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Q:What is wrong with this?
A:The lap belt is too loose. It will not give nearly
as much protection this way.
{CAUTION:
You can be seriously hurt if your lap belt
is too loose. In a crash, you could slide
under the lap belt and apply force at your
abdomen. This could cause serious or
even fatal injuries. The lap belt should be
worn low and snug on the hips, just
touching the thighs.
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Page 31 of 496
Q:What is wrong with this?
A:The belt is buckled in the wrong place.
{CAUTION:
You can be seriously injured if your belt is
buckled in the wrong place like this. In a
crash, the belt would go up over your
abdomen. The belt forces would be there,
not at the pelvic bones. This could cause
serious internal injuries. Always buckle
your belt into the buckle nearest you.
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Page 32 of 496
Q:What is wrong with this?
A:The shoulder belt is worn under the arm.
It should be worn over the shoulder at
all times.
{CAUTION:
You can be seriously injured if you wear
the shoulder belt under your arm. In a
crash, your body would move too far
forward, which would increase the chance
of head and neck injury. Also, the belt
would apply too much force to the ribs,
which are not as strong as shoulder
bones. You could also severely injure
internal organs like your liver or spleen.
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Page 33 of 496
Q:What is wrong with this?
A:The belt is twisted across the body.
{CAUTION:
You can be seriously injured by a twisted
belt. In a crash, you would not have the
full width of the belt to spread impact
forces. If a belt is twisted, make it straight
so it can work properly, or ask your
dealer/retailer to x it.
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Page 34 of 496
To unlatch the belt, push the button on the buckle.
The belt should go back out of the way. When
the safety belt is not in use, slide the latch plate up
the safety belt webbing. The latch plate should
rest on the stitching on the safety belt, near
the guide loop on the side wall.
Before you close the door, be sure the belt is
out of the way. If you slam the door on it, you
can damage both the belt and your vehicle.
Shoulder Belt Height Adjustment
Before you begin to drive, move the shoulder belt
height adjuster to the height that is right for you.
Adjust the height so that the shoulder portion of the
belt is centered on your shoulder. The belt should
be away from your face and neck, but not falling
off your shoulder. Improper shoulder belt height
adjustment could reduce the effectiveness of the
safety belt in a crash.
To move it up or down,
squeeze the release
buttons (A) together,
or pull them toward
you, and move
the height adjuster to
the desired position.
After you move the height adjuster to where you
want it, try to move it down without squeezing the
release buttons to make sure it has locked into
position.
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Page 35 of 496
Safety Belt Use During Pregnancy
Safety belts work for everyone, including pregnant
women. Like all occupants, they are more likely
to be seriously injured if they do not wear
safety belts.
A pregnant woman should wear a lap-shoulder
belt, and the lap portion should be worn as low
as possible, below the rounding, throughout
the pregnancy.The best way to protect the fetus is to protect the
mother. When a safety belt is worn properly, it
is more likely that the fetus will not be hurt
in a crash. For pregnant women, as for anyone,
the key to making safety belts effective is wearing
them properly.
Right Front Passenger Position
To learn how to wear the right front passenger’s
safety belt properly, seeDriver Position on
page 26.
The right front passenger’s safety belt works the
same way as the driver’s safety belt — except
for one thing. If you ever pull the shoulder portion
of the belt out all the way, you will engage the
child restraint locking feature which may turn off
the passenger’s frontal airbag. If this happens, just
let the belt go back all the way and start again.
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Center Front Passenger Position
Lap Belt
If your vehicle has a 60/40 split front seat,
someone can sit in the center position.
When you sit in the center front seating position,
you have a lap safety belt, which has no retractor.
To make the belt longer, tilt the latch plate and
pull it along the belt.To make the belt shorter, pull its free end as
shown until the belt is snug.
Buckle, position and release it the same way
as the lap part of a lap-shoulder belt. If the belt
is not long enough, seeSafety Belt Extender
on page 43.
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.
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Rear Seat Passengers
It is very important for rear seat passengers to
buckle up! Accident statistics show that unbelted
people in the rear seat are hurt more often in
crashes than those who are wearing safety belts.
Rear passengers who are not safety belted
can be thrown out of the vehicle in a crash.
And they can strike others in the vehicle who
are wearing safety belts.
Lap-Shoulder Belt
All rear seating positions have lap-shoulder belts.
Here is how to wear one properly.
1. 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.
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