Page 13 of 488
These  symbols  are  important for you and your passengers  whenever your 
vehicle is driven: 
~~  ~ 
Fasten  Safety Door Lock/Unlock 
Belts 
These symbols have  to do with your lights: 
Master  Lighting 
Switch  Turn 
Signal 
Direction 
Fog Lights  Daytime 
Running  Lights 
A 
I 
Hazard  Warning 
Flasher  Headlight 
High  Beam 
vii 
ProCarManuals.com 
     
        
        Page 14 of 488
These symbols are on some of your controls: 
uu 
Windshield Wiper  Windshield 
Washer 
I I 
Windshield Defroster 
Ventilating Fan 
These symbols are used on  warning and  indicator lights: 
Engine  Coolant 
Temperature 
~~ 
Battery  Charging 
System 
BRAKE 
Brake 
ANTI- 
LOCK 
4 Wheel 
Anti-Lock 
I 1 
Rear  Window 
Defogger 
Fuel 
Parking Brake 
Release 
Engine Oil 
Pressure 
SHIFT 
Shift  Lighf 
Vlll . .. 
ProCarManuals.com 
     
        
        Page 15 of 488
Here  are some other symbols you may  see: 
El fuse 
1 
le Lighter I I I Horn Speaker 
Hood Release 
ix 
ProCarManuals.com 
     
        
        Page 25 of 488

Safety Belts: They’re for Everyone 
This part of the manual tells you how to use safety belts properly. It also 
tells you some  things you should  not do with safety  belts. 
And  it explains  the Supplemental  Inflatable  Restraint, or  “air bag” system. 
A CAUTION: 
Don’t  let  anyone  ride  where  he  or  she  can’t  wear  a  safety  belt 
properly. 
If you  are in a  crash  and  you’re  not  wearing  a  safety 
belt,  your  injuries  can  be  much  worse. You can  hit  things  inside 
the  vehicle  or  be  ejected  from  it. You  can  be  seriously  injured  or 
killed.  In  the  same  crash,  you  might  not  be  if you  are  buckled 
up.  Always  fasten  your  safety  belt,  and  check  that  your 
passengers’  belts  are  fastened  properly  too. 
YOLE vehicle has a light that comes  on as a reminder  to buckle up.  (See 
“Safety Belt  Reminder  Light”  in  the Index.) 
In many states and Canadian  provinces,  the law  says to wear safety belts. 
Here‘s why: 
They 1.zvl-k. 
You never know if you’ll be in a crash. If you  do  have a crash, you don’t 
know 
if it will be a bad  one. 
A few  crashes  are  mild, and some  crashes  can  be so serious that even 
buckled  up 
a person  wouldn’t  survive. But most crashes  are in between. In 
many of them,  people  who buckle up can  survive and sometimes  walk away. 
Without belts they could have  been badly  hurt  or  killed. 
After  more than 
25 years of safety belts in vehicles,  the facts are clear.  In 
most  crashes  buckling  up does  matter 
... a lot! 
1-9 
ProCarManuals.com 
     
        
        Page 36 of 488
A CAUTION: 
Air bags inflate with great  force,  faster  than  the blink of an  eye. 
If you’re  too  close  to an  inflating  air bag,  it could  seriously 
injure  you. Safety  belts help keep  you in position  for an  air  bag 
inflation  in  a crash. Always wear your  safety  belt,  even  with 
an 
air bag,  and sit as  far back  as you  can while  still  maintaining 
control  of your  vehicle. 
There is an air bag readiness light on the instrument panel, which  shows 
AIR BAG. The system  checks the air bag‘s electrical  system  for 
malfunctions. 
The light  tells you if there is an electrical problem. See “Air 
Bag Readiness  Light” in the index  for  more information. 
How the Air Bag System Works 
1-20 
ProCarManuals.com 
     
        
        Page 66 of 488
Tailgate 
You can  open  the 
tailgate  by lifting  up 
on  its  handle  while 
pulling  the  tailgate 
toward  you. 
To shut  the  tailgate,  firmly  push  it  away from you into  the latch. 
When  you put  the  tailgate  back  up,  pull  it back  toward  you,  to  be  sure  that  it 
latches  securely. 
Tailgate  Removal 
The tailgate  on  your vehicle  can  be removed  to  allow  for  different  loading 
situations.  Although the  tailgate  can be  removed  without  assistance,  you 
may want  someone  to  assist  you  with the  removal  to avoid  possible  finish 
damage. 
To remove  the  tailgate: 
Raise  the  tailgate  slightly  and 
release  both 
retaining  cable 
clips.  To release 
the  cable  clips, 
lift the  cable so it 
points  straight  out 
and push the 
cable  clips  forward. 
2-4 
7 F 
ProCarManuals.com 
     
        
        Page 67 of 488
0 With the tailgate 
at a slight upward 
angle, 
pull back 
on  the  tailgate  at 
the right  edge and 
then move the 
tailgate to the 
right, 
to release 
the left  edge. 
Reverse 
the above  procedure to re-install. Make sure  the tailgate  is  secure. 
Door Locks 
A CAUTION: 
Unlocked doors  can  be dangerous. 
Passengers 
- especially  children - can easily  open  the doors 
and  fall out.  When  a door is  locked,  the inside  handle  won’t open 
it. 
Outsiders  can  easily enter  through  an  unlocked door when  you 
slow down or stop your vehicle. 
This  may not be 
so obvious: You increase  the chance of being 
thrown  out 
of the  vehicle  in a  crash if the  doors  aren’t  locked. 
Wear  safety  belts properly,  lock your doors,  and 
you will  be far 
better 
off whenever you drive  your  vehicle. 
2-5 
ProCarManuals.com 
     
        
        Page 71 of 488

Key in the Ignition 
If you  walk away from  your vehicle  with the keys  inside, it’s an easy target 
for  joy  riders  or professional  thieves 
- so don’t do it. 
When  you park your vehicle and open the  driver’s door, you‘ll  hear a tone 
reminding 
you to  remove  your  key from  the ignition and take it with  you. 
Always  do  this. 
Your steering  wheel will be locked,  and so will your 
ignition.  If  you have 
an automatic  transmission,  taking your key out also 
locks your transmission.  And remember  to lock the  doors. 
Parking at Night 
Park in a lighted  spot,  close  all windows and  lock your vehicle.  Remember 
to  keep 
your valuables  out of sight.  Put them in a storage  area,  or take them 
with 
you. 
Parking  Lots 
If you  park in a lot where  someone  will be watching your vehicle,  it‘s  best 
to  lock 
it up  and take  your  keys.  But what if you have to leave your ignition 
key?  What  if 
you have to leave  something valuable in your  vehicle? 
Put your valuables  in a storage area, like your  glove  box. 
Lock all the  doors  except the driver’s. 
New  Vehicle  “Break-In ” 
NOTICE: 
Your  modern  vehicle doesn’t  need  an  elaborate  “break-in.” But 
it  will  perform  better  in  the  long  run  if you  follow  these 
guidelines: 
Keep  your  speed  at 55 mph (88 km/h)  or  less for  the  first 500 
miles (804 km). 
Don’t  drive  at  any one speed - fast  or  slow - for the  first 
500  miles 
(804 km).  Don’t  make  full-throttle  starts. 
Avoid making  hard  stops  for  the  first 200 miles (322 km)  or 
so. During  this  time  your  new  brake  linings  aren’t  yet  broken 
in.  Hard  stops  with  new linings  can  mean  premature  wear  and 
earlier  replacement.  Follow  this  “breaking-in”  guideline 
every time  you  get  new brake  linings. 
Don’t tow a trailer  during  “break-in.” See  “Towing a Trailer” 
in  the  Index 
for more  information. 
2-9 
ProCarManuals.com