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Unless the passenger’s airbag has been turned off,
neverput a rear-facing child restraint in this vehicle.
Here is why:
{CAUTION:
A child in a rear-facing child restraint can be
seriously injured or killed if the passenger’s
airbag in ates. This is because the back of the
rear-facing child restraint would be very close
to the in ating airbag. Do not use a rear-facing
child restraint in this vehicle unless the
passenger’s airbag has been turned off.
Even though the airbag off switch is designed
to turn off the passenger’s frontal airbag, no
system is fail-safe, and no one can guarantee
that an airbag will not deploy under some
unusual circumstance, even though it is turned
off. We recommend that rear-facing child
restraints be transported in vehicles with a
rear seat that will accommodate a rear-facing
child restraint, whenever possible.
If you need to secure a forward-facing child
restraint in the passenger seat, always move
the passenger seat as far back as it will go.
{CAUTION:
If the airbag readiness light ever comes on
when you have turned off the passenger’s
frontal airbag, it means that something may be
wrong with the airbag system. The passenger’s
frontal airbag could in ate even though the
switch is off. If this ever happens, do not let
anyone whom the national government has
identi ed as a member of a passenger airbag
risk group sit in the passenger’s position (for
example, do not secure a rear-facing child
restraint in your vehicle) until you have your
vehicle serviced. SeeAirbag Off Switch on
page 1-48.
If your child restraint is equipped with the LATCH
system, seeLower Anchors and Tethers for Children
(LATCH) on page 1-30.
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If your child restraint does not have the LATCH system,
you will be using the lap-shoulder belt. Be sure to
follow the instructions that came with the child restraint.
Secure the child in the child restraint when and as
the instructions say.
1. Your vehicle has a passenger’s airbag. If you are
using a rear-facing child restraint in this seat, make
sure the airbag is turned off. SeeAirbag Off
Switch on page 1-48. If your child restraint is
forward-facing, always move the seat as far back
as it will go before securing it in this seat. See
Power Seats on page 1-2.
2. Put the child restraint on the seat.
3. Pick up the latch plate, and run the lap and shoulder
portions of the vehicle’s safety belt through or
around the restraint. The child restraint instructions
will show you how.4. Buckle the belt. Make sure the release button is
positioned so you would be able to unbuckle the
safety belt quickly if you ever had to.
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Page 46 of 390
To remove the child restraint, if the top tether is attached
to the top tether anchor, disconnect it. 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.
If you were using a rear-facing child restraint, turn on
the passenger’s airbag when you remove the rear-facing
child restraint from the vehicle unless the person who
will be sitting there is a member of a passenger
airbag risk group. SeeAirbag Off Switch on page 1-48.
{CAUTION:
If the passenger’s frontal airbag is turned off
for a person who is not in a risk group
identi ed by the national government, that
person will not have the extra protection of a
frontal airbag. In a crash, the airbag would not
be able to in ate and help protect the person
sitting there. Do not turn off the passenger’s
frontal airbag unless the person sitting there is
in a risk group. SeeAirbag Off Switch on
page 1-48for more on this, including important
safety information.
Airbag System
Your vehicle has a frontal airbag for the driver, a frontal
airbag for the passenger, a side impact airbag for the
driver, and a side impact airbag for the passenger.
Frontal airbags are designed to help reduce the risk of
injury from the force of an inflating frontal airbag.
But these airbags must inflate 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 “supplemental restraints” to
the safety belts. Airbags are designed to work
with safety belts but do not replace them.
CAUTION: (Continued)
1-40
Page 48 of 390
{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 1-20orInfants and
Young Children on page 1-23.
There is an airbag
readiness light on the
instrument panel, 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 3-27
for more information.
Where Are the Airbags?
The driver’s frontal airbag is in the middle of the
steering wheel.
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What Will You See After an Airbag
In ates?
After the airbag inflates, it quickly deflates, so quickly
that some people may not even realize the airbag
inflated. Some components of the airbag module may
be hot for a short time. These components include
the steering wheel hub for the driver’s frontal airbag and
the instrument panel for the passenger’s frontal airbag
and the side of the seatback closest to the driver’s
and/or passenger’s door. 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 deflated airbags. Airbag inflation
does not prevent the driver from seeing out of the
windshield or being able to steer the vehicle, nor does it
stop people from leaving the vehicle.
{CAUTION:
When an airbag 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
cannot get out of the vehicle after an airbag
in ates, then get fresh air by opening a
window or a door. If you experience breathing
problems following an airbag deployment, you
should seek medical attention.
Your vehicle has a feature that may automatically
unlock the doors and turn the interior lamps on when
the airbags inflate (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 inflate an airbag,
windshields are broken by vehicle deformation.
Additional windshield breakage may also occur from the
passenger airbag.
•Airbags are designed to inflate only once. After an
airbag inflates, you will need some new parts for
your airbag system. If you do not get them,
the airbag system will not be there to help protect
you in another crash. A new system will include
airbag modules and possibly other parts. The
service manual for your vehicle covers the need to
replace other parts.
•Your vehicle is equipped with a crash sensing and
diagnostic module which records information after
a crash. SeeVehicle Data Collection and Event
Data Recorders on page 7-9.
•Let only qualified technicians work on your airbag
systems. Improper service can mean that an
airbag system will not work properly. See your
dealer for service.
Airbag Off Switch
Your vehicle has a switch inside the glovebox that you
can use to turn off the passenger’s frontal airbag.United States
Canada
1-48
Page 55 of 390
This switch should only be turned to the off position if
the person in the passenger’s position is a member of a
passenger risk group identified by the national
government as follows:
Infant. An infant (less than 1 year old)
must ride in the front seat because:
•
my vehicle has no rear seat;
•my vehicle has a rear seat too small to
accommodate a rear-facing infant seat; or
•the infant has a medical condition which, according
to the infant’s physician, makes it necessary for the
infant to ride in the front seat so that the driver
can constantly monitor the child’s condition.
Child age 1 to 12. A child age 1 to 12 must
ride in the front seat because:
•
my vehicle has no rear seat;
•although children ages 1 to 12 ride in the rear
seat(s) whenever possible, children ages 1 to
12 sometimes must ride in the front because no
space is available in the rear seat(s) of my vehicle;
or
•the child has a medical condition which, according
to the child’s physician, makes it necessary for the
child to ride in the front seat so that the driver
can constantly monitor the child’s condition.
Medical Condition. A passenger has a
medical condition which, according to his
or her physician:
•
causes the passenger airbag to pose a special risk
for the passenger; and
•makes the potential harm from the passenger
airbag in a crash greater than the potential
harm from turning off the airbag and allowing the
passenger, even if belted, to hit the dashboard
or windshield in a crash.
{CAUTION:
If the passenger’s frontal airbag is turned off
for a person who is not in a risk group
identi ed by the national government, that
person will not have the extra protection of a
frontal airbag. In a crash, the frontal airbag
would not be able to in ate and help protect
the person sitting there. Do not turn off the
passenger’s frontal airbag unless the person
sitting there is in a risk group.
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Page 56 of 390
To turn off the passenger’s frontal airbag, insert your
ignition key into the switch, push in, and move the switch
to the off position.The airbag off light, located on the roof panel above the
rearview mirror, will come on and stay on to let you
know that the passenger’s frontal airbag is off.
SeeAirbag Off Light on page 3-28. The passenger’s
frontal airbag will remain off until you turn it back
on again.
{CAUTION:
If the airbag readiness light ever comes on
when you have turned off the passenger’s
frontal airbag, it means that something may be
wrong with the airbag system. The passenger’s
frontal airbag could in ate even though the
switch is off. If this ever happens, do not let
anyone whom the national government has
identi ed as a member of a passenger airbag
risk group sit in the passenger’s position (for
example, do not secure a rear-facing child
restraint in your vehicle) until you have your
vehicle serviced. United States
Canada
United StatesCanada
1-50
