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5. Pull the release handles on the rear side of
the seat cushion to unlock the seat cushion.
6. Lift the seat cushion up and flip it forward.7. Clip the hook to the front seat head restraint
to keep the rear seat secure.
8. When the rear seat is folded, store the safety
belt buckles and center safety belt in the
storage area under the floor mat.
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Unfolding the Seats
To return the rear seats to the normal seating
position, do the following:
1. Unclip the hook from the front seat head
restraint.
2. Remove the safety belt buckles and center
seat safety belt from the storage area.
Notice:Damage to the safety belt buckle or
rear seat locking mechanism can occur if
the safety belt and buckles are pinched under
the rear seat cushion. Do not place the
safety belt and buckles on the oor under the
rear seat cushion when the rear seat is put
back to the sitting position.
3. Push the seat cushion down to its original
position until it latches securely. Try to pull
up on the seat to make sure it is locked
in place.4. Hook the safety belts in the outboard seating
positions into the retaining clips.
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{CAUTION:
A safety belt that is improperly routed, not
properly attached, or twisted will not
provide the protection needed in a crash.
The person wearing the belt could be
seriously injured. After raising the rear
seatback, always check to be sure that the
safety belts are properly routed and
attached, and are not twisted.
5. Lift the seatback up and push it back to its
original latched position.
6. Unhook the safety belts in the outboard
seating positions from the retaining clips.
7. Return the safety belt buckles and the center
seat safety belt to their original position
between the rear seatback and the seat
cushion. Make sure the straps of the safety
belt and buckles are not twisted.8. Reattach the center seat safety belt to the
mini buckle. SeeCenter Rear Passenger
Position on page 39.
{CAUTION:
If the seatback is not locked, it could
move forward in a sudden stop or crash.
That could cause injury to the person
sitting there. Always push and pull on the
seatback to be sure it is locked.
9. Push down and rearward firmly on the top of
the seatback until it latches securely in the
fully upright position.
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Safety Belts
Safety Belts: They Are for Everyone
This part of the manual tells you how to use
safety belts properly. It also tells you some things
you should not do with safety belts.
{CAUTION:
Do not let anyone ride where he or she
cannot wear a safety belt properly. If you
are in a crash and you are not wearing a
safety belt, your injuries can be much
worse. You can hit things inside the
vehicle or be ejected from it. You can be
seriously injured or killed. In the same
crash, you might not be, if you are
buckled up. Always fasten your safety
belt, and check that your passengers’
belts are fastened properly too.
{CAUTION:
It is extremely dangerous to ride in a
cargo area, inside or outside of a vehicle.
In a collision, people riding in these areas
are more likely to be seriously injured or
killed. Do not allow people to ride in any
area of your vehicle that is not equipped
with seats and safety belts. Be sure
everyone in your vehicle is in a seat and
using a safety belt properly.
Your vehicle has a light
that comes on as a
reminder to buckle up.
SeeSafety Belt
Reminder Light on
page 175.
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In most states and in all Canadian provinces,
the law says to wear safety belts. Here is
why:They work.
You never know if you will be in a crash. If you do
have a crash, you do not know if it will be a
bad one.
A few crashes are mild, and some crashes can be
so serious that even buckled up, a person
would not survive. But most crashes are in
between. In many of them, people who buckle up
can survive and sometimes walk away. Without
belts they could have been badly hurt or killed.
After more than 40 years of safety belts in
vehicles, the facts are clear. In most crashes
buckling up does matter... a lot!Why Safety Belts Work
When you ride in or on anything, you go as fast
as it goes.
Take the simplest vehicle. Suppose it is just a
seat on wheels.
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Put someone on it. Get it up to speed. Then stop the vehicle. The
rider does not stop.
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The person keeps going until stopped by
something. In a real vehicle, it could be the
windshield...or the instrument panel...
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or the safety belts!
With safety belts, you slow down as the vehicle
does. You get more time to stop. You stop
over more distance, and your strongest bones
take the forces. That is why safety belts
make such good sense.
Questions and Answers About
Safety Belts
Q:Will I be trapped in the vehicle after an
accident if I am wearing a safety belt?
A:Youcouldbe — whether you are wearing a
safety belt or not. But you can unbuckle a
safety belt, even if you are upside down. And
your chance of being conscious during and
after an accident, so youcanunbuckle and get
out, ismuchgreater if you are belted.
Q:If my vehicle has airbags, why should I
have to wear safety belts?
A:Airbags are supplemental systems only; so
they workwithsafety belts — not instead of
them. Every airbag system ever offered
for sale has required the use of safety belts.
Even if you are in a vehicle that has airbags,
you still have to buckle up to get the most
protection. That is true not only in frontal
collisions, but especially in side and other
collisions.
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