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Your vehicle has a feature that may automatically
unlock the doors, turn the interior lamps on,
and turn the hazard warning ashers on when the
airbags in ate. You can lock the doors, turn the
interior lamps off, and turn the hazard warning
ashers off by using the controls for those
features.
In many crashes severe enough to in ate the
airbag, windshields are broken by vehicle
deformation. Additional windshield breakage may
also occur from the right front passenger airbag.
Airbags are designed to in ate only once.
After an airbag in ates, you will need
some new parts for the 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 has a crash sensing and
diagnostic module which records information
after a crash. SeeVehicle Data Collection and
Event Data Recorders on page 494.
Let only quali ed technicians work on the
airbag systems. Improper service can
mean that an airbag system will not work
properly. See your dealer for service.
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Passenger Sensing System
Your vehicle has a passenger sensing system for
the right front passenger position. The passenger
airbag status indicator will be visible when you
turn your ignition key to ON or START. The words
ON and OFF or the symbol for on and off, will
be visible on the rearview mirror during the system
check. When the system check is complete,
either the word ON or the word OFF, or the symbol
for on or the symbol for off will be visible. See
Passenger Airbag Status Indicator on page 202.The passenger sensing system will turn off the
right front passenger’s frontal airbag under certain
conditions. The driver’s airbags are not part of
the passenger sensing system.
The passenger sensing system works with
sensors that are part of the right front passenger’s
seat. The sensors are designed to detect the
presence of a properly-seated occupant and
determine if the passenger’s frontal airbag should
be enabled (may in ate) or not.
Accident statistics show that children are safer if
they are restrained in the rear rather than the front
seat. We recommend that child restraints be
secured in a rear seat, including an infant riding in
a rear-facing infant seat, a child riding in a
forward-facing child seat and an older child riding
in a booster seat.
United States
Canada
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Your vehicle has a rear seat that will accommodate
a rear-facing child restraint. 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,
CAUTION: (Continued)
CAUTION: (Continued)
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,
always move the front passenger seat as
far back as it will go. It is better to secure
the child restraint in a rear seat.
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The passenger sensing system is designed to turn
off the right front passenger’s frontal airbag if:
The right front passenger seat is unoccupied.
The system determines that an infant is
present in a rear-facing infant seat.
The system determines that a small child is
present in a forward-facing child restraint.
The system determines that a small child is
present in a booster seat.
A right front passenger takes his/her weight off
of the seat for a period of time.
The right front passenger seat is occupied by
a smaller person, such as a child who has
outgrown child restraints.
There is a critical problem with the airbag
system or the passenger sensing system.When the passenger sensing system has turned
off the passenger’s frontal airbag, the off indicator
in the rearview mirror will light and stay lit to
remind you that the airbag is off. SeePassenger
Airbag Status Indicator on page 202.
If a child restraint has been installed and the
on indicator is lit, turn the vehicle off. Remove the
child restraint from the vehicle and reinstall
the child restraint following the child restraint
manufacturer’s directions and refer toSecuring a
Child Restraint in the Right Front Seat Position
on page 66.
If, after reinstalling the child restraint and restarting
the vehicle, the on indicator is still lit, check to
make sure that the vehicle’s seatback is not
pressing the child restraint into the seat cushion.
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If this happens, slightly recline the vehicle’s
seatback and adjust the seat cushion if possible.
Also make sure the child restraint is not trapped
under the vehicle head restraint. If this happens,
adjust the head restraint.
If the on indicator is still lit, secure the child in
the child restraint in a rear seat position in
the vehicle and check with your dealer.
The passenger sensing system is designed to
enable (may in ate) the right front passenger’s
frontal airbag anytime the system senses
that a person of adult size is sitting properly
in the right front passenger’s seat.When the passenger sensing system has allowed
the airbag to be enabled, the on indicator will
light and stay lit to remind you that the airbag
is active.
For some children who have outgrown child
restraints and for very small adults, the
passenger sensing system may or may not
turn off the right front passenger’s frontal airbag,
depending upon the person’s seating posture
and body build. Everyone in your vehicle who has
outgrown child restraints should wear a safety
belt properly — whether or not there is an
airbag for that person.
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If a person of adult-size is sitting in the right front
passenger’s seat, but the off indicator is lit, it
could be because that person is not sitting properly
in the seat. If this happens, turn the vehicle off
and ask the person to place the seatback in
the fully upright position, then sit upright in the
seat, centered on the seat cushion, with the
person’s legs comfortably extended. Restart the
vehicle and have the person remain in this position
for about two minutes. This will allow the system
to detect that person and then enable the
passenger’s airbag.
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Servicing Your Airbag-Equipped
Vehicle
Airbags affect how your vehicle should be
serviced. There are parts of the airbag system in
several places around your vehicle. You do
not want the system to in ate while someone is
working on your vehicle. Your dealer and the
service manual have information about servicing
your vehicle and the airbag system. To purchase
a service manual, seeService Publications
Ordering Information on page 501.
{CAUTION:
For up to 10 seconds, after the ignition is
turned off and the battery is disconnected,
an airbag can still in ate during improper
service. You can be injured if you are
close to an airbag when it in ates. Avoid
yellow connectors. They are probably part
of the airbag system. Be sure to follow
proper service procedures, and make sure
the person performing work for you is
quali ed to do so.
The airbag system does not need regular
maintenance.
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Mirrors
Automatic Dimming Rearview Mirror
with OnStar
®
The vehicle may have an automatic dimming
inside rearview mirror with OnStar®controls.
For more information about OnStar®, seeOnStar®
System on page 142.
O(On/Off):The on/off button, located on the
lower left side of the mirror, is used for the
automatic dimming functions of the rearview mirror.
Mirror Operation
The automatic dimming feature comes on each
time the vehicle is started. Automatic dimming
reduces the glare of lights from behind the vehicle.
To turn the automatic dimming feature on or off,
press and release the on/off button. The indicator
light will come on when this feature is on.
Passenger Airbag Indicator
The mirror may have a passenger airbag indicator
on the mirror glass, just above the buttons.
If the vehicle has this feature, the mirror will
display the word ON, or an airbag symbol
in Canada, when the passenger airbag is enabled.
SeePassenger Sensing System on page 82for
more information.
Cleaning the Mirror
When cleaning the mirror, use a paper towel or
similar material dampened with glass cleaner.
Do not spray glass cleaner directly on the mirror
as that may cause the liquid cleaner to enter
the mirror housing.
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