Load Limiting Devices; Pretensioners - Maserati Quattroporte Automatic Owner's Manual

M139_UM_ing.book Page 24 Friday, September 5, 2008 8:19 AM

Load limiting devices

To increase passive safety levels, the
seat belt retractors are equipped with
a load limiting device which makes it
possible to control the belt reeling
out, so that the force exerted on the
shoulders while the seat belt is in
restraining mode can be suitably
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adjusted.

Pretensioners

To further enhance the seat belt
efficiency, the vehicle seat belts (except
for the rear central one) are equipped
with ETD (Emergency Tensioning
Device) pretensioners.
These devices "detect", by means of a
sensor, that the vehicle is in a collision
and retract the belts by a few
centimetres. This ensures that the belt
perfectly adheres to the occupants'
bodies before starting its restraining
action.
The belt locking indicates that the
device has been activated; a small
amount of smoke may be visible.
The smoke is not toxic and is not
indicative of fire.
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Seat belts
The pretensioners activate in the
following cases:
– Head-on and rear collisions of a
sufficient severity;
– In certain roll-overs.
The pretensioner only activates when
the seat belt is fastened.
After the pretensioner activation, the
seat belt can be unfastened as usual,
by pressing the button on the buckle.
The pretensioner does not require any
maintenance or lubrication.
Tampering with the device will
compromise its efficient operation. If,
as a result of exceptional natural
circumstances (floods, heavy seas, etc.),
the device has been in contact with
water and sludge, it is absolutely
essential to replace it.
To ensure the best protection from the
pretensioner, secure the belt snugly
across your chest and pelvis.
The pretensioners can be used
only once and activate only
when the seat belts are
fastened. After activation, contact the
Maserati Service Network to have the
pretensioners replaced and for
properly discarding the old
components. The units have a 14 year
service life from the date of
manufacture; they must be replaced
when their service life is near to
expiry.
WARNING: Work on the vehicle which
involves blows, vibrations or localized
heating (over 100°C / 212°F for 6 hours
max.) in the area of the pretensioners
may damage or activate them:
vibrations due to uneven road surfaces
or mounting the pavement
unintentionally, for instance, do not
affect the units. Contact the Maserati
Service Network for any intervention
that may be required.
It is strictly forbidden to
remove or tamper with the
pretensioner components.
Any intervention must be carried out
only by qualified and authorized
personnel. Always contact the
Maserati Service Network.