OCCUPANT RESTRAINTS
Some of the most important safety features in your
vehicle are the restraint systems. These include the front
and rear seat belts for the driver and all passengers, front
airbags for both the driver and front passenger, and side
airbags (if equipped) for both the driver and front
passenger. If you will be carrying children too small for
adult-size belts, your seat belts can also be used to hold
infant and child restraint systems.
NOTE:The front airbags have a multi stage inflator
design. This allows the airbag to have different rates of
inflation that are based on collision severity.
Please pay close attention to the information in this
section. It tells you how to use your restraint system
properly to keep you and your passengers as safe as
possible.WARNING!
In a collision, you and your passengers can suffer
injuries, including fatalities, if you are not properly
buckled up. You can strike the interior of your
vehicle or other passengers, or you can be thrown out
of the vehicle. Always be sure you and others in your
vehicle are buckled up properly.
Buckle up even though you are an excellent driver, even
on short trips. Someone on the road may be a poor driver
and cause a collision that includes you. This can happen
far away from home or on your own street.
36 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE
WARNING!
Position the shoulder belt height adjusters so that the
belt rests across the middle of your shoulder. Failure
to adjust the safety belt properly could reduce the
effectiveness of the seat belt and increase the risk of
injury in a collision.
As a guide, if you are shorter than average, you will
prefer a lower position, and if you are taller than average,
you’ll prefer a higher position. When you release the
anchorage, try to move it up or down to make sure that
it is locked in position.
Seat Belt Pretensioners
The driver and front passenger seat belts are equipped
with a pretensioning device that is designed to remove
any slack from the seat belt systems in the event of a
collision. This device improves the performance of the
seat belt by assuring that the belt is tight around the
occupant early in a collision. Pretensioners work for all
size occupants, including those in child restraints.
NOTE:These devices are not a substitute for proper seat
belt placement by the occupant. The seat belt must still be
worn snugly and positioned properly.
The pretensioners are triggered by the Occupant Re-
straint Control (ORC) Module. Like the front airbags, the
pretensioners are a single use item. After a collision that
is severe enough to deploy the airbags and pretensioners,
they must be replaced.
44 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE
WARNING!
•Do not put anything on or around the front airbag covers
or attempt to manually open them. You may damage the
airbags and you could be injured because the airbags are
no longer functional. These protective covers for the
airbag cushions are designed to open only when the
airbags are inflating.
•If your vehicle is equipped with side airbags, do not use
accessory seat covers or place objects between you and
the side airbags; the performance could be adversely
affected and/or objects could be pushed into you, caus-
ing serious injury.
•If your vehicle is equipped with side airbags, do not
attach cup holders or any other objects on or around the
door. The inflating side airbag could drive the objects
into occupants, causing serious injury.
•Do not cover or place items on the airbag covers. These
items may cause serious injury during inflation.
•Do not store or place items under the front seats. You
may damage the airbag wiring harnesses.
The front airbags have a multi stage inflator design. This
allows the airbag to have different rates of inflation that
are based on collision severity. Along with the seat belts,
front airbags work with the instrument panel knee bol-
sters to provide improved protection for the driver and
front passenger. Side airbags also work with seat belts to
improve occupant protection.
The seat belts are designed to protect you in many types
of collisions. The front airbags deploy in moderate to
severe frontal collisions.
NOTE:The passenger front airbag may not deploy even
when the driver front airbag has if the Occupant Classi-
fication System (refer toOccupant Classification System
in this section) has determined the passenger seat is
empty or is occupied by someone that is classified in the
small childcategory.
If your vehicle is so equipped, the side airbag on the
crash side of the vehicle is triggered in moderate to
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severe side collisions. In certain types of collisions, both
the front and side airbags may be triggered. But even in
collisions where the airbags work, you need the seat belts
to keep you in the right position for the airbags to protect
you properly.
Here are some simple steps you can take to minimize the
risk of harm from a deploying airbag.
1. Children 12 years and under should always ride
buckled up in a rear seat.
Infants in rear facing child restraints shouldNEVERride
in the front seat of a vehicle with a passenger airbag. An
airbag deployment could cause severe injury or death to
infants in that position.
Children that are not big enough to properly wear the
vehicle seat belt should be secured in the rear seat, in achild restraint or belt-positioning booster seat. Older
children who do not use child restraints or belt-
positioning booster seats should ride properly buckled
up in the rear seat. Never allow children to slide the
shoulder belt behind them or under their arm.
If a child from 1 to 12 years old must ride in the front
passenger seat because the vehicle is crowded, move the
seat as far back as possible, and use the proper child
restraint. See “Child Restraint” in this section.
You should read the instructions provided with your
child restraint to make sure that you are using it properly.
2. All occupants should use their lap and shoulder belts
properly.
50 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE
•TheOccupant Classification System (OCS)is part of
a Federally regulated safety system required for this
vehicle. It is designed to turn off the front passenger
airbag in the unlikely event that a rear-facing infant
seat is in the front passenger seat.
NOTE:Children 12 years and under should always ride
buckled up in a rear seat in an appropriate child restraint.
•ThePassenger Airbag Disable (PAD) Indicator Light
(an amber light located in the lower switch bank) tells
the driver and front passenger when the front passen-
ger airbag is turned off. The “PAD Indicator Light”
illuminates the wordsPASS AIR BAG OFFto show
that the passenger airbag will not inflate during a
collision requiring airbags. When the right front pas-
senger seat is empty or when very light objects are
placed on the seat, the passenger airbag will not inflate
even though the “PAD Indicator Light” is not illumi-
nated.
Indicator Light Location
54 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE
The “PAD Indicator Light” should not be illuminated
when teenagers, most children in a forward-facing
child restraint or booster seats, most children that can
properly wear the vehicle’s seat belt, and when an
adult passenger is properly seated in the front passen-
ger seat. In this case, the airbag is ready to be inflated
if a collision requiring an airbag occurs.
For almost all properly installed rear facing child re-
straints, the “PAD Indicator Light” will be illuminated
indicating that the front passenger airbag is turned off
and will not inflate. If the “PAD Indicator Light” is not
illuminated,DO NOTassume the airbag is turned off
and move the child restraint to the rear seat. A deploying
passenger airbag can cause death or serious injury to a
child in a rear facing infant seat.NOTE:Even though this vehicle is equipped with an
Occupant Classification System, children 12 years and
under should always ride buckled up in a rear seat in an
appropriate child restraint.
Front Passenger
Seat OccupantPassenger Air-
bag Disable
(PAD) Indicator
LightAirbag Status
Adult OFF ON
Grocery Bags,
Heavy Briefcases
and Other Rela-
tively Light Ob-
jectsON OFF
Empty or Very
Small ObjectsOFF* OFF
* Since the system senses weight, some small objects
will turn the PAD Indicator Light on.
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•Your vehicle has fourWeight Sensorslocated between
the seat and the floor pan. The weight sensors measure
applied weight and transfers that information to the
OCM.
•TheSide Impact (SRS) Seat Mounted Side Airbags
(If Equipped)are designed to activate only in certain
side collisions.
The ORC module determines if a side collision is
severe enough to require the side airbags to inflate.
The ORC Module monitors the readiness of the electronic
parts of the system whenever the ignition switch is in the
START or ON positions. These include all of the items
previously mentioned.
In moderate to severe side collisions, the side airbag
inflator on the crash side of the vehicle is triggered,
releasing a quantity of nontoxic gas. The inflating sideairbag exits through the seat seam into the space between
the occupant and the door. The side airbag moves at a
very high speed and with such a high force, that it could
injure you if you are not seated properly, or if items are
positioned in the area where the side airbag inflates. This
especially applies to children.
•TheKnee Impact Bolstershelp protect the knees of
the driver and the front passenger, and position every-
one for the best interaction with the front airbag.
The front passenger seat assembly contains critical com-
ponents that affect the front passenger airbag deploy-
ment. Correctly functioning front passenger seat compo-
nents are critical for the Occupant Classification System
(OCS) to properly classify the front passenger and calcu-
late the proper airbag deployment. Do not make any
modifications to the front passenger seat components,
assembly, or to the seat cover.
58 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE
•Airbag disable lamp status (if equipped)
•Timeof airbag deployment (in terms of ignition
cycles and vehicle mileage)
•Airbag deployment level (if applicable)
•Impact acceleration and angle
•Seat belt status
•Brake status (service and parking brakes)
•Accelerator status (including vehicle speed)
•Engine control status (including engine speed)
•Transmission gear selection
•Cruise control status
•Traction/stability control status
•Tire pressure monitoring system status
Child Restraint
Everyone in your vehicle needs to be buckled up at all
times — babies and children, too. Every state in the
United States and all Canadian provinces require that
small children ride in proper restraint systems. This is the
law, and you can be prosecuted for ignoring it.
Children 12 years and under should ride properly buck-
led up in a rear seat, if available. According to crash
statistics, children are safer when properly restrained in
the rear seats, rather than in the front.
There are different sizes and types of restraints for
children from newborn size to the child almost large
enough for an adult safety belt. Always check the child
seat owner’s manual to ensure you have the correct seat
for your child. Use the restraint that is correct for your
child.
64 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE