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and they reduce the risk of injury caused by striking the
inside of the vehicle.Everyonein a motor vehicle needs
to be buckled up all the time.
Lap/Shoulder Belts
Each seating position is equipped with a combined
lap/shoulder belt system.
The belt webbing retractor will lock only during very
sudden stops or impacts. This feature allows the shoulder
part of the belt to move freely with you under normal
conditions. In a collision, the belt locks and reduces the
risk of your striking the inside of the vehicle or being
thrown out. The seat belts are also equipped with emer-
gency tensioning retractors. These tensioning retractors
are located in each belt's inertia reel and become opera-
tionally ready with the key in the ignition switch turnedto the ACC or ON/RUN positions. The emergency
tensioning retractors are designed to activate during
frontal and rear impacts. They remove slack from the
belts in such a way that the seat belts fit more snugly
against the body, restricting its forward movement as
much as possible.
In cases of other frontal impacts, roll overs, certain side
impacts, rear collisions or other accidents without suffi-
cient frontal or rear impact forces, the emergency tension-
ing retractors will not be activated. The driver and
passenger will then be protected by the fastened seat
belts and inertia reel in the usual manner.
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WARNING!
²Wearing a seat belt incorrectly is dangerous. Seat
belts are designed to go around the large bones of
your body. These are the strongest parts of your
body and can take the forces of a collision the best.
Wearing your belt in the wrong place could make
your injuries in a collision much worse. You might
suffer internal injuries, or you could even slide out
of part of the belt. Follow these instructions to
wear your seat belt safely and to keep your pas-
sengers safe, too.
²Two people should never be belted into a single
seat belt. People belted together can crash into one
another in an accident, hurting one another badly.
Never use a lap/shoulder belt or a lap belt for more
than one person, no matter what their size.
Lap/Shoulder Belt Operating Instructions
1. Enter the vehicle and close the door. Unless the key is
in the ACC or ON position, seat will not move. Sit back
and adjust the seat.
2. The seat belt latch plate is above the back of your seat.
Grasp the latch plate and pull out the belt. Slide the latch
plate up the webbing as far as necessary to make the belt
go around your lap.
28 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE
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airbags to inflate. Based on the level of collision
severity, the front control module determines the
proper rate of inflation. The front airbag inflators are
designed to provide different rates of airbag inflation
from direction provided by the ORC. The ORC may
modify the rate of inflation based on the occupant size
provided by the Occupant Classification Module. The
ORC will not detect roll overs. The ORC monitors the
readiness of the electronic parts of the system when-
ever the ignition switch is in the START or RUN
positions. If the key is in the OFF position, in the ACC
position, or not in the ignition, the airbags are not on
and will not inflate.
Also, the ORC turns on the AIRBAG warning light
(located in the instrument cluster) and Passenger
Airbag Disable (PAD) indicator light (located in the
center console) for 4 seconds for a self-check when theignition is first turned on. After the self-check, the
AIRBAG warning light will turn off. The PAD indica-
tor light will function normally (Refer to ªPassenger
Airbag Disable (PAD) Indicator Lightº in this section).
If the ORC detects a malfunction in any part of the
system, it turns on the AIRBAG warning light either
momentarily or continuously.
WARNING!
Ignoring the AIRBAG light in your instrument panel
could mean you won't have the airbags to protect you
in a collision. If the light does not come on, stays on
after you start the vehicle, or if it comes on as you
drive, have the airbag system checked right away.
38 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE
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²The operational readiness of the side airbag system is
verified by the airbag indicator light in the instrument
cluster when turning the key in the ignition switch to
the ON/RUN position. If no fault is detected, the light
will go out after approximately four seconds. After the
light goes out, the system continues to monitor the
components and circuitry of the airbag system and
will indicate a malfunction by coming on again. If the
light does not come on at all, or if it fails to go out after
the four seconds, or if it comes on thereafter, a mal-
function in the system has been detected. See your
authorized dealer for service.WARNING!
²The door mounted side airbag deploys with consid-
erable force. Being too close to the door panel during
airbag deployment could cause serious injury or
death.
²All occupants must be in the appropriate restraint for
their size and age, especially children 12 and under.
²To help avoid the potential for serious injury and
death should the side airbag be activated, please
follow these guidelines:
1. Occupants, especially children, should never lean
against the door in the area where the side airbag
inflates;
2. Occupants need to sit upright in the center of the seat
to give the side airbag room to inflate;
3. Always use the appropriate restraint for the occupant
and ensure it is properly used.
THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 43
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size, the airbag may or may not be enabled in the event
of a collision. Both drivers and passengers should always
use the PAD indicator light as an indication if the front
passenger is properly positioned or not. If the PAD
indicator light comes on when an adult is in the passen-
ger seat, have the passenger re-position themselves in the
seat until the light goes out. Remember, if the PAD
indicator light is illuminated the passenger front airbag
will not inflate. For most children properly seated on the
front seat and most properly installed child restraint
systems, the airbag will be disabled and the PAD indica-
tor light will be on. However, under certain conditions
even with the child restraint system has been installed
properly, the PAD indicator light may not be on even
though the air bag is disabled. This can occur if the child
restraint is lighter than the threshold weight necessary to
turn the PAD indicator light on. If this happens to you,
you can check to ensure the airbag is disabled by
performing the following simple procedure. Place theignition key in the RUN position and apply downward
pressure to the child restraint on the surface that the child
will be sitting on. Slowly count to 10 and watch the PAD
indicator light. The PAD indicator light should turn on.
When you release the pressure, the PAD indicator light
may stay on or may turn off but the airbag is disabled. If
at all possible, place children 12 years and younger in a
back seat.
The following requirements must be strictly adhered to:
²Do not modify the front passenger seat assembly or
components in any way.
²Do not modify the front seat center console or center
position seat in any way.
²Do not use prior or future model year seat covers not
designated for the specific model being repaired.
²Always use the correct seat cover specified for the
vehicle.
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NOTE:When the passenger airbag is turned off, the
yellow airbag off light will illuminate.
To Shut Off the Passenger Airbag:
²Place the ignition key in the on/off switch, turn the
key clockwise, and remove the key from the switch.
This will shut off the passenger front airbag.
²The air bag will remain off until the switch is turned
back to the ON position.
²The switch does NOT turn off the side airbag.
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To Turn On the Passenger Airbag:
²Place the ignition key in the on/off switch, turn the
key counterclockwise, and remove the key from the
switch. This will turn on the passenger airbag. The
Passenger Airbag Off light on the console will turn off,
or will not be illuminated when the ignition is turned
to the ON position.
WARNING!
The airbag may malfunction and serious injury could
result if key is left in the airbag shut off switch.
Always remove the key.
Maintaining Your Airbag System
WARNING!
²Unapproved modifications or service procedures to
the front passenger seat assembly, its related compo-
nents, or seat cover may inadvertently change the
airbag deployment in case of a frontal crash. This
could result in death or serious injury to the front seat
passenger if the vehicle is involved in an accident. A
modified vehicle may not comply with required Fed-
eral Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS).
²You need proper knee impact protection in a collision.
Do not mount or locate any aftermarket equipment on
or behind the knee impact blocker.
²You can be injured if you are too close to either airbag
cover when the airbags inflate. It is dangerous to try
to repair any part of the airbag system yourself. Don't
try to repair the airbag system. Be sure to tell anyone
who works on your vehicle that it has airbags.
50 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE
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2. Make sure the decklid is closed.
CAUTION!
Be sure to turn the ignition to the ON/RUN position
before releasing the top from the windshield header.
The windows will not go down if the top is released
from the header without the ignition turned ON. The
side windows can be damaged if the doors are
opened or closed with the windows up and the top
released from the windshield header.
3. Turn the ignition key to the ON/RUN position.
4. Unlock the top from the windshield header by pulling
the latch handle down and turning it clockwise just over
one quarter turn.
72 UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE