2010 CHRYSLER SEBRING SEDAN Owners Manual

WARNING!
•Do not put anything on or around the airbag
covers or attempt to open them manually. You may
damage the airbags and you could be injured
because the airbags may no longer be functional.
The protective covers for the airbag cushions are
designed to open only when the airbags are inflat-
ing.
•Do not drill, cut or tamper with the knee bolster in
any way.
•Do not mount any accessories to the knee bolster
such as alarm lights, stereos, citizen band radios,
etc.
Supplemental Seat Side Airbags — If Equipped
Supplemental seat side airbags provide enhanced protec-
tion and work together with supplemental Side Airbag
Inflatable Curtains (SABIC) to help protect an occupant
during a side impact. The supplemental seat side airbag
is marked with an airbag label sewn into the outboard
side of the seat.
Supplemental Seat Side Airbag Label
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THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 57

When the bag deploys, it opens the seam between the
front and side of the seat’s trim cover. Each bag deploys
independently, that is a left side impact deploys the left
bag only and a right-side impact deploys only the right
bag.
Supplemental Side Airbag Inflatable Curtain
(SABIC) — If Equipped
SABIC airbags offer side-impact and vehicle rollover
protection to front and rear seat outboard occupants in
addition to that provided by the body structure. Each
airbag features inflated chambers placed adjacent to the
head of each outboard occupant that reduce the potential
for side-impact head injuries. The SABIC airbags deploy
downward, covering both windows on the impact side.NOTE:
•Should a vehicle rollover occur, the pretensioners
and/or SABIC curtains on both sides of the vehicle
may deploy.
•Airbag covers may not be obvious in the interior trim;
but they will open during airbag deployment.
Side Airbag Inflatable Curtains (SABIC) Location
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The system includes sensors adjacent to both front and
rear seat occupants that are calibrated to deploy the
SABIC airbags during impacts that require airbag occu-
pant protection.
WARNING!
•If your vehicle is equipped with left and right Side
Airbag Inflatable Curtain (SABIC), do not stack
luggage or other cargo up high enough to block
the location of the SABIC. The area where the side
curtain airbag is located should remain free from
any obstructions.
•Do not use accessory seat covers or place objects
between you and the side airbags; the performance
could be adversely affected and/or objects could
be pushed into you, causing serious injury.
Along with seat belts and pretensioners, Advanced Front
Airbags work with the knee bolsters to provide improved protection for the driver and front passenger. Side airbags
also work with seat belts to improve occupant protection.
Knee Impact Bolsters
The Knee Impact Bolsters help protect the knees of the
driver and the front passenger, and position everyone for
the best interaction with the Advanced Front airbag.
Here are some simple steps you can take to minimize the
risk of harm from a deploying airbag:
1.
Children 12 years old and younger should always
ride buckled up in a rear seat.
WARNING!
Infants in rear facing child restraints should NEVER
ride in the front seat of a vehicle with a passenger
front airbag. An airbag deployment can cause severe
injury or death to infants in that position.
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Children that are not big enough to wear the vehicle seat
belt properly (see section on Child Restraints) should be
secured in the rear seat in child restraints or belt-
positioning booster seats. Older children who do not use
child restraints or belt-positioning booster seats should
ride properly buckled up in the rear seat. Never allow
children to slide the shoulder belt behind them or under
their arm.
If a child from 1 to 12 years old (not in a rear facing child
seat) must ride in the front passenger seat, move the seat
as far back as possible and use the proper child restraint.
(Refer to information on Child Restraints in this section.)
You should read the instructions provided with your
child restraint to make sure that you are using it properly.
2.All occupants should ALWAYS wear their lap and
shoulder belts properly. 3.
The driver and front passenger seats should be
moved back as far as practical to allow the Advanced
Front Airbags room to inflate.
4. Do not lean against the door. If your vehicle has side
airbags, and deployment occurs, the side airbags will
inflate forcefully into the space between you and the
door.
5. If the airbag system in this vehicle needs to be
modified to accommodate a disabled person, contact
the Customer Center. Phone numbers are provided
under If You Need Assistance in Section 9 of this
manual.
60 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

WARNING!
•Relying on the airbags alone could lead to more
severe injuries in a collision. The airbags work
with your seat belt to restrain you properly. In
some collisions, the airbags won’t deploy at all.
Always wear your seat belts even though you have
airbags.
•Being too close to the steering wheel or instrument
panel during front airbag deployment could cause
serious injury, including death. Airbags need
room to inflate. Sit back, comfortably extending
your arms to reach the steering wheel or instru-
ment panel.
•Side airbags also need room to inflate. Do not lean
against the door. Sit upright in the center of the
seat.
Airbag Deployment Sensors and Controls
Occupant Restraint Controller (ORC)
TheORC is part of a Federally regulated safety system
required for this vehicle.
The ORC determines if deployment of the front and/or
side airbags in a frontal or side collision is required.
Based on the impact sensors signals, a central electronic
ORC deploys the Advanced Front Airbags, SABIC air-
bags — if equipped, Supplemental Side Seat Airbags — if
equipped, and front seat belt pretensioners — if
equipped, as required, depending on severity and type of
impact.
Advanced Front Airbags are designed to provide addi-
tional protection by supplementing the seat belts in
certain frontal collisions depending on the severity and
type of collision. Advanced Front Airbags are not ex-
pected to reduce the risk of injury in rear, side, or rollover
collisions.
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The Advanced Front Airbags will not deploy in all frontal
collisions, including some that may produce substantial
vehicle damage — for example, some pole collisions,
truck underrides, and angle offset collisions. On the other
hand, depending on the type and location of impact,
Advanced Front Airbags may deploy in crashes with
little vehicle front-end damage but that produce a severe
initial deceleration.
The side airbags will not deploy in all side collisions. Side
airbag deployment will depend on the severity and type
of collision.
Because airbag sensors measure vehicle deceleration over
time, vehicle speed and damage by themselves are not
good indicators of whether or not an airbag should have
deployed.
Seat belts are necessary for your protection in all colli-
sions, and also are needed to help keep you in position,
away from an inflating airbag.The ORC monitors the readiness of the electronic parts of
the system whenever the ignition switch is in the START
or ON position. 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.
The ORC contains a backup power supply system that
may deploy the airbags even if the battery loses power or
it becomes disconnected prior to deployment.
Also, the ORC turns on the Airbag Warning
Light in the instrument panel for approxi-
mately six to eight seconds for a self-check
when the ignition is first turned on. After the
self-check, the Airbag Warning Light will turn off. If the
ORC detects a malfunction in any part of the system, it
turns on the Airbag Warning Light, either momentarily
or continuously. A single chime will sound if the light
comes on again after initial startup.
62 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

It also includes diagnostics that will illuminate the instru-
ment cluster Airbag Warning Light if a malfunction is
noted. The diagnostics also record the nature of the
malfunction.
WARNING!
Ignoring the Airbag Warning Light in your instru-
ment 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.
Driver and Passenger Airbag Inflator Units
The Driver and Passenger Airbag/Inflator Units are
located in the center of the steering wheel and the right
side of the instrument panel. When the ORC detects a
collision requiring the airbags, it signals the inflator units.
A large quantity of non-toxic gas is generated to inflatethe Advanced Front Airbags. Different airbag inflation
rates are possible, based on the collision type and sever-
ity. The steering wheel hub trim cover and the upper
right side of the instrument panel separate and fold out
of the way as the bags inflate to their full size. The bags
fully inflate in about 50 to 70 milliseconds. This is about
half of the time it takes to blink your eyes. The bags then
quickly deflate while helping to restrain the driver and
front passenger.
The driver front airbag gas is vented through the vent
holes in the sides of the airbag. The passenger front
airbag gas is vented through the vent holes in the sides of
the airbag. In this way, the airbags do not interfere with
your control of the vehicle.
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THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 63

Supplemental Seat Side Airbag Inflator Units — If
Equipped
The Side Impact (SRS) Seat-Mounted Side Airbags are
designed to activate only in certain side collisions.
The ORC determines if a side collision requires the side
airbags to inflate based on the severity and type of
collision.
The ORC monitors the readiness of the electronic parts of
the system whenever the ignition switch is in the START
or ON positions. These include all of the items previously
mentioned.
Based on the severity and type of collision, the side
airbag inflator on the crash side of the vehicle may be
triggered, releasing a quantity of non-toxic gas. The
inflating side airbag exits through the seat seam into the
space between the occupant and the door. The side
airbags fully inflate in about 10 milliseconds. The side
airbag moves at a very high speed and with such a highforce, that it could injure you if you are not seated
properly, or if items are positioned in the area where the
side airbag inflates. This especially applies to children.
Supplemental Side Airbag Inflatable Curtain
(SABIC) Inflator Units — If Equipped
During collisions where the impact is confined to a
particular area of the side of the vehicle, the ORC may
deploy the SABIC Airbags, depending on severity and
type of collision. In these events, the ORC will deploy the
SABIC only on the impact side of the vehicle.
A quantity of non-toxic gas is generated to inflate the side
curtain airbag. The inflating side curtain airbag pushes
the outside edge of the headliner out of the way and
covers the window. The airbag inflates in about 30 ms
(about one-quarter of the time that it takes to blink your
eyes) with enough force to injure you if you are not belted
and seated properly, or if items are positioned in the area
64 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE