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2. Lift the entire seat
and push it rearward
into place.
3. Make sure the seat is secure.
The extended cab's rear seat can also be unfolded for
more seating space. To use the seat:
1. Pull the entire seat forward until it is flat.
2. Then pull forward on the RELEASE lever under the
seat cushion, on the passenger's side of the rear seat.
Push the seatback rearward until it latches.
3. After pushing the seatback upright into position, pull
the seatback forward to make sure it is locked.Rear Seat (Crew Cab)
The rear seatback without a center armrest can be folded
forward to let you reach the area behind it. Your
seatback will move back and forth freely, unless you
come to a sudden stop. Then, it will lock into place.
The rear seatback with a center armrest folds forward to
let you access the area behind it.
To fold a seatback forward,
pull this lever forward and
fold the seatback forward.
To return the seatback to the upright position, just push
the seatback rearward until it latches. After returning the
seatback to its upright position, pull the seatback
forward to make sure it is locked.
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3. Pick up the latch plate and pull the belt across you.
Don't let it get twisted.
4. Push the latch plate into the buckle until it clicks.
Pull up on the latch plate to make sure it is secure.
If the belt isn't long enough, see ªSafety Belt
Extenderº 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.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
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.
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CAUTION:
Children who are up against, or very close to, any
air bag when it inflates can be seriously injured or
killed. This is true even though your vehicle has
Next Generation frontal air bags. Air bags plus
lap
-shoulder belts offer the best protection for
adults, 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. To read how, see
the part of this manual called ªChildrenº and see
the caution labels on the sunvisors and the right
front passenger's safety belt.
There is an air bag
readiness light on the
instrument panel, which
shows AIR BAG.
The system checks the air bag electrical system for
malfunctions. The light tells you if there is an electrical
problem. See ªAir Bag Readiness Lightº in the Index
for more information.
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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 let anyone whom the
national government has identified as a member
of a passenger air bag risk group sit in the right
front passenger's position (for example, don't
secure a rear
-facing child restraint in the right
front passenger's seat) until you have your
vehicle serviced.
To turn the right front passenger's air bag on again,
insert your ignition key into the switch, push in, and
move the switch to the ON position.
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Lap-Shoulder Belt (Extended Cab)
The positions next to the windows have lap
-shoulder
belts. Here's how to wear one properly.
1. Pick up the latch plate and pull the belt across you.
Don't let it get twisted.
2. Push the latch plate into the buckle until it clicks.
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 ªSafety Belt
Extenderº 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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1-41 Rear Seat Outside Passenger Positions
(Crew Cab)
If you have an Extended Cab, see ªRear Seat
Outside Passenger Positions (Extended Cab)º earlier
in this section.
Lap
-Shoulder Belt (Crew Cab)
The positions next to the windows have lap
-shoulder
belts. Here's how to wear one properly.
1. Pick up the latch plate and pull the belt across you.
Don't let it get twisted.
2. Push the latch plate into the buckle until it clicks.
Pull up on the latch plate to make sure it is secure.
When the lap belt is pulled out all the way, it will
lock. If it does, let it go back all the way and
start again.
If the belt is not long enough, see ªSafety Belt
Extenderº at the end of this section.
Page 52 of 440

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1-46 Smaller Children and Babies
CAUTION:
Children who are up against, or very close to, any
air bag when it inflates can be seriously injured
or killed. This is true even though your vehicle
has Next Generation frontal air bags. Air bags
plus lap
-shoulder belts offer the best protection
for adults, 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.
CAUTION:
Smaller children and babies should always be
restrained in a child or infant restraint. The
instructions for the restraint will say whether it is
CAUTION: (Continued)
CAUTION: (Continued)
the right type and size for your child. A very
young child's hip bones are so small that a
regular belt might not stay low on the hips, as it
should. Instead, the belt will likely be over the
child's abdomen. In a crash, the belt would apply
force right on the child's abdomen, which could
cause serious or fatal injuries. So, be sure that
any child small enough for one is always properly
restrained in a child or infant restraint.
Infants need complete support, including support for the
head and neck. This is necessary because an infant's neck
is weak and its head weighs so much compared with the
rest of its body. In a frontal crash, an infant in a rear
-facing
restraint settles into the restraint, so the crash forces can be
distributed across the strongest part of the infant's body,
the back and shoulders. A baby should be secured in an
appropriate infant restraint. This is so important that many
hospitals today won't release a newborn infant to its
parents unless there is an infant restraint available for the
baby's first trip in a motor vehicle.
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CAUTION:
Never hold a baby in your arms while riding in a
vehicle. A baby doesn't weigh much
-- until a
crash. During a crash a baby will become so
heavy you can't hold it. For example, in a crash
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CAUTION: (Continued)
at only 25 mph (40 km/h), a 12-lb. (5.5 kg) baby
will suddenly become a 240
-lb. (110 kg) force on
your arms. The baby would be almost impossible
to hold.
Secure the baby in an infant restraint.