will operate for 4–8
seconds and then go OFF.
-
The reminder lamp, which is located within the hazard warning switch, will be turned ON.
Rear Seat Belt System
The Rear Seat Belt System includes the following components:
• The rear seat belt retractor is located at the wheelhouse panel and attached to the floor panel by the rear seat shoulder
belt retractor bracket.
• The rear seat belt buckles and the center seat belt buckle are attached to each seat.
• Each of the rear seat belts include a seat belt switch in the seat buckle which controls a reminder lamp and a tone alarm.
• When the ignition switch is turned ON, a rear seat belt is buckled, the rear doors are closed and the speed exceeds 10
kph
(6.5
mph) the following events will occur:
-
The tone alarm will not operate.
Seat Belts
SEAT BELTS
0-6
BACK TO CHAPTER INDEX
TO MODEL INDEX
CHEVROLET SONIC 2012 BODY REPAIR MANUAL
