2-53BEFORE DRIVING
79K21-03E
Note that even though your vehicle may be
moderately damaged in a collision, the col-
lision may not have been severe enough to
trigger the front, side, or side curtain air
bags to inflate. If your car sustains ANY
front-end or side damage, have the air bag
system inspected by an authorized
SUZUKI dealer to ensure it is in proper
working order.
Your vehicle is equipped with a diagnostic
module which records information about
the air bag system if the air bags deploy in
a crash. The module records information
about overall system status, which sensors
activated the deployment, and whether the
front seat belts were in use.
Servicing the Air Bag SystemIf the air bags inflate, have the air bags and
related components replaced by an autho-
rized SUZUKI dealer as soon as possible.
If your vehicle ever gets in deep water and
the driver’s floor is submerged, the air bag
controller could be damaged. If this hap-
pens, have the air bag system inspected
by the SUZUKI dealer as soon as possible.
Special procedures are required for servic-
ing or replacing an air bag. For that reason,
only an authorized SUZUKI dealer should
be allowed to service or replace your air
bags. Please remind anyone who services
your SUZUKI that it has air bags.
Service on or around air bag components
or wiring must be performed only by an
authorized SUZUKI dealer. Improper ser-
vice could result in unintended air bag
deployment or could render the air bags
inoperative. Either of these two conditions
may result in severe injury.
To prevent damage or unintended inflation
of the air bag system, be sure the battery
is disconnected and the ignition switch has
been in the “LOCK” position for at least 90
seconds before performing any electrical
service work on your SUZUKI. Do not
touch air bag system components or wires.
The wires are wrapped with yellow tape or
yellow tubing, and the couplers are yellow
for easy identification.Scrapping a car that has an undeployed air
bag can be hazardous. Ask your dealer,
body repair shop or scrap yard for help
with disposal.
If it is necessary to modify the advanced
front air bag system to accommodate a
person with disabilities, owners in the con-
tinental United States can call American
Suzuki toll-free at 1-800-934-0934, or write
to:
American Suzuki Motor Corporation
Automotive Customer Relations
3251 East Imperial Highway
Brea, CA 92821-6795
If you purchased your SUZUKI in Canada
please contact the Suzuki Canada Cus-
tomer Relations Department by telephone
at 1-905-889-2677 extension 2254 or in
writing at:
Suzuki Canada Inc.
Customer Relations
100 East Beaver Creek Road
Richmond Hill, On
L4B 1J6
WARNING
(Continued)
For vehicles with side air bags, do
not place seat covers on the front
seats, because seat covers could
restrict the air bag’s inflation. Also,
do not place any cup holders or
other objects on the door, as these
objects could be propelled by the
air bag in the event of a crash.
Either of these conditions may
cause severe injury.
2-61BEFORE DRIVING
79K21-03E
Driver’s Seat Belt Reminder Light
60G049
If the driver’s seat belt is unbuckled when
the ignition switch is turned to the “ON”
position, this light will come on and then
blink. When the light comes on, a buzzer
will also sound intermittently for about 6
seconds. The reminder will repeat several
times under certain conditions until the
driver’s seat belt is buckled. After repeating
several times, the reminder will be can-
celed even if the driver’s seat belt remains
unbuckled.
For details about the seat belt reminder,
refer to “Seat Belts and Child Restraint
Systems” in this section.
“AIR BAG” Light
63J030
This light monitors inflators, crash sensors,
seat belt pretensioners, the front passen-
ger sensing system, and corresponding
electrical circuits.
This light blinks for several seconds when
the ignition switch is turned to the “ON”
position so you can check if the light is
working. The light will come on and stay on
if there is a problem in the air bag system
or the seat belt pretensioner system.
Malfunction Indicator Light
65D530
Your vehicle has a computer-controlled
emission control system. A malfunction
indicator light is provided on the instrument
panel to indicate when it is necessary to
have the emission control system serviced.
The malfunction indicator light comes on
when the ignition switch is turned to the
“ON” position to let you know the light is
working and goes out when the engine is
started.
If the malfunction indicator light comes on
or blinks when the engine is running, ser-
vice to the emission control system is nec-
essary. Bring the vehicle to your SUZUKI
dealer to have the emission control system
serviced right away and avoid hard accel-
eration until the service is performed.
WARNING
It is absolutely essential that the
driver and passengers wear their seat
belts at all times. Persons who are
not wearing seat belts have a much
greater risk of injury if an accident
occurs. Make a regular habit of buck-
ling your seat belt before putting the
key in the ignition.
WARNING
If the “AIR BAG” light does not blink
when the ignition switch is turned to
the “ON” position or stays on or
comes on when driving, the air bag
system or the seat belt pretensioner
system (if equipped) may not work
properly. Have both systems
inspected by an authorized SUZUKI
dealer.
CAUTION
Continuing to drive the vehicle when
the malfunction indicator light is on
or blinking can cause permanent
damage to the vehicle’s emission
control system, and can affect fuel
economy and driveability.
2-63BEFORE DRIVING
79K21-03E
Keyless Start System Indicator
Light (if equipped)
62J041
When you push the ignition switch for vehi-
cle with the keyless start system, this light
will come on in blue or red. If this light
comes on in blue, you can turn the ignition
switch without using an ignition key. If this
light comes on in red, you cannot turn the
ignition switch without using an ignition
key. For details, refer to “Ignition Switch” in
the “OPERATING YOUR VEHICLE” sec-
tion.
If this light blinks in red, it reminds you that
the remote controller is not in the vehicle.
For details, refer to “Keyless Start System
Remote Controller/Keyless Entry System
Transmitter” in this section.
Turn Signal Indicators
50G055
When you turn on the left or right turn sig-
nals, the corresponding green arrow on the
instrument panel will flash along with the
respective turn signal lights.
When you turn on the hazard warning
switch, both arrows will flash along with all
of the turn signal lights.High Beam Indicator Light
50G056
This indicator comes on when headlight
high beams are turned on.
Daytime Running Light (D.R.L.)
Indicator Light (if equipped)
60B245
With the D.R.L. system, the headlights
light, but are dimmer than the low beam,
when the following three conditions are all
met. Whenever the D.R.L. system is oper-
ating, the D.R.L. indicator light remains on.
Conditions for D.R.L. system operation
1) The engine is running.
2) The parking brake is released.
3) The headlights are off, or the lighting
switch is in the “AUTO” position and it is
light around the light sensor.
2-76
BEFORE DRIVING
79K21-03E
The three systems work together to operate your lights as shown in the following chart:
E/G: Engine
IG: Ignition switch
ON: Lights ON
LIGHT: When it is light around the light sensor (5).
DARK: When it is dark around the light sensor (5).
Lighting
switch
positionMain lights to
be operatedIG OFF IG ON
E/G OFF E/G OFF E/G RUNNING
LIGHT DARK LIGHT DARK LIGHT DARK
(1) OFFD.R.L. ––––ONON
Position lights,
Tail lights––––––
Head lights ––––––
(2) AUTOD.R.L. ––––ON–
Position lights,
Tail lights–––ON–ON
Head lights – – – ON – ON
(3) D.R.L. ––––ONON
Position lights,
Tail lightsON ON ON ON ON ON
Head lights ––––––
(4) D.R.L. ––––––
Position lights,
Tail lightsON ON ON ON ON ON
Head lights ONONONONONON
Lighting Operation
79K015
To turn the lights on or off, twist the knob
on the end of the lever. There are four posi-
tions:
OFF (1)
All lights are off.
AUTO (2)
Refer to “Auto-On Headlight system” for
details.
(3)
Front position lights, tail-lights, license
plate light and instrument lights are on, but
headlights are off.
(4)
Front position lights, tail-lights, license
plate light, instrument lights and head
lights are on.
(1)(2) (3) (4)
2-77BEFORE DRIVING
79K21-03E
79K016
With the headlights on, push the lever for-
ward to switch to the high beams or pull
the lever toward you to switch to the low
beams. When the high beams are on, a
light on the instrument panel will come on.
To momentarily activate the high beams as
a passing signal, pull the lever slightly
toward you and release it when you have
completed the signal.
Auto-On Headlight System
66J026
The Auto-on headlight system automati-
cally turns on all lights that are operated by
the lighting control lever on the steering
column, when the following four conditions
are all met.
Conditions for Auto-on headlight system
operation:
1) It is dark around the light sensor (5).
2) The lighting control lever in the “AUTO”
position.
3) The ignition switch is in the “ON” posi-
tion.
4) The parking brake is released.
This system is operated by the signal from
the light sensor (5) on the right end of the
instrument panel. Do not cover the sensor
(5). If you do, the system will not work cor-
rectly.NOTE:
This system does not react to all types of
ambient light. As the sensor is infrared
type, it will not work correctly with ambient
lights that do not contain infrared rays.
HIGH
LOW
PASS
(5)
WARNING
It takes about 5 seconds for the light
sensor to react to a change in light-
ing conditions. To help avoid an acci-
dent due to reduced visibility, turn on
your headlights before driving into a
tunnel, parking structure or the like.
2-78
BEFORE DRIVING
79K21-03E
Daytime Running Light (D.R.L.)
SystemThe headlights light, but are dimmer than
the low beam, when the following three
conditions are all met. Also, the D.R.L. indi-
cator light on the instrument panel comes
on.
Conditions for D.R.L. system operation:
1) The engine is running.
2) The parking brake is released.
3) The headlights are off, or the lighting
switch in the “AUTO” position and it is
light around the light sensor.
NOTE:
Be sure to turn the headlights on at night
or at any time of the day when driving or
weather conditions require the headlights
to operate at full brightness and the tail-
lights to be on.
Lights “On” reminder
A buzzer sounds to remind you to turn off
the lights if they are left on when the igni-
tion key is removed and the driver’s door is
opened.
NOTE:
The warning and indicator message and
the illumination indicator light will be shown
on the information display when this
reminder is activated.
Front Fog Light Switch
(if equipped)
64J058
The front fog light comes on when the fog
light switch is pushed in with:
the headlights are on and the beams set
to the low beam position, or
the auto-on headlight system on and the
beams set to the low beam position.
Turn Signal Control Lever
65D611
WARNING
To avoid possible injury, do not oper-
ate controls by reaching through the
steering wheel.
5-7OTHER CONTROLS AND EQUIPMENT
79K21-03E
To return the blower speed selector (2),
air intake selector (3), and air flow selec-
tor (4) to automatic operation, push the
“AUTO” switch.
64J080
Be careful not to cover the interior temper-
ature sensor (F) located between the
steering wheel and the climate control
panel, or the solar sensor (G) located at
the top of the driver’s side dashboard.
These sensors are used by the automatic
system to regulate temperature.
Manual operation
You can manually control the climate con-
trol system. Set the selectors to the
desired positions.
64J074
NOTE:
If you need maximum defrosting:
push the defrost switch (5) to turn on the
defroster (the air conditioning system will
come on and the “FRESH AIR” mode will
be selected automatically),
set the blower speed selector to HIGH,
adjust the temperature selector to the
“HI” indication on the LCD display, and
adjust the side outlets so the air blows
on the side windows.
MaintenanceIf you do not use the air conditioner for a
long period, such as during winter, it may
not give the best performance when you
start using it again. To help maintain opti-
mum performance and durability of your air
conditioner, it needs to be run periodically.
Operate the air conditioner at least once a
month for one minute with the engine
idling. This circulates the refrigerant and oil
and helps protect the internal components.
Your air conditioner is equipped with air fil-
ters. Clean or replace them as specified in
the “Maintenance Schedule” in the
“INSPECTION AND MAINTENANCE” sec-
tion. Have this job done by your SUZUKI
dealer as the lower glove box must be low-
ered for this job.
NOTE:
Your vehicle uses the air conditioning
refrigerant HFC-134a, commonly called
“R-134a”. R-134a replaced R-12 around
1993 for automotive applications. Other
refrigerants are available, including recy-
cled R-12, but only R-134a should be used
in your vehicle.
(F)
(G)
EXAMPLE
CAUTION
Using the wrong refrigerant may
damage your air conditioning sys-
tem. Use R-134a only. Do not mix or
replace the R-134a with other refrig-
erants.
Armrest: 14
Sun Visor: 5
Interior Light Switch: 7