Page 20 of 434
Driver Position
Lap-Shoulder Belt
The driver has a lap-shoulder belt. Here is how to wear
it properly.
1. Close and lock the door.
2. Adjust the seat so you can sit up straight.
To see how, see “Seats” in the Index.
3. Pick up the latch plate and pull the belt across you.
Do not let it get twisted.The shoulder belt may lock if you pull the belt across
you very quickly. If this happens, let the belt go back
slightly to unlock it. Then pull the belt across you
more slowly.
4. Push the latch plate into the buckle until it clicks.
Pull up on the latch plate to make sure it is secure.
If the belt is not long enough, seeSafety Belt
Extender on page 1-26.
Make sure the release button on the buckle is
positioned so you would be able to unbuckle
the safety belt quickly if you ever had to.
5. To make the lap part tight, pull up on the
shoulder belt.
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Rear Safety Belt Comfort Guides
Rear shoulder belt comfort guides may provide added
safety belt comfort for older children who have outgrown
booster seats and for some adults. When attached to a
shoulder belt, the comfort guide positions the belt away
from the neck and head.
There is one guide for each outside passenger position in
the rear seat. Here is how to attach the comfort guide to
the shoulder belt.
1. Slide the guide off of its storage clip located
between the interior body and the seatback.2. Slide the guide under and past the belt. The elastic
cord must be under the belt. Then, place the guide
over the belt and insert the two edges of the belt into
the slots of the guide.
3. Be sure that the belt is not twisted and it lies at.
The elastic cord must be under the belt and the
guide on top.
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Page 32 of 434
Safety Belt Pretensioners
Your vehicle has safety belt pretensioners for the driver
and right front passenger. Although you cannot see them,
they are located on the retractor part of the safety belts.
They help the safety belts reduce a person’s forward
movement in a moderate to severe frontal, near frontal
or side crash or a rollover.
Pretensioners work only once. If they activate in a
crash, you will need to get new ones, and probably other
new parts for your safety belt system. SeeReplacing
Restraint System Parts After a Crash on page 1-68.
Safety Belt Extender
If the vehicle’s safety belt will fasten around you, you
should use it.
But if a safety belt is not long enough, your dealer will
order you an extender. It is free. When you go in to order
it, take the heaviest coat you will wear, so the extender
will be long enough for you. To help avoid personal injury,
do not let someone else use it, and use it only for the
seat it is made to t. The extender has been designed for
adults. Never use it for securing child seats. To wear it,
just attach it to the regular safety belt. For more
information, see the instruction sheet that comes
with the extender.
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Page 33 of 434
Child Restraints
Older Children
Older children who have outgrown booster seats should
wear the vehicle’s safety belts.
Q:What is the proper way to wear safety belts?
A:An older child should wear a lap-shoulder belt and
get the additional restraint a shoulder belt can
provide. The shoulder belt should not cross the face
or neck. The lap belt should t snugly below the hips,
just touching the top of the thighs. It should never be
worn over the abdomen, which could cause severe
or even fatal internal injuries in a crash.
Accident statistics show that children are safer if they
are restrained in the rear seat.
In a crash, children who are not buckled up can strike
other people who are buckled up, or can be thrown
out of the vehicle. Older children need to use safety
belts properly.
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Page 41 of 434
A booster seat (F-G) is a child restraint designed to
improve the t of the vehicle’s safety belt system. Some
booster seats have a shoulder belt positioner, and some
high-back booster seats have a ve-point harness.
A booster seat can also help a child to see out the
window.
Q:How Should I Use a Child Restraint?
A:A child restraint system is any device designed for
use in a motor vehicle to restrain, seat, or position
children. A built-in child restraint system is a
permanent part of the motor vehicle. An add-on
child restraint system is a portable one, which is
purchased by the vehicle’s owner. To help reduce
injuries, an add-on child restraint must be secured
in the vehicle. With built-in or add-on child restraints,
the child has to be secured within the child restraint.
When choosing an add-on child restraint, be sure
the child restraint is designed to be used in a vehicle.
If it is, it will have a label saying that it meets federal
motor vehicle safety standards. Then follow the
instructions for the restraint. You may nd these
instructions on the restraint itself or in a booklet,
or both.
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Page 42 of 434
Securing an Add-on Child Restraint in
the Vehicle
{CAUTION:
A child can be seriously injured or killed in a
crash if the child restraint is not properly
secured in the vehicle. Make sure the child
restraint is properly installed in the vehicle
using the vehicle’s safety belt or LATCH
system, following the instructions that came
with that restraint, and also the instructions in
this manual.To help reduce the chance of injury, the child restraint
must be secured in the vehicle. Child restraint systems
must be secured in vehicle seats by lap belts or the lap
belt portion of a lap-shoulder belt, or by the LATCH
system. SeeLower Anchors and Tethers for Children
(LATCH) on page 1-39for more information. A child
can be endangered in a crash if the child restraint is
not properly secured in the vehicle.
When securing an add-on child restraint, refer to the
instructions that come with the restraint which may be
on the restraint itself or in a booklet, or both, and to this
manual. The child restraint instructions are important,
so if they are not available, obtain a replacement copy
from the manufacturer.
Keep in mind that an unsecured child restraint can move
around in a collision or sudden stop and injure people in
the vehicle. Be sure to properly secure any child restraint
in your vehicle — even when no child is in it.
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Page 54 of 434
A label on your sun visor says, “Never put a rear-facing
child seat in the front.” This is because the risk to the
rear-facing child is so great, if the airbag deploys.
{CAUTION:
A child in a rear-facing child restraint can be
seriously injured or killed if the right front
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.
Even though the passenger sensing system is
designed to turn off the passenger’s frontal
airbag if the system detects a rear-facing child
restraint, 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 secured in the rear seat, even if the
airbag is off.If you need to secure a forward-facing child restraint in
the right front seat position, move the seat as far back as
it will go before securing the forward-facing child restraint.
SeePower Seats on page 1-2.
If your child restraint is equipped with the LATCH system,
seeLower Anchors and Tethers for Children (LATCH) on
page 1-39.
There is no top tether anchor at the right front seating
position. Do not secure a child seat in this position if
a national or local law requires that the top tether be
anchored or if the instructions that come with the child
restraint say that the top tether must be anchored.
SeeLower Anchors and Tethers for Children (LATCH)
on page 1-39if the child restraint has a top tether.
You will be using the lap-shoulder belt to secure the child
restraint in this position. 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.
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1. Your vehicle has a right front passenger’s frontal
airbag. SeePassenger Sensing System on
page 1-61. We recommend that rear-facing child
restraints be secured in a rear seat, even if the airbag
is off. If your child restraint is forward-facing, move
the seat as far back as it will go before securing the
child restraint in this seat. SeePower Seats on
page 1-2.
When the passenger sensing system has turned
off the right front passenger’s frontal airbag, the off
indicator on the passenger airbag status indicator
should light and stay lit when you turn the ignition
to RUN or START. SeePassenger Airbag Status
Indicator on page 3-30.
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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