Shoulder Belt Height Adjuster
Your vehicle has a shoulder belt height adjuster for the
driver and right front passenger position.
Adjust the height so that the shoulder portion of the belt
is centered on your shoulder. 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.
To move it down, press
the release button (A) and
move the height adjuster
to the desired position.
You can move the height
adjuster up just by pushing
up on the shoulder belt
guide.
After you move the height adjuster to where you want it,
try to move it down without pressing the release button to
make sure it has locked into position.
Safety Belt Pretensioners
Your vehicle has safety belt pretensioners for front
outboard occupants. Although you cannot see them,
they are part of the safety belt assembly. They can help
tighten the safety belts during the early stages of a
moderate to severe frontal and near frontal crash if the
threshold conditions for pretensioner activation are met.
And, if your vehicle has side impact airbags, safety belt
pretensioners can help tighten the safety belts in a side
crash.
Pretensioners work only once. If they activate in a
crash, you will need to get new ones, and probably other
new parts for your safety belt system. SeeReplacing
Restraint System Parts After a Crash on page 1-73.
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Where to Put the Restraint
According to accident statistics, children and infants
are safer when properly restrained in a child restraint
system or infant restraint system secured in a rear
seating position.
We recommend that children and child restraints
be secured in a rear seat, including: an infant or a
child riding in a rear-facing child restraint; a child riding
in a forward-facing child seat; an older child riding in
a booster seat; and children, who are large enough,
using safety belts.
A label on the 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.{CAUTION:
A child in a rear-facing child restraint can be
seriously injured or killed if the right front
passenger airbag in ates. This is because the
back of the rear-facing child restraint would be
very close to the in ating airbag. A child in a
forward-facing child restraint can be seriously
injured or killed if the right front passenger
airbag in ates and the passenger seat is in
a forward position.
Even if the passenger sensing system has
turned off the right front passenger frontal
airbag, no system is fail-safe. No one can
guarantee that an airbag will not deploy under
some unusual circumstance, even though it is
turned off.
CAUTION: (Continued)
1-42
CAUTION: (Continued)
Secure rear-facing child restraints in a rear
seat, even if the airbag is off. If you secure a
forward-facing child restraint in the right front
seat, always move the front passenger seat as
far back as it will go. It is better to secure the
child restraint in a rear seat.
SeePassenger Sensing System on page 1-65
for additional information.
When securing a child restraint in a rear seating
position, study the instructions that came with the
child restraint to make sure it is compatible with this
vehicle.
Wherever a child restraint is installed, be sure to secure
the child restraint properly.
Keep in mind that an unsecured child restraint can
move around in a collision or sudden stop and injure
people in the vehicle. Be sure to properly secure
any child restraint in the vehicle — even when no
child is in it.
Lower Anchors and Tethers for
Children (LATCH)
The LATCH system holds a child restraint during driving
or in a crash. This system is designed to make installation
of a child restraint easier. The LATCH system uses
anchors in the vehicle and attachments on the child
restraint that are made for use with the LATCH system.
Make sure that a LATCH-compatible child restraint is
properly installed using the anchors, or use the vehicle’s
safety belts to secure the restraint, following the
instructions that came with that restraint, and also the
instructions in this manual. When installing a child
restraint with a top tether, you must also use either the
lower anchors or the safety belts to properly secure the
child restraint. A child restraint must never be installed
using only the top tether and anchor.
In order to use the LATCH system in your vehicle,
you need a child restraint that has LATCH attachments.
The child restraint manufacturer will provide you with
instructions on how to use the child restraint and its
attachments. The following explains how to attach a
child restraint with these attachments in your vehicle.
Not all vehicle seating positions or child restraints have
lower anchors and attachments or top tether anchors
and attachments.
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6. If the child restraint has a top tether, follow the child
restraint manufacturer’s instructions regarding the
use of the top tether. SeeLower Anchors and
Tethers for Children (LATCH) on page 1-43for
more information.
7. Push and pull the child restraint in different
directions to be sure it is secure.
To remove the child restraint, unbuckle the vehicle
safety belt and let it return to the stowed position. If the
top tether is attached to a top tether anchor, disconnect it.
Securing a Child Restraint in the
Right Front Seat Position
Your vehicle has airbags. A rear seat is a safer place to
secure a forward-facing child restraint. SeeWhere to
Put the Restraint on page 1-42.
In addition, your vehicle has a passenger sensing
system which is designed to turn off the right front
passenger’s frontal airbag and seat-mounted side impact
airbag under certain conditions. SeePassenger Sensing
System on page 1-65andPassenger Airbag Status
Indicator on page 3-35for 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.
{CAUTION:
A child in a rear-facing child restraint can be
seriously injured or killed if the right front
passenger airbag in ates. This is because the
back of the rear-facing child restraint would be
very close to the in ating airbag. A child in a
forward-facing child restraint can be seriously
injured or killed if the right front passenger
airbag in ates and the passenger seat is in a
forward position.
Even if the passenger sensing system has
turned off the right front passenger frontal
airbag, no system is fail-safe. No one can
guarantee that an airbag will not deploy under
some unusual circumstance, even though it is
turned off.
CAUTION: (Continued)
1-52
CAUTION: (Continued)
Secure rear-facing child restraints in a rear
seat, even if the airbag is off. If you secure a
forward-facing child restraint in the right front
seat, always move the front passenger seat as
far back as it will go. It is better to secure the
child restraint in a rear seat.
SeePassenger Sensing System on page 1-65
for additional information.
If your child restraint has the LATCH system, seeLower
Anchors and Tethers for Children (LATCH) on page 1-43
for how to install your child restraint using LATCH. If you
secure a child restraint using a safety belt and it uses a
top tether, seeLower Anchors and Tethers for Children
(LATCH) on page 1-43for top tether anchor locations.
Do not secure a child seat in a position without a top
tether anchor 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
strap must be anchored.In Canada, the law requires that forward-facing child
restraints have a top tether, and that the tether be
attached.
You will be using the lap-shoulder belt to secure the
child restraint in this position. Follow the instructions
that came with the child restraint.
1. Move the seat as far back as it will go before
securing the forward-facing child restraint.
When the passenger sensing system has turned
off the right front passenger’s frontal airbag and
seat-mounted side impact airbag, the off indicator
on the passenger airbag status indicator should
light and stay lit when you start the vehicle. See
Passenger Airbag Status Indicator on page 3-35.
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.
1-53
6. To tighten the belt, push down on the child restraint,
pull the shoulder portion of the belt to tighten the lap
portion of the belt and feed the shoulder belt back
into the retractor. If you are using a forward-facing
child restraint, you may nd it helpful to use your
knee to push down on the child restraint as you
tighten the belt.
7. Push and pull the child restraint in different
directions to be sure it is secure.If the airbags are off, the off indicator in the passenger
airbag status indicator will come on and stay on
when the vehicle is started.
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.
If, after reinstalling the child restraint and restarting the
vehicle, the on indicator is still lit, check to make sure that
the vehicle’s seatback is not pressing the child restraint
into the seat cushion. If this happens, 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.
Remove any additional material from the seat such as
blankets, cushions, seat covers, seat heaters or seat
massagers before reinstalling or securing the child
restraint.
If the on indicator is still lit, secure the child in the child
restraint in a rear seat position in the vehicle and
check with your dealer/retailer.
To remove the child restraint, unbuckle the vehicle’s
safety belt and let it go back all the way.
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{CAUTION:
Airbags 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 vehicle. To read how, seeOlder Children
on page 1-32orInfants and Young Children on
page 1-35.
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. SeeAirbag Readiness Light on page 3-34
for more information.
Where Are the Airbags?
The driver’s frontal airbag is in the middle of the
steering wheel.
1-58