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What will you see after an air bag inflates?
After an air bag inflates, it quickly deflates, so quickly that
some people may not even realize the
air bag inflated.
Some components of the
air bag module -- the steering
wheel hub for the driver’s
air bag, or the instrument panel
for the right front passenger’s bag
-- will be hot for a short
time. The parts of the bag that come into contact with you
may be wm, but not too hot to touch. There
will be
some smoke and dust coming from vents in the deflated
air bags. Air bag inflation doesn’t prevent the driver kom
seeing or from being able to steer the vehicle, nor does
it
stop people kom leaving the vehicle.
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When an air bag inflates, there is dust in the air.
This dust could cause breathing problems for
people with a history of asthma
or other
breathing trouble.
To avoid this, everyone m the
vehicle should get out as
soon as it is safe to do so.
If you have breathing problems but can’t get out
of the vehicle after an air bag inflates, then get
fresh air by opening a window or door.
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In many crashes severe enough to inflate an air bag,
windshields are broken by vehicle deformation.
Additional windshield breakage may also occur from the
right front passenger air bag.
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Air bags are designed to inflate only once. After they
inflate, you’ll need some new parts for your air bag
system. If you don’t get them, the
air bag system
won’t be there to help protect you in another crash.
A new system will include air bag modules and
possibly other parts. The service manual for your
vehicle covers the need to replace other parts.
Your vehicle is equipped with a crash sensing and
diagnostic module, which records information about
the
air bag system. The module records information
about the readiness of the system, when the sensors
are activated and driver’s
safety belt usage at
deployment.
Let only qualified technicians work
on your air bag
system. Improper service can mean that your air
bag system won’t work properly. See your retailer
for service.
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1
1. Pick up the latch plate and pull the belt across you.
Don’t let it get twisted,.
Lap-Shoulder Belt
The positions next to the windows have lap-shoulder
belts. Here’s how
to wear one properly.
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If the belt stops before it reaches the buckle, tilt the
latch plate and keep pulling until you can buckle it.
Pull up on the latch plate
to make sure it is secure.
If the belt is not long enough, see “Safety Belt
Extender” at the end
of this section. Make sure the
release button
on the buckle is positioned so you
would be able to unbuckle the safety belt quickly if
you ever had to.
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3. To make the lap part tight, pull down on the buckle
end
of the belt as-you pull up on the shoulder part.
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to slide under the lap belt. If you slid under it, the belt
would apply force at your abdomen.
This could cause
serious
or even fatal injuries. The shoulder belt should go
over the shoulder
and across the chest. These parts of the
body are best able to take belt restraining forces.
The safety belt locks
if there's a sudden stop or a crash,
or if you pull the belt very quickly out of the retractor.
You can be sermusly hurt if your shoulder belt is
too loose. In a crash, you would move forward
too much, which could increase injury. The
shoulder belt should
fit agamst your body.
The lap part of the belt should be worn low and snug on the hips, just touching the
thighs. In a crash, this applies
force
to the strong pelvic bones. And you'd be less likely
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Page 42 of 348
To unlatch the belt, just push the button on the buckle.
Rear Safety Belt Comfort Guides for
Children and Small Adults
There is one guide for each outside passenger position in
the rear seat. To provide added safety belt comfort for
children who have outgrown child restraints and for
smaller adults, the comfort guides may be installed on
the shoulder belts. Here’s how to install a comfort guide
and use the safety belt:
1. Pull the elastic cord out from between the edge of
the seatback and the interior body to remove the
guide from its storage
clip.
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To remove and store the comfort guides, squeeze the
belt edges together
so that you can take them out from
the guides. Pull the guide upward to expose its storage
clip, and then slide the guide onto
the clip. Rotate the
guide and clip inward and in between the seatback and
the interior body, leaving only the loop
of elastic
cord exposed.
Center Passenger Position
U
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Lap Belt
when you sit in the center seating position, you have a
lap safety belt, which has no' retractor. To de the belt
longer, tilt
the latch plate and pull it along the belt.
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Children who are up against, or very close to, an
air bag when it inflates can be seriously injured
or killed. This is true even though your vehicle
has reduced-force frontal
air bags. Air bags plus
lap-shoulder belts offer the best protection for
adults and older children, but not for young
children and infants. Neither the vehicle’s safety
belt system nor its
air bag system is designed for
them. Young children and infants need the
protection that a child restraint system can
provide. Always secure children properly in
your vehicle.