Page 31 of 323

1-19
The best way to protect the fetus is to protect the
mother. When a safety belt is worn properly, it's more
likely that the fetus won't be hurt in a crash. For
pregnant women, as for anyone, the key to making
safety belts effective is wearing them properly.
Right Front Passenger Position
To learn how to wear the right front passenger's safety belt
properly, see ªDriver Positionº earlier in this section.
The right front passenger's safety belt works the same way
as the driver's safety belt
-- except for one thing. If you ever
pull the lap portion of the belt out all the way, you will
engage the child restraint locking feature. If this happens,
just let the belt go back all the way and start again.
Supplemental Inflatable Restraint
(SIR) System
This part explains the Supplemental Inflatable Restraint
(SIR) system or air bag system.
Your vehicle has air bags
-- one air bag for the driver
and another air bag for the right front passenger.
Frontal air bags are designed to help reduce the risk of
injury from the force of an inflating air bag. But these
air bags must inflate very quickly to do their job and
comply with federal regulations.Here are the most important things to know about the air
bag system:
CAUTION:
You can be severely injured or killed in a crash if
you aren't wearing your safety belt
-- even if you
have air bags. Wearing your safety belt during a
crash helps reduce your chance of hitting things
inside the vehicle or being ejected from it. Air
bags are ªsupplemental restraintsº to the safety
belts. All air bags are designed to work with
safety belts, but don't replace them. Air bags
are designed to work only in moderate to severe
crashes where the front of your vehicle hits
something. They aren't designed to inflate at
all in rollover, rear, side or low
-speed frontal
crashes. And, for unrestrained occupants,
air bags may provide less protection in frontal
crashes than more forceful air bags have
provided in the past. Everyone in your vehicle
should wear a safety belt properly
-- whether or
not there's an air bag for that person.
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1-23
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 warm, 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 from seeing or from
being able to steer the vehicle, nor does it stop people
from leaving the vehicle.
CAUTION:
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 in 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.
Your vehicle has a feature that will automatically unlock
the doors and turn the interior lamps on when the air
bags inflate (if battery power is available). You can lock
the doors again and turn the interior lamps off by using
the door lock and interior lamp controls.
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.
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 system
commands air bag inflation and driver's safety belt
usage at deployment. Some modules also record
speed, engine rpm, brake and throttle data.
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 dealer for service.
Page 37 of 323
1-25 Rear Seat Outside Passenger Positions
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.
The shoulder belt may lock if you pull the belt across
you very quickly. If this happens, let the belt go back
slightly to unlock it. Then pull the belt across you
more slowly.
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1-27
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,
or if you pull the belt very quickly out of the retractor.
CAUTION:
You can be seriously 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 against your body.
To unlatch the belt, just push the button on the buckle.
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1-43
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.5. Pull the rest of the lap belt all the way out of the
retractor to set the lock.
Page 60 of 323

2-
2-1
Section 2 Features and Controls
Here you can learn about the many standard and optional features on your vehicle, and information on starting,
shifting and braking. Also explained are the instrument panel and the warning systems that tell you if everything is
working properly
-- and what to do if you have a problem.
2
-2 Keys
2
-4 Door Locks
2
-6 Remote Keyless Entry (RKE) System
2
-9 Trunk
2
-11 Theft
2
-12 Theft-Deterrent System
2
-14 PASS-Key II
2
-15 New Vehicle ªBreak-Inº
2
-16 Ignition Positions
2
-17 Starting Your Engine
2
-18 Engine Coolant Heater (If Equipped)
2
-19 Automatic Transaxle Operation
2
-23 Parking Brake
2
-25 Shifting Into PARK (P)
2
-26 Shifting Out of PARK (P)
2
-27 Parking Over Things That Burn
2
-28 Engine Exhaust2
-28 Running Your Engine While You're Parked
2
-29 Windows
2
-30 Tilt Wheel
2
-30 Turn Signal/Multifunction Lever
2
-37 Exterior Lamps
2
-41 Interior Lamps
2
-42 Mirrors
2
-46 Storage Compartments
2
-49 Sun Visors
2
-49 Cellular Telephone (Option)
2
-50 Sunroof (Option)
2
-51 HomeLink Transmitter (Option)
2
-54 The Instrument Panel -- Your
Information System
2
-58 Warning Lights, Gages and Indicators
2
-68 Driver Information Center (DIC)
Page 62 of 323

2-3
Ignition Key Door/Locks Key
The square key is for the ignition only. It has a resistor
pellet which is part of the vehicle's PASS
-Key II system.
The oval key is for the doors and all other locks.
When a new vehicle is delivered, the dealer removes the
plug from the door key. The plug has a code on it that
tells the dealer or a qualified locksmith how to make
extra keys. The ignition key has a bar code tag attached
to it rather than a knock out plug. Your dealer or
qualified locksmith can make extra ignition keys by
reading the bar code tag.There are 15 alternative ignition PASS
-Key II blanks
to help discourage theft. Keep the bar code tag and the
door key plugs in a safe place. If you lose your keys,
you will be able to have new ones made using the plug
or bar code tag.
NOTICE:
Your vehicle has a number of new features that
can help prevent theft. You can have a lot of
trouble getting into your vehicle if you ever lock
your keys inside and you may have to damage
your vehicle to get in. Be sure you have
extra keys.
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2-4
Door Locks
CAUTION:
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 either the door key or the Remote
Keyless Entry (RKE) transmitter.
If your vehicle is equipped with the theft
-deterrent system,
you must unlock the doors with the key or remote keyless
entry transmitter to avoid setting off the alarm.
Slide the manual lock lever down to lock the door from
the inside. To unlock the door, slide the lock lever up.
Central Door Unlocking System
Your vehicle will have this feature if it is equipped with
the theft
-deterrent system. When unlocking either door,
you can also unlock the other door by holding the key in
the turned position for a few seconds or by quickly
turning the door key twice in the lock cylinder.