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Securing a Child Restraint in the
Right Front Seat PositionYour vehicle has a right front passenger's
airbag. A rear seat is a safer place to
secure a forward-facing child restraint.
Refer to “Where to Put the Restraint” in
this section.
In addition, your vehicle has a passenger
sensing system. The passenger sensing
system is designed to turn off the right
front passenger’s frontal airbag when an
infant in a rear-facing infant seat or a small
child in a forward-facing child restraint or
booster seat is detected. Refer to “Passen-
ger Sensing System” in this section and
“Passenger Airbag Status Indicator” in
“Warning Lights, Gages, and Indicators” in
the “Instrument Panel” section for more
information on this including important
safety information.
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.
If your vehicle does not have a rear seat
that will accommodate a rear-facing child
restraint, never put a child in a rear-facing
child restraint in the right front passenger
seat unless the passenger airbag status
indicator shows off and the airbag is off.
Here is why:If you need to secure a forward-facing
child restraint in the right front seat posi-
tion, move the seat as far back as it will go
before securing the forward-facing child
WARNING
A child in a rear-facing child restraint
can be seriously injured or killed if
the right front passenger's airbag
inflates. This is because the back of
the rear-facing child restraint would
be very close to the inflating airbag.
Even though the passenger sensing
system is designed to turn off the
right front passenger's frontal airbag
if the system detects a rear-facing
child restraint, no system is fail-safe,
and no one can guarantee that an air-
bag 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
airbag is off.
If you need to secure a forward-fac-
ing child restraint in the right front
seat, always move the front passen-
ger seat as far back as it will go. It is
better to secure the child restraint in
a rear seat.
WARNING
A child in a rear-facing child restraint
can be seriously injured or killed if
the right front passenger's airbag
inflates. This is because the back of
the rear-facing child restraint would
be very close to the inflating airbag.
Be sure the airbag is off before using
a rear-facing child restraint in the
right front seat position.
Even though the passenger sensing
system is designed to turn off the
passenger's frontal airbag if the sys-
tem 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 transported
in vehicles with a rear seat that will
accommodate a rear-facing child
restraint, whenever possible.
If you need to secure a forward-fac-
ing child restraint in the right front
seat, always move the front passen-
ger seat as far back as it will go. It is
better to secure the child restraint in
a rear seat.
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78J00-03E
restraint. Refer to “Manual Seats” in this
section.
If your child restraint has the LATCH sys-
tem, refer to “Lower Anchors and Tethers
for Children (LATCH)” in this section.
There is no top tether anchor at the right
front seating position. Do not secure a
child seat in this position if a national or
local law requires that the top tether be
anchored or if the instructions that come
with the child restraint say that the top
tether must be anchored. Refer to “Lower
Anchors and Tethers for Children
(LATCH)” in this section if the child
restraint has a top tether.
You will be using the lap-shoulder belt to
secure the child restraint in this position.
Be sure to follow the instructions that came
with the child restraint. Secure the child in
the child restraint when and as the instruc-
tions say.
1) Your vehicle has a right front passen-
ger’s frontal airbag. Refer to “Passen-
ger Sensing System” in this section. We
recommend that rear-facing child
restraints be secured in a rear seat,
even if the airbag is off. If your child
restraint is for ward-facing, move the
seat as far back as it will go before
securing the child restraint in this seat.
Refer to “Manual Seats” in this section.
When the passenger sensing system
has turned off the right front passen-ger’s frontal airbag, the off indicator in
the passenger airbag status indicator
should light and stay lit when you turn
the ignition to RUN or START. Refer to
“Passenger Airbag Status Indicator” in
“Warning Lights, Gages, and Indica-
tors” in the “Instrument Panel” section.
2) Put the child restraint on the seat.
3) Pick up the latch plate, and run the lap
and shoulder portions of the vehicle’s
safety belt through or around the
restraint. The child restraint instructions
will show you how.
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4) Buckle the belt. Make sure the release
button is positioned so you would be
able to unbuckle the safety belt quickly
if you ever had to.
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5) Pull the rest of the shoulder belt all the
way out of the retractor to set the lock.
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6) To tighten the belt, push down on the
child restraint, pull the shoulder portion
of the belt to tighten the lap portion of
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78J00-03E
WARNING
You can be severely injured or killed
in a crash if you are not wearing your
safety belt – even if you have airbags.
Wearing your safety belt during a
crash helps reduce your chance of
hitting things inside the vehicle or
being ejected from it. Airbags are
“supplemental restraints” to the
safety belts. All airbags are designed
to work with safety belts but do not
replace them.
Frontal airbags for the driver and
right front passenger are designed to
deploy in moderate to severe frontal
and near frontal crashes. They are
not designed to inflate in rollover,
rear crashes, or in many side
crashes. And, for some unrestrained
occupants, frontal airbags may pro-
vide less protection in frontal
crashes than more forceful airbags
have provided in the past.
(Continued)
WARNING
(Continued)
Roof-mounted rollover airbags are
designed to inflate in moderate to
severe crashes where something hits
the side of your vehicle, during a
vehicle rollover, or in a severe frontal
impact. They are not designed to
inflate in rear crashes. If your vehicle
has roof-mounted airbags, they are
designed to provide both side impact
protection and rollover protection.
Everyone in your vehicle should wear
a safety belt properly – whether or
not there is an airbag for that person.
WARNING
Both frontal and roof-mounted roll-
over airbags inflate with great force,
faster than the blink of an eye. If you
are too close to an inflating airbag, as
you would be if you were leaning for-
ward, it could seriously injure you.
Safety belts help keep you in position
for airbag inflation before and during
a crash. Always wear your safety belt
even with frontal airbags. The driver
should sit as far back as possible
while still maintaining control of the
vehicle. Occupants should not lean
on or sleep against the door in the
first or second row seats, or the rear
windows in the third row seat, if your
vehicle has roof-mounted rollover air-
bags.
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There is an airbag readiness light on the
instrument panel cluster, which shows the
airbag symbol.
The system checks the airbag electrical
system for malfunctions. The light tells you
if there is an electrical problem. Refer to
“Airbag Readiness Light” in “Warning
Lights, Gages, and Indicators” in the
“Instrument Panel” section for more infor-
mation.
Where Are the Airbags?
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The driver’s airbag is in the middle of the
steering wheel.
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The right front passenger’s airbag is in the
instrument panel on the passenger’s side.
WARNING
Anyone who is up against, or very
close to, any airbag when it inflates
can be seriously injured or killed. Air-
bags 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 vehi-
cle. To read how, refer to “Older Chil-
dren” or “Infants and Young
Children” in this section.
Occupants should not lean on or
sleep against the door in the first or
second row seats, or the rear win-
dows in the third row seat, if your
vehicle has roof-mounted rollover
airbags.
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When Should an Airbag Inflate?The driver’s and right front passenger’s
frontal airbags are designed to inflate in
moderate to severe frontal or near-frontal
crashes. But they are designed to inflate
only if the impact exceeds a predetermined
deployment threshold. Deployment thresh-
olds take into account a variety of desired
deployment and non-deployment events
and are used to predict how severe a crash
is likely to be in time for the airbags to
inflate and help restrain the occupants.
Whether your frontal airbags will or shoulddeploy is not based on how fast your vehi-
cle is traveling. It depends largely on what
you hit, the direction of the impact and how
quickly your vehicle slows down.
In addition, your vehicle has “dual-stage”
frontal airbags, which adjust the restraint
according to crash severity. Your vehicle
has electronic frontal sensors which help
the sensing system distinguish between a
moderate frontal impact and a more severe
frontal impact. For moderate frontal
impacts, these airbags inflate at a level
less than full deployment. For more severe
frontal impacts, full deployment occurs. If
the front of your vehicle goes straight into a
wall that does not move or deform, the
threshold level for the reduced deployment
is about 11 to 16 mph (17 to 26 km/h), and
the threshold level for a full deployment is
about 20 to 25 mph (32 to 40 km/h). The
threshold level can vary, however, with
specific vehicle design, so that it can be
somewhat above or below this range.
Frontal airbags may inflate at different
crash speeds. For example:
If the vehicle hits a stationary object, the
airbags could inflate at a different crash
speed than if the vehicle hits a moving
object.
If the vehicle hits an object that deforms,
the airbags could inflate at a different
crash speed than if the vehicle hits an
object that does not deform. If the vehicle hits a narrow object (like a
pole) the airbags could inflate at a differ-
ent crash speed than if the vehicle hits a
wide object (like a wall).
If the vehicle goes into an object at an
angle the airbags could inflate at a differ-
ent crash speed than if the vehicle goes
straight into the object.
The frontal airbags (driver and right front
passenger) are not intended to inflate dur-
ing vehicle rollovers, rear impacts, or in
many side impacts.
Your vehicle has roof-mounted rollover air-
bags and a rollover sensor. Refer to “Air-
bag System” in this section. These
“rollover capable” airbags are intended to
inflate in moderate to severe side crashes,
during a rollover or in a severe frontal
impact. A roof-mounted rollover airbag will
inflate if the crash severity is above the
system’s designed “threshold level.” The
threshold level can vary with specific vehi-
cle design. Roof-mounted rollover airbags
are not intended to inflate in rear impacts.
Both roof-mounted rollover airbags will
deploy when either side of the vehicle is
struck or during a rollover, or in a severe
frontal impact.
In any particular crash, no one can say
whether an airbag should have inflated
simply because of the damage to a vehicle
or because of what the repair costs were.
For frontal airbags, inflation is determined
by what the vehicle hits, the angle of the
WARNING
If something is between an occupant
and an airbag, the bag might not
inflate properly or it might force the
object into that person causing
severe injury or even death. The path
of an inflating airbag must be kept
clear. Do not put anything between
an occupant and an airbag, and do
not attach or put anything on the
steering wheel hub or on or near any
other airbag covering. And, if your
vehicle has roof-mounted rollover
airbags, never secure anything to the
roof of your vehicle by routing the
rope or tie down through any door or
window opening. If you do, the path
of an inflating side impact airbag will
be blocked. The path of an inflating
airbag must be kept clear.
1-38 SEATS AND RESTRAINT SYSTEMS
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impact, and how quickly the vehicle slows
down. For roof-mounted rollover airbags,
inflation is determined by the location and
severity of the impact or a rollover event.What Makes an Airbag Inflate?In an impact of sufficient severity, the air-
bag sensing system detects that the vehi-
cle is in a crash. In the case of a roof-
mounted rollover airbag, the sensing sys-
tem detects that the vehicle is about to roll
over or has been in a severe frontal or side
impact. The sensing system triggers a
release of gas from the inflator, which
inflates the airbag. The inflator, 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. For vehicles with roof-
mounted rollover airbags, the airbag mod-
ules are located in the ceiling of the vehi-
cle, near the side windows.
If your vehicle has a third row seat with
roof-mounted rollover airbags, the airbag
modules are located inside the rear-most
pillar trim and above in the ceiling above
the fixed rear glass.How Does an Airbag Restrain?In moderate to severe frontal or near fron-
tal collisions, even belted occupants can
contact the steering wheel or the instru-
ment panel. In moderate to severe side
collisions, even belted occupants can con-
tact the inside of the vehicle. Airbags sup-plement 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 the frontal airbags would not
help you in many types of collisions,
including rollovers, rear impacts, and many
side impacts, primarily because an occu-
pant's motion is not toward the airbag.
Roof-mounted rollover airbags would not
help you in many types of collisions,
including many frontal or near frontal colli-
sions, and rear impacts.
Airbags should never be regarded as any-
thing more than a supplement to safety
belts, and then only in moderate to severe
frontal or near-frontal collisions for the
driver's and right front passenger’s frontal
airbags, and only in moderate to severe
side collisions or rollovers for vehicles with
roof-mounted rollover airbags.
What Will You See After an Airbag
Inflates?After a frontal airbag inflates, it quickly
deflates, so quickly that some people may
not even realize an airbag inflated. Roof-
mounted rollover airbags may still be at
least partially inflated minutes after the
vehicle comes to rest. Some components
of the airbag module – the steering wheel
hub for the driver's airbag, the instrument
panel for the right front passenger's airbag,
and the area along the ceiling of the vehi-
cle near the side windows for vehicles withroof-mounted side impact airbags – may
be hot for a short time. The parts of the air-
bag 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 deflated airbags. Airbag
inflation 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.
Your vehicle has a feature that may auto-
matically unlock the doors, turn the interior
lamps on, and flash the hazard warning
flashers when the airbags inflate. You can
lock the doors again, turn the interior
lamps off, and turn off the hazard warning
flashers by using the controls for those
features.
WARNING
When an airbag inflates, 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 inflates, then
get fresh air by opening a window or
a door. If you experience breathing
problems following an airbag deploy-
ment, you should seek medical atten-
tion.
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In many crashes severe enough to inflate
the airbag, windshields are broken by vehi-
cle deformation. Additional windshield
breakage may also occur from the right
front passenger airbag.
Airbags are designed to inflate only
once. After an airbag inflates, you will
need some new parts for your airbag
system. If you do not get them, the air-
bag system will not be there to help pro-
tect 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 infor-
mation after a crash.
Let only qualified technicians work on
the airbag system. Improper service can
mean that an airbag system will not work
properly. See your dealer for service.Passenger Sensing SystemYour vehicle has a passenger sensing sys-
tem for the right front passenger. The pas-
senger airbag status indicator will be
visible when you start your vehicle in the
instrument panel.United States
1476572
Canada
1476529
The words ON and OFF, or the symbol for
on and off, will be visible during the system
check. When the system check is com-
plete, either the word ON or the word OFF,
or the symbol for on or the symbol for off,
will be visible. Refer to “Passenger Airbag
Status Indicator” in “Warning Lights,
Gages, and Indicators” in the “Instrument
Panel” section.
The passenger sensing system will turn off
the right front passenger’s frontal airbag
under certain conditions. The driver’s air-
bags are not part of the passenger sensing
system.
The passenger sensing system works with
sensors that are part of the right front pas-
senger’s seat and safety belt. The sensorsare designed to detect the presence of a
properly seated occupant and determine if
the passenger’s frontal airbag should be
enabled (may inflate) or not.
Accident statistics show that children are
safer if they are restrained in the rear
rather than the front seat. We recommend
that child restraints be secured in a rear
seat, including an infant riding in a rear-
facing infant seat, a child riding in a for-
ward-facing child seat, and an older child
riding in a booster seat.
There is a label on your sun visor that
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.
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78J00-03E
If your vehicle does not have a rear seat
that will accommodate a rear-facing child
restraint, never put a child in a rear-facing
child restraint in the right front passenger
seat unless the passenger airbag status
indicator shows off and the airbag is off.
Here is why:The passenger sensing system is
designed to turn off the right front passen-
ger’s frontal airbag if:
The right front passenger seat is unoc-
cupied.
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 forward-facing 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 occu-
pied 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 right front passenger’s frontal
airbag has been turned off by the passen-
ger sensing system, the off indicator will
light and stay lit to remind you that the air-
bag is off.
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 to “Securing a Child Restraint in
the Right Front Seat Position” in this sec-
tion.
WARNING
A child in a rear-facing child restraint
can be seriously injured or killed if
the right front passenger’s airbag
inflates. This is because the back of
the rear-facing child restraint would
be very close to the inflating airbag.
Even though the passenger sensing
system is designed to turn off the
passenger’s frontal airbag if the sys-
tem 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 airbag is off.
If you need to secure a forward-fac-
ing child restraint in the right front
seat, always move the front passen-
ger seat as far back as it will go. It is
better to secure the child restraint in
a rear seat.
WARNING
A child in a rear-facing child restraint
can be seriously injured or killed if
the right front passenger’s airbag
inflates. This is because the back of
the rear-facing child restraint would
be very close to the inflating airbag.
Be sure the airbag is off before using
a rear-facing child restraint in the
right front seat position.
Even though the passenger sensing
system is designed to turn off the
passenger’s frontal airbag if the sys-
tem 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 trans-
ported in vehicles with a rear seat
that will accommodate a rear-facing
child restraint, whenever possible.
If you need to secure a forward-fac-
ing child restraint in the right front
seat, always move the front passen-
ger seat as far back as it will go. It is
better to secure the child restraint in
a rear seat.