2008 DODGE SPRINTER Owners Manual

39 Safety
Occupant safety
2
Wearing seat belts1Belt sash guide (\2page 40)
2Belt latch plate
3Release button
4Buckle
Warning (Continued)
G
The belt strap could otherwise tear in the
event of an accident. You or others could
be seriously or fatally injured.Always have seats belts that are damaged
or have been subjected to a heavy load in
an accident replaced, and their anchorag-
es checked, at a qualified specialist work-
shop which has the necessary specialist
knowledge and tools to carry out the work
required.
Continued
Warning (Continued)
G
The manufacturer recommends that you
use an authorized Sprinter Dealer for this
purpose. In particular, work relevant to
safety or on safety-related systems must
be carried out at a qualified specialist
workshop .For safety reasons, the manufacturer rec-
ommends that you only use seat belts
that have been specially approved for
your vehicle by the manufacturer.
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40 SafetyOccupant safety
2
\1
Pull the belt smoothly from the seat
belt reel holder.
\1
Route the belt over your shoulder.
\1
Click belt latch plate
2
into buckle
4
.
\1
Adjust the belt to the correct height
if necessary.
\1
Pull the shoulder section of the belt
upwards to tighten the belt against
your body if necessary.
Adjusting the belt heightYou can adjust the belt height for the fol-
lowing seats:\4
Driver’s seat
\4
Outer passenger’s seatAdjust the belt height in such a way that
the shoulder belt is routed over the mid-
dle of the shoulder.
Belt sash guide with height adjustment
5Release button
Warning
G
Only adjust the belt height when the vehi-
cle is stationary and the handbrake is ap-
plied.
You could otherwise lose control of the
vehicle as a result of the seat adjusting
movement and thereby endanger yourself
and others.
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41 Safety
Occupant safety
2
\1To raise the belt height:
slide belt
sash guide
1
upward.
Belt sash guide1
engages in vari-
ous positions.
\1To lower the belt height:
press and
hold release button
5
.
\1
Slide belt sash guide
1
to the de-
sired height.
\1
Let go of release button
5
and
make sure that belt sash guide
1

engages.The SRS (S
upplemental R
estraint S
ys-
tem) may consist of the following com-
ponents, depending on the equipment
level:
\41
warning lamp
\4
Emergency tensioning retractors
\4
Belt force limiters
\4
Airbag system with:\4
Airbag control unit
\4
Airbags
1
warning lamp
The SRS performs a self-test at regular
intervals when the ignition is switched
on and while the engine is running. Mal-
functions can therefore be detected in
good time.
The
1
warning lamp in the instru-
ment cluster (
\2
page 20) comes on for
approximately 4 seconds when you
switch on the ignition.
SRS (Supplemental Restraint
System)
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42 SafetyOccupant safety
2
Activation of emergency tensioning
retractors, belt force limiters and air-
bagsIn the event of a collision, the
sensor in
the airbag control unit evaluates impor-
tant physical data, such as duration, di-
rection and rate of vehicle deceleration
or acceleration. Based on the evaluation
of this data and depending on the vehi-
cle’s rate of longitudinal deceleration in
a collision, in the first stage, the airbag
control unit pre-emptively triggers the
emergency tensioning retractors.
Warning
G
A malfunction has occurred if the 1
warning lamp:d o e s n o t c o m e o n w h e n y o u s w i t c h o n t h e
ignitiondoes not go out after approximately 4 sec-
ondslights up againIndividual systems may be activated unin-
tentionally or may not be triggered in the
ev en t o f a n ac c ide n t wi th a hi gh ra te o f v e-
hicle deceleration.
Continued
Warning (Continued)
G
In this case, have the SRS system
checked and repaired immediately at a
qualified specialist workshop which has
the necessary specialist knowledge and
tools to carry out the work required.The manufacturer recommends that you
use an authorized Sprinter Dealer for this
purpose. In particular, work relevant to
safety or on safety-related systems must
be carried out at a qualified specialist
workshop.
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43 Safety
Occupant safety
2
The front airbags are not triggered un-
less a second activation threshold is ex-
ceeded, i.e. if there is a greater rate of
vehicle deceleration in a longitudinal di-
rection.Criteria for triggering of emergency
tensioning retractors and airbagsTo determine whether it is necessary to
trigger an emergency tensioning retrac-
tor or airbag, the airbag control unit eval-
uates the duration and direction of
deceleration or acceleration during the
initial phase of the collision.The emergency tensioning retractor and
airbag activation thresholds are variable
and are adapted to the rate of the vehi-
cle deceleration. This process is pre-
emptive in nature as the airbag must be
deployed during – and not at the end of
– the collision.
iAirbags are not triggered in all types of
accident. They are actually controlled
by complex sensor technology and eval-
uation logic. This process is pre-emptive
in nature as airbag deployment must
take place during the impact and must
be adapted to provide calculated, addi-
tional protection for the vehicle occu-
pants. Not all airbags are triggered in an
accident.
The various airbag systems work inde-
pendently of each other. However, all
systems depend on the type (head-on
or side impact) and severity (in particu-
lar vehicle deceleration or acceleration)
of accident determined in the initial
phase of the accident.
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44 SafetyOccupant safety
2
Vehicle deceleration or acceleration and
the direction of the force are essentially
determined by:\4
the distribution of the force during
the impact
\4
the collision angle
\4
the deformation characteristics of
the vehicle
\4
the composition of the object in-
volved in the collision, for example
the other vehicle
Factors that cannot be seen or mea-
sured until after the collision are not
used to determine whether the airbag
should be triggered and are not decisive
for this.The vehicle may be substantially deformed
without an airbag being triggered, for ex-
ample if only relatively easily-deformable
vehicle parts such as the hood or fenders
are affected by the collision and the re-
quired deceleration threshold is not
reached. On the other hand, airbags may
be triggered even though the vehicle only
displays minor deformation, if, for exam-
ple, rigid vehicle parts such as a longitudi-
nal member are affected by the impact,
thus causing vehicle deceleration to ex-
ceed the pre-determined threshold.
Emergency tensioning retractors,
belt force limitersIf the vehicle is equipped with a driver’s
airbag, the driver’s and the passenger’s
seat belts are equipped with emergency
tensioning retractors.
A belt force limiter additionally installed
in the seat belt reduces the load exerted
by the seat belt on the occupant when it
is triggered.
Emergency tensioning retractors ten-
sion the seat belts in an accident, pulling
them close against the body.
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45 Safety
Occupant safety
2
When the ignition is on, the emergency
tensioning retractor is activated:\4
only if the restraint systems are op-
erational (the
1
-warning lamp
comes on for approximately 4 sec-
onds after the ignition is switched
on.) (
\2
page 41).
\4
in the event of a head-on or rear-end
collision, if there is a high rate of ve-
hicle acceleration or deceleration in
the initial stages of a collision
\4
in the event of a side impact, if the
vehicle suddenly decelerates or ac-
celerates in a lateral direction at the
initial stage of the impact and the ve-
hicle is equipped with thorax /
sidebags and / or windowbags.If the emergency tensioning retractors
are triggered, you will hear a bang that is
generally harmless to your hearing. A
small amount of powder may also be re-
leased. The
1
warning lamp lights
up.
iEmergency tensioning retractors do
not correct:\4
incorrect sitting positions
\4
incorrectly worn seat belts
Emergency tensioning retractors do
not pull occupants back towards the
backrest.
Warning
G
If the emergency tensioning retractors
have been triggered, have them replaced
at a qualified specialist workshop which
has the necessary specialist knowledge
and tools to carry out the work required.
Continued
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46 SafetyOccupant safety
2
Warning (Continued)
G
The manufacturer recommends that you
use an authorized Sprinter Dealer for this
purpose. In particular, work relevant to
safety or on safety-related systems must
be carried out at a qualified specialist
workshop.Observe the safety regulations when dis-
posing of emergency tensioning retrac-
tors. You can see a copy of these
regulations at any authorized Sprinter
Dealer.
Airbag systemWarning
G
\4To reduce the risk of serious or fatal
injuries in the event of an accident
with a high rate of deceleration, for
example due to an airbag inflating
within milliseconds, or due to sudden
braking, please observe the following
points:
Continued
Warning (Continued)
G
All vehicle occupants must select a seat
position in which they can wear their seat
belt correctly and which is as far back
from the airbag as possible. The seat po-
sition of the driver must be such that the
vehicle can be driven safely. The distance
from the driver’s seat to the pedals must
be such that the driver can fully depress
the pedals. The distance between the
driver’s chest and the center of the airbag
cover must be more than 25 cm. The driv-
er’s arms should be slightly bent when
holding the steering wheel.
Continued
nf_BA.book Page 46 Friday, January 25, 2008 3:53 PM