Your vehicle is equipped with many
features that work together to
protect you and your passengers
during a crash.
The f ollowing pages explain how you
cantakeanactiveroleinprotecting
yourself and your passengers.
Some f eatures do not require any
action on your part. These include a
strong steel f ramework that f orms a
saf ety cage around the passenger
compartment; front and rear crush
zones; a collapsible steering column;
and tensioners that tighten the f ront
seat belts in a crash.
However, you and your passengers
can’t take f ull advantage of these
f eatures unless you remain sitting in
a proper position and
. In fact, some safety
f eatures can contribute to injuries if
they are not used properly.
Your Vehicle’s Saf ety Features
always wear
your seat belts
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
9
(1)
(2)
(2)
(3) (4)
(5)(6)
(7)
(8)
(7) (10)
(11)
(9)
(8)
(1) Safety Cage
(2) Crush Zones
(3) Seats and Seat-Backs
(4) Head Restraints
(5) Collapsible Steering Column(6) Seat Belts
(7) Front Airbags
(8) Side Airbags
(9) Side Curtain Airbags
(10) Door Locks
(11) Seat Belt Tensioners
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Your vehicle is equipped with seat
belts in all seating positions.
Seat belts are the single most
effectivesafetydeviceforadultsand
larger children. (Inf ants and smaller
children must be properly restrained
in child seats.)
In addition, most states and all
Canadian provinces require you to
wear seat belts.
Not wearing a seat belt properly
increases the chance of serious
injury or death in a crash, even
though your vehicle has airbags.
Help protect you in almost every
type of crash, including f rontal,
side, and rear impacts and
rollovers.
Keep you connected to the vehicle
so you can take advantage of the
vehicle’s built-in saf ety f eatures.
When properly worn, seat belts: Help keep you f rom being thrown
against the inside of the vehicle
and against other occupants.
Keep you f rom being thrown out
of the vehicle.
Help keep you in a good position
should the airbags ever deploy. A
good position reduces the risk of
injury f rom an inf lating airbag and
allows you to get the best
advantage f rom the airbag.
Of course, seat belts cannot
completely protect you in every
crash.Butinmostcases,seatbelts
can reduce your risk of serious
injury.
Always wear your seat belt, and
make sure you wear it properly.
Your seat belt system also
includes an indicator on the
instrument panel and a beeper to
remind you and your passengers to
f asten your seat belts.
Seat Belts
Why Wear Seat Belt s
What You Should Do:
Your Vehicle’s Saf ety Features
10
Not wearing a seat belt properly
increases the chance of serious
injury or death in a crash, even
though your vehicle has airbags.
Be sure you and your
passengers always wear seat
belts and wear them properly.
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CONT INUED
Adjust the driver’s seat as far to the
rear as possible while allowing you to
maintain f ull control of the vehicle.
Have a front passenger adjust their
seat as far to the rear as possible.
The f ollowing pages provide
instructions on how to properly
protect the driver, adult passengers,
and teenage children who are large
enough and mature enough to drive
or ride in the f ront.
See pages f or important
guidelines on how to properly
protect inf ants, small children, and
larger children who ride in your
vehicle.
See page f or how to lock the
doors, and page f or how the door
monitor indicator works.
Locking the doors also helps prevent
an outsider f rom unexpectedly
opening a door when you come to a
stop.
Locking the doors reduces the
chance of someone being thrown out
of the vehicle during a crash, and it
helps prevent passengers f rom
accidentally opening a door and
f alling out. Your vehicle has a door
monitor indicator on the
instrument panel to indicate when a
specif ic door or the trunk is not
tightly closed.
Af ter everyone has entered the
vehicle, be sure the doors are closed
and locked.
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60
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52
Protecting A dults and T eens
Introduction
A djust the Front Seats
Close and L ock the Doors
1. 2.
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
13
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Two types of seats may be used: a
seat designed exclusively f or inf ants,
or a convertible seat used in the rear-
f acing, reclining mode.If placed
f acing f orward, an inf ant could be
very seriously injured during a
f rontal collision. A rear-f acing child seat can be placed
in any seating position in the back
seat, but not in the f ront.
If the passenger’s front airbag
inflates, it can hit the back of the
child seat with enough f orce to kill or
seriously injure an inf ant.
When properly installed, a rear-
f acing child seat may prevent the
driver or a f ront passenger f rom
moving their seat as far back as
recommended, or f rom locking their
seat-back in the desired position.
It could also interf ere with proper
operation of the passenger’s
advanced front airbag system.In any of these situations, we
strongly recommend that you install
the child seat directly behind the
f ront passenger’s seat, move the seat
as far forward as needed, and leave it
unoccupied. Or, you may wish to get
a smaller rear-f acing child seat.
Do not put a rear-f acing child seat in
a f orward-f acing position.
Infant Child Seat Placem ent
Never put a
rear-f acing child seat in t he f ront seat .
Protecting Inf ants and Small Children
40
Placing a rear-facing child seat
in the front seat can result in
serious injury or death during acollision.
Always place a rear-facing child
seat in the back seat, not thefront.
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Since LATCH-compatible child seats
are easier to install and reduce the
possibility of improper installation,
we recommend selecting this style.
We also recommend selecting a
LATCH-compatible seat with a rigid,
rather than a f lexible, anchor (see
page ).In seating positions and vehicles not
equipped with LATCH, a LATCH-
compatible child seat can be installed
using a seat belt.
If it is necessary to put a f orward-
f acing child seat in the f ront, move
the vehicle seat as far to the rear as
possible, and be sure the child seat is
f irmly secured to the vehicle and the
child is properly strapped in the seat.
Whatever type of seat you choose, to
provide proper protection, a child
seat should meet three
requirements:
Look f or FMVSS
213 or CMVSS 213 on the box.
Rear-facing for infants, forward-
f acing f or small children.
When buying a child seat, you need
to choose either a conventional child
seat, or one designed f or use with
the lower anchors and tethers for
children (LATCH) system.
Conventional child seats must be
secured to a vehicle with a seat belt,
whereas LATCH-compatible seats
are secured by attaching the seat to
hardware built into the two outer
seating positions in t
he bac k seat
. 1
2
44
Selecting a Child Seat
T he child seat should meet U.S. or
Canadian Mot or Vehicle Saf et y
St andard 213.
T he child seat should be of theproper t ype and size t o f it t he child.
.
.
Protecting Inf ants and Small Children, Selecting a Child Seat
42
Placing a forward-facing child
seat in the front seat can result
in serious injury or death if the
front airbag inflates.
Ifyoumustplaceaforward-
facing child seat in front, move
the vehicle seat as far back as
possible, and properly restrain
the child.
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Af ter selecting a proper child seat
and a good place to install the seat,
there are three main steps in
installing the seat:All child seats must be
secured to the vehicle with the lap
part of a lap/shoulder belt or with
the LATCH (lower anchors and
tethers for children) system. A
child whose seat is not properly
secured to the vehicle can be
endangered in a crash.
Af ter installing a child
seat, push and pull the seat
f orward and f rom side-to-side to
verif y that it is secure.
A child seat secured with a seat belt
should be installed as f irmly as
possible. However, it does not need
to be ‘‘rock solid.’’ Some side-to-side movement can be expected and
should not reduce the child seat’s
ef f ectiveness.
If the child seat is not secure, try
installing it in a dif f erent seating
position, or use a dif f erent style of
child seat that can be f irmly secured.
Bef ore purchasing a conventional
child seat, or using a previously
purchased one, we recommend that
you test the seat in the specif ic
vehicle seating position or positions
where the seat will be used.
Make sure the child is properly
strappedinthechildseat
according to the child seat maker’s
instructions. A child who is not
properly secured in a child seat
can be seriously injured in a crash.
The f ollowing pages provide
guidelines on how to properly install
a child seat. A f orward-f acing child
seat is used in all examples, but the
instructions are the same f or rear-
f acing child seats.
Installing a C
hild Sea
t
3 .
1 .
2 .
Properly secure t he child seat t o the vehicle.
Make sure t he child seat is f irmlysecured.
T he child seat should f it the
vehicle seat ing posit ion (orposit ions) where it will be used.
Secure t he child in t he child seat .
Selecting a Child Seat, Installing a Child Seat
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
43
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3 .
Make sure there are no objects
near the anchors that could
prevent a secure connection
between the child seat and the
anchors.
Move the seat belt buckle or
tongue away f rom the lower
anchors.
To install a LATCH-compatible child
seat:
Place the child seat on the vehicle
seat, then attach the seat to the
lower anchors according to the
child seat maker’s instructions.
Some LATCH-compatible seats
have a rigid-type connection as
shown above.
Your vehicle is equipped with
LATCH (lower anchors and tethers
for children) at the outer rear seats.
The lower anchors are located
between the seat-back and seat
bottom, and are to be used only with
a child seat designed f or use with
LATCH.
The location of each lower anchor is
indicated by a small button above the
anchor point.
1. 2.3.
Installing a Child Seat with
LATCH
Inst alling a Child Seat
44
Rigid type
LOWERANCHORMARKS
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They are most ef f ective when you
adjust them so the back of the
occupant’s head rests against the
center of the restraint.
The f ront and rear head restraints
adjust f or height. You need both
hands to adjust the restraint. Do not
attempt to adjust it while driving. To
raise it, pull upward. To lower the
restraint, push the release button
and push the restraint down.
Your vehicle is equipped with head
restraints in all seating positions to
help protect you and your
passengers f rom whiplash and other
injuries.
The height of your driver’s seat is
power adjustable. Pull up on the
switch to raise the seat. Push it down
to lower the seat.
Make all adjustments bef ore you
start driving.
See page f or important saf ety
inf ormation and a warning about how toproperly position the head restraints. 15
U.S. EX and Canadian SE
Seats
Driver’s Seat Power Height
Adjustment
Head Restraints
Inst rument s and Cont rols
87
RELEASE BUTTON
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