Patent ID: 7100945

Claim:
A method for actuating a reversible belt pretensioner for pretensioning a belt webbing wound around a belt reel of a seat belt in a motor vehicle, the belt pretensioner having a drive which acts on the belt reel, and the seat belt having, as a belt extraction lock, a locking device which acts on the belt reel in an unwinding direction and is released only if the belt reel is rotated through a specific angle of rotation in a winding-on direction, comprising the steps of: triggering the belt pretensioner by a hazardous situation; satisfying a predefined vehicle operating state which indicates an end of the hazardous situation; and actuating the drive of the belt pretensioner for opening the locking device in an opening mode wherein in a first winding-on phase the belt reel is rotated through the specific angle of rotation in the winding-on direction to an angular position and wherein in a subsequent, holding phase the drive of the belt pretensioner is actuated for a predefinable holding time (T H ) in such a way that the belt reel is held in the angular position.