Land Rover Defender: Seat belt checks

Make sure to read and fully understand the relevant warnings before using any of the features in this section.

Regularly inspect seat belts for wear and damage. Regularly check for fraying, cuts, or wear to the webbing. Also check the condition and security of the mechanism, buckles, adjusters, and mounting points.

To inspect the condition of the seat belts:

1. With the seat belt fastened, give the webbing near the buckle a quick upward pull. The buckle must remain securely locked.

2. With the seat belt unfastened, unreel the seat belt to the limit of its travel.

Check that it unreels smoothly with no snags. Allow the belt to fully retract with a smooth action.

3. Partially unreel the seat belt. Hold the tongue plate and give a quick forward pull. The mechanism must lock and prevent any further unreeling.

If any seat belt fails to meet the above criteria contact a retailer/authorized repairer immediately.

Note: If the vehicle is parked on an incline, the seat belt mechanism may lock. If locking occurs, ease the belt out from the upper anchorage. If the belt does not ease out from the anchorage, return the vehicle to level ground before attempting to release the seat belt again.

Note: If the rear seats are returned to the upright position quickly, the seat belt mechanism may lock. If locking occurs, ease the belt out from the upper anchorage.

SEAT BELT LOCKING MECHANISM

Make sure to read and fully understand the relevant warnings before using any of the features in this section.

The rear seat belts and the front passenger seat belt have a locking mechanism which improves the retention of child seats.

To fit a child seat:

1. Place the child seat in the vehicle.

Attach the seat belt, and secure the buckle in accordance with the manufacturer's fitting instructions.

2. Pull on the shoulder section of the belt to unreel all of the remaining webbing to the limit of its travel. The automatic locking feature now engages. The locking feature acts as a ratchet, only allowing the webbing to retract.

3. Allow the seat belt to retract onto the child seat, while firmly pushing the child seat into the vehicle's seat. A clicking sound confirms that the ratchet has engaged.

4. Make sure there is no slack in the seat belt, by pulling upward on the shoulder belt immediately above the child restraint.

When the child seat is removed, and all of the seat belt webbing is allowed to retract, the seat belt locking mechanism reverts to normal operation.

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