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You never know if you’ll be in a crash. If you do have a
crash, you don’t know if it will be a bad one.
A few crashes are mild, and some crashes can be so
serious that even buckled up, a person wouldn’t survive.
But most crashes are in between. In many of them,
people who buckle up can survive and sometimes walk
away. Without belts they could have been badly hurt
or killed.
After more than 30 years of safety belts in vehicles, the
facts are clear. In most crashes buckling up does
matter... a lot!Why Safety Belts Work
When you ride in or on anything, you go as fast as
it goes.
Take the simplest vehicle. Suppose it’s just a seat on
wheels.
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Where Are the Air Bags?
The driver’s frontal air bag is in the middle of the
steering wheel.The right front passenger’s frontal air bag is in the
instrument panel on the passenger’s side.
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The side impact air bags for the rear seat outboard
passenger positions are in the sides of the rear seatback
closest to the doors.
{CAUTION:
If something is between an occupant and an
air bag, the bag might not in ate properly or it
might force the object into that person causing
severe injury or even death. The path of an
in ating air bag must be kept clear. Do not put
anything between an occupant and an air bag,
and do not attach or put anything on the
steering wheel hub or on or near any other air
bag covering. Do not let seat covers block the
in ation path of a side impact air bag.
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In any particular crash, no one can say whether an air
bag should have in ated simply because of the damage
to a vehicle or because of what the repair costs were.
For frontal air bags, in ation is determined by the angle
of the impact and how quickly the vehicle slows down
in frontal and near-frontal impacts. For side impact
air bags, in ation is determined by the location
and severity of the impact.
What Makes an Air Bag In ate?
In an impact of sufficient severity, the air bag sensing
system detects that the vehicle is in a crash. For both the
frontal and side impact air bags, the sensing system
triggers a release of gas from the in ator, which in ates
the air bag. The in ator, air bag and related hardware are
all part of the air bag modules inside the steering wheel,
instrument panel and the side of the front seatbacks and
behind the rear seatbacks closest to the door.
How Does an Air Bag Restrain?
In moderate to severe frontal or near frontal collisions,
even belted occupants can contact the steering wheel or
the instrument panel. In moderate to severe side
collisions, even belted occupants can contact the inside
of the vehicle. The air bag supplements the protection
provided by safety belts. Air bags distribute the force of
the impact more evenly over the occupant’s upper
body, stopping the occupant more gradually. But the
frontal air bags would not help you in many types
of collisions, including rollovers, rear impacts, and many
side impacts, primarily because an occupant’s motion
is not toward the air bag.
Side impact air bags would not help you in many types
of collisions, including frontal or near frontal collisions,
rollovers, and rear impacts, primarily because an
occupant’s motion is not toward those air bags. Air bags
should never be regarded as anything more than a
supplement to safety belts, and then only in moderate to
severe frontal or near-frontal collisions for the driver’s
and right front passenger’s frontal air bags, and
only in moderate to severe side collisions for the side
impact air bags.
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What Will You See After an Air Bag
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 – the
steering wheel hub for the driver’s air bag, the
instrument panel for the right front passenger’s bag, the
side of the seatback closest to the door for the side
impact air bags – 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 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 air bag 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
can not get out of the vehicle after an air bag
in ates, then get fresh air by opening a
window or a door. If you experience breathing
problems following an air bag 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
right front 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 an electronic frontal
sensor, which helps 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 system records information
about the readiness of the system, when the system
commands air bag in ation and driver’s safety
belt usage at deployment or near-deployment crash.
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 right front passenger’s air bag, or the air
bag covering on the driver’s, right front passenger’s
or rear seatback, the bag may not work properly.
You may have to replace the air bag module in the
steering wheel, both the air bag module and the
instrument panel for the right front passenger’s air
bag, or both the air bag module and seatback
for the side impact air bag. Do not open or break
the air bag coverings.
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Center Flex Storage Unit...............................2-52
Map Pocket.................................................2-52
Assist Handles.............................................2-52
Garment Hooks............................................2-53
Umbrella Holder...........................................2-53
Floor Mats...................................................2-53
Rear Storage Area........................................2-53Rear Storage Door Trim Armrest.....................2-53
Convenience Net..........................................2-53
Sunroof.........................................................2-54
Vehicle Personalization...................................2-55
Memory Seat, Mirrors and Steering Wheel.......2-55
Section 2 Features and Controls
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Remote Keyless Entry System
Operation
With this system you can lock and unlock your doors or
unlock your trunk from about 3 feet (1 m) up to 30 feet
(9 m) away using the remote keyless entry transmitter
supplied with your vehicle.
Q(Lock):Press this
symbol to lock the doors.
The parking lamps will ash
once and the horn will
sound. This arms the
theft-deterrent system.
The parking lamps will not ash, however, if the manual
parking lamps are left on. Remote con rmation is not
operational if a door is open.
You can program your vehicle so the parking lamps will
not ash and the horn will not sound. For more
information, seeDIC Vehicle Personalization on
page 3-74.
W(Unlock):Press this symbol to unlock the driver’s
door. The parking lamps on your vehicle will ash twice.
The parking lamps will not ash if they have been
turned on manually. Remote con rmation is not
operational if a door is open.
Press this button again within one to ve seconds to
unlock the other doors. It will also disarm the
theft-deterrent system and turn on the interior lamps
at night.
You can program your vehicle so the parking lamps will
not ash. For more information, seeDIC Vehicle
Personalization on page 3-74.
L(Panic Alarm):Press the horn symbol when the
ignition is turned off to use the alarm. The horn will
sound and the exterior lamps will ash for up to
30 seconds. To stop the instant panic alarm, press the
symbol again or turn the ignition to ON.
V(Trunk):Press this button to open the trunk. The
valet lockout switch must be off for this feature to
work. SeeValet Lockout SwitchunderTheft-Deterrent
Systems on page 2-19for more information.
The remote keyless entry transmitter can be used to
recall the memory settings for up to two drivers.
For more information, seeDIC Vehicle Personalization
on page 3-74andMemory Seat, Mirrors and Steering
Wheel on page 2-55.
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