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{CAUTION:
If something is between an occupant and
an airbag, the bag might not in ate
properly or it might force the object into
that person causing severe injury or even
death. The path of an in ating airbag must
be kept clear. Do not put anything
between an occupant and an airbag, and
do not attach or put anything on the
steering wheel hub or on or near any
other airbag covering. And, if your vehicle
has roof-mounted side impact airbags,
never secure anything to the roof of your
vehicle by routing the rope or tie down
through any door or window opening.
If you do, the path of an in ating side
impact airbag will be blocked. The path of
an in ating airbag must be kept clear.
When Should an Airbag In ate?
The driver’s and right front passenger’s frontal
airbags are designed to in ate in moderate to
severe frontal or near-frontal crashes. But they are
designed to in ate only if the impact exceeds a
predetermined deployment threshold. Deployment
thresholds take into account a variety of desired
deployment and non-deployment events and
are used to predict how severe a crash is likely to
be in time for the airbags to in ate and help
restrain the occupants. Whether your frontal
airbags will or should deploy is not based on how
fast your vehicle is traveling. It depends largely
on what you hit, the direction of the impact
and how quickly your vehicle slows down.
In addition, your vehicle has “dual-stage”
frontal airbags, which adjust the restraint
according to crash severity. Your vehicle has
an electronic frontal sensor which helps the
sensing system distinguish between a moderate
frontal impact and a more severe frontal impact.
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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 and safety belt. 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.
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.
Your vehicle may have a passenger
sensing system that is designed to turn
off the passenger’s frontal airbag if the
system detects a rear-facing child
restraint. However, 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.
CAUTION: (Continued)
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Adding Equipment to Your
Airbag-Equipped Vehicle
Q:Is there anything I might add to the front
or sides of the vehicle that could keep the
airbags from working properly?
A:Yes. If you add things that change your
vehicle’s frame, bumper system, height,
front end or side sheet metal, they may keep
the airbag system from working properly.
Also, the airbag system may not work properly
if you relocate any of the airbag sensors.
If you have any questions about this,
you should contact Customer Assistance
before you modify your vehicle. The phone
numbers and addresses for Customer
Assistance are in Step Two of the Customer
Satisfaction Procedure in this manual.
SeeCustomer Satisfaction Procedure on
page 414.
Q:Because I have a disability, I have to get
my vehicle modi ed. How can I nd out
whether this will affect my airbag system?
A:Changing or moving any parts of the
front seats, safety belts, the airbag sensing
and diagnostic module, steering wheel,
instrument panel, ceiling headliner, ceiling and
pillar garnish trim, roof-mounted airbag
modules, or airbag wiring can affect the
operation of the airbag system. If you have
questions, call Customer Assistance.
The phone numbers and addresses for
Customer Assistance are in Step Two of the
Customer Satisfaction Procedure in this
manual. SeeCustomer Satisfaction Procedure
on page 414.
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Page 153 of 450
Wiper Activated Headlamps
This feature activates the headlamps and parking
lamps after the windshield wipers are turned
on. For this feature to work, automatic lighting
must be enabled. SeeHeadlamps on page 152
for additional information.
When the ignition is turned off, the wiper-activated
headlamps will immediately turn off. They will also
turn off 15 seconds after the windshield wiper
control is turned off.
Headlamps on Reminder
If the driver’s door is opened with the ignition off
and the lamps on, a warning chime will sound.
This lets you know that the headlamps are still on.
Daytime Running Lamps (DRL)
Daytime Running Lamps (DRL) can make it easier
for others to see the front of your vehicle during
the day. DRL can be helpful in many different
driving conditions, but they can be especially
helpful in the short periods after dawn and before
sunset. Fully functional daytime running lamps
are required on all vehicles rst sold in Canada.
The vehicle has a light sensor on top of the
instrument panel. Make sure it is not covered,
or the head lamps will be on when not needed.
The DRL system will make the headlamps
come on when the following conditions are met:
The ignition is on.
The exterior lamps control is in AUTO or
the parking lamps only position.
The light sensor detects daytime light.
The parking brake is released.
When the DRL system is on, the taillamps,
sidemarker lamps, parking lamps, and instrument
panel lights will not be illuminated unless you have
turned the exterior lamps control to the parking
lamp position.
As with any vehicle, you should turn on the
regular headlamp system when you need it.
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Passenger Safety Belt
Reminder Light
If your vehicle has this feature, several seconds
after the key is turned to RUN or START, a chime
will sound for several seconds to remind the front
passenger to buckle their safety belt. This would
only occur if the passenger airbag is enabled. See
Passenger Sensing System on page 77for more
information. The passenger safety belt light will also
come on and stay on for several seconds, then it
will ash for several more.
This light and chime
reminder will be
repeated if the
passenger remains
unbuckled and the
vehicle is in motion.
If the passenger’s safety belt is buckled, neither
the chime nor the light will come on.
Airbag Readiness Light
There is an airbag readiness light on the instrument
panel cluster, which shows the airbag symbol.
The system checks the airbag’s electrical system
for malfunctions. The light tells you if there is an
electrical problem. The system check includes the
airbag sensor, the airbag modules, the wiring and
the crash sensing and diagnostic module. For more
information on the airbag system, seeAirbag
System on page 68.
This light will come on
when you start your
vehicle, and it will ash
for a few seconds.
Then the light should go
out. This means the
system is ready.
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