The vehicle makes use of BMW’s brand-new Adaptive Body Calibration system (ABC). It changes the seat belt tension and uses GPS data to record which restaurant you are visiting.
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I don’t want the airbags or the brakes turned off. I want this disabled since it hurts one of the people who drives with me and has chest irritation.
Why on earth would you want to turn off a safety feature like that? Do you also want the antilock brakes and airbags turned off?
I might be mistaken, but I don’t believe it to be a safety feature. It was a feature of my previous Mercedes as well, and it could be turned on or off through the settings.
It’s a security measure. I picked up ours at the PCD, where they trained us in emergency braking. Not only did the anti-lock brakes function as they should, but the seat belt tensioners also prevented you from striking the dashboard/airbag unit with your upper body as well. There should be no reason on earth for BMW to provide anyone the option to disable a *safety* function, and I for one am pleased that it is available.
The seatbelt’s “tug tug” after some driving is a function that, if disabled, wouldn’t stop the entire “safety” tensioning. Like I explained, you could turn off the option in my Mercedes that allows it to do that. The tensioner was disabled when the engine started, however it still functions if you give the belt a little tug.
Apart from it occasionally choking me, I don’t mind it. My wife, who weighs about 130 pounds and 5’7″, hates it.
When I purchased my 2015 X5, it had the self-tightening feature, but after a few DIY coding sessions, it turned itself off.
I’m attempting to identify which function in the ACSM module is responsible for this; I believe it to be the Automatenstrammer Fahrer in CAFD3000, but experimenting with it yields no results.
QSilver7
Although no one else has commented yet, you are welcome to the club because this is a typical complaint. As I continue to drive, I notice that the seat belt is pressing against my shoulder. I wouldn’t say it gets “tighter,” but it does make me angrier.
You don’t know where you are, but for me, fall and winter have been a reprieve because the necessity to wear more clothing, such a coat or jacket, in cooler or colder temperatures has brought some comfort.
If you live somewhere where the weather is always warm, you might have to grow used to it. Alternatively, you might look for anything (like a seat belt pad) that can provide some cushioning respite where the seatbelt is an annoyance.
The seat belt being integrated into the seat back rather than being fastened to the B pillar is likely the cause of the problem.
What function does a seatbelt pretensioner serve?
Here’s a cheery statistic to encourage you to drive around in the old supermarket cart: Living in the United States increases your lifetime risk of dying in an automobile accident to one in 84. Auto accidents are one of the most likely ways any of us will pass away, even though they don’t compare to heart disease as the leading cause of death (1-in-5 likelihood) [source: Parker-Pope].
The good news is that by simply wearing a seatbelt, you can reduce your risk of dying in a car accident by half [source: Centers for Disease Control]. Additionally, when the airbags fire, a modern seatbelt will forcefully retract before a person can even respond, moving the occupants into a safer seating position.
How does that happen? Obviously with a seatbelt pretensioner. The seatbelt pretensioner gives up its life in an accident to save yours, much like a heroic but tragic hero.
If the seatbelt pretensioners in your car are never need to perform their proper function, count yourself lucky. If they do, your vehicle’s front has likely collided with something else directly and violently. It’s very likely that the front airbags also deployed.
When sensors see the distinctive abrupt deceleration of an accident, the pretensioner mechanism drives a hidden piston with an explosive charge. The seatbelt cloth strap is wound around a spool that is swiftly driven by the piston in turn. Instantaneously, the slack in the belt is eliminated by that extraordinarily quick retraction of the fabric. Moments before the full force of the impact, this additional seatbelt “pre-” tension pushes the bodies of the driver and front-seat passenger firmly into their seats. They are positioned in such a way that they will benefit most from the front airbags’ protection. Additionally, it aids in avoiding the terrible phenomena known to crash scientists as “submarining.” When it happens, the victim’s torso is jerked under their lap belt and launched forward below the dashboard by the momentum of the collision.
Seatbelt pretensioners are now widely used in vehicles other than cars and small trucks. In the 1950s, a pretensioner system was suggested for pilots of military aircraft, which is one of the early examples of current car pretensioner systems. A device known as a “harness inertia reel” was the subject of a patent application made in 1958 by Royce Strickland, Jr. Before being blown out of an aircraft, the pilots were forced into their ejection seats by an explosive gas-driven device [source: Strickland].
It should be somewhat comforting to know that identical seatbelt pretensioner technology will keep us attached if we ever get into a head-on vehicle collision, even though few of us will ever have to bail out of a downed fighter jet mid-flight.
The Factor That Causes Your Seatbelt to Lock Even When It Shouldn’t
Your seat belt was made to lock at specific periods using a mechanism known as a retractor. This mechanism, which resembles a spool with teeth on the edges, ordinarily allows your seat belt to stretch and retract freely, but it locks the seat belt to prevent it from extending farther than it already has after collisions and hard braking. As a result, the person won’t be propelled forward by velocity and will remain seated. It’s a long-standing, somewhat easy-to-use system that works well.
So why does your seat belt lock while traveling at regular speeds if the retractor is intended to function during rapid changes in the vehicle’s speed?
There are several potential causes for this. For instance, the retractor can activate if you lean forward too quickly. Alternatively, it can activate if you happen to lean forward as the driver applies the brakes. The retractor may engage if you’re driving down a steeply falling road, according to the gyroscopic sensor. Additionally, the belt might have snagged and twisted beneath the pillar trim. Sadly, after activation, the belt must entirely retract before you can extend it once more.
If the belt repeatedly locks up when you try to pull on it, there may be a problem with the mechanism’s calibration and sensitivity, which has to be looked at and cleaned.
Aaron is happy to drive a Hyundai Veloster Turbo and is unafraid to be a native Clevelander (which recently replaced his 1995 Saturn SC-2). He uses his training in theater, literature, and communication to joyously perform dramatic readings of his own articles for the adjacent children. Vicki, his beautiful wife, and Mr. Widmar happily reside in Dayton, Ohio, although they frequently travel together to discover new places. Aaron has big dreams for his writing career, but he frequently gets sidetracked by thoughts on how profoundly human condition is and forgets what he was writing. Check out more writings by Aaron.
Why do the seat belts on Mercedes tighten?
In order to keep the passenger securely against the seat and away from the airbag’s potentially catastrophic inflation, the seat belt tightens against them. Headrests in the front seats can be changed automatically.
Why do seat belts randomly lock?
A retractor that is too sensitive might cause seat belts to lock at inconvenient moments. The retractor is built by the manufacturers to auto-lock in the event of trauma. You have to entirely replace the seat belt if they lock as a result of an accident. To assist you in repairing your safety harness, consult a qualified mechanic.
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If your seatbelt is too tight, what happens?
The front and rear bearings that support the armature are the main culprits in alternator failure, and the condition of these bearings is directly related to the belt. Overtightening the belt will result in high side loads and overheating of the bearings. In turn, this results in noise, lower production, and even the alternator seizing. The alternator will slide if the belt is too loose. The alternator and battery may have to work harder as a result of this sliding.
Is it possible to adjust the seatbelt for comfort?
The lap belt need to sit close to the hips. If the seat belt is excessively tight, it can be relaxed for comfort. If the seat belt is excessively tight, it can be relaxed for comfort.
How can I tell if my seatbelt tensioner is malfunctioning?
The Check Engine Light Is On Examining your engine light is one of the simplest ways to find out whether your timing belt tensioner is broken. Every time a fault is found in the car, the check engine light comes on. It’s a sign that the car’s engine isn’t running properly.
Why is my seatbelt sticking so much?
The first line of defense in keeping you secure in the case of an accident is a seat belt. Always use your seatbelt and make sure the SRS system is functioning properly. You might want to take a time to look at your seat belt if it is not functioning for some reason. Before you begin, be careful to prepare a seat belt cutter for an emergency escape from peril. Here’s how to fix a clogged seat belt or a seat belt retractor.
Many different reasons can cause a seat belt to become jammed. Here are two additional widespread causes, though: The seat belt retracts more slowly than usual due to two factors: (1) filth and grime on the webbing; and (2) the retractor is locked.
Cleaning the mud and grime out of the webbing would be the answer for the first situation. Your seat belt must first be fully retracted in order to achieve this. Next, place a vise grip or other type of clamp close to the retractor (where it feeds out of the webbing). As you clean, this prevents the seat belt from pulling back into the mechanism. Spray a cleaner on after that. The most efficient solution in this case is typically a carpet or fabric cleaner, although you can also use hot water and laundry detergent. Until there is no longer any dirt or grime on the webbing, brush in the cleaner. Try soaking the webbing in a pail of soapy water and trying again if the dirt is difficult to remove with just the cleaner. Before retracing the seat belt into the mechanism after finishing, be sure to give it enough time to dry.