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1-6 Rear Seats
CAUTION:
If a head restraint is not installed on the seatback
or stored in the vehicle properly, it could be
thrown about the vehicle in a crash or sudden
maneuver. People in the vehicle could be injured.
Remove the head restraints only when you need
to fold the seat, and be sure that the head
restraints are stored securely in the appropriate
holes at the rear of the lower seat cushion. When
the seat is returned to the passenger position, be
sure the head restraints are installed properly.
Folding the Rear Seat
Your vehicle has a 60/40 rear seat, either side may be
folded down to give you more cargo space.
Before folding, place the latch portion of the center
safety belt in the center armrest. That way, the center
safety belt will be out of the way when the seat is folded
and also will be easily available for passengers to use
when the seat is returned to the passenger position. Also,
make sure that nothing is under or in front of the seat.
When the seat is folded, it will lay flat on the floor.
To fold the seat, pull up on
the strap loop at the rear of
the seat cushion.
Then, pull the seat cushion up and fold it forward.
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Fold the seatback forward
enough to allow removal of
the head restraints. Push and
hold the release buttons at
the bottom of each head
restraint height
-adjust post
and slide the head
restraint out of the
height
-adjust tubes.
Set the head restraints aside for now. You will stow them
in their proper position after you are done folding
the seat.
Pull the seatback forward and fold the seatback down
until it is flat.
Then, stow the head
restraints by sliding them
into the rear of the seat
cushion. Make sure the
posts go in all the way.
To return the seat to the passenger position, first remove
the head restraints by sliding them out of the seat
cushion. Lift the seatback up enough to install the head
restraints. Push the seatback rearward all the way. Then,
lower the seat cushion until it latches in position.
After returning the seat to the passenger position, return
the head restraints to the top of the seatback. Pull
forward on the seatback and up on the seat cushion to
make sure that the seat is securely in place.
If the latch plate portion of the center safety belt was put
in the center armrest when the seat was folded, take the
latch plate portion out and place it on the seat. That way,
the center position safety belt will be available for the
center rear seat passenger to use.
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1-15
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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1-24
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. This is true
even with Next Generation frontal air bags.
Safety belts help keep you in position before and
during a crash. Always wear your safety belt,
even with Next Generation air bags. The driver
should sit as far back as possible while still
maintaining control of the vehicle.
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.
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Lap-Shoulder Belt
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 shoulder 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.
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.
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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Children
Everyone in a vehicle needs protection! That includes
infants and all children smaller than adult size. Neither
the distance traveled nor the age and size of the traveler
changes the need, for everyone, to use safety restraints.
In fact, the law in every state in the United States and in
every Canadian province says children up to some age
must be restrained while in a vehicle.
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.
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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
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
CAUTION: (Continued)
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.