Nobody

Can anyone tell me why the seatbelt unit (mounted behind the seat) has an electrical connection?

Will the seatbelts being disconnected (or removed entirely) affect the deployment of the airbags in an accident?

jeffbrig

Remember, there's a seatbelt light on the dash, a switch in the buckle identifies whether or not the seatbelt is latched. I don't think airbag deployment is affected one way or the other by use of the seat belt.

Jeff

rwr4a

the seatbelts have pyrotechnic pretensioners that fire upon impact. it pulls the belt in tight to get the occupants "in position" for better airbag interaction. they are controlled by the same computer used for the airbags, and are part of the SRS. if the computer detects a problem in the system, it disables deployment....someone with a helms manual might be able to confirm the operation. disconnecting the pretensioner may only affect the pretensioners, but it could affect the airbags too.

basically - removing your seatbelts is stupid....unless you aren't going to drive the car for some reason. not wearing your seatbelts is also stupid. disabling the pretensioner will lower the effectiveness of the restraint system in a crash, but the belt will still hold you in place (we went for years without pretensioners). the belts are also force-limited (i believe)....and a pretensioner is kindof a must for a force-limited belt. the purpose of a force-limiter is to prevent high belt forces and to allow occupant ride-down into the airbag. so, this kind of belt allows for forward excursion of the occupant during the crash. by not having the slack pulled in, it could allow too much forward excursion.

(please don't flame - i don't know the nature of your need to remove the belt, but driving without a seatbelt is not wise....as seen in the recent Philly crash. i do automobile crash research for a living.)

rodney