Page 9 of 218

You’ll f ind many saf ety
recommendations throughout this
section, and throughout this manual.
Therecommendationsonthispage
are the ones we consider to be the
most important.
Since all children are saf est in the
back seat of a vehicle, and your
vehicle does not have a back seat, we
recommend that you do not carry achild passenger.
If a small child who must be
restrained in a f orward-f acing child
seat, or a larger child, must ride in
this vehicle, be sure to f ollow all
instructions and saf ety warnings in
this manual (see pages and ).
While airbags can save lives, they
can cause serious or fatal injuries to
occupants who sit too close to them,
or are not properly restrained.
Inf ants, young children, and short
adults are at the greatest risk. Be
sure to f ollow all instructions and
warnings in this manual (see page
).
Alcohol and driving don’t mix. Even
one drink can reduce your ability to
respond to changing conditions, and your reaction time gets worse with
every additional drink. So don’t drink
and drive, and don’t let your f riends
drink and drive, either.
Excessive speed is a major f actor in
crash injuries and deaths. Generally,
the higher the speed, the greater the
risk, but serious injuries can also
occur at lower speeds. Never drive
f aster than is saf e f or current
conditions, regardless of the
maximum speed posted.
Having a tire blowout or a
mechanical f ailure can be extremely
hazardous. To reduce the possibility
of such problems, check your tire
pressures and condition f requently,
and perform all regularly scheduled
maintenance (see page ).
A seat belt is your best protection in
all types of collisions. Airbags
supplement seat belts, but airbags
are designed to inf late only in a
moderate to severe f rontal collision.
So even though your vehicle is
equipped with airbags, make sure
you and your passenger always wear
your seat belts, and wear them
properly (see page ).
9 127
27 32
13
Important Saf ety Precautions
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Always Wear Your Seat Belt
Your Vehicle is Not
Recommended f or Child
Passengers Be Aware of Airbag Hazards
Don’t Drink and DriveControl Your Speed
K eep Your Vehicle in Saf e
Condition
Due to the
passenger’s airbag hazard, you should never carry an inf ant in arear-f acing child seat in t his vehicle.
6
Page 10 of 218
Your vehicle is equipped with many
features that work together to
protect you and your passenger
during a crash.
Some saf ety f eatures do not require
anyactiononyourpart.These
include a strong aluminum
framework, that forms a safety cage
around the passenger compartment;
f ront and rear crush zones, a
collapsible steering column, and seat
belt tensioners that tighten the seat
belts in the event of a crash.
CONT INUED
Your Vehicle’s Saf ety Features
Driver and Passenger Saf ety7
(1)(2) (2)
(3)
(4)
(5) (6)
(7)
(8) (9)
(1) Safety Cage
(2) Crush Zones
(3) Seats and Seat-Backs
(4) Head Restraints
(5) Collapsible Steering Column
(6) Seat Belts
(7) Seat Belt Tensioners
(8) Airbags
(9) Door Locks
Page 11 of 218

However, you and your passenger
can’t take f ull advantage of these
saf ety f eatures unless you remain
sitting in a proper position and
always wear your seat belts properly.
Infact,somesafetyfeaturescan
contribute to injuries if they are not
used properly.
The f ollowing pages explain how you
cantakeanactiveroleinprotecting
yourself and your passenger.Your vehicle is equipped with seat
belts in both seating positions.
When properly worn, seat belts:
Keep you connected to the vehicle
so you can take advantage of the
vehicle’s built-in saf ety f eatures.
Help protect you in almost every
type of crash, including f rontal,
side, and rear impacts and
rollovers. (Your airbag can only be
helpful in a moderate to severe
f rontal collision.)
Help keep you f rom being thrown
against the inside of the vehicle
and against another occupant.
Keep you f rom being thrown out
of the vehicle.
Help keep you in a good position
should the airbags ever deploy. A
good position reduces the risk of
injury f rom an inf lating airbag, and
allows you to get the best
advantage f rom the airbag.
Your seat belt system also includes
an indicator on the instrument panel
to remind you and your passenger to
f asten your seat belts.
Seat belts have proven to be the
single most ef f ective saf ety device.
Not wearing a seat belt properly
increases the chance of serious
injury or death in a crash, even
though your vehicle has airbags.
In addition, most states and all
Canadian provinces require you to
wear seat belts.
Your Vehicle’s Saf ety Features
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Seat Belts
Why Wear Seat Belt s
8
Page 12 of 218

Of course, seat belts cannot
completely protect you in every
crash.Butinmostcases,seatbelts
can reduce your risk of serious
injury.
Always wear your seat belt, and
make sure you wear it properly.Your vehicle has a Supplemental
Restraint System (SRS) with frontal
airbags to help protect the heads and
chests of the driver and a passenger
during a moderate to severe frontal
collision (see page f or more
information on how your airbags
work).The most important things you need
to know about your airbags are:
They are designed to supplement
the seat belts.
To do
their job, airbags must inf late with
tremendous f orce. So while
airbags help save lives, they can
cause minor injuries or more
serious or even fatal injuries if
occupants are not properly
restrained or sitting properly.
19
CONT INUED
Your Vehicle’s Saf ety Features
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
What You Should Do: Airbags do not replace seat belts.
Airbags of f er no protection in sideimpact s, rear impact s, rollovers,or minor collisions.
A irbags can pose hazards.
Airbags
9
Not wearing a seat belt properly
increases the chance of serious
injury or death in a crash, even
though your vehicle has airbags.
Be sure you and your
passenger always wear seat
belts and wear them properly.
Page 13 of 218
Always wear
your seat belt properly, and sit
upright and as f ar back f rom the
steering wheel while allowing f ull
control of the vehicle. A passenger
should move the seat as far back
f rom the dashboard as possible. The rest of this section gives more
detailed inf ormation about how you
can maximize your saf ety.
Remember however, that no saf ety
system can prevent all injures or
deaths that can occur in severe
crashes, even where seat belts are
properly worn and the airbags deploy.
Your Vehicle’s Saf ety Features
What you should do:
Driver and Passenger Saf ety10
Page 14 of 218

The f ollowing pages provide
instructions on how to properly
protect the driver, adult passengers
and teenage children who are large
enough and mature enough to ride in
your vehicle.
See page f or important guidelines
on how to properly protect small
children and larger children who ride
in your vehicle.
Af ter everyone has entered the
vehicle, be sure the doors are closed
and locked.Your vehicle has a door monitor
indicator on the instrument panel to
indicate when either door or the
hatch is not tightly closed.
Locking the doors reduces the
chance of someone being thrown out
of the vehicle during a crash, and it
helps prevent a passenger f rom
accidentally opening a door and
f alling out.
Locking the doors also helps prevent
an outsider f rom unexpectedly
opening a door when you come to a
stop.
See page f or how to lock the
doors, and page f or how the
monitor indicator works.
Adjust the driver’s seat as far to the
rear as possible while allowing you to
maintain f ull control of the vehicle.
Have a passenger adjust his or her
seat as far to the rear as possible.
23
44
60
CONT INUED
Protecting A dults and Teens
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Introduction
Close and L ock the Doors Adjust the Seats
1. 2.
11
Page 15 of 218

If you sit too close to the steering
wheel or dashboard, you can be
seriously injured by an inf lating
airbag, or by striking the steering
wheel or dashboard.
The National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration and Transport
Canada recommend that drivers
allow at least 10 inches (25 cm)
between the center of the steering
wheel and the chest.
If you cannot get f ar enough away
f rom the steering wheel and still
reach the controls, we recommend
that you investigate whether some
type of adaptive equipment may help.
Once your seat is adjusted correctly,
rock it back and f orth to make sure it
is locked into position. See pagefor how to adjust the seats. Adjust the driver’s seat-back to a
comf ortable, upright position,
leaving ample space between your
chest and the airbag cover in the
center of the steering wheel.
A passenger should also adjust the
seat-back to an comfortable, upright
position.
64
Protecting A dults and Teens
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Adjust the Seat-Backs
3.
12
Sitting too close to an airbag
can result in serious injury or
death if the airbags inflate.
Always sit as far back from the
airbags as possible while
allowing full control of the
vehicle.
Page 16 of 218

Insert the latch plate into the buckle,
then tug on the belt to make sure the
belt is securely latched. Also check
that the belt is not twisted, because a
twisted belt can cause serious
injuries in a crash.
Position the lap part of the belt as
low as possible across your hips,
then pull up on the shoulder part of
the belt so the lap part f its snugly.
This lets your strong pelvic bonestake the force of a crash and reduces
the chance of internal injuries.
If necessary, pull up on the belt again
to remove any slack, then check that
the belt rests across the center of
your chest and over your shoulder.
This spreads the f orces of a crash
over the strongest bones in your
upper body.
Reclining a seat-back so that the
shoulder part of the belt no longer
rests against the occupant’s chest
reduces the protective capability of
the belt. It also increases the chance
of sliding under the belt in a crash
and being seriously injured. The
farther a seat-back is reclined, the
greater the risk of injury.
See page f or how to adjust seat-
backs.
64
CONT INUED
Protecting A dults and Teens
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Fasten and Position the L ap/
Shoulder Seat Belts
4.
13
Improperly positioning the seat
belts can cause serious injury
or death in a crash.
Make sure all seat belts are
properly positioned before
driving.
Reclining the seat-back too far
can result in serious injury or
death in a crash.
Adjust the seat-back to an
upright position, and sit well
back in the seat.