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This section gives you important
inf ormation about how to protect
yourself and your passengers. It
shows you how to use seat belts. It
explains how your airbags work. And
it tells you how to properly restrain
inf ants and children in your vehicle.
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Important Safety Precautions .6
.......
Your Vehicle’s Saf ety Features .7
.......................................
Seat Belts .8
...........................................
Airbags .9
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Protecting Adults and Teens .11
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1. Close and Lock the Doors .11
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2. Adjust the Front Seats .12
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3. Adjust the Seat-Backs .13
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4. Adjust the Head Restraints .14
5. Fasten and Position the Seat
.....................................
Belts .15
6. Maintain a Proper Sitting ................................
Position .17
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Advice f or Pregnant Women .18
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Additional Safety Precautions .19 Additional Inf ormation About
.......................
Your Seat Belts .20
..
Seat Belt System Components .20
......................
Lap/Shoulder Belt .21
Automatic Seat Belt
...............................
Tensioners .22
...............
Seat Belt Maintenance .23
Additional Inf ormation About ...........................
Your Airbags .24
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Airbag System Components .24
How Your Front Airbags
.........................................
Work .27
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How Your Side Airbags Work .30
How Your Side Curtain Airbags
.........................................
Work .32
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How the SRS Indicator Works .33
How The Side Airbag Of f
......................
Indicator Works .33
How the Passenger Airbag ...............
Of f Indicator Works .34
.............................
Airbag Service .35
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Additional Safety Precautions .35
Protecting Children General ................................
Guidelines .37
All Children Must Be ...............................
Restrained .37 All Children Should Sit in a
.................................
Back Seat .38
The Passenger’s Front Airbag .........
Can Pose Serious Risks .38
If You Must Drive with Several ...................................
Children .40
If a Child Requires Close ..................................
Attention .40
...
Additional Safety Precautions .41
Protecting inf ants and .........................
Small Children .42
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Protecting Inf ants .42
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Protecting Small Children .43
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Selecting a Child Seat .45
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Installing a Child Seat .46
...............................
With LATCH .47
.
With a Lap/Shoulder Seat Belt .50
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With a Tether .51
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Protecting Larger Children .54
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Checking Seat Belt Fit .54
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Using a Booster Seat .55
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When Can a Child Sit in Front .56
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Additional Safety Precautions .57
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Carbon Monoxide Hazard .58
...................................
Saf ety Labels .59
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
5
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Your vehicle is equipped with many
features that work together to
protect you and your passengers
during a crash.
However, you and your passengers
can’t take f ull advantage of these
f eatures unless you remain sitting in
a proper position and. In fact, some safety
f eatures can contribute to injuries if
they are not used properly.
The f ollowing pages explain how you
cantakeanactiveroleinprotecting
yourself and your passengers.
Some f eatures do not require any
action on your part. These include a
strong steel f ramework that f orms a
saf ety cage around the passenger
compartment, front and rear crush
zones, a collapsible steering column,
and tensioners that tighten the f ront
seat belts in a crash.
Your Vehicle’sSaf ety Features
always wear
your seat belts
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
7
(7) (9)
(3) (1)
(2)
(6)
(10) (8)
(5)
(2)(11)
(4)
(1) Safety Cage
(2) Crush Zones
(3) Seats and Seat-Backs
(4) Head Restraints
(5) Collapsible Steering Column
(6) Seat Belts
(7) Front Airbags
(8) Side Airbags
(9) Side Curtain Airbags
(10) Front Seat Belt Tensioners
(11) Door Locks
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Your vehicle is equipped with seat
belts in all seating positions.
Seat belts are the single most
effectivesafetydeviceforadultsand
larger children. (Inf ants and smaller
children must be properly restrained
in child seats.)
Not wearing a seat belt properly
increases the chance of serious
injury or death in a crash, even
though your vehicle has airbags.
In addition, most states and all
Canadian provinces require you to
wear seat belts.When properly worn, seat belts:
Keep you connected to the vehicle
so you can take advantage of the
vehicle’s built-in saf ety f eatures.
Help protect you in almost every
type of crash, including f rontal,
side, and rear impacts and
rollovers. Help keep you f rom being thrown
against the inside of the vehicle
and against other occupants.
Keep you f rom being thrown out
of the vehicle.
Help keep you in a good position
should the airbags ever deploy. A
good position reduces the risk of
injury f rom an inf lating airbag and
allows you to get the best
advantage f rom the airbag.
Of course, seat belts cannot
completely protect you in every
crash.Butinmostcases,seatbelts
can reduce your risk of serious
injury. Always wear
your seat belt, and make sure you
wear it properly.
Your seat belt system also includes
an indicator on the instrument panel
and a beeper to remind you and your
passengers to f asten your seat belts.
Your Vehicle’sSaf ety Features
Seat Belts
Why Wear Seat Belt s
What you should do:
8
Not wearing a seat belt properly
increases the chance of serious
injury or death in a crash, even
though your vehicle has airbags.
Be sure you and your
passengers always wear seat
belts and wear them properly.
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Adjust the driver’s seat as far to the
rear as possible while allowing you to
maintain f ull control of the vehicle.
Have a front passenger adjust their
seat as far to the rear as possible.
Locking the doors reduces the
chance of someone being thrown out
of the vehicle during a crash, and it
helps prevent passengers f rom
accidentally opening a door and
f alling out.
Locking the doors also helps prevent
an outsider f rom unexpectedly
opening a door when you come to a
stop.
When both tailgate and one or more
doors are not tightly closed, the
‘‘DOOR & TAILGATE OPEN’’
message will come on. Your vehicle has the auto door
locking/unlocking f eature. For more
inf ormation, see page .
130Adjust the Front Seats
2.
Protecting A dults and Teens
12
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If you sit too close to the steering
wheel or dashboard, you can be
seriously injured by an inf lating f ront
airbag, or by striking the steering
wheel or dashboard.Adjust the driver’s seat-back to a
comf ortable, upright position,
leaving ample space between your
chest and the airbag cover in the
center of the steering wheel.
Passengers with adjustable seat-
backs should also adjust their seat-
back to a comf ortable, upright
position.
If you cannot get f ar enough away
f rom the steering wheel and still
reach the controls, we recommend
that you investigate whether some
type of adaptive equipment may help.
The National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration and Transport
Canada recommend that drivers
allow at least 10 inches (25 cm)
between the center of the steering
wheel and the chest. In addition to
adjusting the seat, you can adjust the
steering wheel up and down, and in
and out (see page ).
See page f or how to adjust the
f ront seats.
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Adjust the Seat-Backs
3.
Protecting A dults and Teens
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
13
Sitting too close to a front
airbag can result in serious
injury or death if the front
airbags inflate.
Always sit as far back from the
front airbags as possible.
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Position the lap part of the belt as
low as possible across your hips,
then pull up on the shoulder part of
the belt so the lap part f its snugly.
This lets your strong pelvic bones
take the force of a crash and reduces
the chance of internal injuries.
Insert the latch plate into the buckle,
then tug on the belt to make sure the
belt is securely latched. Check that
the belt is not twisted, because a
twisted belt can cause serious
injuries in a crash.
The second row center seat, and
both third row seats, have a
detachable shoulder belt that can be
unlatched and retracted, to allow the
seats to be f olded down. See page
for how to unlatch and relatch
the seat belts. If necessary, pull up on the belt again
to remove any slack, then check that
the belt rests across the center of
your chest and over your shoulder.
This spreads the f orces of a crash
over the strongest bones in your
upper body.
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CONT INUED
Fasten and Position the Seat
Belts
5.
Protecting A dults and Teens
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
15
Improperly positioning the seat
belts can cause serious injury
or death in a crash.
Make sure all seat belts are
properly positioned before
driving.
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This could cause
very serious injuries in a crash.
If the seat belt touches or crosses
your neck, or if it crosses your arm
instead of your shoulder, you need to
adjust the seat belt anchor height.
See page f or additional
inf ormation about your seat belts
and how to take care of them.Using a seat
belt that is not working properly can
result in serious injury or death.
Have your dealer check the belt as
soon as possible.
If a seat belt does not seem to work
properly, it may not protect the
occupant in a crash.
The front seats have adjustable seat
belt anchors. To adjust the height of
an anchor, squeeze the release
button and slide the anchor up or
down as needed (it has f our
positions).
20
Never place t he shoulder port ion of alap/shoulder belt under your arm orbehind your back.
No one should sit in a seat wit h aninoperat ive seat belt .
Protecting A dults and Teens
16
RELEASE
BUTTON
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After all occupants have adjusted
their seats and head restraints, and
put on their seat belts, it is very
important that they continue to sit
upright, well back in their seats, with
their feet on the floor, until the
vehicle is parked and the engine is
off.In addition, an occupant who is out of
position in the f ront seat can be
seriously or f atally injured in a crash
by striking interior parts of the
vehicle or being struck by an
inflating front airbag.
Sitting improperly can increase the
chance of injury during a crash. For
example, if an occupant slouches,
lies down, turns sideways, sits
forward, leans forward or sideways,
or puts one or both f eet up, the
chance of injury during a crash is
greatly increased. Maintain a Proper Sitting
Position
6.
Protecting A dults and Teens
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
17
Sitting improperly or out of
position can result in serious
injury or death in a crash.
Always sit upright, well back in
the seat, with your feet on the
floor.
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