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Question:
If I am a good driver, and I never drive
far from home, why should I wear safety
belts?
Answer:
You may be an excellent driver, but if you
are in an accident – even one that is not
your fault – you and your passengers can
be hurt. Being a good driver does not pro-
tect you from things beyond your control,
such as bad drivers.
Most accidents occur within 25 miles (40
km) of home. And the greatest number of
serious injuries and deaths occur at
speeds of less than 40 mph (65 km/h).
Safety belts are for everyone.How to Wear Safety Belts ProperlyThis part is only for people of adult size.
Be aware that there are special things to
know about safety belts and children. And
there are different rules for smaller children
and babies. If a child will be riding in your
vehicle, refer to “Older Children” or “Infants
and Young Children” in this section. Follow
those rules for everyone’s protection.
First, you will want to know which restraint
systems your vehicle has.
We will start with the driver position.
Driver PositionLap-Shoulder Belt
The driver has a lap-shoulder belt. Here is
how to wear it properly.
1) Close and lock the door.
2) Adjust the seat so you can sit up
straight. To see how, see “Seats” in the
Index.
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3) Pick up the latch plate and pull the belt
across you. Do not let it get twisted.
The lap-shoulder belt may lock if you
pull the belt across you very quickly. If
this happens, let the belt go back
slightly to unlock it. Then pull the belt
across you more slowly.
4) Push the latch plate into the buckle until
it clicks.
Pull up on the latch plate to make sure
it is secure. If the belt is not long
enough, refer to “Safety Belt Extender”in this section.
Make sure the release button on the
buckle is positioned so you would be
able to unbuckle the safety belt quickly
if you ever had to.
5) Move the shoulder belt height adjuster
to the height that is right for you.
Improper shoulder belt height adjust-
ment could reduce the effectiveness of
the safety belt in a crash. Refer to
“Shoulder Belt Height Adjustment” in
this section.
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6) To make the lap part tight, pull up on
the shoulder belt.
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78J00-03E
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To unlatch the belt, push the button on the
buckle. The belt should go back out of the
way.
Before you close the door, be sure the belt
is out of the way. If you slam the door on it,
you can damage both the belt and your
vehicle.
Shoulder Belt Height Adjustment
Before you begin to drive, move the shoul-
der belt height adjuster to the height that is
right for you.
Adjust the height so that the shoulder por-
tion of the belt is centered on your shoul-
der. The belt should be away from your
face and neck, but not falling off your
shoulder. Improper shoulder belt height
adjustment could reduce the effectiveness
of the safety belt in a crash.
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To move it up or down, squeeze the
release buttons (A) together and move the
height adjuster to the desired position.
After you move the height adjuster to
where you want it, try to move it up or
down without squeezing the release but-
tons to make sure it has locked into posi-
tion.
Safety Belt Use During Pregnancy
Safety belts work for everyone, including
pregnant women. Like all occupants, they
are more likely to be seriously injured if
they do not wear safety belts.
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A pregnant woman should wear a lap-
shoulder belt, and the lap portion should
be worn as low as possible, below the
rounding, throughout the pregnancy.
The best way to protect the fetus is to pro-
tect the mother. When a safety belt is worn
properly, it is more likely that the fetus will
not be hurt in a crash. For pregnant
women, as for anyone, the key to making
safety belts effective is wearing them prop-
erly.
5-18 SERVICE AND APPEARANCE CARE
78J00-03E
Brake Wear
Your vehicle has front and rear disc
brakes.
Disc brake pads have built-in wear indica-
tors that make a high-pitched warning
sound when the brake pads are worn and
new pads are needed. The sound maycome and go or be heard all the time your
vehicle is moving, except when you are
pushing on the brake pedal firmly.
Some driving conditions or climates may
cause a brake squeal when the brakes are
first applied or lightly applied. This does
not mean something is wrong with your
brakes.
Properly torqued wheel nuts are necessary
to help prevent brake pulsation. When tires
are rotated, inspect brake pads for wear
and evenly tighten wheel nuts in the proper
sequence to torque specifications.
Brake pads should always be replaced as
complete axle sets.
Brake Pedal Travel
See your dealer if the brake pedal does not
return to normal height, or if there is arapid increase in pedal travel. This could
be a sign of brake trouble.
Brake Adjustment
Every time you apply the brakes, with or
without the vehicle moving, your brakes
adjust for wear.
Replacing Brake System Parts
The braking system on a vehicle is com-
plex. Its many parts have to be of top qual-
ity and work well together if the vehicle is
to have really good braking. Your vehicle
was designed and tested with top-quality
brake parts. When you replace parts of
your braking system – for example, when
your brake pads wear down and you need
new ones put in – be sure you get new
approved replacement parts. If you do not,
your brakes may no longer work properly.
For example, if someone puts in brake
pads that are wrong for your vehicle, the
balance between your front and rear
brakes can change – for the worse. The
braking performance you have come to
expect can change in many other ways if
someone puts in the wrong replacement
brake parts.
BatteryYour vehicle has a maintenance free bat-
tery. When it is time for a new battery, get
one that has the replacement number
shown on the original battery’s label. We
recommend an ACDelco
® replacement
battery.
WARNING
With the wrong kind of fluid in the
brake system, the brakes may not
work well, or they may not even work
at all. This could cause a crash.
Always use the proper brake fluid.
CAUTION
Using the wrong fluid can badly
damage brake system parts. For
example, just a few drops of min-
eral-based oil, such as engine oil,
in the brake system can damage
brake system parts so badly that
they will have to be replaced. Do
not let someone put in the wrong
kind of fluid.
If you spill brake fluid on your vehi-
cle’s painted surfaces, the paint
finish can be damaged. Be careful
not to spill brake fluid on your vehi-
cle. If you do, wash it off immedi-
ately. Refer to “Washing Your
Vehicle” in this section.
WARNING
The brake wear warning sound
means that soon the brakes will not
work well. That could lead to an acci-
dent. When you hear the brake wear
warning sound, have your vehicle
serviced.
CAUTION
Continuing to drive with worn-out
brake pads could result in costly
brake repair.
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TiresYour new vehicle comes with high-quality
tires made by a leading tire manufacturer.
If you ever have questions about your tire
warranty and where to obtain service, see
your Suzuki Warranty booklet for details.
For additional information refer to the tire
manufacturer’s booklet included with your
vehicle.
Tire Sidewall LabelingUseful information about a tire is molded
into its sidewall. The examples below show
a typical passenger vehicle tire and a com-
pact spare tire sidewall.
Passenger (P-Metric) Tire Example
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A. Tire Size:
The tire size is a combination of let-ters and numbers used to define a
particular tire’s width, height, aspect
ratio, construction type, and service
description. See the “Tire Size” illus-
tration later in this section for more
detail.
B. TPC Spec (Tire Performance Criteria
Specification):
Original equipment tires designed to
SUZUKI’s specific tire performance
criteria have a TPC specification code
molded onto the sidewall. SUZUKI’s
TPC specifications meet or exceed all
federal safety guidelines.
C. DOT (Department of Transportation):
The Department of Transportation
(DOT) code indicates that the tire is in
compliance with the U.S. Department
of Transportation Motor Vehicle
Safety Standards.
D. Tire Identification Number (TIN):
The letters and numbers following
DOT (Department of Transportation)
code is the Tire Identification Number
(TIN). The TIN shows the manufac-
turer and plant code, tire size, and
date the tire was manufactured. The
TIN is molded onto both sides of the
tire, although only one side may have
the date of manufacture.
E. Tire Ply Material:
The type of cord and number of plies
in the sidewall and under the tread.
F. Uniform Tire Quality Grading
(UTQG):
Tire manufacturers are required to
WARNING
Poorly maintained and improperly
used tires are dangerous.
Overloading your tires can cause
overheating as a result of too much
friction. You could have an air-out
and a serious accident. Refer to
“Loading Your Vehicle” in “Your
Driving, the Road, and Your Vehi-
cle” in the “Driving Your Vehicle”
section.
Underinflated tires pose the same
danger as overloaded tires. The
resulting accident could cause
serious injury. Check all tires fre-
quently to maintain the recom-
mended pressure. Tire pressure
should be checked when your tires
are cold.
Overinflated tires are more likely to
be cut, punctured, or broken by a
sudden impact – such as when you
hit a pothole. Keep tires at the rec-
ommended pressure.
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WARNING
(Continued)
Worn, old tires can cause acci-
dents. If your tread is badly worn,
or if your tires have been damaged,
replace them.
Refer to “Inflation – Tire Pressure” in
this section for inflation pressure
adjustment for high speed driving.