2008 SUZUKI FORENZA warning

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Wherever you install it, 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 vehi-
cle. Be sure to properly secure any child
restraint in your vehicle – even when no
child is in it.
To p S t r a pSome child restraints have a top strap, or
“top tether.” It can help restrain the child
restraint during a collision. For it to work, a
top strap must be properly anchored to the
vehicle. Some top strap-equipped child
restraints are designed for use with or with-
out the top strap being anchored. Others
require the top strap always to be
anchored. Be sure to read and follow the
instructions for your child restraint. If yours
requires that the top strap be anchored,
don’t use the restraint unless it is anchored
properly.
If the child restraint does not have a top
strap, one can be obtained, in kit form, for
many child restraints. Ask the child
restraint manufacturer whether or not a kit
is available.In Canada, the law requires that forward-
facing child restraints have a top strap, and
that the strap be anchored. In the United
States, some child restraints also have a
top strap. If your child restraint has a top
strap, it should be anchored.
Anchor the top strap to an anchor point
specified in “Top Strap Anchor Location” in
this section. Be sure to use an anchor
point located on the same side of the vehi-
cle as the seating position where the child
restraint will be placed.
WARNING
(Continued)
Even though the passenger sensing
system is designed to turn off the
passenger’s frontal air bag and side
air bag under certain conditions, no
system is fail-safe, and no one can
guarantee that an air bag will not
deploy under some unusual circum-
stance, even though it is turned off.
Always secure a rear-facing child
restraint in the rear seat, even if the
air bags are 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
Children could be endangered in a
crash if their child restraints are not
properly secured in the vehicle.
When installing a child restraint sys-
tem, be sure to follow the instruc-
tions below. Be sure to secure the
child in the restraint system accord-
ing to the manufacturer’s instruc-
tions.
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Once you have the top strap anchored,
you’ll be ready to secure the child restraint
itself. Tighten the top strap when and as
the child restraint manufacturer’s instruc-
tions say.Top Strap Anchor LocationTop strap anchors are already installed in
your vehicle for the three rear seating posi-
tions.
Do not use a child restraint with a top strap
in the right front passenger’s position
because there is no place to anchor the
top strap.Sedan
You will find the anchors on your vehicle
behind the rear seat on the filler panel.
Pull the front part of the plastic cover
upward to access the top strap anchors.Wagon
Top strap anchors are located at both sides
of the floor mat in the rear cargo area
behind the rear seat and at the center of
the upper rear roof.
Securing a Child Restraint with Top
StrapInstall the child restraint system as follows:
1) Remove the luggage compartment
cover (if equipped).
2) Secure the child restraint on the rear
seat using the procedure described in
“Securing a Child Restraint in a Rear
Seat Position” of this section.
3) Pull the front part of the plastic cover
upward to access the top strap
anchors.
For the Wagon model, open the plastic
cover to access the center top strap
anchor. Side top strap anchors are
WARNING
Each top tether bracket is designed
to anchor only one child restraint.
Attaching more than one child
restraint to a single bracket could
cause the anchor to come loose or
even break during a crash. A child or
others could be injured if this hap-
pens. To help prevent injury to people
and damage to your vehicle, attach
only one child restraint per bracket.
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located at both sides of the luggage
compartment floor.
4) Hook the top strap to the anchor
bracket and tighten the top strap
according to the instructions provided
by the child restraint system manufac-
turer. Be sure to attach the top strap to
the corresponding anchor located
directly behind the child restraint.
5) When routing the top strap, be sure to
pass it between the head restraint and
the rear seatback as shown. (Refer to
“Head Restraints” in this section for
details on how to raise or lower the
head restraint.)
6) Make sure that cargo does not interfere
with routing of the top strap.
Lower Anchorages and Top Teth-
ers for Children (LATCH System)Your vehicle has a LATCH system. You’ll
find anchors (A) in the rear outside seat
positions.
To assist you in locating the lower anchors,
each seating position with the LATCH sys-
tem has a circular disk on the seatback at
each lower anchor position.The disks are located near the base of the
two rear outside seating positions.
Canada only
86Z004
WARNING
Each top tether bracket is designed
to anchor only one child restraint.
Attaching more than one child
restraint to a single bracket could
cause the anchor to come loose or
even break during a crash. A child or
others could be injured if this hap-
pens. To help prevent injury to people
and damage to your vehicle, attach
only one child restraint per bracket.
N5U1003A
N4U1009A
This symbol indicates the
presence of a lower connector
system on a child restraint
system or booster cushion.
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In order to use the system, you need either
a forward-facing child restraint that has
attaching points (B) at its base and a top
tether anchor (C), or a rear-facing child
restraint that has attaching points (B), as
shown here.With this type of child restraint, use the
LATCH system instead of the vehicle’s
safety belts to secure the child restraint.
Securing a Child Restraint
Designed for the LATCH System
(Rear)1) Find the anchors for the seating posi-
tion you want to use, where the bottom
of the seatback meets the back of the
seat cushion.
2) Put the child restraint on the seat.
3) Attach the anchor points on the child
restraint to the anchors in the vehicle.
The child restraint instructions will show
you how.
4) If the child restraint is forward-facing,
attach the top strap to the top strap
anchor. See “Top Strap” in this section.
Tighten the top strap according to the
child restraint instructions.
5) Push and pull the child restraint in dif-
ferent directions to be sure it is secure.
To remove the child restraint, simply
unhook the top strap from the top tether
anchor and then disconnect the lower
anchor points.
L3U1047A
AB C
L3U1049A
WARNING
If a LATCH-type child restraint isn’t
attached to its anchorage points, the
restraint won’t be able to protect the
child correctly. In a crash, the child
could be severely injured or killed.
Make sure that a LATCH-type child
restraint is properly installed using
the anchorage points. If your child
restraint is not designed for the
LATCH system, 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.AB
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Securing a Child Restraint in the
Right Front Seat PositionYour vehicle has a right front passenger air
bag. A rear seat is a safer place to secure
a child restraint. See “Where to Put the
Restraint” in this section.
In addition, your vehicle has a passenger
sensing system. The passenger sensing
system is designed to turn off the right
front passenger’s frontal and side air bag
when an infant or a small child is detected.
See “Passenger Sensing System” and
“Manual Seats” in this section for more
information on this including important
safety information.If you need to secure a forward-facing child
restraint in the right front seat position,
move the seat as far back as it will go
before securing the forward-facing child
restraint. See “Manual Seats” in this sec-
tion.
If you need to secure a forward-facing child
restraint in the right front seat, you will be
using the lap-shoulder belt to secure the
child restraint, even if the child restraint is
equipped with the LATCH system. Be sure
to follow the instructions that came with the
child restraint. Secure the child in the child
restraint when and as the instructions say.1) Your vehicle has a right front passen-
ger’s frontal air bag. See “Passenger
Sensing System” in this section. Always
secure a rear-facing child restraint in
the rear seat, even if the air bag is off. If
your child restraint is forward-facing,
move the seat as far back as it will go
before securing the child restraint in this
seat. See “Manual Seats” in this sec-
tion.
When the passenger sensing system
has turned off the right front passen-
ger’s frontal and side air bag, the pas-
senger air bag off indicator should light.
See “Passenger Sensing System” in
this section.
A thick layer of additional material such
as a blanket, or aftermarket equipment
such as seat covers heaters or mas-
sagers, located between the seat cush-
ion and the child restraint or small
occupant, can affect how the passenger
sensing system operates. Remove any
additional material from the seat cush-
ion before installing/securing the child
restraint or small occupant.
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.
L3U1068A
WARNING
A child in a rear-facing child restraint
can be severely injured or killed if the
right front passenger’s frontal air bag
inflates. This is because the back of
the rear-facing child restraint would
be very close to the inflating air bag.
Even though the passenger sensing
system is designed to turn off the
passenger’s frontal air bag under cer-
tain conditions, no system is fail-
safe, and no one can guarantee that
an air bag will not deploy under some
unusual circumstance, even though it
is turned off. Always secure a rear-
facing child restraint in the rear seat,
even if the air bag is off.
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4) Buckle the belt. Make sure the release
button is positioned so you would be
able to unbuckle the safety belt quickly
if you ever had to.
5) Pull the rest of the shoulder belt all the
way out of the retractor to set the lock.6) To tighten the belt, feed the shoulder
belt back into the retractor while you
push down on the child restraint. You
may find 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 dif-
ferent directions to be sure it is secure.
8) If the air bag is off, the passenger air
bag off indicator located in the clock
display in the center of the instrument
panel will be lit.
To remove the child restraint, just unbuckle
the vehicle’s safety belt and let it go back
all the way. The safety belt will move freely
again and be ready to work for an adult or
larger child passenger.
Supplemental Restraint
System (air bags)This section explains the frontal and side
impact air bag systems.
Your vehicle has an advanced frontal air
bag for the driver and an advanced frontal
air bag for the right front passenger. Your
vehicle also has side impact air bags for
the driver and right front passenger.
Your vehicle is equipped with a Supple-
mental Restraint System consisting of the
following components in addition to a lap-
shoulder belt at each front seating position.
L3U1069AL3U1059A
L3U1061AL3U1060A
WARNING
This section of the owner’s manual
describes the protection provided by
your vehicle’s SUPPLEMENTAL
RESTRAINT SYSTEM (advanced air
bags). Please read and follow ALL
these instructions carefully to mini-
mize your risk of severe injury or
death in the event of a collision.
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these air bags must inflate very quickly to
do their job. Here are the most important
things to know about the air bag systems.
WARNING
You can be severely injured or killed
in a crash if you aren’t wearing your
safety belt – even if you have air
bags. Wearing your safety belt during
a crash helps reduce your chance of
hitting things inside the vehicle or
being ejected from it. Air bags are
designed to work with safety belts
but don’t replace them.
Frontal air bags for the driver and
right front passenger are designed to
deploy only in moderate to severe
frontal and near frontal crashes. They
aren’t designed to inflate at all in roll-
over, rear or low-speed frontal
crashes, or in many side crashes.
And, for some unrestrained occu-
pants, frontal air bags may provide
less protection in frontal crashes
than more forceful air bags have pro-
vided in the past.
(Continued)
WARNING
(Continued)
The side impact air bags are
designed to inflate only in moderate
to severe crashes where something
hits the side of your vehicle. They
aren’t designed to inflate in frontal, in
rollover or in rear crashes.
Everyone in your vehicle should wear
a safety belt properly – whether or
not there’s an air bag for that person.
WARNING
Air bags inflate with great force,
faster than the blink of an eye. If
you’re too close to an inflating air
bag, as you would be if you were
leaning forward, it could severely
injure you. Safety belts help keep you
in position for air bag inflation before
and during a crash. Always wear your
safety belt, even with frontal air bags.
The driver should sit as far back as
possible while still maintaining con-
trol of the vehicle. Front occupants
should not lean on or sleep against
the door.
WARNING
Do not attach any objects to, or place
any objects over, the steering wheel
or dashboard. Do not place any
objects between the air bag and the
driver or front passenger. These
objects may interfere with air bag
operation or may be propelled by the
air bag in the event of a crash. Either
of these conditions may cause
severe injury.
WARNING
Anyone who is up against, or very
close to, any air bag when it inflates
can be severely injured or killed. Air
bags 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 air bag 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 vehi-
cle. To read how, see the part of this
manual called “Older Children” or
“Infants and Young Children.”
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There is an air bag readiness light on the
instrument panel, which shows the air bag
symbol.
The air bag readiness system checks the
air bag electrical system for malfunctions.
The light tells you if there is an electrical
problem. See “Air Bag Readiness Light” in
section 3 for more information.
Where Are the Air Bags?The driver’s frontal air bag is in the middle
of the steering wheel.
The right front passenger’s frontal air bag
is in the instrument panel on the passen-
ger’s side.The side impact air bag is in the side of the
front seatback closest to the door.
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L3U1063AL3U1064A
WARNING
Don’t put anything between an occu-
pant and an air bag, and don’t attach
or put anything on the steering wheel
hub or on or near any other air bag
covering. If something is between an
occupant and an air bag, 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 air bag must
be kept clear. Don’t use seat covers
on the front seats.
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Supplemental Restraint System: