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Technical bulletins

18 Seatbelt markings

Technical information

Vehicle inspection requirements manual references

This bulletin gives guidance to vehicle inspectors in applying the following requirements in the VIRM: Entry certification:

Vehicle interior – 7-5 Seatbelts and seatbelt anchorages: Reason for rejection 2.

Application

This bulletin applies to standards markings on seatbelts fitted to vehicles undergoing entry certification in New Zealand.

Clarification

Seatbelts must be labelled with an appropriate standards marking. This helps to determine compliance with an approved standard. Seatbelts may be marked with a code that indicates the type of retractor operation, such as ELR. Table 18-1-1 lists possible seatbelt markings and describes the type of retractor operation indicated by each marking.

Table 18-1-1. Seatbelt retractor operations markings

Seatbelt marking	Seatbelt retractor operation
ELR	Emergency locking retractor
ALR	Automatic locking retractor
ELR/ALR	A combination of emergency and automatic locking retractors, usually used in cars with child restraint seats, but can be used for other purposes.
ELR-V	Single-sensitive (for vehicle sensitivity only) emergency locking retractor
ELR-VW	Dual-sensitive (for both vehicle and web sensitivity) emergency locking retractor
ELR-VW-4N or ELR-VN	Dual-sensitive emergency locking retractor, but with less sensitivity in the webbing sensitivity function. This makes it ideal for use where an air seat or hydraulic cushion seat is fitted, as the retractor will not constantly lock-up as the operator moves up and down.

Compliant seatbelts that are not required to have standard markings

Seatbelts that comply with the Japanese Technical Standard for Seatbelt Assemblies are not required to have standards markings, provided the seatbelts are OE and the vehicle has Japanese type approval.
Seatbelts in a fully Australian Design Rule (ADR)-compliant vehicle are not required to have standards markings.

Mislabelling

If the retractor operation of a seatbelt fitted to a vehicle does not match the operation indicated by the seatbelt marking (eg the seatbelt is marked ELR-V but appears to be web sensitive), the vehicle inspector must ignore the possibility of mislabelling, and inspect the performance of the seatbelts in accordance with the manufacturer’s marking.