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While the vehicle is being driven, all ve-
hicle occupants should have the seatback
upright, sit well back in the seat and prop-
erly wear the seat belts provided.
CAUTION
Do not drive the vehicle unless the
occupants are properly seated. Do
not allow any passengers to sit on
top of a folded down seatback, or
in the luggage compartment or car-
go area. Persons not properly
seated and/or not properly re-
strained by seat belts can be se-
verely injured in the event of emer-
gency braking or a collision.
During driving, do not allow any
passengers to stand up or move
around between seats. Otherwise,
severe injuries can occur in the
event of emergency braking or a
collision.
Driver seat
CAUTION
The SRS driver airbag deploys with
considerable force, and can cause
death or serious injury especially if
the driver is very close to the airbag.
The National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration (“NHTSA”) advises:
Since the risk zone for driver airbag
is the first 50—75 mm (2—3 in.) of
inflation, placing yourself 250 mm (10
in.) from your driver airbag provides
you with a clear margin of safety.
This distance is measured from the
center of the steering wheel to your
breastbone. If you sit less than 250
mm (10 in.) away now, you can
change your driving position in sever-
al ways:
Move your seat to the rear as far
as you can while still reaching the
pedals comfortably.
Slightly recline the back of the
seat. Although vehicle designs vary,
many drivers can achieve the 250
mm (10 in.) distance, even with the
driver seat all the way forward, sim-
ply by reclining the back of the
seat somewhat. If reclining the back
of your seat makes it hard to see
the road, raise yourself by using a
firm, non slippery cushion, or raise
the seat if your vehicle has that
feature.
If your steering wheel is adjustable,
tilt it downward. This points the air-
bag toward your chest instead of
your head and neck.
The seat should be adjusted as rec-
ommended by NHTSA above, while
still maintaining control of the foot
pedals, steering wheel, and your view
of the instrument panel controls.
Seats Front seats—
—Front seat precautions
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CAUTION
Do not allow passengers to ride on
the flattened seat while driving; use
the seat in the normal position.
After putting back the seat, try
pushing the seat and seatback for-
ward and rearward to make sure it
is secured in place. Be certain to
replace head restraint.
BEFORE FOLDING DOWN REAR SEAT
Stow the rear center seat belt buckle as
shown in the illustration.
This prevents the seat belt buckle from
falling out when you fold the seatback.
NOTICE
The seat belt buckle must be stowed
before you fold the seatback.
If you are using a trash holder, lower
it.
Rear seats (vehicles without
third seats)—
—Folding down rear seats
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The third seats have a maximum
capacity of two belted occupants
who do not exceed 150 cm (59 in.)
in height. Exceeding these limits
can result in increased risk of seri-
ous personal injuries or death.
Folding the seats up will enlarge the lug-
gage compartment. See “—Stowage pre-
cautions” on page 293 in Section 2 for
precautions when loading luggage.
Second seats
Third seats
SEATBACK ANGLE ADJUSTING LEVER
Lean forward and pull the lock release
lever. Then lean back to the desired
angle and release the lever.
CAUTION
To reduce the risk of sliding under
the lap belt during a collision, avoid
reclining the seatback any more than
needed. The seat belts provide maxi-
mum protection in a frontal or rear
collision when the p assengers are sit-
ting up straight and well back in the
seats. If you are reclined, the lap belt
may slide past your hips and apply
restraint forces directly to the abdo-
men. In the event of a frontal colli-
sion, the more the seat is reclined,
the greater the risk of personal injury.
—Adjusting rear seats
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BEFORE TUMBLING SECOND SEATS
Stow the second seat belt buckles as
shown in the illustration.
This prevents the buckles from falling out
when you tumble the second seat.
NOTICE
The seat belt buckles must be stowed
before you tumble the second seat.
TUMBLING SECOND SEATS
Lower the head restraints to the lowest
position. Fold down the seatback while
pulling the seatback angle adjusting le-
ver, then swing the whole seat up and
forward until they are locked.
Tumbling the second seats will enlarge the
floor space for third seat entry. It will also
enlarge the luggage compartment when
the third seats are not used. See “—Stow-
age precautions” on page 293 in Section
2 for precautions when loading luggage.WHEN RETURNING SECOND SEATS
Push the knob to unlock the seat,
swing the whole seat down and swing
the seatback up.
—Tumbling second seats (for third
seat entry and enlargement of
luggage compartment)
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If you cannot raise the seatback because
of the locked seat belt, do not try to force
it. Release the lock of the seat belt in the
following way.
1. Push in the lower front edge of the seatback cushion to slacken the seat
belt.
2. Let the seat belt retract a little.
CAUTION
When tumbling seats or returning
seats to their original positions, ob-
serve the following to prevent person-
al injury:
Do not tumble or return the seat
while the vehicle is moving.
Make sure people or luggage are
clear of the seat. Then, hold the
seat and slowly move it. Otherwise,
people may be injured or luggage
may be damaged, if the seat hits
them.
Be careful not to get your hands or
feet pinched in the seat.
To prevent personal injury in a colli-
sion or sudden stop:
Do not sit on or place anything on
the folded seatback or tumbled seat
while driving.
Make sure the seat is securely
locked by pushing forward and rear-
ward on the top of the seatback or
by trying to pull up the edge of the
bottom cushion. Failure to do so
will prevent the seat belt from oper-
ating properly.
Make sure the seat belts are not
twisted or caught under the seat
and are arranged in their proper
position and are ready to use.
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BEFORE FOLDING UP THIRD SEATS
1. Stow the third seat belt buckles as shown in the illustration.
This prevents the buckles from falling out
when you fold up the third seats.
NOTICE
The seat belt buckles must be stowed
before you fold up the third seats.
2. Make sure the shoulder belt passes through the hanger.
This prevents the shoulder belt from being
damaged.
CAUTION
The seat belt must be removed from
the hanger when the seat belt is in
use.
FOLDING UP THIRD SEATS 1. Lower the head restraint to the low- est position. Fold down the seatback
while pushing the seatback angle ad-
justing lever.
Folding up the third seats will enlarge the
luggage compartment. See “—Stowage
precautions” on page 293 in Section 2 for
precautions when loading luggage.
—Folding up third seats
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2. Unlock the seat leg by pulling the
handle behind the seat, and swing
the whole seat up and sideward.3. Stow the seat leg in the back of theseat cushion. Take the holding strap
out of its holder, and attach the
strap to the assist grip. Tighten the
strap by pulling the end and fix it
with Velcro.
CAUTION
When folding up the third seats, fix
the seats securely by adjusting the
length of the holding strap. Failure to
do so may cause an unexpected inju-
ry in the event of emergency braking
or collision.
4. Remove the seat anchor covers fromthe back of the seat cushion, and
install them over the seat anchors.
CAUTION
Be sure to apply the covers on the
seat anchors, or you may get burned
when they become hot.
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When returning the third seat to its origi-
nal position, stow the holding strap in the
holder in the direction shown above. Then
do the above procedures in the reverse
order.
CAUTION
When folding up seats or returning
seats to their original positions, ob-
serve the following to prevent person-
al injury:
Do not fold up or return the seat
while the vehicle is moving.
Be careful not to hit the seat
against a person or drop it on your-
self.
To prevent personal injury in a colli-
sion or sudden stop:
Do not sit on or place anything on
the folded seatback while driving.
Make sure the seat is securely
locked by pushing forward and rear-
ward on the top of the seatback or
by trying to pull up the edge of the
bottom cushion. Failure to do so
will prevent the seat belt from oper-
ating properly.
Make sure the seat belts are not
twisted or caught under the seat
and are arranged in their proper
position and are ready to use.
BEFORE REMOVING THIRD SEATS 1. Stow the third seat belt buckles as shown in the illustration.
This prevents the buckles from falling out
when you remove the third seats.
NOTICE
The seat belt buckles must be stowed
before you remove the third seats.
—Removing third seats