Seat belt retractor with energy absorbing cover

A seat belt retractor for a vehicle, comprising:

• a base;
• a spool supported o n said base for rotation relative to said base about an axis in a belt retraction direction and an opposite belt withdrawal direction;
• a length of belt webbing wound on said spool and extensible from said retractor for helping to protect an occupant of the vehicle;
• a spool locking mechanism for blocking rotation of said spool in the belt withdrawal direction;
• a sensor mechanism supported on said base;
• and
• a cover secured to said base and having a main body portion covering said sensor mechanism, said cover having a plurality of legs projecting from said main body portion that are resiliently deformable to absorb energy of impact to said retractor,
• said retractor having a center of mass that lies along a line which intersects said cover at a point of intersection, two of said plurality of legs being located equidistant from said point of intersection.

A seat belt retractor for a vehicle, comprising:

• a base;
• a spool supported on said base for rotation relative to said base about an axis in a belt retraction direction and an opposite belt withdrawal direction;
• a length of belt webbing wound on said spool and extensible from said retractor for helping to protect an occupant of the vehicle;
• a spool locking mechanism for blocking rotation of said spool in the belt withdrawal direction;
• a sensor mechanism supported on said base;
• and
• a cover secured to said base and having a main body portion covering said sensor mechanism, said cover having a plurality of legs formed as one-piece with said main body portion, said plurality of legs projecting from said main body portion and being resiliently deformable to absorb energy of an impact to said retractor.