Jaguar XJ (2008 year). Manual - part 16

65

Occupant Protection

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The inertia operating mechanism of the 
seat belts allows the wearers to move 
their upper bodies to reach various 
controls. The seat belts lock automatically 
with accelerated body movement or in the 
event of emergency braking.

The seat belt assemblies incorporate 
additional safety devices. All have belt 
pretensioners and the front belts also 
have force limiters. These devices provide 
increased protection in the event of a 
severe frontal impact.

The pretensioners operate with the air 
bags as part of the Advanced Restraints 
Technology System (ARTS). See 
RESTRAINTS SYSTEMS on page 70.

Comfort belts are fitted to both individual 
electrically operated rear seats. They are 
also fitted to the outer seats only on the 
electrically operated rear bench seat. 
These belts incorporate a twin tension 
facility. When the belt is buckled around 
the occupant, a reduced tension is 
applied to provide a more comfortable 
fitting. When the belt is unfastened, a 
higher tension is applied to allow it to 
retract correctly.

!

WARNING:

Seat belts should be worn by all vehicle 
occupants, for every journey no matter 
how short. Failure to do so will greatly 
increase the risk of death or serious 
injury in the event of an accident.

!

WARNING:

No modifications or additions should 
be made by the user which will either 
prevent the seat belt adjusting devices 
from operating to remove slack, or 
prevent the seat belt assembly from 
being adjusted to remove slack.

A slack seat belt offers a greatly 
reduced level of occupant protection in 
an impact.

!

WARNING:

If any damage, wear, cuts, defects, or 
impaired operation are noted with the 
seat belts, the vehicle should be taken 
to a Jaguar Dealer for immediate 
attention. Do not use the vehicle if the 
seat belts cannot be operated 
correctly.

!

WARNING:

When using seat belts to restrain items 
other than occupants, take care to 
ensure that the belts are not damaged, 
or exposed to sharp edges.

!

WARNING:

Care must be taken to avoid 
contaminating the seat belt webbing, 
and seat belt mechanisms with any 
chemicals, liquids, grit, dirt, or cleaning 
products. If the seat belts do become 
contaminated they should be replaced 
immediately. Contaminated seat belts 
may not operate correctly in an impact 
and cannot be relied upon.

Occupant Protection

66

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Seat belt checks

Note: If the vehicle is parked on an incline, 
the seat belt mechanism may lock. This is 
not a fault, and the belt should be gently 
eased out from the upper anchorage.

The seat belts should be inspected 
regularly to check for fraying, cuts, or 
wear to the webbing, and the condition 
and security of the mechanism, buckles, 
adjusters, and mounting points.

Checks
• With the seat belt fastened, give the 

webbing near the buckle a quick 
upward pull. The buckle must remain 
securely locked.

• With the seat belt unfastened, unreel 

the seat belt to the limit of its travel. 
Check that it unreels smoothly with no 
snatches or snags. Allow the belt to 
fully retract, again checking for 
smooth operation.

• Partially unreel the seat belt, then hold 

the tongue plate and give a quick 
forward pull. The mechanism must 
lock and prevent any further 
unreeling.

If any of the seat belts fail to meet those 
criteria, immediately contact you Jaguar 
Dealer.

Beltminder

The Beltminder feature is a supplemental 
warning to the seat belt warning function, 
see page 115. This feature provides 
additional reminders to the driver that the 
driver’s and/or front passenger’s seat belt 
is unbuckled by intermittently sounding a 
chime and illuminating the seat belt 
warning indicator in the instrument panel.

Note: Not all countries have the warning 
chime.

Note: Objects placed on the front 
passenger seat may activate the seat belt 
reminder warning chime and indicator. It 
is recommended that any objects placed 
on the front passenger seat are secured 
using the seat belt.

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Occupant Protection

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Seat Belt Fitting

!

WARNING:

Do not adjust the seat belt while 
driving.

Draw the tongue of the seat belt over the 
shoulder, across the chest and push it 
into the buckle unit slot. A positive ‘click’ 
indicates that it is safely locked.

Comfort clips or devices that create slack 
in the seat belts are not recommended.

Ensure that the webbing is midway 
between the neck and the edge of the 
shoulder. Correct tension is controlled by 
automatic retraction of the reel.

A warning indicator on the instrument 
panel is illuminated when the driver’s seat 
belt is not fastened. (In some countries a 
warning signal sounds for six seconds).

Note: If the vehicle is parked on unlevel 
ground, the seat belt mechanism may 
lock. This is not a fault, allow the seat belt 
to retract a small amount before gently 
easing the belt from its attachment to 
unlock it.

To release the seat belt, press the red 
button.

Note: When releasing the seat belt it is 
advisable to hold the belt before pressing 
the release button. This will prevent the 
belt from retracting too quickly.

Occupant Protection

68

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Front belt height adjustment

!

WARNING:

Correct seat belt adjustment is 
essential for safety and comfort. 
Ensure that the height is correctly 
adjusted and the mechanism is locked 
in place before driving the vehicle. Do 
not attempt to adjust the seat belt 
height once the vehicle is in motion. 
Doing so may cause you to loose 
control of the vehicle, or incorrectly 
adjust the seat belt.

To adjust the front seat belt heights, press 
the locking button (1) and slide the 
anchorage (2) so that the seat belt 
webbing passes over the shoulder 
without pulling against the neck. Release 
the button and check that the anchorage 
point is locked.

Always check the anchorage point after 
the seat has been adjusted to ensure that 
the belt is correctly positioned.

Seat Belt Clip

A clip is fitted to the seat belt for easier 
access to the tongue. This clip prevents 
the tongue from sliding down the seat belt 
to the side of the seat when the belt is 
undone, retaining it higher up the belt 
nearer to the shoulder.

It is important that when the belt is fitted 
around the lap and over the shoulder that 
any slackness (as shown in the next 
column) in the portion of belt over the lap 
is removed. 

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