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To remove the child restraint, just unbuckle the
vehicle’s safety belt and let it go back all the way.
The safety belt will move freely again and be
ready to work for an adult or larger child
passenger.
If you had turned the airbag off with the switch,
remember to be sure to use the airbag off switch to
turn on the right front passenger’s airbag when
you remove the child restraint from the vehicle
unless the person who will be sitting there
is a member of the passenger airbag risk group.
SeeAirbag Off Switch on page 84.
{CAUTION:
If the right front passenger’s airbag is
turned off for a person who is not in a risk
group identi ed by the national
government, that person will not have the
extra protection of an airbag. In a crash,
the airbag will not be able to in ate and
help protect the person sitting there. Do
not turn off the passenger’s airbag unless
the person sitting there is in a risk group.
SeeAirbag Off Switch on page 84for
more on this, including important safety
information.
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{CAUTION:
Airbags in ate with great force, faster
than the blink of an eye. If you are too
close to an in ating airbag, as you would
be if you were leaning forward, it could
seriously injure you. Safety belts help
keep you in position before and during a
crash. Always wear your safety belt, even
with airbags. The driver should sit as far
back as possible while still maintaining
control of the vehicle.
{CAUTION:
Anyone who is up against, or very close
to, any airbag when it in ates can be
seriously injured or killed. Airbags plus
lap-shoulder belts offer the best
protection for adults, but not for young
children and infants. Neither the vehicle’s
safety belt system nor its airbag system is
designed for them. Young children and
infants need the protection that a child
restraint system can provide. Always
secure children properly in your vehicle.
To read how, seeOlder Children on
page 46andInfants and Young Children
on page 49.
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In any particular crash, no one can say whether
an airbag should have in ated simply because
of the damage to a vehicle or because of what the
repair costs were. In ation is determined by
what the vehicle hits, the angle of the impact, and
how quickly the vehicle slows down.
The airbag system is designed to work properly
under a wide range of conditions, including off-road
usage. Observe safe driving speeds, especially
on rough terrain. As always, wear your safety belt.
SeeOff-Road Driving on page 317for more tips
on off-road driving.
What Makes an Airbag In ate?
In an impact of sufficient severity, the airbag
sensing system detects that the vehicle is
in a crash. The sensing system triggers a release
of gas from the in ator, which in ates the
airbag. The in ator, airbag, and related hardware
are all part of the airbag modules inside the
steering wheel and in the instrument panel in front
of the right front passenger.
How Does an Airbag Restrain?
In moderate to severe frontal or near-frontal
collisions, even belted occupants can contact the
steering wheel or the instrument panel. The
airbag supplements the protection provided by
safety belts. Airbags distribute the force of
the impact more evenly over the occupant’s upper
body, stopping the occupant more gradually.
But airbags would not help you in many types of
collisions, including rollovers, rear impacts,
and many side impacts, primarily because an
occupant’s motion is not toward those airbags.
Airbags should never be regarded as anything
more than a supplement to safety belts, and then
only in moderate to severe frontal or near-frontal
collisions.
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What Will You See After an Airbag
In ates?
After an airbag in ates, it quickly de ates, so
quickly that some people may not even realize the
airbag in ated. Some components of the airbag
module — the steering wheel hub for the driver’s
airbag or the instrument panel for the right
front passenger’s bag — may be hot for a short
time. The parts of the airbag that come into contact
with you may be warm, but not too hot to touch.
There may be some smoke and dust coming from
the vents in the de ated airbags. Airbag in ation
does not prevent the driver from seeing out of the
windshield or being able to steer the vehicle,
nor does it prevent people from leaving the vehicle.
{CAUTION:
When an airbag in ates, there may be
dust in the air. This dust could cause
breathing problems for people with a
history of asthma or other breathing
trouble. To avoid this, everyone in the
vehicle should get out as soon as it is
safe to do so. If you have breathing
problems but cannot get out of the vehicle
after an airbag in ates, then get fresh air
by opening a window or a door. If you
experience breathing problems following
an airbag deployment, you should seek
medical attention.
Your vehicle has a feature that may automatically
unlock the doors, turn the interior lamps on,
and turn the hazard warning ashers on when the
airbags in ate. You can lock the doors again,
turn the interior lamps off, and turn the hazard
warning ashers off by using the controls for those
features.
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In many crashes severe enough to in ate an
airbag, windshields are broken by vehicle
deformation. Additional windshield breakage
may also occur from the right front
passenger airbag.
Airbags are designed to in ate only once.
After they in ate, you will need some new
parts for the airbag system. If you do not get
them, the airbag system will not be there
to help protect you in another crash. A new
system will include airbag modules and
possibly other parts. The service manual for
your vehicle covers the need to replace
other parts.
Your vehicle has a crash sensing and
diagnostic module which records information
after a crash. SeeVehicle Data Collection and
Event Data Recorders on page 546.
Let only quali ed technicians work on the
airbag system. Improper service can mean that
an airbag system will not work properly. See
your dealer for service.
Airbag Off Switch
Your vehicle has a switch on the instrument panel
that you can use to turn off the right front
passenger’s airbag.
United StatesCanada
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Medical Condition.A passenger has a
medical condition which, according to his or
her physician:
causes the passenger airbag to pose a
special risk for the passenger; and
makes the potential harm from the passenger
airbag in a crash greater than the potential
harm from turning off the airbag and allowing
the passenger, even if belted, to hit the
dashboard or windshield in a crash.
{CAUTION:
If the right front passenger’s airbag is
turned off for a person who is not in a risk
group identi ed by the national
government, that person will not have the
extra protection of an airbag. In a crash,
the airbag will not be able to in ate and
help protect the person sitting there. Do
not turn off the passenger’s airbag unless
the person sitting there is in a risk group.To turn off the right front passenger’s airbag,
insert your ignition key into the switch, push in,
and move the switch to the off position.
The airbag off light will come on to let you know that
the right front passenger’s airbag is off. The airbag
off light will stay on to remind you that the airbag is
off. The right front passenger’s airbag will remain off
until you turn it back on again.
United StatesCanada
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{CAUTION:
If the airbag readiness light ever comes on
when you have turned off the airbag, it
means that something may be wrong with
the airbag system. The right front
passenger’s airbag could in ate even
though the switch is off. If this ever
happens, do not let anyone whom the
national government has identi ed as a
member of a passenger airbag risk group
sit in the right front passenger’s position
(for example, do not secure a rear-facing
child restraint in the right front passenger’s
seat) until you have your vehicle serviced.
SeeAirbag Readiness Light on page 207
for additional information.To turn the right front passenger’s airbag on
again, insert your ignition key into the switch, push
in, and move the switch to the on position.
United StatesCanada
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Servicing Your Airbag-Equipped
Vehicle
Airbags affect how your vehicle should be
serviced. There are parts of the airbag system in
several places around your vehicle. You do
not want the system to in ate while someone is
working on your vehicle. Your dealer and the
service manual have information about servicing
your vehicle and the airbag system. To purchase a
service manual, seeService Publications
Ordering Information on page 553.
{CAUTION:
For up to 10 seconds, after the ignition is
turned off and the battery is disconnected,
an airbag can still in ate during improper
service. You can be injured if you are
close to an airbag when it in ates. Avoid
yellow connectors. They are probably part
of the airbag system. Be sure to follow
proper service procedures, and make sure
the person performing work for you is
quali ed to do so.
The airbag system does not need regular
maintenance.
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