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’ A CAUTION:
-
A child in a rear-facing child restraint can be
seriously injured or killed if the right front
passenger’s air bag inflates, even though your
vehicle has reduced-force frontal
air bags. This is
because the back of the rear-facing child
i restraint would be very close to the inflating air
bag. Be sure to turn off the air bag before using a
rear-facing child restraint in the right front seat
position.
If a forward-facing child restraint is
suitable for your child, always move the
passenger seat as
far back as it will go.
To turn off the right front passenger’s air bag, insert
your ignition key into the switch, push
in, and move the
switch to
AIR BAG OFF.
The AIR BAG OFF light will come on to let you know
that the right front passenger’s air bag is off. The right
front passenger’s air bag
will remain off until you turn it
back on again, and the AIR BAG OFF light will stay on
to remind you that the air bag is off.
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If the air bag readiness light ever comes on when
you have turned
off the air bag, it means that
something may be wrong with the air bag system.
The right front passenger’s air bag could inflate
even though the switch is off.
If this ever
happens, don’t secure a rear-facing child
restraint in your vehicle until you have your
vehicle serviced.
You’ll be using
the lap-shoulder belt. See the earlier part
about
the top strap if the child restraint has one. Be sure
to follow
the instructions that came with the child
restraint. Secure the child in the child restraint when and
as the instructions say.
1. If your vehicle has air bags and you are using a
rear-facing child restraint in this seat, make sure the
air bag
is turned off. If your child restraint is
forward-fixing, always move the seat as far back as
it will go before securing it in this seat. (See “Seats”
in the Index.)
2. Put the restraint on the seat.
3. Pick up the latch plate, and run the lap and shoulder
portions of
the vehicle’s safety belt through or
around the restraint. The. child restraint instructions
will show
you how.
If the shoulder belt goes in front of the child’s face or
neck, put
it behind the child restraint.
4. Buckle the belt. Make sure the release button is
positioned so you would be able to unbuckle the
safety belt quickly
if you ever had to.
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~ ~~ ~~~~ ~ ~
~~~~ ~~ ~~~~~~
~ ~. ,
To remove the child restraint, just unbuckle the vehicle’s
safety belt and let it go back all the way. The safety belt
will move freely again and be ready to work for an adult
or larger child passenger.
If your vehicle has air bags, turn on the right front
passenger’s air bag when you remove the rear-facing
child restraint.
To turn the air bag on again, insert your ignition key into the
switch, push in, and move the switch to the
ON position.
If the right front passenger’s air bag is turned
off, the person sitting there won’t have the extra
protection of an
air bag. In a crash, the air bag
wouldn’t be able to inflate and help protect the
person sitting there. Make sure the air bag is
turned on unless you are using
a rear-facing child
restraint in the right front seat position.
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Larger Children
Children who have outgrown child restraints should wear the vehicle’s safety belts.
If you have the choice, a child should sit next to a
window so the child can wear a lap-shoulder belt and
get the additional restraint
a shoulder belt can provide. Accident statistics show that
children are safer if they
are restrained
in the rear seat. But they need to use the
safety belts properly.
Children who aren’t buckled up can be thrown out in
a crash.
Children who aren’t buckled up can strike other
people who are.
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Never do this.
Here two children are wearing the same belt. The
belt can’t properly spread the impact forces. In
a
crash, the two children can be crushed together
and seriously injured.
A belt must be used by
only one person at a time.
What
if a child is wearing a lap-shoulder belt,
but the child is
so small that the shoulder belt is
very close to the child’s face
or neck?
A: Move the child toward the center of the vehicle, but
be sure that the shoulder belt
still is on the child’s
shoulder,
so that in a crash the child’s upper body
would have the restraint that belts provide.
If the
child
is sitting in a rear seat outside position, see
“Rear Safety Belt Comfort Guides”
in the Index.
If the child is so small that the shoulder belt is still
very close to the child’s face or neck, you might
want to place
the child in a seat that has a lap belt,
if your vehicle has one.
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A CAUTION:
Never do this.
Here a child is sitting in a seat that has a
lap-shoulder belt, but the shoulder part is behind
the child.
If the child wears the belt in this way, in
a crash the child might slide under the belt. The
belt’s force would then be applied right on the
child’s abdomen. That could cause serious or
fatal injuries.
Wherever the child sits, the lap portion of the belt
should be worn low and snug on the hips,
just touching
the child’s thighs. This applies belt force
to the child’s
pelvic bones
in a crash.
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Air Bag Readiness Light
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. The system check includes
the air bag sensors, the air bag module, the wiring and the
diagnostic module. For more information
on the air bag
system, see “Air Bag”
in the Index,
~
AIR
BAG
This light will come on
when you start your engine,
and
it will flash for a few
seconds. Then the light
should go out. This means
the system is ready.
If the air bag readiness light stays on after you start the
engine or comes on when
you are driving, your air bag
system may not work properly. Have your vehicle
serviced right away.
The air bag readiness light should flash for a few
seconds when
you turn the ignition key to RUN. If the
light doesn’t come
on then, have it fixed so it will be
ready to warn you
if there is a problem.
AIR BAG OFF Light (Except Crew Cab)
When you turn the right front passenger’s air bag off, this
light will come
on and stay on to remind you that the air
bag has been turned off. This light will go off when you
turn the air bag back on again. See “Securing a Child
Restraint in the Right Front Seat Position”
in the Index for
more on this, including important safety information.
-
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If the right front passenger’s air bag is turned
off, an adult or
a child who is no longer an infant
sitting in the right front passenger’s position
won’t have the extra protection of an air bag. In
a crash, the air bag wouldn’t be able to inflate
and help protect the person sitting there. Make
sure the air bag is turned on unless you are using
a rear-facing child restraint in the right front
seat position.
A
A CAUTION:
If the air bag readiness light ever comes on when
you have turned off the air bag, it means that
something may be wrong with the air bag system.
The right front passenger’s air bag could inflate
even though the switch is off.
If this ever
happens, don’t secure a rear-facing child
restraint in your vehicle until you have your
vehicle serviced.
Charging System Indicator Light
7-1 This light should come on
I-+I
brieflywhen you turn on the
ignition, before starting the
engine,
as a check to show
you it is working.
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