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How to Wear Safety Belts Properly
This section is only for people of adult size.
Be aware that there are special things to know about
safety belts and children. And there are different
rules for smaller children and infants. If a child will be
riding in the vehicle, seeOlder Children on page 1-50or
Infants and Young Children on page 1-54. Follow
those rules for everyone’s protection.
It is very important for all occupants to buckle up.
Statistics show that unbelted people are hurt more often
in crashes than those who are wearing safety belts.
Occupants who are not buckled up can be thrown out of
the vehicle in a crash. And they can strike others in
the vehicle who are wearing safety belts.
First, before you or your passenger(s) wear a safety
belt, there is important information you should know.
Sit up straight and always keep your feet on the oor in
front of you. The lap part of the belt should be worn low
and snug on the hips, just touching the thighs. In a crash,
this applies force to the strong pelvic bones and you
would be less likely to slide under the lap belt. If you slid
under it, the belt would apply force on your abdomen.
This could cause serious or even fatal injuries. The
shoulder belt should go over the shoulder and across the
chest. These parts of the body are best able to take belt
restraining forces.
The shoulder belt locks if there is a sudden stop or crash.
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Use the following pictures to determine the latch
plate style:The following instructions explain how to wear a
lap-shoulder belt properly.
1. Adjust the seat, if the seat is adjustable, so you can
sit up straight. To see how, see “Seats” in the Index.
2. Pick up the latch plate and pull the belt across you.
Do not let it get twisted.
The lap-shoulder belt may lock if you pull the belt
across you very quickly. If this happens, let the belt
go back slightly to unlock it. Then pull the belt
across you more slowly.
If the shoulder portion of a passenger belt with a
free-falling latch plate is pulled out all the way, the
child restraint locking feature may be engaged.
If this happens, let the belt go back all the way and
start again.
Engaging the child restraint locking feature in the
right front seating position may affect the passenger
sensing system. SeePassenger Sensing System
on page 1-85for more information. Free-Falling Latch Plate
Cinching Latch Plate
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Shoulder Belt Height Adjuster
The vehicle has a shoulder belt height adjuster for
the driver and right front passenger positions.
Adjust the height so that the shoulder portion of the belt
is centered on the shoulder. The belt should be away
from the face and neck, but not falling off the shoulder.
Improper shoulder belt height adjustment could
reduce the effectiveness of the safety belt in a crash.
Squeeze the buttons (A)
on the sides of the height
adjuster and move the
height adjuster to the
desired position.
The adjuster can be moved up just by pushing up on
the shoulder belt guide.
After the adjuster is set to the desired position, try to
move it down without squeezing the buttons to
make sure it has locked into position.
Safety Belt Pretensioners
This vehicle has safety belt pretensioners for front
outboard occupants. Although the safety belt
pretensioners cannot be seen, 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, near frontal, or rear crash if the threshold
conditions for pretensioner activation are met. And, if
the vehicle has side impact airbags, safety belt
pretensioners can help tighten the safety belts in a side
crash or a rollover event.
Pretensioners work only once. If the pretensioners
activate in a crash, they will need to be replaced, and
probably other new parts for the vehicle’s safety
belt system. SeeReplacing Restraint System Parts
After a Crash on page 1-94.
Rear Safety Belt Comfort Guides
Rear shoulder belt comfort guides may provide added
safety belt comfort for older children who have outgrown
booster seats and for some adults. When installed on
a shoulder belt, the comfort guide positions the belt
away from the neck and head.
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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. SeeWhere to Put the Restraint
on page 1-60for additional information.
Securing a Child Restraint Designed for
the LATCH System
{CAUTION:
If a LATCH-type child restraint is not attached to
anchors, the child restraint will not be able to protect
the child correctly. In a crash, the child could be
seriously injured or killed. Install a LATCH-type
child restraint properly using the anchors, or use the
vehicle’s safety belts to secure the restraint,
following the instructions that came with the child
restraint and the instructions in this manual.
{CAUTION:
Do not attach more than one child restraint to a
single anchor. Attaching more than one child
restraint to a single anchor could cause the anchor
or attachment to come loose or even break during
a crash. A child or others could be injured. To
reduce the risk of serious or fatal injuries during a
crash, attach only one child restraint per anchor.
{CAUTION:
Children can be seriously injured or strangled if a
shoulder belt is wrapped around their neck and
the safety belt continues to tighten. Buckle any
unused safety belts behind the child restraint so
children cannot reach them. Pull the shoulder belt
all the way out of the retractor to set the lock, if
your vehicle has one, after the child restraint has
been installed.
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3. Push the latch plate into the buckle until it clicks.
Position the release button on the buckle so that
the safety belt could be quickly unbuckled if
necessary.4. For passenger seating positions with a lap-shoulder
belt and a free-falling latch plate, pull the rest of the
shoulder belt all the way out of the retractor to
set the lock. When installing a child restraint using
a lap-shoulder belt and a cinching latch plate,
skip Step 4 and proceed to Step 5.
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4. Push the latch plate into the buckle until it clicks.
Position the release button on the buckle so that
the safety belt could be quickly unbuckled if
necessary.5. Pull the rest of the shoulder belt all the way out of
the retractor to set the lock.
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{CAUTION:
If something is between an occupant and an airbag,
the airbag might not in ate properly or it might force
the object into that person causing severe injury or
even death. The path of an in ating airbag must be
kept clear. Do not put anything between an
occupant and an airbag, and do not attach or put
anything on the steering wheel hub or on or near
any other airbag covering.
Never secure anything to the roof of a vehicle with
roof-rail airbags by routing a rope or tie down
through any door or window opening. If you do, the
path of an in ating roof-rail airbag will be blocked.
When Should an Airbag In ate?
Frontal airbags are designed to in ate in moderate
to severe frontal or near-frontal crashes to help
reduce the potential for severe injuries mainly to the
driver’s or right front passenger’s head and chest.
However, they are only designed to in ate if the impact
exceeds a predetermined deployment threshold.
Deployment thresholds are used to predict how severe a
crash is likely to be in time for the airbags to in ate and
help restrain the occupants.
Whether your frontal airbags will or should deploy is not
based on how fast your vehicle is traveling. It depends
largely on what you hit, the direction of the impact,
and how quickly your vehicle slows down.
Frontal airbags may in ate at different crash speeds.
For example:
If the vehicle hits a stationary object, the airbags
could in ate at a different crash speed than if the
vehicle hits a moving object.
If the vehicle hits an object that deforms, the
airbags could in ate at a different crash speed than
if the vehicle hits an object does not deform.
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What Will You See After an Airbag
In ates?
After the frontal airbags in ate, they quickly de ate, so
quickly that some people may not even realize an
airbag in ated. Roof-rail airbags may still be at least
partially in ated for some time after they deploy. Some
components of the airbag module may be hot for
several minutes. For location of the airbag modules, see
What Makes an Airbag Inflate? on page 1-83.
The parts of the airbag that come into contact with you
may be warm, but not too hot to touch. There may
be some smoke and dust coming from the vents in the
de ated airbags. Airbag in ation does not prevent
the driver from seeing out of the windshield or being
able to steer the vehicle, nor does it prevent people from
leaving the vehicle.
{CAUTION:
When an airbag in ates, there may be dust in the
air. This dust could cause breathing problems for
people with a history of asthma or other breathing
trouble. To avoid this, everyone in the vehicle
should get out as soon as it is safe to do so. If
you have breathing problems but cannot get out of
the vehicle after an airbag in ates, then get fresh
air by opening a window or a door. If you
experience breathing problems following an airbag
deployment, you should seek medical attention.
The vehicle has a feature that may automatically unlock
the doors, turn the interior lamps on, and turn the
hazard warning ashers on when the airbags in ate.
You can lock the doors, turn the interior lamps off, and
turn the hazard warning ashers off by using the
controls for those features.
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