1-30 Servicing Your Air Bag-Equipped Vehicle
Air bags affect how your vehicle should be serviced.
There are parts of the air bag systems in several places
around your vehicle. Your dealer and the service manual
have information about servicing your vehicle and the
air bag systems. To purchase a service manual, see
ªService and Owner Publicationsº in the Index.
CAUTION:
For up to 10 seconds after the ignition key is
turned off and the battery is disconnected, an air
bag can still inflate during improper service. You
can be injured if you are close to an air bag when
it inflates. Avoid yellow connectors. They are
probably part of the air bag systems. Be sure to
follow proper service procedures, and make sure
the person performing work for you is qualified
to do so.
The air bag systems do not need regular maintenance.
Safety Belt Pretensioners
Your vehicle has safety belt pretensioners. You'll find
them on the buckle end of the safety belts for the
driver and right front passenger. They help the
safety belts reduce a person's forward movement in
a moderate to severe crash in which the front of the
vehicle hits something.
Pretensioners work only once. If they activate in a crash,
you'll need to get new ones, and probably other new
parts for your safety belt system. See ªReplacing
Restraint System Parts After a Crashº in the Index.
Rear Seat Passengers
It's very important for rear seat passengers to buckle up!
Accident statistics show that unbelted people in the rear
seat are hurt more often in crashes than those who are
wearing safety belts.
Rear passengers who aren't safety belted can be thrown
out of the vehicle in a crash. And they can strike others
in the vehicle who are wearing safety belts.
1-51
Safety Belt Extender
If the vehicle's safety belt will fasten around you, you
should use it.
But if a safety belt isn't long enough to fasten, your
dealer will order you an extender. It's free. When you go
in to order it, take the heaviest coat you will wear, so the
extender will be long enough for you. The extender will
be just for you, and just for the seat in your vehicle that
you choose. Don't let someone else use it, and use it
only for the seat it is made to fit. To wear it, just attach it
to the regular safety belt.
Checking Your Restraint Systems
Now and then, make sure the safety belt reminder light
and all your belts, buckles, latch plates, retractors and
anchorages are working properly. Look for any other
loose or damaged safety belt system parts. If you see
anything that might keep a safety belt system from
doing its job, have it repaired.
Torn or frayed safety belts may not protect you in a
crash. They can rip apart under impact forces. If a belt
is torn or frayed, get a new one right away.
Also look for any opened or broken air bag covers, and
have them repaired or replaced. (The air bag system
does not need regular maintenance.)
Replacing Restraint System Parts
After a Crash
If you've had a crash, do you need new belts?
After a very minor collision, nothing may be necessary.
But if the belts were stretched, as they would be if worn
during a more severe crash, then you need new parts.
If belts are cut or damaged, replace them. Collision
damage also may mean you will need to have safety belt
or seat parts repaired or replaced. New parts and repairs
may be necessary even if the belt wasn't being used at
the time of the collision.
If an air bag inflates, you'll need to replace air bag
system parts. See the part on the air bag system earlier
in this section.
If the frontal air bags inflate, you'll also need to replace
the driver's and right front passenger's safety belt
buckle assembly. Be sure to do so. Then the new buckle
assembly will be there to help protect you in a collision.
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The SERVICE ENGINE SOON or CHECK ENGINE
light comes on to indicate that there is a problem and
service is required. Malfunctions often will be indicated
by the system before any problem is apparent.
This may prevent more serious damage to your vehicle.
This system is also designed to assist your service
technician in correctly diagnosing any malfunction.
NOTICE:
If you keep driving your vehicle with this light
on, after a while, your emission controls may not
work as well, your fuel economy may not be as
good and your engine may not run as smoothly.
This could lead to costly repairs that may not be
covered by your warranty.
NOTICE:
Modifications made to the engine, transaxle,
exhaust, intake or fuel system of your vehicle
or the replacement of the original tires with
other than those of the same Tire Performance
Criteria (TPC) can affect your vehicle's emission
controls and may cause the SERVICE ENGINE
SOON or CHECK ENGINE light to come on.
Modifications to these systems could lead to
costly repairs not covered by your warranty.
This may also result in a failure to pass a
required Emission Inspection/Maintenance test.
This light should come on, as a check to show you it is
working, when the ignition is on and the engine is not
running. If the light doesn't come on, have it repaired.
2-84
Are you low on fuel?
As your engine starts to run out of fuel, your engine
may not run as efficiently as designed since small
amounts of air are sucked into the fuel line causing a
misfire. The system can detect this. Adding fuel should
correct this condition. Make sure to install the fuel cap
properly. See ªFilling Your Tankº in the Index. It will
take a few driving trips to turn the light off.
Have you recently changed brands of fuel?
If so, be sure to fuel your vehicle with quality fuel.
See ªFuelº in the Index. Poor fuel quality will cause
your engine not to run as efficiently as designed.
You may notice this as stalling after start
-up,
stalling when you put the vehicle into gear, misfiring,
hesitation on acceleration or stumbling on acceleration.
(These conditions may go away once the engine is
warmed up.) This will be detected by the system and
cause the light to turn on.
If you experience one or more of these conditions,
change the fuel brand you use. It will require at least
one full tank of the proper fuel to turn the light off.
If none of the above steps have made the light turn off,
have your dealer or qualified service center check the
vehicle. Your dealer has the proper test equipment and
diagnostic tools to fix any mechanical or electrical
problems that may have developed.Emissions Inspection and Maintenance Programs
Some state/provincial and local governments have or may
begin programs to inspect the emission control equipment
on your vehicle. Failure to pass this inspection could
prevent you from getting a vehicle registration.
Here are some things you need to know in order to help
your vehicle pass an inspection:
Your vehicle will not pass this inspection if the SERVICE
ENGINE SOON or CHECK ENGINE light is on or
not working properly.
Your vehicle will not pass this inspection if the OBD
(on-board diagnostic) system determines that critical
emission control systems have not been completely
diagnosed by the system. The vehicle would be
considered not ready for inspection. This can happen
if you have recently replaced your battery or if your
battery has run down. The diagnostic system is designed
to evaluate critical emission control systems during
normal driving. This may take several days of routine
driving. If you have done this and your vehicle still
does not pass the inspection for lack of OBD system
readiness, see your dealer or qualified service center to
prepare the vehicle for inspection.
2-89
AVG MPH (Average Miles per Hour): This
message shows the average speed you have traveled
at since the last time you reset the value. To reset the
value, press the INFO button to display AVG MPH
then press and hold the INFO RESET button until
0.0 AVG MPH is displayed.
TIMER: This feature is like a stopwatch, in that
you can clock the time it takes to get from one point
to another.
To operate, press the INFO button to display TIMER.
Each of the fields for the hours, minutes and seconds
are two numeric digits.
Once TIMER 00:00:00 is displayed, press the
ON/OFF button to start the timing feature. Press the
ON/OFF button again to stop it. If you will be starting
and stopping your vehicle, during a trip for instance,
the TIMER feature will automatically start timing
where it left off when you last stopped. To reset it,
press and hold the INFO RESET button until the
display reads TIMER 00:00:00. Press the INFO
button to exit from the TIMER display.ENGINE OIL LIFE: Press the INFO button to
display ENGINE OIL LIFE, then press and hold the
INFO RESET button until 100% ENGINE OIL
LIFE is displayed. (This only needs to be reset after
you have had the oil changed.)
TRANSMISSION FLUID LIFE MONITOR:
Under normal conditions, the rate of deterioration
of the transmission fluid is slow. See ªMaintenance
Scheduleº in the Index for proper fluid and change
intervals. To reset the transmission fluid life, press
the INFO button to display TRANS FLUID LIFE,
then press and hold the INFO RESET button
until 100% TRANS FLUID LIFE is displayed.
(This only needs to be reset after you have had the
fluid changed.)
ON/OFF: Pressing this button turns the Programming
and Personalization Features on and off. (FEATURE
PROGRAMMING must be displayed on the DIC to
begin actual programming.) This button also starts and
stops the timer.
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CHANGE BRAKE PADS - 125: This message is used
to notify you that the brake pads may have worn down.
A sensor is connected to the brake pads and is triggered
when they wear to a certain point. Have the front and
rear brakes serviced by your dealer as soon as possible.
CHANGE ENGINE OIL
- 82: This means that
the life of the engine oil has expired and it should be
changed within 200 miles. See ªEngine Oilº and ªFilter
Recommendationsº in the Index. After an oil change,
the Oil Life Indicator must be reset. See ªOil Life
Indicator, How to Resetº in the Index.
CHANGE TRANS FLUID
- 47: This message will
appear when it is time to replace the transaxle fluid.
See ªMaintenance Scheduleº in the Index for the
proper fluid and change intervals.
CHECK BRAKE FLUID
- 37: This message will
display if the ignition is in ON to inform the driver
that the brake fluid level is low. Have the brake
system serviced by a technician as soon as possible.
See ªBrake System Warning Lightº in the Index.
CHECK COOLANT LEVEL
- 2: This message
will appear when there is a low level of engine coolant.
Have the cooling system serviced by a technician as
soon as possible.CHECK FUEL GAGE
- 50: This message will appear
when the fuel supply is less than 5 gallons (18.9 L) and
the display is turned off. A single chime will also sound
when this message is displayed.
CHECK GAS CAP
- 61: This message will appear
if the gas cap has not been fully tightened. You should
recheck your gas cap to ensure that it's on properly.
CHECK OIL LEVEL
- 36: For correct operation of
the low oil sensing system, your vehicle should be on
a level surface. A false CHECK OIL LEVEL message
may appear if the vehicle is parked on grades. The oil
level sensing system does not check for actual oil level
if the engine has been off for a short period of time,
and the oil level is never sensed while the engine is
running. If the CHECK OIL LEVEL message appears,
and your vehicle has been parked on level ground with
the engine off for at least 30 minutes, the oil level
should be checked by observing the oil dipstick.
Prior to checking the oil level, be sure the engine has
been off for a few minutes and your vehicle is on a
level surface. Then check the dipstick and add oil
if necessary. See ªEngine Oilº in the Index.
2-112 Oil Life Indicator
This feature lets you know when to change the engine
oil. It's based on the engine oil temperatures and your
driving patterns.To see the display, press the INFO button several
times until ENGINE OIL LIFE appears. If you see
99% ENGINE OIL LIFE, 99 percent of your current
oil life remains.
The DIC may display a CHANGE ENGINE OIL
message. Always keep a written record of the mileage
and date when you changed your oil. For more
information, see ªMaintenance Scheduleº in the Index.
If you see CHANGE ENGINE OIL, it means the oil
life is gone and you should change the oil right away.
The system doesn't check how much oil you have,
so you'll still have to check for that. To see how,
see ªEngine Oilº in the Index.
When the oil is changed, you'll need to reset the system.
See ªOil Life Indicator, How to Resetº in the Index.
3-9
Ventilation Tips
Keep the hood and front air inlet free of ice, snow or
any other obstruction (such as leaves). The heater
and defroster will work far better, reducing the
chance of fogging the inside of the windows.
Keep the air path under the front seats clear
of objects. This helps circulate air throughout
your vehicle.
Passenger Compartment Air Filter
Passenger compartment air, both outside air and
recirculated air, is routed through a passenger compartment
filter, which is part of a three
-piece filter system. The
carbon
-treated filter removes certain contaminants from
the air, including pollen and dust particles. Reductions in
airflow, which may occur more quickly in dusty areas,
indicate that the filter needs to be replaced.The filter is located inside the air control module, with
an access panel under the instrument panel near the
accelerator pedal. The filter should be replaced as part
of routine scheduled maintenance. See ªMaintenance
Scheduleº in the Index for replacement intervals. See
your dealer for assistance when changing the filter.
Your vehicle will not be damaged if you choose not to
replace the filter once the old one is removed.