Here Are Questions Many People Ask
About Safety Belts -- and the Answers
@ Won’t I be trapped in the vehicle after an
accident if I’m wearing a safety belt?
A: You could be -- whether you’re wearing a safety
belt or not. But you can unbuckle a safety belt,
even if you’re upside down. And your chance of
being conscious during and after an accident,
so
you can unbuckle and get out, is much greater if
you are belted.
Q.’ If my vehicle has air bags, why should I have
A: Air bags are in many vehicles today and will be
in most of them in the future. But they are
supplemental systems only;
so they work with
safety belts -- not instead of them. Every air bag
system ever offered for sale has required the use
of safety belts. Even if you’re in a vehicle that has
air bags, you still have to buckle up to get the most
protection. That’s true not only in frontal collisions,
but especially in side and other collisions.
to wear safety belts?
Q.’ If I’m a good driver, and I never drive far from
A: You may be an excellent driver, but if you’re in an
accident
-- even one that isn’t your fault -- you
and your passengers can be hurt. Being a good
driver doesn’t protect you from things beyond
your control, such as bad drivers.
Most accidents occur within
25 miles (40 km)
of home. And the greatest number of serious
injuries and deaths occur at speeds
of less than
40 mph (65 km/h).
Safety belts are for everyone.
home, why should I wear safety belts?
1-10
ProCarManuals.com
Door Locks Power Door Locks
Press the switch to
all doors.
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.
There are several ways to lock and unlock your vehicle.
From the outside, use your key or keyless entry
transmitter, if your vehicle has this option.
From
the inside, push the power lock switch to lock and
unlock the doors. power door lock
lock or unlock
2-4
ProCarManuals.com
Remote Alarm
When you press the alarm button on the remote keyless
entry transmitter, the headlamps will flash, the horn will
sound repeatedly and the interior lamps will illuminate.
This will allow you to attract attention if needed. The
alarm will continue until:
Mode 3: Headlamp Flash only
Mode 4: Horn Chirp and Headlamp Flash
The driver presses the alarm button on the remote
keyless entry transmitter a second time,
The ignition is turned to ON or
An alarm of 110 seconds has elapsed.
Remote Activation Verification (RAV)
This feature helps provide an audible and/or visible feedback
that a remote keyless entry lock or unlock command has been
received and executed. The vehicle must be
off for the
Remote Activation Verification to work.
You may select one of four operating modes for the reception
of a lock command.
You may also select one of four
operating modes for the reception of an unlock command.
The selection and programming of the lock and unlock
modes are independent of each other. The following modes
are available for either lock or unlock verification:
Mode 1: No Verification
Mode 2: Horn Chirp only The operating
mode
of the Remote Activation
Verification Lock (RAV Lock) feature will be changed
when the driver performs the following sequence with
the doors closed and the ignition key is in
ON:
1. Press and hold down the power door lock switch in
the lock position.
2. While holding the door lock switch, press and
release the
RKE transmitter lock switch. This button
press will initialize the customization mode. Upon initiation of this mode, the chime will sound the
number of chimes corresponding to the current
RAV lock mode.
Each additional press of the Remote Keyless Entry
transmitter lock switch will cause the vehicle to
increment the RAV lock mode by one, starting from the
current RAV lock mode. If cycled beyond RAV lock
mode
4, the vehicle shall enter RAV lock mode 1. When
the door lock switch is released, the vehicle will remain
in the most recent RAV lock mode.
2-10
ProCarManuals.com
Theft 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?
0 If possible, park in a busy, well lit area.
Vehicle theft
is big business, especially in some cities.
Although your vehicle has a number of theft-deterrent
features, we know that nothing we put on
it can make it
impossible to
steal. However, there are ways you can help.
Key in the Ignition
If you leave 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 chime reminding
you to remove your key
from the ignition and take it with you. Always do this.
Your ignition and transaxle will be locked. 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.
Put your valuables in a storage area, like your trunk or
glove box. Be sure to close and lock the storage area.
Close all windows.
0 Lock the glove box.
Lock all the doors except the driver’s.
0 Then take the door key and remote keyless entry
transmitter with you.
Passlock@
Your vehicle is equipped with the Passlock
theft-deterrent system.
Passlock is a passive theft-deterrent system. The system
is armed once the key is removed from the ignition.
Passlock enables fuel if the ignition lock cylinder is
turned with a valid key. If a correct key
is not used, fuel
is disabled.
2-14
ProCarManuals.com
Daytime Running Lamps / Automatic
Headlamp Control
Daytime Running Lamps (DRL) can make it easier for
others to see the front of your vehicle during the day.
DRL can be helpful in many different driving
conditions, but they can be especially helpful in the
short periods after dawn and before sunset.
A light sensor on top of the instrument panel makes the
DRL work, so be sure it isn’t covered.
The DRL system will make your front turn signal lamps
come on when:
The ignition is on,
0 The headlamp switch is off and
0 The parking brake is released.
When the
DRL are on, only your front turn signal lamps
will be on.
The headlamps, taillamps, sidemarker and
other lamps won’t be on. Your instrument panel won’t
be lit up either.
When it’s dark enough outside, your front turn signal
lamps will turn off and your headlamps and parking
lamps will turn on.
When it’s bright enough outside, your headlamps will
go
off and your front turn signal lamps will come on.
To idle your vehicle with the DRL off, set the parking
brake while the ignition is in
OFF. Then start your
vehicle. The DRL, headlamps and parking lamps will
stay off until
you release the parking brake.
As with any vehicle, you should turn on the regular
headlamp system when you need it.
Fog Lamps
To turn the fog lamps on,
press the fog lamp switch.
A light will glow on the
switch
to let you know that
they are on. (Your parking
lamps must be on, or your
fog lamps won’t come on.)
Press the switch again to
turn the fog lamps off.
The fog lamps will go
off whenever you change to
high-beam headlamps. When you return to low beams,
the fog lamps will come on again.
2-39
ProCarManuals.com
Audio Steering Wheel Controls
(If Equipped)
If your vehicle has this
feature, you can control
certain radio functions
using the buttons
on your
steering wheel.
VOL: Press the up or down arrow to increase or
decrease volume.
SEEK: Press this button to tune to a higher radio
station. When playing a cassette tape or compact disc,
press
SEEK to hear the next selection. There must be
at least a three-second gap between selections on a
cassette tape.
PROG: Press this button to tune in a higher preset radio
station. When playing a cassette tape, press
PROG to
hear the other side of a tape that is playing. When using
the
CD changer, this button will seek the next selection.
Understanding Radio Reception
AM
The range for most AM stations is greater than for FM,
especially at night. The longer range, however, can
cause stations to interfere with each other. AM can pick
up noise from things like storms and power lines.
Try
reducing the treble to reduce this noise if you ever get it.
FM Stereo
FM stereo will give you the best sound, but FM signals
will reach only about 10 to
40 miles (16 to 65 km). Tall
buildings
or hills can interfere with FM signals, causing
the sound to come and
go.
3-25
ProCarManuals.com
The body takes about an hour to rid itself of the alcohol
in one drink.
No amount of coffee or number of cold
showers will speed that up. “I’ll be careful” isn’t the
right answer. What
if there’s an emergency, a need to
take sudden action, as when a child darts into the street?
A person with even a moderate BAC might not be able
to react quickly enough to avoid the collision.
There’s something else about drinking and driving that
many people don’t know. Medical research shows that
alcohol in
a person’s system can make crash injuries
worse, especially injuries to the brain, spinal cord or
heart. This means that when anyone who has been
drinking
-- driver or passenger -- is in a crash, that
person’s chance
of being lulled or permanently disabled
is higher than if the person had not been drinking.
A CAUTION:
Drinking and then driving is very dangerous.
Your reflexes, perceptions, attentiveness and
judgment can be affected by even
a small amount
of alcohol. You can have
a serious -- or even
fatal
-- collision if you drive after drinking.
, Please don’t drink and drive or ride with a
driver who has been drinking. Ride home in a
cab; or if you’re with a group, designate a driver
who will not drink.
4-5
ProCarManuals.com
Remember: Anti-lock doesn’t change the time you need
to get your foot up to the brake pedal or always decrease
stopping distance. If
you get too close to the vehicle in
front
of you, you won’t have time to apply your brakes
if that vehicle suddenly slows or stops. Always leave
enough room up ahead to stop, even though you have
anti-lock brakes.
Using Anti-Lock
Don’t pump the brakes. Just hold the brake pedal down
firmly and let anti-lock work for you. You may feel a
slight brake pedal pulsation or notice some noise, but
this is normal.
LOW
TRAC
When your anti-lock system
is adjusting brake pressure
to help avoid a braking skid,
this light will come on. See
“Low Traction Light” in
the Index.
Enhanced Traction System (If Equipped)
Your vehicle is equipped with an Enhanced Traction
System (ETS) that limits wheel spin. This is especially
useful in slippery road conditions. The system operates
only if it senses that one or both of the front wheels are
spinning or beginning to lose traction. When this
happens, the system reduces engine power and may
also upshift the transaxle to limit wheel spin.
LOW
TRAC
This light will come on
when your Enhanced
Traction System is limiting
wheel spin.
See “Low Traction Light” in the Index. You may feel or
hear the system working, but this is normal.
The Enhanced Traction System operates in all transaxle
shift lever positions. But the system can upshift the
transaxle only as high as the shift lever position you’ve
chosen,
so you should use the lower gears only when
necessary. See “Automatic Transaxle” in the Index.
ProCarManuals.com