Safety Belt
Refer to the following sections for important information
on how to use safety belts properly.
.Safety Belts: They Are for Everyone on page 2‑10.
.How to Wear Safety Belts Properly on page 2‑15.
.Lap-Shoulder Belt on page 2‑24.
.Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children (LATCH)on page 2‑39.
Sensing System for Passenger
Airbag
The passenger sensing system, if equipped, will turn off
the right front passenger frontal airbag under certain
conditions. The driver airbags, seat‐mounted side
impact airbags and roof‐rail airbags are not affected
by this.
If the vehicle has one of the indicators pictured in the
following illustrations, then the vehicle has a passenger
sensing system for the right front passenger position.
The passenger airbag status indicator, if equipped, will
be visible on the overhead console when the vehicle is
started.
United StatesCanada
See Passenger Sensing System
on page 2‑60for
important information.
1-10
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. See Replacing Restraint System Parts After a
Crash on page 2‑67.
2-26
{WARNING:
Children can be seriously injured or strangled if a
shoulder belt is wrapped around their neck and
the safety belt continues to tighten. Never leave
children unattended in a vehicle and never allow
children to play with the safety belts.
Airbags plus lap‐shoulder belts offer protection for
adults and older children, but not for young children and
infants. Neither the vehicle's safety belt system nor its
airbag system is designed for them. Every time infants
and young children ride in vehicles, they should have
the protection provided by appropriate child restraints.
Children who are not restrained properly can strike
other people, or can be thrown out of the vehicle.
{WARNING:
Never do this.
Never hold an infant or a child while riding in a
vehicle. Due to crash forces, an infant or a child
will become so heavy it is not possible to hold it (Continued)
WARNING: (Continued)
during a crash. For example, in a crash at only
40 km/h (25 mph), a 5.5 kg (12 lb) infant will
suddenly become a 110 kg (240 lb) force on a
person's arms. An infant should be secured in an
appropriate restraint.
2-33
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 restraint in the front.” This is because the risk to
the rear-facing child is so great, if the airbag deploys.
{WARNING:
A child in a rear-facing child restraint can be
seriously injured or killed if the right front
passenger airbag inflates. This is because the
back of the rear-facing child restraint would be
very close to the inflating airbag. A child in a
forward-facing child restraint can be seriously
injured or killed if the right front passenger airbag
inflates and the passenger seat is in a forward
position.
The vehicle may have a passenger sensing
system which is designed to turn off the right front
passenger frontal airbag under certain conditions.
Even if the passenger sensing system,
if equipped, has turned off the right front
passenger frontal airbag, no system is fail-safe.
(Continued)
WARNING: (Continued)
No one can guarantee that an airbag will not
deploy under some unusual circumstance, even
though it is turned off.
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 2‑60
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.
2-38
5. To tighten the belt, push down on the childrestraint, pull the shoulder portion of the belt to
tighten the lap portion of the belt, and feed the
shoulder belt back into the retractor. When
installing a forward-facing child restraint, it may be
helpful to use your knee to push down on the child
restraint as you tighten the belt.
If the child restraint has a top tether, follow the
child restraint manufacturer's instructions regarding
the use of the top tether. See Lower Anchors and
Tethers for Children (LATCH) on page 2‑39.
6. 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
This vehicle has airbags. A rear seat is a safer place to
secure a forward-facing child restraint. See
Where to
Put the Restraint on page 2‑37.
In addition, the vehicle may have a passenger sensing
system which is designed to turn off the right front
passenger frontal airbag under certain conditions.
See Passenger Sensing System
on page 2‑60and
Passenger Airbag Status Indicatoron page 4‑29for
more information, including important safety information.
2-47
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.
{WARNING:
A child in a rear-facing child restraint can
be seriously injured or killed if the right front
passenger airbag inflates. This is because the
back of the rear-facing child restraint would be
very close to the inflating airbag. A child in a
forward-facing child restraint can be seriously
injured or killed if the right front passenger airbag
inflates and the passenger seat is in a forward
position.
The vehicle may have a passenger sensing
system which is designed to turn off the right front
passenger frontal airbag under certain conditions.
Even if the passenger sensing system,
if equipped, 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.
(Continued)
WARNING: (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 2‑60
for additional information.
If the child restraint has the LATCH system, see
Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children (LATCH)
on
page 2‑39for how and where to install the child
restraint using LATCH. If a child restraint is secured
using a safety belt and it uses a top tether, see Lower
Anchors and Tethers for Children (LATCH)
on
page 2‑39for 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.
2-48
6. To tighten the belt, push down on the childrestraint, pull the shoulder portion of the belt to
tighten the lap portion of the belt and feed the
shoulder belt back into the retractor. When
installing a forward-facing child restraint, it may be
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 vehicle is equipped with the passenger sensing
system, and when the passenger sensing system has
turned off the right front passenger frontal airbag, the off
indicator in the passenger airbag status indicator should
light and stay lit when you start the vehicle. See
Passenger Airbag Status Indicator on page 4‑29.
If a child restraint has been installed and the on
indicator is lit, see
“If the On Indicator is Lit for a
Child Restraint” underPassenger Sensing System
on
page 2‑60for more information.
To remove the child restraint, unbuckle the vehicle
safety belt and let it return to the stowed position.
2-50
{WARNING:
Children who are up against, or very close to, any
airbag when it inflates can be seriously injured or
killed. Airbags plus lap-shoulder belts offer
protection for adults and older children, 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 2‑30
or Infants and Young Childrenon
page 2‑32
.
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. See
Airbag Readiness Light
on page 4‑28for
more information.
Where Are the Airbags?
The driver frontal airbag is in the middle of the steering
wheel.
2-53