An automotive passenger restraint and protection apparatus for an automotive vehicle has a seatbelt and operates to restrain an occupant of the automotive vehicle by the seatbelt to protect the occupant. An electric retractor has a DC motor for retracting and protracting the seatbelt. An MPU applies voltage having a predetermined waveform to the DC motor, and then detects a waveform of current flowing to the DC motor. The MPU carries out fault diagnosis of the DC motor, based upon the detected waveform of current when the voltage having the predetermined waveform is applied to the DC motor. Thus, accurate fault diagnosis of the apparatus can be achieved.