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6. To tighten the belt, push down on the child restraint,
pull the shoulder portion of the belt to tighten the
lap portion of the belt and feed the shoulder
belt back into the retractor. If you are using a
forward-facing child restraint, you may nd it
helpful to use your knee to push down on the child
restraint as you tighten the belt. You should not
be able to pull more of the belt from the retractor
once the lock has been set.7. Push and pull the child restraint in different
directions to be sure it is secure.
8. If the airbag or airbags are off, the off indicator in
the rearview mirror will be lit and stay lit when the
key is turned to RUN or START.
If a child restraint has been installed and the on
indicator is lit, turn the vehicle off. Remove the child
restraint from the vehicle and reinstall the child restraint.
If after reinstalling the child restraint and restarting
the vehicle, the on indicator is still lit, check to make
sure that the vehicle’s seatback is not pressing the child
restraint into the seat cushion. If this happens, slightly
recline the vehicle’s seatback and adjust the seat
cushion if possible. Also make sure the child restraint is
not trapped under the vehicle head restraint. If this
happens, adjust the head restraint.
If the on indicator is still lit, secure the child in the child
restraint in a rear seat position in the vehicle and
check with your dealer.
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.
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Airbag System
Your vehicle has airbags — a frontal airbag for the
driver and another frontal airbag for the right front
passenger. Your vehicle may also have side impact
airbags. Side impact airbags are available for the driver
and right front passenger.
If your vehicle has a side impact airbag for the driver
and/or the right front passenger, the words AIR BAG
will appear on the airbag covering on the side of
the seatback closest to the door.Frontal airbags are designed to help reduce the risk of
injury from the force of an in ating frontal airbag.
But these airbags must in ate very quickly to do their
job and comply with federal regulations.
Here are the most important things to know about the
airbag system:
{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 of
hitting things inside the vehicle or being ejected
from it. Airbags are designed to work with
safety belts but do not replace them.
CAUTION: (Continued)
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CAUTION: (Continued)
Frontal airbags for the driver and right front
passenger are designed to deploy only in
moderate to severe frontal and near frontal
crashes. They are not designed to in ate in
rollover, rear or low-speed frontal crashes, or in
many side crashes. And, for some unrestrained
occupants, frontal airbags may provide less
protection in frontal crashes than more forceful
airbags have provided in the past.
Side impact airbags for the driver and right front
passenger are designed to in ate only in
moderate to severe crashes where something
hits the side of your vehicle. They are not
designed to in ate in frontal, in rollover or in
rear crashes.
Everyone in your vehicle should wear a safety
belt properly — whether or not there is an
airbag for that person.
{CAUTION:
Both frontal and side impact airbags in ate
with great force, faster than the blink of an
eye. If you are too close to an in ating airbag,
as you would be if you were leaning forward,
it could seriously injure you. Safety belts help
keep you in position for airbag in ation before
and during a crash. Always wear your safety
belt, even with frontal airbags. The driver
should sit as far back as possible while still
maintaining control of the vehicle. Front
occupants should not lean on or sleep against
the door.
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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 1-34orInfants and
Young Children on page 1-37.
There is an airbag
readiness light on the
instrument panel cluster,
which shows the airbag
symbol.The system checks the airbag electrical system for
malfunctions. The light tells you if there is an electrical
problem. SeeAirbag Readiness Light on page 3-34
for more information.
Where Are the Airbags?
The driver’s frontal airbag is in the middle of the
steering wheel.
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The right front passenger’s frontal airbag is in the
instrument panel on the passenger’s side.If your vehicle has one, the driver’s side impact airbag
is in the side of the driver’s seatback closest to the door.
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If your vehicle has one, the right front passenger’s
side impact airbag is in the side of the passenger’s
seatback closest to the door.
{CAUTION:
If something is between an occupant and an
airbag, the airbag 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 airbag must be kept clear. Do
not put anything between an occupant and an
airbag, and do not attach or put anything on
the steering wheel hub or on or near any other
airbag covering. Do not let seat covers block
the in ation path of a side impact airbag.
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When Should an Airbag In ate?
The driver’s and right front passenger’s frontal airbags
are designed to in ate in moderate to severe frontal or
near-frontal crashes. But they are designed to in ate only
if the impact exceeds a predetermined deployment
threshold. Deployment thresholds take into account a
variety of desired deployment and non-deployment
events and are used to predict how severe a crash is
likely to be in time for the airbags to in ate and help
restrain the occupants. Whether your frontal airbags will
or should deploy is not based on how fast your vehicle is
traveling. It depends largely on what you hit, the direction
of the impact and how quickly your vehicle slows down.
In addition, your vehicle has “dual stage” frontal airbags,
which adjust the restraint according to crash severity.
For moderate frontal impacts, these airbags in ate at a
level less than full deployment. 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. For more severe frontal
impacts, full deployment occurs. If the front of your
vehicle goes straight into a wall that does not move or
deform, the threshold level for the reduced deployment is
about 12 to 18 mph (19 to 29 km/h), and the threshold
level for a full deployment is about 18 to 25 mph
(29 to 40.2 km/h). (The threshold level can vary,
however, with speci c vehicle design, so that it can be
somewhat above or below this range.)Airbags may in ate at different crash speeds.
For example:If the vehicle hits a stationary object, the airbag
could in ate at a different crash speed than if
the object were moving.
If the object deforms, the airbag could in ate at a
different crash speed than if the object does not
deform.
If the vehicle hits a narrow object (like a pole) the
airbag could in ate at a different crash speed
than if the vehicle hits a wide object (like a wall).
If the vehicle goes into an object at an angle the
airbag could in ate at a different crash speed
than if the vehicle goes straight into the object.
The frontal airbags (driver and right front passenger)
are not intended to in ate during vehicle rollovers, rear
impacts, or in many side impacts because in ation
would not likely help the occupants.
Your vehicle may or may not have a side impact airbag.
SeeAirbag System on page 1-54. Side impact airbags
are designed to in ate in moderate to severe side
crashes. A side impact airbag will in ate if the crash
severity is above the system’s designed “threshold level.”
The threshold level can vary with speci c vehicle design.
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Side impact airbags are not designed to in ate in frontal
or near-frontal impacts, rollovers or rear impacts,
because in ation would not likely help the occupant.
A side impact airbag will only deploy on the side of the
vehicle that is struck.
In any particular crash, no one can say whether an
airbag should have in ated simply because of the
damage to a vehicle or because of what the repair costs
were. For frontal airbags, 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
airbags, in ation is determined by the location and
severity of the impact.
What Makes an Airbag In ate?
In an impact of sufficient severity, the airbag sensing
system detects that the vehicle is in a crash. For both
frontal and side impact airbags, the sensing system
triggers a release of gas from the in ator, which in ates
the airbag. The in ator, the airbag and related hardware
are all part of the airbag modules. Frontal airbag modules
are located inside the steering wheel and instrument
panel. For vehicles with side impact airbags, the airbag
modules are located in the seatback closest to the
driver’s and/or right front passenger’s door.
How Does an Airbag 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 airbag supplements the protection
provided by safety belts. Airbags distribute the force of
the impact more evenly over the occupant’s upper
body, stopping the occupant more gradually. But the
frontal airbags 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 airbag. Side impact airbags 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 airbags. Airbags 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 airbags, and only in moderate to severe
side collisions for vehicles with a driver’s and right
front passenger’s side impact airbag.
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