Pretensioner Handling, Shipping, and Scrapping

CAUTION: When you are carrying an undeployed seat belt pretensioner:
Do not carry the seat belt pretensioner by the wires or connector on the pretensioner.
^ Do not touch the seat belt pretensioner in the area of the cable (1).
^ Do not cover the tube opening with your hand.
^ Keep the open end of the tube pointed away from you. Do not point the open end of the tube at another person.
^ When the pretensioner deploys the cable retracts. This shortens the pretensioner between the buckle and the mounting bolt. Grasp the pretensioner by the piston tube (2).

Disregarding these precautions may result in personal injury or unnecessary SIR system repairs.

LIVE (UNDEPLOYED) SEAT BELT PRETENSIONER
Take special care when handling or storing a live (undeployed) seat belt pretensioner. A seat belt pretensioner deployment produces rapid gas generation. This may cause the seat belt pretensioner, or an object in front of the seat belt pretensioner, to jettison through the air in the event of an unlikely deployment.

SHIPPING PROCEDURE
Refer to the latest service bulletins for proper shipping procedures.

SCRAPPING PROCEDURE
During the course of a vehicle's useful life, certain situations may arise which will necessitate the disposal of a live (undeployed) pretensioner. The following information covers the proper procedures for the disposing of a live pretensioner. Deploy the pretensioner before disposal. Do not dispose of a live pretensioner through normal disposal channels.

CAUTION: In order to prevent accidental deployment of the pretensioner which could cause personal injury, do not dispose of an undeployed pretensioner as normal shop waste. The undeployed pretensioner contains substances that could cause severe illness or personal injury if the sealed container is damaged during disposal. Use the following deployment procedures to safely dispose of an undeployed pretensioner. Failure to dispose of a pretensioner as Instructed may be a violation of federal, state, or local laws.

Do not deploy a pretensioner in the following situations:
^ After replacement of a seat belt pretensioner under warranty. The seat belt pretensioner may need to be returned undeployed to the original manufacturer. Refer to the latest service bulletin regarding seat belt pretensioner shipping procedures.
^ It the vehicle is the subject of a Product Liability report related to the SIR system and is subject A to a Preliminary Investigation (GM-1241), do not alter the SIR system in any manner. Refer to the latest service bulletin on SIR shipping procedures.
^ If the vehicle is involved in a campaign affecting the seat belt pretensioners, follow the instructions in the Campaign Service Bulletin for proper SIR handling and shipping procedures.

DEPLOYMENT PROCEDURES
The seat belt pretensioner can be deployed inside or outside of the vehicle The method used depends upon the final disposition of the vehicle. Review the following procedures in order to determine which will work best in a given situation: