2008 SUZUKI SX4 Owners Manual

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BEFORE DRIVING
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Side air bags are located in the part of the
front seatbacks closest to the doors. The
words “SRS AIRBAG” are molded into the
side air bag cover to identify the location of
the side air bags.
64J034
Side curtain air bags are located in the roof
lining. The words “SRS AIRBAG” are
molded into the pillar to identify the loca-
tion of the side curtain air bags.Side collision range
64J036
Side air bags and side curtain air bags
will not inflate
54G027
Side air bags and side curtain air bags
will probably not inflate
54G028
Side air bags and side curtain air bags are
designed to inflate only in severe side
impact collisions. They are not designed to
inflate in frontal or rear collisions, rollovers
or minor side collisions, since they would
offer no protection in those types of acci-
dents. Only the side air bag and side cur-
tain air bag on the side of the vehicle that
is struck will inflate. Remember, since an
air bag deploys only one time during an
accident, seat belts are needed to restrain
occupants from further movements during
the accident.
Therefore, an air bag is NOT a substitute
for seat belts. To maximize your protection,
ALWAYS WEAR YOUR SEAT BELTS. Be
aware that no system can prevent all pos-
sible injuries that may occur in an accident.

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Driver’s Seat Position SensorThe driver’s seat is equipped with a seat
position sensor to monitor the driver seat
fore/aft position. The seat position sensor
provides information which is used to
judge if the driver’s front air bag should
deploy at reduced power or at full power.
When the seat position sensor has a prob-
lem, the AIR BAG light on the instrument
cluster will turn on. If this happens, deploy-
ment of the driver’s front air bag will not
include consideration of seat fore/aft posi-
tion. Have the air bag system inspected by
an authorized SUZUKI dealer as soon as
possible.
Front Passenger’s Seat Belt Buckle
SensorThe front passenger’s seat belt buckle is
equipped with a sensor to monitor whether
or not the front passenger’s seat belt is fas-
tened. The front passenger’s seat belt
buckle sensor provides information which
is used to judge if the front passenger’s air
bag should deploy at reduced power or at
full power.
WARNING
An air bag supplements, or adds to,
the crash protection offered by seat
belts. The driver and all passengers
must be properly restrained by wear-
ing seat belts at all times, whether or
not air bags are mounted at their
seating position, to minimize the risk
of severe injury or death in the event
of a crash.
WARNING
If the AIR BAG light in the instrument
cluster ever comes on and stays on,
it means that something may be
wrong with the air bag system. If this
ever happens, have the vehicle ser-
viced immediately, because the air
bags may not offer the protection for
which they were designed.
CAUTION
Do not put any cargo or metal objects
under the seat. The seat position sen-
sor may not work properly or may be
damaged if it is covered with some-
thing.
WARNING
When the buckle sensor has a prob-
lem, the AIR BAG light on the instru-
ment cluster will turn on. If this
happens, deployment of the front
passenger’s air bag will not include
consideration of whether the front
passenger’s seat belt is fastened or
not. Have the air bag system
inspected by an authorized SUZUKI
dealer as soon as possible.

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BEFORE DRIVING
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Front Passenger Sensing SystemThe front passenger sensing system will
turn off the front passenger’s front air bag
and seat belt pretensioner under certain
conditions. This system works using a sen-
sor mat that is part of the front passenger’s
seat. The front passenger sensing system
is designed to detect whether an occupant
is present in the seat and, if an occupant is
present, to determine whether the front
passenger’s front air bag and seat belt pre-
tensioner should be enabled or disabled
(turned off).
NOTE:
The front passenger’s side air bag and the
side curtain air bag are not controlled by
the front passenger sensing system.
80J024
When the ignition switch is turned to the
“ON” position, the “PASS AIR BAG OFF”
indicator comes on for several seconds tolet you know the system is working. When
the front passenger sensing system has
turned off the front passenger’s front air
bag including the seat belt pretensioner,
the “PASS AIR BAG OFF” indicator will
come on and stay on to remind you that
the front passenger’s front air bag is off.
The front passenger sensing system uses
front seat pressure measurements and
pressure locations to determine whether to
activate or deactivate the front passenger’s
front air bag. The front passenger sensing
system may or may not turn off the front air
bag, depending on the front passenger’s
seating posture and body build. The air
bag should be turned off in the following
situations:
 There is no occupant in the front pas-
senger seat.
 The occupant of the front passenger
seat lifts his or her weight off of the seat
for a period of time.
 The occupant of the front passenger
seat is an infant or small child in a child
restraint system or a small child in a
booster seat.
 A smaller person, such as a child who
has outgrown child restraints or a very
small adolescent is seated in the front
passenger seat.
NOTE:
If the front passenger seat is unoccupied,
the “PASS AIR BAG OFF” indicator will not
come on but the front passenger’s front airbag will not deploy and the seat belt pre-
tensioner will not operate.
If you have secured a child in the front pas-
senger seat in a forward-facing child
restraint system or booster seat and the
“PASS AIR BAG OFF” indicator light is not
on, turn the vehicle off, remove the child
restraint or booster seat from the vehicle
and reinstall it following the child restraint
or booster seat manufacturer’s directions.
Also refer to “Seat Belts and Child
Restraint Systems” in this section. If, after
reinstalling the child restraint and restart-
ing the vehicle, the “PASS AIR BAG OFF”
indicator is still not 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. If the “PASS AIR BAG OFF” indi-
cator is still not on, secure the child in the
child restraint or booster seat in a rear seat
position in the vehicle and check with your
dealer.

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65D607
According to accident statistics, children
are safer when properly restrained in rear
seating positions than in front seating posi-
tions. Whenever possible, SUZUKI recom-
mends you install child restraints in the
rear seat.
The front passenger sensing system is
designed to enable the front passenger’sfront air bag when the system senses a
properly-seated adult in the front passen-
ger’s seat. When the passenger sensing
system has allowed the air bag to be
enabled, the “PASS AIR BAG OFF” indica-
tor will remain off to remind you that the air
bag is active.
If a person of adult size is sitting in the
front passenger’s seat and the “PASS AIR
BAG OFF” indicator comes on, it could be
because that person isn’t sitting properly in
the seat. If this happens, unfasten the seat
belts, sit upright in the center of the seat
with the seatback nearly vertical and your
legs outstretched, and refasten the seat
belt.
52D258
When seated as shown in the above illus-
tration, the front passenger sensing sys-
tem senses a properly-seated occupant
and enables the air bag.When using a seat belt extender, follow the
instructions in the “Seat Belt Extender”
section.
WARNING
Do not install a rear-facing child
restraint in the front passenger’s
seat. If the passenger’s front air bag
inflates, a child in a rear-facing child
restraint could be seriously injured.
The back of a rear-facing child
restraint would be too close to the
inflating air bag.
WARNING
Do not place any heavy objects on
the front passenger’s seat. The pres-
sure sensors in the sensor mat could
be damaged and the front passenger
sensing system may not work prop-
erly.
WARNING
The front passenger sensing system
may not work properly in the follow-
ing situations:
 The occupant is sitting near the
dashboard or is not sitting in the
proper position.
 Objects placed under the seat are
pushing up on the seat cushion.
WARNING
If the “PASS AIR BAG OFF” indicator
on the instrument panel turns on
even though there is no occupant or
an adult occupant in the front pas-
senger’s seat, it means that some-
thing may be wrong with the
passenger sensing system. Have the
system inspected by an authorized
SUZUKI dealer as soon as possible.

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How the System WorksIn a frontal collision, the crash sensors will
detect rapid deceleration and send a signal
to the controller. If the controller judges
that the deceleration represents a severe
frontal crash, the controller will trigger the
inflators. The controller also judges:
 Whether the front air bags should deploy
at reduced power or at full power accord-
ing to crash severity.
 Whether the air bags should deploy at
reduced power or at full power according
to crash severity, driver’s seat fore/aft
position and whether or not the front
passenger’s seat belt is fastened.
 Whether the front passenger’s front air
bag should deploy or not based on clas-
sification of the occupant of the front
passenger’s seat.
Since your vehicle is equipped with side air
bags, and side curtain air bags, crash sen-
sors will detect a side collision, and if the
controller judges that the side collision is
severe enough, it will trigger the side air
bag and side curtain air bag inflators.
The inflators inflate the appropriate air
bags with nitrogen or argon gas. The
inflated air bags provide a cushion for your
head (front air bags and side curtain air
bags only) and upper body. The air bag
inflates and deflates so quickly that you
may not even realize that it has activated.
The air bag will neither hinder your view
nor make it harder to exit the vehicle.Air bags must inflate quickly and forcefully
in order to reduce the chance of serious or
fatal injuries. However, an unavoidable
consequence of the quick inflation is that
the air bag may irritate bare skin, such as
the facial area against a front air bag. Also,
upon inflation, a loud noise will occur and
some powder and smoke will be released.
These conditions are not harmful and do
not indicate a fire in the car. Be aware,
however, that some air bag components
may be hot for a while after inflation.
A seat belt helps keep you in the proper
position for maximum protection when an
air bag inflates. Adjust your seat as far
back as possible while still maintaining
control of the vehicle. Sit fully back in your
seat; sit up straight; do not lean over the
steering wheel or dashboard. Front occu-
pants should not lean on or sleep against
the door. Please refer to the “Seat Adjust-
ment” section and the “Seat Belts and
Child Restraint Systems” section in the
“BEFORE DRIVING” section for details on
proper seat and seat belt adjustments.
WARNING
 Do not spill any liquids on the seat.
Liquids can damage the sensors
under the front seat.
 Have the driver’s seat position sen-
sor and the front passenger’s sen-
sor mat inspected by your dealer
after a collision.
 Do not replace the front seats. If
you replace them, the air bags and
front passenger sensing system
may not work properly.
 Do not use a seat cover. If you use
a seat cover, the front passenger
sensing system may not work prop-
erly.

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54G582
Note that even though your vehicle may be
moderately damaged in a collision, the col-
lision may not have been severe enough to
trigger the front, side, or side curtain air
bags to inflate. If your car sustains ANY
front-end or side damage, have the air bag
system inspected by an authorized
SUZUKI dealer to ensure it is in proper
working order.
Your vehicle is equipped with a diagnostic
module which records information about
the air bag system if the air bags deploy in
a crash. The module records information
about overall system status, which sensors
activated the deployment, and whether the
front seat belts were in use.Servicing the Air Bag SystemIf the air bags inflate, have the air bags and
related components replaced by an autho-
rized SUZUKI dealer as soon as possible.
If your vehicle ever gets in deep water and
the driver’s floor is submerged, the air bag
controller could be damaged. If this hap-
pens, have the air bag system inspected
by the SUZUKI dealer as soon as possible.
Special procedures are required for servic-
ing or replacing an air bag. For that reason,
only an authorized SUZUKI dealer should
be allowed to service or replace your air
bags. Please remind anyone who services
your SUZUKI that it has air bags.
WARNING
 The driver should not lean over the
steering wheel. The front passen-
ger should not rest his or her body
against the dashboard, or other-
wise get too close to the dash-
board. For vehicles with side air
bags and side curtain air bags,
occupants should not lean on or
sleep against the door. In these sit-
uations, the out-of-position occu-
pant would be too close to an
inflating air bag, and may suffer
severe injury.
 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.
 For vehicles with side air bags, do
not place seat covers on the front
seats, because seat covers could
restrict the air bag’s inflation. Also,
do not place any cup holders or
other objects on the door, as these
objects could be propelled by the
air bag in the event of a crash.
Either of these conditions may
cause severe injury.

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Service on or around air bag components
or wiring must be performed only by an
authorized SUZUKI dealer. Improper ser-
vice could result in unintended air bag
deployment or could render the air bags
inoperative. Either of these two conditions
may result in severe injury.
To prevent damage or unintended inflation
of the air bag system, be sure the battery
is disconnected and the ignition switch has
been in the “LOCK” position for at least 90
seconds before performing any electrical
service work on your SUZUKI. Do not
touch air bag system components or wires.
The wires are wrapped with yellow tape or
yellow tubing, and the couplers are yellow
for easy identification.
Scrapping a car that has an undeployed air
bag can be hazardous. Ask your dealer,
body repair shop or scrap yard for help
with disposal.
If it is necessary to modify the advanced
front air bag system to accommodate a
person with disabilities, owners in the con-
tinental United States can call American
Suzuki toll-free at 1-800-934-0934, or write
to:
American Suzuki Motor Corporation
Automotive Customer Relations
3251 East Imperial Highway
Brea, CA 92821-6795If you purchased your SUZUKI in Canada
please contact the Suzuki Canada Cus-
tomer Relations Department by telephone
at 1-905-889-2677 extension 2254 or in
writing at:
Suzuki Canada Inc.
Customer Relations
100 East Beaver Creek Road
Richmond Hill, On
L4B 1J6

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MEMO