2002 NISSAN SENTRA belt

WARNING
Infants and children need special pro-
tection. The vehicle's seat belts may
not fit them properly. The shoulder belt
may come too close to the face or neck.
The lap belt may not fit over their small
hip bones. In an accident, an improp-
erly fitting seat belt could cause seri-
ous or fatal injury. Always use appro-
priate child restraints.
All U.S. states and Canadian provinces or
territories require the use of approved child
restraints for infants and small children. See
``Child restraints'' later in this section.
In addition, there are many types of child
restraints available for larger children which
should be used for maximum protection.
NISSAN recommends that all pre-teens and
children be restrained in the rear seat if
possible. According to accident statistics,
children are safer when properly restrained
in the rear seat than in the front seat. This
is especially important because your ve-
hicle has a supplemental restraint system
(Air bag system) for the front passenger.
See ``Supplemental restraint system'' ear-
lier in this section.
Infants and small children
NISSAN recommends that infants and small
children be placed in child restraints that
comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety
Standard 213 or Canadian Motor Vehicle
Safety Standard 213. You should choose a
child restraint that fits your vehicle and
always follow the manufacturer's instruc-
tions for installation and use.
Larger children
Children who are too large for child re-
straints should be seated and restrained by
the seat belts which are provided.
If the child's seating position has a shoulder
belt that fits close to the face or neck, the
use of a booster seat (commercially avail-
able) may help overcome this. The booster
seat should raise the child so that the shoul-
der belt is properly positioned across the
top, middle portion of the shoulder and the
lap belt is low on the hips. The booster seat
should fit the vehicle seat and have a label
certifying that it complies with Federal Motor
Vehicle Safety Standard 213 or Canadian
Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 213. Once
the child has grown so the shoulder belt is
no longer on or near the face and neck, use
the shoulder belt without the booster seat.
WARNING
Never let a child stand or kneel on any
seat and do not allow a child in the
cargo areas while the vehicle is moving.
The child could be seriously injured or
killed in an accident or sudden stop.
PREGNANT WOMEN
NISSAN recommends that pregnant women
use seat belts. The seat belt should be worn
snug, and always position the lap belt as
low as possible around the hips, not the
waist. Place the shoulder belt over your
shoulder and across your chest. Never run
the lap/shoulder belt over your abdominal
area. Contact your doctor for specific rec-
ommendations.
INJURED PERSONS
NISSAN recommends that injured persons
use seat belts. Check with your doctor for
specific recommendations.
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THREE-POINT TYPE SEAT BELT
WITH RETRACTOR
WARNING
cEvery person who drives or rides in
this vehicle should wear a seat belt
at all times.
cDo not ride in a moving vehicle when
the seatback is reclined. This can be
dangerous. The shoulder belt will
not be against your body. In an acci-
dent you could be thrown into it and
receive neck or other serious inju-ries. You could also slide under the
lap belt and receive serious internal
injuries.
cFor most effective protection when
the vehicle is in motion, the seat
should be upright. Always sit well
back in the seat and adjust the seat
properly. See ªPrecautions on seat
belt usageº earlier in this section.
Fastening the seat belts
1. Adjust the seat.
2. Slowly pull the seat belt out of the retrac-
tor and insert the tongue into the buckle
until you hear and feel the latch engage.
The retractor is designed to lock during
a sudden stop or on impact. A slow
pulling motion permits the belt to move,
and allows you some freedom of move-
ment in the seat.
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3. Position the lap belt portionlow and
snug on the hipsas shown.
4. Pull the shoulder belt portion toward the
retractor to take up extra slack.
The front passenger seat belt and the rear
three-point seat belts have a cinching
mechanism for child restraint installation. It is
referred to as the automatic locking mode.
When automatic locking mode is activated,
the seat belt cannot be withdrawn again
until the seat belt tongue is detached from
the buckle and fully retracted. Once re-
tracted, the seat belt is in the emergencylocking mode. For additional information,
see ``Child restraints'' later in this section.
The automatic locking mode should be
used only for child restraint installation.
During normal seat belt use by a passen-
ger, the automatic locking mode should
not be activated. If it is activated it may
cause uncomfortable seat belt tension.
Unfastening the seat belts
To unfasten the seat belt, press the button
on the buckle. The seat belt automatically
retracts.
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Checking seat belt operation
Your seat belt retractors are designed to lock
seat belt movement by two separate meth-
ods:
1) When the seat belt is pulled quickly from
the retractor.
2) When the vehicle slows down rapidly.
To increase your confidence in the seat
belts, check the operation as follows.
cGrasp the shoulder belt and pull forward
quickly. The retractor should lock and
restrict further belt movement.
If the retractor does not lock during this check
or if you have any question about belt opera-
tion, see an authorized NISSAN dealer.Center of rear seat
Selecting correct set of seat belts:
The center seat belt buckle is identified by
the word ``CENTER.'' The center seat belt
tongue can be fastenedonlyinto the center
seat belt buckle.
Shoulder belt height adjustment
(For front seats)
The shoulder belt anchor height should be
adjusted to the position best for you. (See
``Precautions on seat belt usage'' earlier in
this section.) To adjust, pull out the adjust-
ment button and move the shoulder belt
anchor to the desired position, so the belt
passes over the center of the shoulder. The
belt should be away from your face and
neck, but not falling off your shoulder. Re-
lease the adjustment button to lock the
shoulder belt anchor into position.
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WARNING
cAfter adjustment, release the adjust-
ment button and try to move the
shoulder belt anchor up and down to
make sure it is securely fixed in
position.
cThe shoulder belt anchor height
should be adjusted to the position
best for you. Failure to do so may
reduce the effectiveness of the en-
tire restraint system and increase
the chance or severity of injury in an
accident.
SEAT BELT EXTENDERS
If, because of body size or driving position,
it is not possible to properly fit the lap-
shoulder belt and fasten it, an extender is
available which is compatible with the in-
stalled seat belts. The extender adds ap-
proximately 8 inches (200 mm) of length
and may be used for either the driver or front
passenger seating position. See an autho-
rized NISSAN dealer for assistance if the
extender is required.
WARNING
cOnly NISSAN seat belt extenders,
made by the same company which
made the original equipment seat
belts, should be used with NISSAN
seat belts.
cAdults and children who can use the
standard seat belt should not use an
extender. Such unnecessary use
could result in serious personal in-
jury in the event of an accident.
Never use seat belt extenders to in-
stall child restraints. If the child re-
straint is not serviced properly, the
child could be seriously injured in a
collision or sudden stop.SEAT BELT MAINTENANCE
cTo clean the seat belt webbings,apply
a mild soap solution or any solution
recommended for cleaning upholstery or
carpet. Then wipe with a cloth and allow
the seat belts to dry in the shade. Do not
allow the seat belts to retract until they
are completely dry.
cIf dirt builds up in the shoulder belt
guideof the seat belt anchors, the seat
belts may retract slowly. Wipe the shoul-
der belt guide with a clean, dry cloth.
c
Periodically check to see that the seat
belt and metal components,such as
buckles, tongues, retractors, flexible
wires and anchors, work properly. If loose
parts, deterioration, cuts or other damage
on the webbing is found, the entire seat
belt assembly should be replaced.
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PRECAUTIONS ON CHILD
RESTRAINTS
WARNING
cInfants and small children should
always be placed in an appropriate
child restraint while riding in the ve-
hicle. Failure to use a child restraint
can result in serious injury or death.
cInfants and small children should
never be carried on your lap. It is not
possible for even the strongest adultto resist the forces of a severe
accident. The child could be crushed
between the adult and parts of the
vehicle. Also, do not put the same
seat belt around both your child and
yourself.
cNever install a rear-facing child re-
straint in the front seat. An inflating
supplemental front air bag could se-
riously injure or kill your child. A
rear-facing child restraint must only
be used in the rear seat.
cNISSAN recommends that the child
restraint be installed in the rear seat.
According to accident statistics,
children are safer when properly re-
strained in the rear seat than in the
front seat.
cAn improperly installed child re-
straint could lead to serious injury or
death in an accident.
In general, child restraints are designed to
be installed with a lap belt or the lap portion
of a three-point type seat belt. In addition,
this vehicle is equipped with a universal
child restraint lower anchor system, referred
to as the LATCH (Lower Anchors andTether for Children) system. Some child
restraints include two rigid or webbing-
mounted attachments that can be con-
nected to these lower anchors. For details,
see the ªLATCH (Lower Anchors and Tether
for Children) systemº later in this section.
Child restraints for infants and children of
various sizes are offered by several manu-
facturers. When selecting any child re-
straint, keep the following points in mind:
1) Choose only a restraint with a label cer-
tifying that it complies with Federal Motor
Vehicle Safety Standard 213 or Cana-
dian Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 213.
2) Check the child restraint in your vehicle
to be sure it is compatible with the vehi-
cle's seat and seat belt system.
3) If the child restraint is compatible with
your vehicle, place your child in the child
restraint and check the various adjust-
ments to be sure the child restraint is
compatible with your child. Always follow
all recommended procedures.
All U.S. states and Canadian provinces
or territories require that infants and
small children be restrained in approved
child restraints at all times while the
vehicle is being operated.
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CHILD RESTRAINTS
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WARNING
cImproper use of a child restraint can
result in increased injuries for both
the infant or child and other occu-
pants in the vehicle.
cFollow all of the child restraint manu-
facturer's instructions for installa-
tion and use. When purchasing a
child restraint, be sure to select one
which will fit your child and vehicle.
It may not be possible to properly
install some types of child restraints
in your vehicle.
cIf the child restraint is not anchored
properly, the risk of a child being
injured in a collision or a sudden
stop greatly increases.
cAdjustable seatbacks should be po-
sitioned to fit the child restraint, but
as upright as possible.
c
After attaching the child restraint,
test it before you place the child in it.
Tilt it from side to side. Try to tug it
forward and check to see if the belt
holds the restraint in place. If the
restraint is not secure, tighten thebelt as necessary, or put the re-
straint in another seat and test it
again.
cFor a front-facing child restraint, if
the seat position where it is installed
has a three-point type lap/shoulder
belt, check to make sure the shoulder
belt does not go in front of the child's
face or neck. If it does, put the shoul-
der belt behind the child restraint. If
you must install a front-facing child
restraint in the front seat, see ``Instal-
lation on front passenger seat'' later
in this section for details.
cWhen your child restraint is not in
use, keep it secured with a seat belt
to prevent it from being thrown
around in case of a sudden stop or
accident.
CAUTION
Remember that a child restraint left in a
closed vehicle can become very hot.
Check the seating surface and buckles
before placing your child in the child
restraint.
INSTALLATION ON REAR SEAT
CENTER OR OUTBOARD POSI-
TIONS
WARNING
cThe three-point belt in your vehicle
is equipped with a locking mode re-
tractor which must be used when
installing a child restraint.
cFailure to use the retractor's locking
mode will result in the child restraint
not being properly secured. The re-
straint could tip over or otherwise be
unsecured and cause injury to the
child in a sudden stop or collision.
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Front facing
When you install a child restraint in the rear
seat, follow these steps:
1. Position the child restraint on the seat. It
can be placed in a front facing direction,
depending on the size of the child. Al-
ways follow the restraint manufacturer's
instructions.2. Route the seat belt tongue through the
child restraint and insert it into the buckle
until you hear and feel the latch engage.
Be sure to follow the child restraint manu-
facturer's instructions for belt routing.
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