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WARNING!
•Relying on the airbags alone could lead to more
severe injuries in a collision. The airbags work
with your seat belt to restrain you properly. In
some collisions the airbags won’t deploy at all.
Always wear your seat belts even though you
have airbags.
•Being too close to the steering wheel or instru-
ment panel during airbag deployment could cause
serious injury. Airbags need room to inflate. Sit
back, comfortably extending your arms to reach
the steering wheel or instrument panel.
•If the vehicle has window bags, they also need
room to inflate. Do not lean against the door or
window. Sit upright in the center of the seat.
Airbag System Components
The airbag system consists of the following:
•Occupant Restraint Controller
•Remote Acceleration Sensors
•Airbag Warning Light
•Driver Airbag
•Passenger Airbag
•Window Bags above Side Windows (If Equipped)
•Steering Wheel and Column
•Instrument Panel
•Interconnecting Wiring
•Knee Impact Bolsters
•Front Acceleration Sensors
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in any part of the system, it turns on the AIRBAG
warning light either momentarily or continuously. A
single chime will sound if the light comes on again after
initial start up.
WARNING!
Ignoring the AIRBAG warning light in your instru-
ment panel could mean you won’t have the airbags
to protect you in a collision. If the light does not
come on, stays on after you start the vehicle, or if it
comes on as you drive, have the airbag system
checked right away.
•The Driver and Passenger Airbag/Inflator Units are
located in the center of the steering wheel and the right
side of the instrument panel. When the ORC detects a
collision requiring the airbags, it signals the inflator
units. A large quantity of nontoxic gas is generated to inflate the front airbags. Different airbag inflation rates
may be possible based on collision severity and occu-
pant size. The steering wheel hub trim cover and the
upper right side of the instrument panel separate and
fold out of the way as the bags inflate to their full size.
The bags fully inflate in about 50–70 milliseconds. This
is about half of the time it takes to blink your eyes. The
bags then quickly deflate while helping to restrain the
driver and front passenger.
The driver’s front airbag gas is vented through vent
holes in the sides of the airbag. The passenger’s front
airbag gas is vented through vent holes in the sides of
the airbag. In this way the airbags do not interfere with
your control of the vehicle.•The
Side Impact SRS Window Bags are designed to
activate only in certain side collisions. When the ORC
(with side impact option) detects a collision requiring
the window bags to inflate, it signals the inflators on
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the crash side of the vehicle. A quantity of nontoxic gas
is generated to inflate the window bag. The inflating
window bag pushes the outside edge of the headliner
out of the way and covers the window. The airbag
inflates in about 30 milliseconds (about one quarter of
the time it takes to blink your eyes) with enough force
to injure you if you are not belted and seated properly,
or if items are positioned in the area where the
window bag inflates. This especially applies to chil-
dren. The window bag is only about 3
1 2inches (9 cm)
thick when it is inflated.
•The Knee Impact Bolsters help protect the knees of
the driver and the front passenger, and position every-
one for the best interaction with the front airbag.
•The Occupant Classification System (OCS) will clas-
sify an occupant in the front passenger seat into a size
category based on sensor readings from within the
seat cushion. Occupants should try to remain in a normally seated position. If the occupant’s weight is
transferred to another object in the vehicle (i.e. feet on
the dashboard), the OCS may not be able to properly
approximate occupant size. Furthermore, the occupant
size may appear to increase or decrease due to objects
hanging on the seat, other passengers pushing on the
seat, or objects lodged underneath the seat. If there is
a rapid change in temperature or humidity, the OCS
may not be able to properly approximate occupant
size. If your seat including your trim cover and
cushion needs to be serviced in any way, take the
vehicle to your authorized dealer. Only manufacturer
approved seat accessories may be used.
If there is a fault present in the system, the AIRBAG
warning light will light indicating that you should
take the vehicle to an authorized dealer. In the pres-
ence of an occupant in the passenger seat, if both the
PAD indicator light (located in the front passenger
54 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE
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A new engine may consume some oil during its first few
thousand miles (kilometers) of operation. This should be
considered as a normal part of the break-in and not
interpreted as an indication of difficulty.
SAFETY TIPS
Exhaust Gas
WARNING!
Exhaust gases can injure or kill. They contain carbon
monoxide (CO) which is colorless and odorless.
Breathing it can make you unconscious and can
eventually poison you. To avoid breathing (CO)
follow the safety tips below.
•Do not inhale exhaust gases. They contain carbon
monoxide, a colorless and odorless gas which can kill.
Never run the engine in a closed area, such as a garage, and never sit in a parked vehicle with the
engine running for a extended period. If the vehicle is
stopped in an open area with engine running for more
than a short period, adjust the ventilation system to
force fresh, outside air into the vehicle.
•Guard against carbon monoxide with proper mainte-
nance. Have the exhaust system inspected every time
the vehicle is raised. Have any abnormal conditions
repaired promptly. Until repaired, drive with all side
windows fully open.
•Always run the climate control in panel or floor mode
when driving with any windows open, even if only
slightly, to help keep fresh air circulating inside ve-
hicle. Otherwise poisonous gases could be drawn into
the vehicle.
72 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE
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▫Sunroof Maintenance ...................153
Power Outlet ..........................153
Cup Holders ..........................155
▫ Smoker’s Package — If Equipped ..........156
Cargo Area Features .....................157
▫ Cargo Light .........................157
▫ Retractable Cargo Area Cover — If Equipped . 157 ▫
Cargo Tie-Down Hooks .................158
▫ Cargo Organizer — If Equipped ...........160
Rear Window Features ...................162
▫ Rear Window Wiper/Washer .............162
▫ Rear Window Defroster .................163
Roof Luggage Rack .....................164
78 UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE
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MIRRORS
Inside Day/Night Mirror
The mirror should be adjusted to center on the view
through the rear window. A two-point pivot system
allows for horizontal and vertical adjustment of the
mirror. The mirror should be adjusted while set in the
day position (toward windshield).
Annoying headlight glare from vehicles behind you can
be reduced by moving the small control under the mirror
to the night position (toward rear of vehicle).
Adjusting Rear View Mirror
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Heated Remote Control Mirrors — If Equipped
These mirrors are heated to melt frost or ice. This
feature is activated whenever you turn on the rear
window defrost.
Illuminated Vanity Mirrors — If Equipped
An illuminated vanity mirror is on the sun visor. To use
the mirror, rotate the sun visor down and swing the
mirror cover upward. The lights turn on automatically.
Closing the mirror cover turns off the lights.
When the ignition is turned off, the light will turn off
automatically (after approximately 8 minutes).
Sun Visor Extension — If Equipped
This feature has a pull out extension on the sun visor for
increased coverage.
Lighted Vanity Mirror
82 UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE
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•low road noise,
•smooth road surface,
•fully closed windows,
•dry weather condition.
•Even though the system is designed for users speaking
in North American English, French, and Spanish ac-
cents, the system may not always work for some.
•When navigating through an automated system, such
as, voice mail, or when sending a page, at the end of
speaking the digit string, make sure to say send.
•Storing names in phonebook when vehicle is not in
motion is recommended.
•It is not recommended to store similar sounding
names in the UConnect™ phonebook.
•UConnect™ phonebook name tag recognition rate is
optimized for the voice of the person who stored the
name in the phonebook.
•You can say O(letter O) for 0(zero). 800must be
spoken eight-zero-zero.
•Even though international dialing for most number
combinations is supported, some shortcut dialing
number combinations may not be supported.
Far End Audio Performance
•
Audio quality is maximized under:
•low-to-medium blower setting,
•low-to-medium vehicle speed,
•low road noise,
•smooth road surface,
•fully closed windows, and
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