Page 39 of 384
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Medical Condition. A passenger has a medical
condition which, according to his or her physician:
causes the passenger air bag to pose a special risk
for the passenger; and
makes the potential harm from the passenger air bag
in a crash greater than the potential harm from
turning off the air bag and allowing the passenger,
even if belted, to hit the dashboard or windshield
in a crash.
CAUTION:
If the passenger's air bag is turned off for a
person who isn't in a risk group identified by
the national government, that person won't have
the extra protection of an air bag. In a crash,
the air bag wouldn't be able to inflate and help
protect the person sitting there. Don't turn off
the passenger's air bag unless the person sitting
there is in a risk group.
To turn off the passenger's air bag, insert your ignition
key into the switch, push in, and move the switch to
AIR BAG OFF.
Page 41 of 384

1-29 Servicing Your Air Bag-Equipped Vehicle
Air bags affect how your vehicle should be serviced.
There are parts of the air bag system in several places
around your vehicle. You don't want the system to
inflate while someone is working on your vehicle.
Your dealer and the service manual have information
about servicing your vehicle and the air bag system.
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 wires, wires
wrapped with yellow tape or yellow connectors.
They are probably part of the air bag system.
Be sure to follow proper service procedures,
and make sure the person performing work for
you is qualified to do so.
The air bag system does not need regular maintenance.
Children
Everyone in a vehicle needs protection! This includes
infants and all other children. 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.
Infants and Young Children
Every time infants and young children ride in
vehicles, they should have the protection provided by
the appropriate restraint. Young children should not use
the vehicle's safety belts, unless there is no other choice.
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CAUTION:
People should never hold a baby in their arms
while riding in a vehicle. A baby doesn't weigh
much
-- until a crash. During a crash a baby
will become so heavy it is not possible to hold it.
CAUTION: (Continued)
CAUTION: (Continued)
For example, in a crash at only 25 mph (40 km/h),
a 12
-lb. (5.5 kg) baby will suddenly become a
240
-lb. (110 kg) force on a person's arms. A baby
should be secured in an appropriate restraint.
CAUTION:
Children who are up against, or very close to,
any air bag when it inflates can be seriously
injured or killed. Air bags plus lap
-shoulder
belts offer outstanding protection for adults and
older children, 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.
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CAUTION:
The body structure of a young child is quite
unlike that of an adult or older child, for whom
the safety belts are designed. A young child's hip
bones are still so small that the vehicle's regular
safety belt may not remain low on the hip bones,
as it should. Instead, it may settle up around the
child's abdomen. In a crash, the belt would apply
force on a body area that's unprotected by any
bony structure. This alone could cause serious or
fatal injuries. Young children always should be
secured in appropriate child restraints.
Restraint Systems for Children
An infant car bed (A), a special bed made for use in a
motor vehicle, is an infant restraint system designed to
restrain or position a child on a continuous flat surface.
Make sure that the infant's head rests toward the center
of the vehicle.
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1-34
A booster seat (F-G) is a child restraint designed to
improve the fit of the vehicle's safety belt system.
Some booster seats have a shoulder belt positioner,
and some high
-back booster seats have a five-point
harness. A booster seat can also help a child to see out
the window.
Q:How do child restraints work?
A:A child restraint system is any device designed for
use in a motor vehicle to restrain, seat, or position
children. A built
-in child restraint system is a
permanent part of the motor vehicle. An add
-on
child restraint system is a portable one, which is
purchased by the vehicle's owner.
For many years, add
-on child restraints have used
the adult belt system in the vehicle. To help reduce
the chance of injury, the child also has to be
secured within the restraint. The vehicle's belt
system secures the add
-on child restraint in the
vehicle, and the add
-on child restraint's harness
system holds the child in place within the restraint.
One system, the three
-point harness, has straps
that come down over each of the infant's shoulders
and buckle together at the crotch. The five
-point
harness system has two shoulder straps, two hip
straps and a crotch strap. A shield may take the
place of hip straps. A T
-shaped shield has shoulder
straps that are attached to a flat pad which rests low
against the child's body. A shelf
- or armrest-type
shield has straps that are attached to a wide,
shelf
-like shield that swings up or to the side.
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When choosing a child restraint, be sure the child
restraint is designed to be used in a vehicle. If it is,
it will have a label saying that it meets federal motor
vehicle safety standards.
Then follow the instructions for the restraint. You may
find these instructions on the restraint itself or in a
booklet, or both. These restraints use the belt system in
your vehicle, but the child also has to be secured within
the restraint to help reduce the chance of personal injury.
When securing an add
-on child restraint, refer to the
instructions that come with the restraint which may be
on the restraint itself or in a booklet, or both, and to this
manual. The child restraint instructions are important, so
if they are not available, obtain a replacement copy from
the manufacturer.
The child restraint must be secured properly in the
passenger seat. If you want to secure a rear
-facing
child restraint in the passenger's seat, turn off the
passenger's air bag. See ªAir Bag Off Switchº and
ªSecuring a Child Restraint in the Passenger Seat
Positionº in the Index for more on this, including
important safety information.
CAUTION:
A child in a rear-facing child restraint can be
seriously injured or killed if the passenger's
air bag inflates. This is because the back of the
rear
-facing child restraint would be very close to
the inflating air bag. Be sure to turn off the air
bag before using a rear
-facing child restraint in
the passenger seat position.
Keep in mind that an unsecured child restraint can move
around in a collision or sudden stop and injure people
in the vehicle. Be sure to properly secure any child
restraint in your vehicle
-- even when no child is in it.
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You'll be using the lap-shoulder belt. See the earlier
part about the top strap if the child restraint has one.
Be sure to follow the instructions that came with the
child restraint. Secure the child in the child restraint
when and as the instructions say.
1. Your vehicle has a passenger's air bag. If you are
using a rear
-facing child restraint in this seat, make
sure the air bag is turned off. See ªAir Bag Off
Switchº in the Index. If your child restraint is
forward
-facing, always move the seat as far back as
it will go before securing it in this seat. See ªSeatsº
in the Index.
2. Put the restraint on the seat.
3. Pick up the latch plate, and run the lap and shoulder
portions of the vehicle's safety belt through or
around the restraint. The child restraint instructions
will show you how.
If the shoulder belt goes in front of the child's face or
neck, put it behind the child restraint.
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.
Page 53 of 384
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5. Pull the rest of the lap belt all the way out of the
retractor to set the lock.6. To tighten the belt, feed the lap belt back into the
retractor while you push down on the child restraint.
You may find it helpful to use your knee to push
down on the child restraint as you tighten the belt.
7. Push and pull the child restraint in different
directions to be sure it is secure.