Grand Caravan V6-3.3L Flex Fuel (2008)
Seat Belt Tensioner: Description and Operation
Description
DESCRIPTION
All vehicles include seat belt tensioners integrated into the retractors for both front seats. In addition, export market vehicles also incorporate dual
tensioners for both front seats: one integral to the retractor, and one integral to the buckle.
RETRACTOR TENSIONER
Seat belt retractor tensioners supplement the dual front and side curtain airbag system for all versions of this vehicle. These tensioners are integral to the
front seat belt and retractor units (1), which are secured to the B-pillars on the right and left sides of the vehicle. The retractors are concealed beneath the
molded plastic B-pillar trim. The seat belt tensioner consists primarily of a molded plastic tensioner housing (3), a tubular metal piston housing (4), a
piston, a short rack gear, a set of pinion gears, a pyrotechnically activated gas generator, and a short pigtail wire (2).
All of these components are located on one side of the retractor spool on the outside of the retractor housing. The seat belt tensioners are controlled by
the Occupant Restraint Controller (ORC) and are connected to the vehicle electrical system through dedicated take outs of the body wire harness by
keyed and latching molded plastic connector insulators to ensure a secure connection.
The retractor tensioners cannot be repaired and, if ineffective or damaged, the entire front seat belt and retractor unit must be replaced. The retractor
tensioners are not intended for reuse and must be replaced following any front airbag deployment. A locked retractor that will not allow the seat belt
webbing to be retracted or extracted is a sure indication that the seat belt tensioner has been deployed and requires replacement.See: Seat Belt/Service
and Repair/Removal and Replacement/Seat Belt and Retractor - Removal.
BUCKLE TENSIONER
Seat belt buckle tensioners supplement the dual front and side curtain airbags for all export market versions of this vehicle. These tensioners are integral
to the front seat belt buckle units, which are secured by a large screw to the outside of the inboard seat cushion frames of the right and left front seats.
The buckle tensioner consists primarily of a buckle (2), a molded plastic scabbard (1), a cable and piston, a cable guide and bracket (5), a steel cylinder
tube (4), and a small pyrotechnically activated gas generator.
The buckle tensioners are controlled by the Occupant Restraint Controller (ORC) and are connected to the vehicle electrical system through a dedicated
take out of the seat wire harness by a keyed and latching yellow molded plastic connector insulator to ensure a secure connection. The buckle tensioner
connector for the driver side is shared by one or two pigtail harnesses (3): one two-wire squib pigtail and a second two-wire pigtail for buckles equipped
with an integral seat belt switch.
The buckle tensioners cannot be repaired and, if ineffective or damaged, the entire front seat belt buckle unit must be replaced. If the front airbags have
been deployed, the buckle tensioners have also been deployed. The buckle tensioners are not intended for reuse and must be replaced following any front
