
The passenger sensing system will turn off the
right front passenger’s frontal airbag and
seat-mounted side impact 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 right front passenger’s frontal
airbag and seat-mounted side impact 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 children be secured in a rear
seat, including: an infant or a child riding in a
rear-facing child restraint; a child riding in a
forward-facing child seat; an older child riding in a
booster seat; and children, who are large
enough, using safety belts.
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 right
front passenger’s frontal and
seat-mounted side impact airbag if the
system detects a rear-facing child
restraint, 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 airbags are off.
CAUTION: (Continued)
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CAUTION: (Continued)
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.
The passenger sensing system is designed to turn
off the right front passenger’s frontal airbag and
seat-mounted side impact 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 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.
Or, if there is a critical problem with the airbag
system or the passenger sensing system.
When the passenger sensing system has turned
off the right front passenger’s frontal airbag
and seat-mounted side impact airbag, the off
indicator will light and stay lit to remind you that
the airbags are off. SeePassenger Airbag
Status Indicator on page 218.
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 72.
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. If
this happens, slightly recline the vehicle’s
seatback and adjust the seat cushion if possible.
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Also make sure the child restraint is not trapped
under the vehicle head restraint. If this happens,
adjust the head restraint. SeeHead Restraints
on page 17.
Remove any additional material from the seat
cushion before reinstalling or securing the
child 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/retailer.
The passenger sensing system is designed to
enable (may in ate) the right front passenger’s
frontal airbag and seat-mounted side impact 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 airbags to be enabled, the
on indicator will light and stay lit to remind you
that the airbags are 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 and
seat-mounted side impact 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.
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 two to three minutes. This will allow the
system to detect that person and then enable the
right front passenger’s frontal airbag and
seat-mounted side impact airbag.
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Adding Equipment to Your
Airbag-Equipped Vehicle
Q:Is there anything I might add to the
exterior 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. See Customer
Satisfaction Procedure.
If your vehicle has rollover roof-rail airbags,
seeDifferent Size Tires and Wheels on
page 452for additional important information.
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, roof-rail airbag modules,
ceiling headliner, and pillar garnish trim, side
impact sensors, rollover sensor module,
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 518.
Your dealer/retailer and the service manual have
information about the location of the airbag
sensors, sensing and diagnostic module and
airbag wiring.
91

Keys.............................................................. 97
Remote Keyless Entry (RKE) System.......... 98
Remote Keyless Entry (RKE) System
Operation............................................... 100
Doors and Locks........................................ 106
Door Locks................................................ 106
Power Door Locks..................................... 107
Delayed Locking........................................ 107
Programmable Automatic Door Locks........ 107
Rear Door Security Locks......................... 108
Lockout Protection..................................... 108
Liftgate...................................................... 109
Power Liftgate........................................... 110
Windows...................................................... 114
Power Windows........................................ 115
Sun Visors................................................ 117Theft-Deterrent Systems............................. 118
Content Theft-Deterrent............................. 118
PASS-Key
®III+......................................... 120
PASS-Key®III+ Operation......................... 121
Starting and Operating Your Vehicle......... 123
New Vehicle Break-In................................ 123
Ignition Positions....................................... 124
Retained Accessory Power (RAP)............. 125
Starting the Engine.................................... 126
Engine Coolant Heater.............................. 127
Automatic Transmission Operation............. 129
Tow/Haul Mode......................................... 133
Parking Brake........................................... 134
Shifting Into Park (P)................................. 135
Shifting Out of Park (P)............................. 137
Parking Over Things That Burn................. 137
Engine Exhaust......................................... 138
Running the Engine While Parked............. 139
Section 2 Features and Controls
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Rear Door Security Locks
Your vehicle has rear door security locks. These
prevent passengers from opening the rear
doors from the inside.
The rear door security
locks are located on the
inside edge of each rear
door. You must open the
rear doors to access
them. The label showing
lock and unlock
positions is located
near the lock.
To set the locks, do the following:
1. Insert the key into the security lock slot and
turn it so the slot is in the horizontal position.
2. Close the door.When you want to open a rear door when the
security lock is on, do the following:
1. Unlock the door using the remote keyless entry
transmitter, if the vehicle has one, the power
door lock switch, or by lifting the rear door
manual lock.
2. Open the door from the outside.
To cancel the rear door security lock, do the
following:
1. Unlock the door and open it from the outside.
2. Insert the key into the security lock slot and
turn it so the slot is in the vertical position.
Lockout Protection
This feature protects you from locking the key in the
vehicle when the key is in the ignition and a front
door is open.
If the driver’s side power door lock switch is
pressed when the driver’s door is open and the key
is in the ignition, all of the doors will lock and then
the driver’s door will unlock.
If the passenger’s side power door lock switch is
pressed when the front passenger’s door is open
and the key is in the ignition, all of the doors will
lock and then the front passenger’s door will unlock.
Lock Label shown
108

Theft-Deterrent Systems
Vehicle theft is big business, especially in some
cities. Although your vehicle has a number of
theft-deterrent features, we know that nothing we
put on it can make it impossible to steal.
Content Theft-Deterrent
Your vehicle may have a content theft-deterrent
alarm system.To activate the theft-deterrent system, do one of
the following:
Press the lock button on the Remote Keyless
Entry (RKE) transmitter when any door is open.
The security light should come on and ash.
When the door is closed, the security light will
stop ashing and stay on solid and then go off
after approximately 30 seconds. The content
theft deterrent alarm is not armed until the
security light goes off.
If the delayed locking feature is active, the
alarm will not be activated until all doors are
closed and the security light goes off.
Press the lock button on the RKE transmitter
when the driver door is closed.
The security light will come on solid for
approximately 30 seconds and then go off. The
content theft deterrent alarm is not armed until
the security light goes off.
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Testing the Alarm
To test the alarm:
1. From inside the vehicle, lower the driver’s
window and open the driver’s door.
2. Activate the system by locking the doors with
the RKE transmitter.
3. Get out of the vehicle, close the door and wait
for the security light to go out.
4. Then reach in through the window, unlock the
door with the manual door lock and open the
door. This should set off the alarm.
If the alarm does not sound when it should, but the
vehicle’s headlamps ash, check to see if the horn
works. The horn fuse may be blown. To replace the
fuse, seeFuses and Circuit Breakers on page 490.
If the alarm does not sound or the vehicle’s
headlamps do not ash, see your dealer/retailer for
service.
PASS-Key®III+
The PASS-Key®III+ system operates on a radio
frequency subject to Federal Communications
Commission (FCC) Rules and with Industry
Canada.
This device complies with Part 15 of the FCC
Rules. Operation is subject to the following
two conditions:
1. This device may not cause harmful
interference.
2. This device must accept any interference
received, including interference that may
cause undesired operation.
This device complies with RSS-210 of Industry
Canada. Operation is subject to the following
two conditions:
1. This device may not cause interference.
2. This device must accept any interference
received, including interference that may
cause undesired operation of the device.
120