Page 12 of 432
▫Supplemental Restraint System (SRS) -
Airbags ............................ 47
▫ Airbag Deployment Sensors And Controls . . . 53
▫ Event Data Recorder (EDR) .............. 60
▫ Child Restraints ...................... 62
Engine Break-In Recommendations .......... 71
Safety Tips ........................... 72
▫ Transporting Passengers ................ 72
▫ Exhaust Gas ......................... 73
▫ Safety Checks You Should Make Inside The
Vehicle ............................. 74
▫ Periodic Safety Checks You Should Make
Outside The Vehicle ................... 75
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THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 11
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OCCUPANT RESTRAINTS
Some of the most important safety features in your
vehicle are the restraint systems:
•Three-point lap and shoulder belts for the driver and
all passengers
•Advanced Front Airbags for driver and front passen-
ger
•Supplemental Side Airbag Inflatable Curtains (SABIC)
for the driver and passengers seated next to a window —
if equipped
•An energy-absorbing steering column and steering
wheel
•Knee bolsters/blockers for front seat occupants
•Front seat belts incorporate pretensioners to enhance
occupant protection by managing occupant energy
during an impact event — if equipped
If you will be carrying children too small for adult-sized
seat belts, the seat belts or the Lower Anchors and Tether
for CHildren (LATCH) feature also can be used to hold
infant and child restraint systems. For more information
on LATCH, see Lower Anchors and Tether for CHildren
(LATCH).
Trunk Emergency Release
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NOTE:The Advanced Front Airbags have a multistage
inflator design. This allows the airbag to have different
rates of inflation based on severity and type of collision.
Please pay close attention to the information in this
section. It tells you how to use your restraint system
properly, to keep you and your passengers as safe as
possible.
WARNING!
In a collision, you and your passengers can suffer
much greater injuries if you are not properly buckled
up. You can strike the interior of your vehicle or other
passengers, or you can be thrown out of the vehicle.
Always be sure you and others in your vehicle are
buckled up properly.
Buckle up even though you are an excellent driver, even
on short trips. Someone on the road may be a poor driver and cause a collision that includes you. This can happen
far away from home or on your own street.
Research has shown that seat belts save lives, and they
can reduce the seriousness of injuries in a collision. Some
of the worst injuries happen when people are thrown
from the vehicle. Seat belts reduce the possibility of
ejection and the risk of injury caused by striking the
inside of the vehicle.
Everyone in a motor vehicle should
be belted at all times.Lap/Shoulder Belts
All seating positions in your vehicle are equipped with
lap/shoulder belts.
The belt webbing retractor is designed to lock during
very sudden stops or impacts. This feature allows the
shoulder part of the belt to move freely with you under
normal conditions. However, in a collision, the belt will
lock and reduce your risk of striking the inside of the
vehicle or being thrown out.
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3. Allow the belt to retract. As the belt retracts, you will
hear a clicking sound. This indicates the safety belt is
now in the Automatic Locking Mode.
How to Disengage The Automatic Locking Mode
Disconnect the combination lap/shoulder belt from the
buckle and allow it to retract completely to disengage the
Automatic Locking Mode and activate the vehicle sensi-
tive (emergency) locking mode.
Seat Belt Pretensioners — If Equipped
The seat belts for both front seating positions may be
equipped with pretensioning devices that are designed to
remove slack from the seat belt in the event of a collision.
These devices improve the performance of the seat belt
by assuring that the belt is tight about the occupant early
in a collision. Pretensioners work for all size occupants,
including those in child restraints.NOTE:
These devices are not a substitute for proper seat
belt placement by the occupant. The seat belt still must be
worn snugly and positioned properly.
The pretensioners are triggered by the Occupant Re-
straint Controller (ORC). Like the airbags, the pretension-
ers are single use items. After a collision deploys the
airbags and/or pretensioners, a deployed airbag and/or
pretensioner must be replaced immediately.
Enhanced Seat Belt Use Reminder System
(BeltAlert)
If the driver’s seat belt has not been buckled within
60 seconds of starting the vehicle and if the vehicle speed
is greater than 5 mph (8 km/h), the BeltAlert will alert
the driver to buckle the seat belt. The driver should also
instruct all other occupants to buckle their seat belts.
Once the warning is triggered, the BeltAlert will con-
tinue to chime and flash the Seat Belt Reminder Light for
96 seconds or until the driver’s seat belt is buckled. The
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NOTE:Although BeltAlert has been deactivated, the
Seat Belt Reminder Light will continue to illuminate as
long as the driver’s seat belt is unbuckled.
Seat Belts and Pregnant Women
We recommend that pregnant women use the seat belts
throughout their pregnancy. Keeping the mother safe is
the best way to keep the baby safe.
Pregnant women should wear the lap part of the belt
across the thighs and as snug across the hips as possible.
Keep the belt low so that it does not come across the
abdomen. That way the strong bones of the hips will take
the force if there is a collision.
Seat Belt Extender
If a seat belt is too short even when fully extended and
when the adjustable upper shoulder belt anchorage (if so
equipped) is in its lowest position, your authorized
dealer can provide you with a seat belt extender. This extender should be used only if the existing belt is not
long enough. When it is not required, remove the ex-
tender and store it.
WARNING!
Using a seat belt extender when not needed can
increase the risk of injury in a collision. Only use
when the seat belt is not long enough when it is worn
low and snug and in the recommended seating posi-
tions. Remove and store the extender when not
needed.
Supplemental Restraint System (SRS) - Airbags
This vehicle has airbags for both the driver and front
passenger as a supplement to the seat belt restraint
systems. The driver’s front airbag is mounted in the
center of the steering wheel. The passenger’s front airbag
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is mounted in the instrument panel, above the glove
compartment. The words SRS AIRBAG are embossed on
the airbag covers.NOTE:
These airbags are certified to the new Federal
regulations for Advanced Airbags.
The Advanced Front Airbags have a multistage inflator
design. This allows the airbag to have different rates of
inflation based on the severity and type of collision.
This vehicle may also be equipped with Supplemental
Side Airbag Inflatable Curtains (SABIC) to protect the
driver, front, and rear passengers sitting next to a win-
dow. If the vehicle is equipped with SABIC airbags, they
are located above the side windows and their covers are
also labeled: SRS AIRBAG.
NOTE: Airbag covers may not be obvious in the interior
trim; but they will open during airbag deployment.
Airbag System Components
The airbag system consists of the following:
•Occupant Restraint Controller (ORC)
Front Airbag Components
1 — Airbags
2 — Knee Bolsters
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•Airbag Warning Light
•Driver Front Airbag
•Front Passenger Airbag
•Front and Side Impact Sensors
•Steering Wheel and Column
•Instrument Panel
•Knee Impact Bolster
•Front Seat Belt Pretensioners — if equipped
•Supplemental Side Airbag Inflatable Curtains (SABIC) —
if equipped
Advanced Front Airbag Features
The Advanced Front Airbag system has multistage driver
and front passenger airbags. This system provides output
appropriate to the severity and type of collision asdetermined by the Occupant Restraint Controller (ORC),
which may receive information from the impact sensors
at the front of the car.
The first stage inflator is triggered immediately during an
impact that requires airbag deployment. The timing of
the second stage determines whether the output force is
low, medium, or high. If a low output is sufficient to meet
the need, the remaining gas in the inflator is expended.
WARNING!
•No objects should be placed over or near the
airbag on the instrument panel, because any such
objects could cause harm if the vehicle is in a crash
severe enough to cause the airbag to inflate.
(Continued)
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WARNING! (Continued)
•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 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. Eachairbag features inflated chambers placed adjacent to the
head of each outboard occupant that reduce the potential
for side-impact head injuries. The curtains deploy down-
ward, covering both windows on the impact side.
Supplemental Side Airbag Inflatable Curtains (SABIC)
50 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE