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Securing a Child Restraint in the
Passenger Seat Position
Your vehicle has a passenger air bag. There is an air
bag off switch in the glove box you can use to turn
off the passenger’s air bag. SeeAirbag Off Switch
on page 1-48for more on this, including important
safety information.
Unless the passenger’s air bag has been turned off,
neverput a rear-facing child restraint in this vehicle.
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Here is why:
{CAUTION:
A child in a rear-facing child restraint can be
seriously injured or killed if the passenger’s
airbag in ates. This is because the back of the
rear-facing child restraint would be very close
to the in ating airbag. Do not use a rear-facing
child restraint in this vehicle unless the
passenger’s airbag has been turned off.
Even though the airbag off switch is designed
to turn off the passenger’s frontal airbag, no
system is fail-safe, and no one can guarantee
that an airbag will not deploy under some
unusual circumstance, even though it is turned
off. We recommend that rear-facing child
restraints be transported in vehicles with a
rear seat that will accommodate a rear-facing
child restraint, whenever possible.
If you need to secure a forward-facing child
restraint in the passenger seat, always move
the passenger seat as far back as it will go.
{CAUTION:
If the airbag readiness light ever comes on
when you have turned off the passenger’s
frontal airbag, it means that something may be
wrong with the airbag system. The passenger’s
frontal airbag could in ate even though the
switch is off. If this ever happens, do not let
anyone whom the national government has
identi ed as a member of a passenger airbag
risk group sit in the passenger’s position
(for example, do not secure a rear-facing child
restraint in your vehicle) until you have your
vehicle serviced. SeeAirbag Off Switch on
page 1-48.
If your child restraint is equipped with the LATCH
system, seeLower Anchorages and Top Tethers for
Children (LATCH System) on page 1-31. SeeTop Strap
on page 1-29if the child restraint has one.
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If your child restraint does not have the LATCH system,
you will be using the lap-shoulder belt. 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. SeeAirbag Off
Switch on page 1-48. 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
Power Seats on page 1-2.
2. Put the child 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.
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.
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To remove the child restraint, just unbuckle the vehicle’s
safety belt and let it go back all the way. The safety
belt will move freely again and be ready to work for an
adult or larger child passenger.
If you were using a rear-facing child restraint, turn on the
passenger’s air bag when you remove the rear-facing
child restraint from the vehicle unless the person who will
be sitting there is a member of a passenger air bag risk
group. SeeAirbag Off Switch on page 1-48.
{CAUTION:
If the passenger’s frontal airbag is turned off
for a person who is not in a risk group
identi ed by the national government, that
person will not have the extra protection of a
frontal airbag. In a crash, the airbag would not
be able to in ate and help protect the person
sitting there. Do not turn off the passenger’s
frontal airbag unless the person sitting there
is in a risk group. SeeAirbag Off Switch on
page 1-48for more on this, including important
safety information.
Airbag Systems
This part explains the frontal and side impact air bag
systems.
Your vehicle has four air bags – a frontal air bag for the
driver, another frontal air bag for the passenger, a
side impact air bag for the driver, and another side
impact air bag for the passenger.
Frontal air bags are designed to help reduce the risk of
injury from the force of an in ating frontal air bag.
But these air bags must in ate very quickly to do their
job and comply with federal regulations.
Here are the most important things to know about the
air bag systems:
{CAUTION:
You can be severely injured or killed in a crash
if you are not wearing your safety belt — even
if you have airbags. Wearing your safety belt
during a crash helps reduce your chance
CAUTION: (Continued)
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{CAUTION:
Anyone who is up against, or very close to,
any airbag when it in ates can be seriously
injured or killed. Airbags 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 airbag
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,
seeOlder Children on page 1-20orInfants and
Young Children on page 1-22.
There is an air bag
readiness light on the
instrument panel, which
shows the air bag symbol.The system checks the air bag electrical system for
malfunctions. The light tells you if there is an electrical
problem. SeeAirbag Readiness Light on page 3-25
for more information.Where Are the Airbags?
The driver’s frontal airbag is in the middle of the
steering wheel.
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What Will You See After an Airbag
In ates?
After the air bag in ates, it quickly de ates, so quickly
that some people may not even realize the air bag
in ated. Some components of the air bag module will
be hot for a short time. These components include
the steering wheel hub for the driver’s frontal air bag
and the instrument panel for the passenger’s frontal
air bag and the side of the seatback closest to the
driver’s and/or passenger’s door. 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 the vents in the de ated air bags.
Air bag in ation doesn’t prevent the driver from seeing
or being able to steer the vehicle, nor does it stop
people from leaving the vehicle.
{CAUTION:
When an airbag in ates, 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
cannot get out of the vehicle after an airbag
in ates, then get fresh air by opening a
window or a door. If you experience breathing
problems following an airbag deployment, you
should seek medical attention.
Your vehicle has a feature that will automatically unlock
the doors and turn the interior lamps on when the air
bags in ate (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.
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In many crashes severe enough to in ate an air bag,
windshields are broken by vehicle deformation.
Additional windshield breakage may also occur from
the passenger air bag.
Air bags are designed to in ate only once. After
an air bag in ates, 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 electronic frontal
sensors, which help the sensing system distinguish
between a moderate frontal impact and a more
severe frontal impact. Your vehicle is also equipped
with a crash sensing and diagnostic module,
which records information about the frontal air bag
system. The module records information about
the readiness of the system, when the system
commands air bag in ation and driver’s safety belt
usage at deployment. The module also records
speed, engine RPM, brake and throttle data.
Let only quali ed technicians work on your air bag
systems. Improper service can mean that an air
bag system won’t work properly. See your dealer
for service.Notice:If you damage the covering for the driver’s
or the passenger’s airbag, the bag may not work
properly. You may have to replace the airbag module
in the steering wheel or both the airbag module and
the instrument panel for the passenger’s airbag.
Do not open or break the airbag coverings.
Airbag Off Switch
Your vehicle has a switch inside the glovebox that you
can use to turn off the passenger’s frontal airbag.United States
Canada
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This switch should only be turned to the off position if
the person in the passenger’s position is a member of
a passenger risk group identi ed by the national
government as follows:
Infant. An infant (less than 1 year old)
must ride in the front seat because:
my vehicle has no rear seat;
my vehicle has a rear seat too small to
accommodate a rear-facing infant seat; or
the infant has a medical condition which, according
to the infant’s physician, makes it necessary for the
infant to ride in the front seat so that the driver
can constantly monitor the child’s condition.
Child age 1 to 12. A child age 1 to 12 must
ride in the front seat because:
my vehicle has no rear seat;
although children ages 1 to 12 ride in the rear
seat(s) whenever possible, children ages 1 to
12 sometimes must ride in the front because no
space is available in the rear seat(s) of my vehicle;
or
the child has a medical condition which, according
to the child’s physician, makes it necessary for the
child to ride in the front seat so that the driver
can constantly monitor the child’s condition.
Medical Condition. A passenger has a
medical condition which, according to his
or her physician:
causes the passenger airbag to pose a special risk
for the passenger; and
makes the potential harm from the passenger
airbag in a crash greater than the potential
harm from turning off the airbag and allowing the
passenger, even if belted, to hit the dashboard
or windshield in a crash.
{CAUTION:
If the passenger’s frontal airbag is turned off
for a person who is not in a risk group
identi ed by the national government, that
person will not have the extra protection of a
frontal airbag. In a crash, the frontal airbag
would not be able to in ate and help protect
the person sitting there. Do not turn off the
passenger’s frontal airbag unless the person
sitting there is in a risk group.
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