I drive a 2015 Chevrolet Silverado and was recently hit from behind by another vehicle. My seat belts tightened up and are now frozen in place. My airbags did not deploy. I will be taking the truck to a repair shop but I'm not confident it will have an answer, and I'm worried about something happening later on. – Joseph
A sudden deceleration similar to the one that you just experienced will set into motion a supplemental restraint system (SRS) event. For example, a major front-end impact will likely cause the driver's and passenger airbags to deploy, a vehicle rollover will drop the side curtain airbags and, in your case, the rear-end impact will engage the seat belt pretensioners.
The pretensioner is contained in the seat belt assembly and, during a collision, a small explosion is set off within a sealed ram causing the seat belt spool to be quickly tightened. This will contract the seat belt and help position you correctly and securely. It is aptly named; the tightening of the seat belt occurs a moment before the major impact is felt by the occupants.
Your truck will need to have both front seat belts replaced, plus possibly the SRS control module and impact sensors. This has the potential to be costly, so make sure to bring it to the attention of the body shop and your insurance company.
Lou Trottier is owner-operator of All About Imports in Mississauga. Have a question about maintenance and repair? E-mail globedrive@globeandmail.com, placing "Lou's Garage" in the subject area.