28
Seats
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.
Front seats—
—Front seat precautions
30
—Adjusting front seats
13T001
1. SEAT POSITION ADJUSTING LEVER
Hold the center of the lever and pull it
up. Then slide the seat to the desired
position with slight body pressure and
release the lever.
2. SEAT CUSHION ANGLE ADJUSTING KNOB (for driver’s seat only)
Turn the knob either way.
3. SEAT HEIGHT ADJUSTING LEVER (for driver ’s seat only)
To change the height of the seat, pull
up or push down the lever. 4. SEATBACK ANGLE ADJUSTING LEVER
Lean forward and pull the lever up.
Then lean back to the desired angle
and release the lever.CAUTION
Avoid reclining the seatback any
more than needed. The seat belts pro-
vide maximum protection in a frontal
or rear collision when the driver and
the front passenger are sitting up
straight and well back in the seats. If
you are reclined, the lap belt may
slide past your hips and apply re-
straint forces directly to the abdomen
or your neck may contact the shoul-
der belt. In the event of a frontal
collision, the more the seat is re-
clined, the greater the risk of death
or personal injury.
5. SEATBACK LOCK RELEASE LEVER
Driver ’s seat:
Lift up the lever. The seat with the
seatback folded down will release the
slide lock and slide forward. The seat-
back lock release lever is equipped with
the seat position memory function. For
details, see “—Moving front seats for
rear seat entry” on page 31.
Passenger ’s seat:
Lift up the lever. The seat with the
seatback folded down will release the
slide lock and slide forward.
31
13T073
Driver’s seat
Front passenger’s seat
Driver ’s seat:
For easy access to the rear seat, use
either a seatback lock release lever or
seatback angle adjusting lever.
If the seatback lock release lever is
used, the driver’s seat can be returned
to its previous position.
Using the seatback lock release lever—1. Lift up the seatback lock release lever.
The front seat with the seatback folded
down will release the slide lock and slide
forward. 2. Move the seat to the front–most posi- tion.
After rear passengers are in, slide the
seat backward and then lift up the seat-
back. The seat will be set and locked to
its previous position automatically. If the
seat cannot be slided back to the previous
position due to the rear passenger or lug-
gage, the seat will be locked in that posi-
tion, disabling the seat position memory
system. To recall the previous position, lift up the
seatback lock release lever after removing
the luggage, or letting him or her get out
or sit properly so that the seat can be
slided back to the previous position. How-
ever, if you once slide the seat to the
rear–most position instead of lifting up the
seatback lock release lever, the seat can
be slided and locked in the original posi-
tion.
Using the seatback angle adjusting le-
ver—
1. Lift up the seatback angle adjusting lever.
The front seat with the seatback folded
down will release the slide lock and slide
forward. 2. Move the seat to the front–most posi- tion.
After rear passengers are in, return the
seat to the previous position and lift up
the seatback. The seat will be locked in
the previous position but the seatback in
the original position.
—Moving front seats for rear
seat entry
34
13T071
SEATBACK ANGLE ADJUSTING LEVER
Lean forward and pull the lever toward
you. Then lean back to the desired
angle and release the lever.
CAUTION
Avoid reclining the seatback any
more than needed. The seat belts
provide maximum protection in a
frontal or rear collision when the
passengers are sitting 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 abdomen or
your neck may contact the shoulder
belt. In the event of a frontal colli-
sion, the more the seat is reclined,
the greater the risk of death or per-
sonal injury.
Do not adjust the seat while the
vehicle is moving.
After adjusting the seatback, push
your body back against the seat to
make sure the seat is locked in
position.
NOTICE
Do not fold the seatback forward
while the luggage cover is set.
—Adjusting rear seats
35
13T005
Raise the head restraints a little. Pull
up the rear seatback angle adjusting
lever and fold the seatbacks down. The
lowered head restraints will prevent the
seatback from being down completely.
Each seatback can be folded separately.
This will enlarge the luggage compartment
as far as the seatbacks. See “Cargo and
luggage” on page 155 for precautions
when loading luggage.
CAUTION
When only rear left seat is folded
down, rear seat alone can be used.
Never sit on the center seat because
the rear center seat belt cannot be
fastened correctly when the rear left
seat is folded down.
When returning the seatback to the
upright position, observe the follow-
ing precautions in order to prevent
personal injury in a collision or sud-
den stop:
Make sure the seatback is securely
locked by pushing forward and rear-
ward on the top of the seatback.
Failure to do so will prevent the
seat belt from operating properly.
Make sure the seat belts are not
twisted or caught in the seatback
and are arranged in the proper
position and are ready to use.
Head restraints
13T006
Driver’s seat
13T007
Front passenger’s seat
—Folding down rear seats
73
13T068
Lower anchorages for the child restraint
systems complying with the FMVSS225
specifications are installed in the rear
seat.
The anchorages are installed behind the
slits in the seat cushion of both outside
rear seats.
Child restraint system complying with the
FMVSS213 specification can be fixed to
these anchorages. In this case, it is not
necessary to fix the child restraint system
with a seat belt on the vehicle.
13T074Most upright
position
CHILD RESTRAINT SYSTEM INSTALLA-
TION1. Fold down the seatback and back to the most upright position until it
locks into place.
Make sure the seatback is locked secure-
ly.
Ty p e A
—Installation with child
restraint lower anchorages
155
When stowing cargo and luggage in
the vehicle, observe the following:
Put cargo and luggage in the lug-
gage compartment when at all
possible. Be sure all items are se-
cured in place.
Be careful to keep the vehicle bal-
anced. Locating the weight as far
forward as possible helps maintain
balance.
For better fuel economy, do not
carry unneeded weight.
CAUTION
When the rear seatbacks are in
the upright position—
To prevent cargo and l uggage
from sliding forward during
braking, do not stack anything
in the luggage compartment
higher than the seatbacks.
Keep cargo and luggage low,
as close to the floor as pos-
sible.
When the rear seatbacks are
folded down—
To prevent cargo and lug-
gage from sliding forward
during braking, do not stack
anything in the enlarged lug-
gage compartment. Keep car-
go and luggage low, as close
to the floor as possible.
Never allow anyone to ride in
the luggage compartment. It is
not designed for passengers.
They should ride in their seats
with their seat belts properly
fastened. Otherwise, they are
much more likely to suffer seri-
ous bodily injury, in the event
of sudden braking or a colli-
sion.
Do not place anything on the
luggage cover. Such items may
be thrown about and possibly
injure people in the vehicle
during sudden braking or an
accident. Secure all items in a
safe place.
Do not drive with objects left
on top of the instrument panel.
They may interfere with the
driver’s field of view. Or they
may move during sudden ve-
hicle acceleration or turning,
and impair the driver’s control
of the vehicle. In an accident
they may injure the vehicle oc-
cupants.
Cargo and luggage—
—Stowage precautions
198
Exhaust system
If you notice any change in the sound of
the exhaust or smell exhaust fumes, have
the cause located and corrected immedi-
ately. (See “Engine exhaust cautions” on
page 136.)
INSIDE THE VEHICLE
Items listed below should be checked
regularly, e.g. while performing periodic
services, cleaning the vehicle, etc.
Lights
Make sure the headlights, stop lights, tail
lights, turn signal lights, and other lights
are all working. Check headlight aim.
Service reminder indicators and warning
buzzers
Check that all service reminder indicators
and warning buzzers function properly.
Steering wheel
Check that it has specified free play. Be
alert for changes in steering condition,
such as hard steering or strange noise.Seats
Check that all front seat controls such as
seat adjusters, seatback recliner, etc. op-
erate smoothly and that all latches lock
securely in any position. Check that the
head restraints move up and down
smoothly and that the locks hold securely
in any latched position. For folding–down
rear seatbacks, check that the latches
lock securely.
Seat belts
Check that the seat belt system such as
buckles, retractors and anchors operate
properly and smoothly. Make sure the belt
webbing is not cut, frayed, worn or dam-
aged.
Accelerator pedal
Check the pedal for smooth operation and
uneven pedal effort or catching.
Clutch pedal
Check the pedal for smooth operation.
Brake pedal
Check the pedal for smooth operation and
that the pedal has the proper clearance.
Check the brake booster function.
Brakes
In a safe place, check that the brakes do
not pull to one side when applied.Parking brake
Check that the lever has the proper travel
and that, on a safe incline, your vehicle
is held securely with only the parking
brake applied.
Automatic transmission “Park” mecha-
nism
Check the lock release button of the se-
lector lever for proper and smooth opera-
tion. On a safe incline, check that your
vehicle is held securely with the selector
lever in “P” position and all brakes re-
leased.
OUTSIDE THE VEHICLE
Items listed below should be performed
from time to time, unless otherwise
specified.
Fluid leaks
Check underneath for leaking fuel, oil, water
or other fluid after the vehicle has been
parked for a while. If you smell fuel fumes
or notice any leak, have the cause found and
corrected immediately.
Doors and engine hood
Check that all the side doors and back
door operate smoothly and all latches lock
securely. Make sure the engine hood sec-
ondary latch secures the hood from open-
ing when the primary latch is released.