[Vwdiesel] Volvo 960 Pyrotechnical Belt Tensioner? Off Topic

[Sandy Cameron]

At 02:21 PM 5/25/03 -0700, you wrote:
>Sorry for the off topic, but curiosity overwhelms me.
>Today my girlfriend bought a '92 Volvo 960. I found a
>factory sticker on the driver's door post that stated
>something to the effect, "This vehicle is equipped
>with Pyrotechnical Belt Tensioners that must be
>serviced or replaced after 10 years, see owner's
>manual (which the previous owner did not have). What's
>up with this?

Probably seat belt tensioners that lock explosively on impact, triggered by
the air bag depolyment system.

In our old volks, the seat belts are locked on impact by an inertia ball
that keeps on going as the car suddenly decelerates. Mine often lock in the
winter if I slam the door too hard. For some reason, (lint, dirt, grease)
they are more reluctant to let go for a while when they are cold. I cleaned
out the one on the driver side a few years ago, and it has been ok since,
but now the pass. side one is taking to locking on a hard door slam (my wife
is a door slammer) and will lock up for 20 minutes, or until the car warms up.
Sandy
VE3AAC
'87TD
'94TD