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To unlatch the belt, push the button on the buckle.
For outboard seating positions, 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.
Rear Safety Belt Comfort Guides
Rear shoulder belt comfort guides may provide
added safety belt comfort for older children
who have outgrown booster seats and for some
adults. When installed on a shoulder belt, the
comfort guide positions the belt away from
the neck and head.
There is one guide for each outside passenger
position in the rear seats. Here is how to install
a comfort guide to the safety belt:
1. Locate the guide in a pocket on the side of
the seatback.
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2. Slide the guide under and past the belt. The
elastic cord must be under the belt. Then, place
the guide over the belt and insert the two edges
of the belt into the slots of the guide.3. Be sure that the belt is not twisted and it lies
flat. The elastic cord must be under the belt
and the guide on top.
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{CAUTION:
A safety belt that is not properly worn
may not provide the protection needed
in a crash. The person wearing the belt
could be seriously injured. The shoulder
belt should go over the shoulder and
across the chest. These parts of the body
are best able to take belt restraining
forces.
4. Buckle, position, and release the safety belt
as described inRear Outside Passenger
Positions on page 34. Make sure that
the shoulder belt crosses the shoulder.
To remove and store the comfort guide, squeeze
the belt edges together so that you can take
them out of the guide. Slide the guide into
its storage pocket on the side of the seatback.
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Safety Belt Pretensioners
Your vehicle may safety belt pretensioners for the
driver and right front passenger. Although you
cannot see them, they are part of the safety belt
assembly. They help tighten the safety belts during
the early stages of a moderate to severe frontal
or near frontal crash if the threshold conditions
for pretensioner activation are met.
Pretensioners work only once. If they activate in
a crash, you will need to get new ones, and
probably other new parts for your safety belt
system. SeeReplacing Restraint System Parts
After a Crash on page 98.
Safety Belt Extender
If the vehicle’s safety belt will fasten around you,
you should use it.
But if a safety belt is not long enough, your
dealer/retailer will order you an extender. When
you go in to order it, take the heaviest coat you
will wear, so the extender will be long enough for
you. To help avoid personal injury, do not let
someone else use it, and use it only for the seat
it is made to fit. The extender has been designed
for adults. Never use it for securing child seats.
To wear it, attach it to the regular safety belt.
For more information, see the instruction sheet
that comes with the extender.
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Child Restraints
Older Children
Older children who have outgrown booster
seats should wear the vehicle’s safety belts.
If you have the choice, a child should sit in a
seating position that has a lap-shoulder belt
to get the additional restraint a shoulder belt
can provide.
Q:What is the proper way to wear
safety belts?
A:If possible, an older child should wear a
lap-shoulder belt and get the additional
restraint a shoulder belt can provide.
The shoulder belt should not cross the face
or neck. The lap belt should fit snugly
below the hips, just touching the top of the
thighs. It should never be worn over the
abdomen, which could cause severe or
even fatal internal injuries in a crash.
According to accident statistics, children are
safer when properly restrained in the rear seating
positions than in the front seating positions.
In a crash, children who are not buckled up can
strike other people who are buckled up, or can
be thrown out of the vehicle. Older children need
to use safety belts properly.
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{CAUTION:
Never do this.
Here two children are wearing the same
belt. The belt cannot properly spread the
impact forces. In a crash, the two children
can be crushed together and seriously
injured. A belt must be used by only
one person at a time.
Q:What if a child is wearing a lap-shoulder
belt, but the child is so small that the
shoulder belt is very close to the child’s
face or neck?
A:If the child is seated in a rear outside seat
position, move the child toward the center
of the vehicle. Also seeRear Safety Belt
Comfort Guides on page 37. If the child is
sitting in the second row center seat position,
move the child toward the safety belt
buckle. In either case, be sure that the
shoulder belt still is on the child’s shoulder,
so that in a crash the child’s upper body would
have the restraint that belts provide. If the
child is so small that the shoulder belt is still
very close to the child’s face or neck, you
might want to place the child in a seat that
has a lap belt, if your vehicle has one.
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{CAUTION:
Never do this.
Here a child is sitting in a seat that has
a lap-shoulder belt, but the shoulder part
is behind the child. If the child wears
the belt in this way, in a crash the child
might slide under the belt. The belt’s force
would then be applied right on the child’s
abdomen. That could cause serious or
fatal injuries.
Wherever the child sits, the lap portion of the belt
should be worn low and snug on the hips, just
touching the child’s thighs. This applies belt force
to the child’s pelvic bones in a crash.
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Infants and Young Children
Everyone in a vehicle needs protection! This
includes infants and all other children. Neither
the distance traveled nor the age and size of
the traveler changes the need, for everyone,
to use safety restraints. In fact, the law in
every state in the United States and in every
Canadian province says children up to some
age must be restrained while in a vehicle.
{CAUTION:
Children can be seriously injured or
strangled if a shoulder belt is wrapped
around their neck and the safety belt
continues to tighten. Never leave children
unattended in a vehicle and never allow
children to play with the safety belts.Every time infants and young children ride in
vehicles, they should have the protection provided
by appropriate restraints. Young children should
not use the vehicle’s adult safety belts alone,
unless there is no other choice. Instead, they
need to use a child restraint.
{CAUTION:
People should never hold a baby in their
arms while riding in a vehicle. A baby
does not weigh much — until a crash.
During a crash a baby will become
so heavy it is not possible to hold it.
For example, in a crash at only 25 mph
(40 km/h), a 12 lb (5.5 kg) baby will
suddenly become a 240 lb (110 kg) force
on a person’s arms. A baby should be
secured in an appropriate restraint.
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