2007 SUZUKI XL7 Owners Manual

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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.

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78J00-03E
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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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.

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If, after reinstalling the child restraint and
restarting the vehicle, the on indicator is
still lit, check to make sure that the vehi-
cle’s seatback is not pressing the child
restraint into the seat cushion. If this hap-
pens, slightly recline the vehicle’s seatback
and adjust the seat cushion if possible.
Also make sure the child restraint is not
trapped under the vehicle head restraint. If
this happens, adjust the head restraint.
If the on indicator is still lit, secure the child
in the child restraint in a rear seat position
in the vehicle if one is available and check
with your dealer.
The passenger sensing system is
designed to enable (may inflate) the right
front passenger’s frontal airbag anytime
the system senses that a person of adult
size is sitting properly in the right front pas-
senger’s seat. When the passenger sens-
ing system has allowed the airbag to be
enabled, the on indicator will light and stay
lit to remind you that the airbag is 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 fron-
tal 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 prop-
erly – 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 per-
son 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 per-
son’s legs comfortably extended. Restart
the vehicle and have the person remain in
this position for about two minutes. This
will allow the system to detect that person
and then enable the passenger’s airbag.
849515
A thick layer of additional material, such as
a blanket, or aftermarket equipment such
as seat covers, seat heaters, and seat
massagers, can affect how well the pas-
senger sensing system operates. Remove
any additional material from the seat cush-
ion before reinstalling or securing the child
restraint and before a small occupant,
including a small adult, sits in the passen-
ger position. You may want to consider not
using seat covers or other aftermarket
equipment. Refer to “Adding Equipment to
Your Airbag-Equipped Vehicle” in this sec-
tion for more information about modifica-
tions that can affect how the system
operates.
WARNING
If the airbag readiness light in the
instrument panel cluster ever comes
on and stays on, it means that some-
thing may be wrong with the airbag
system. If this ever happens, have
the vehicle serviced promptly,
because an adult-size person sitting
in the right front passenger’s seat
may not have the protection of the
frontal airbag. Refer to “Airbag
Readiness Light” in “Warning Lights,
Gages, and Indicators” in the “Instru-
ment Panel” section for more on this,
including important safety informa-
tion.

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Servicing Your Airbag-Equipped
VehicleAirbags affect how your vehicle should be
serviced. There are parts of the airbag
system in several places around your vehi-
cle. You do not want the system to inflate
while someone is working on your vehicle.
Your dealer and the service manual have
information about servicing your vehicle
and the airbag system.
The airbag system does not need regular
maintenance.
Adding Equipment to Your Airbag-
Equipped VehicleQuestion:
Is there anything I might add to the front
or sides of the vehicle that could keep
the airbags from working properly?
Answer:
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 prop-
erly. 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 Assis-
tance before you modify your vehicle.
Question:
Because I have a disability, I have to get
my vehicle modified. How can I find out
whether this will affect my airbag sys-
tem?
Answer:
Changing or moving any parts of the front
seats, safety belts, the airbag sensing and
diagnostic module, rollover sensor module,
steering wheel, instrument panel, over-
head console, ceiling headliner, ceiling
and pillar garnish trim, roof-mounted roll-
over airbag modules, or airbag wiring can
affect the operation of the airbag system. If
you have questions, call Customer Assis-
tance.
Restraint System CheckChecking the Restraint SystemsNow and then, make sure the safety belt
reminder light and all your belts, buckles,
latch plates, retractors and anchorages are
working properly. Look for any other loose
or damaged safety belt system parts. If you
see anything that might keep a safety belt
system from doing its job, have it repaired.
Keep safety belts clean and dry. Refer to
“Care of Safety Belts” in “Appearance
Care” in the “Service and Appearance
Care” section for more information.
Torn or frayed safety belts may not protect
you in a crash. They can rip apart under
impact forces. If a belt is torn or frayed, get
a new one right away.
Also look for any opened or broken airbag
covers, and have them repaired or
replaced. The airbag system does not
need regular maintenance.
WARNING
Stowing of articles under the passen-
ger’s seat or between the passen-
ger’s seat cushion and seatback may
interfere with the proper operation of
the passenger sensing system.
WARNING
For up to 10 seconds, after the igni-
tion is turned off and the battery is
disconnected, an airbag can still
inflate during improper service. You
can be injured if you are close to an
airbag when it inflates. 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 qualified to do so.

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Replacing Restraint System Parts
After a Crash
If you have had a crash, do you need new
belts or LATCH system parts?
After a very minor collision, nothing may be
necessary. But if the belts were stretched,
as they would be if worn during a more
severe crash, then you need new parts.
If the LATCH system was being used dur-
ing a more severe crash, you may need
new LATCH system parts.
If belts are cut or damaged, replace them.
Collision damage also may mean you will
need to have LATCH system, safety belt or
seat parts repaired or replaced. New parts
and repairs may be necessary even if the
belt or LATCH system was not being used
at the time of the collision.
If an airbag inflates, you will need to
replace airbag system parts. See the part
on the airbag system earlier in this section.
If the frontal airbags inflate you will also
need to replace the driver and front pas-
senger’s safety belt retractor assembly. Be
sure to do so. Then the new retractor
assembly will be there to help protect you
in a collision.
After a crash you may need to replace the
driver and front passenger’s safety belt
retractor assemblies, even if the frontal air-
bags have not deployed. The driver and
front passenger’s safety belt retractor
assemblies contain the safety belt preten-
sioners. Have your safety belt pretension-
ers checked if your vehicle has been in acollision, or if your airbag readiness light
stays on after you start your vehicle or
while you are driving. Refer to “Airbag
Readiness Light” in “Warning Lights,
Gages, and Indicators” in the “Instrument
Panel” section.
CAUTION
If you damage the covering for the
driver’s or the right front passenger’s
airbag, or the side impact airbag cov-
ering on the ceiling near the side win-
dows, the airbag may not work
properly. You may have to replace the
airbag module in the steering wheel,
both the airbag module and the
instrument panel for the right front
passenger’s airbag, or side impact
airbag module and ceiling covering
for roof-mounted rollover airbags. Do
not open or break the airbag cover-
ings.
WARNING
A crash can damage the restraint
systems in your vehicle. A damaged
restraint system may not properly
protect the person using it, resulting
in serious injury or even death in a
crash. To help make sure your
restraint systems are working prop-
erly after a crash, have them
inspected and any necessary
replacements made as soon as pos-
sible.

FEATURES AND CONTROLS
2
78J00-03E
FEATURES AND CONTROLSKeys ...................................................................................... 2-1
Doors and Locks ................................................................. 2-5
Windows .............................................................................. 2-8
Theft-Deterrent Systems .................................................... 2-9
Daily Inspection Checklist .................................................. 2-11
Starting and Operating Your Vehicle ................................ 2-12
Mirrors .................................................................................. 2-20
Storage Areas ...................................................................... 2-21
Sunroof ................................................................................ 2-24