2010 DODGE NITRO sensor

For all other occupants, the PAD indicator light will be
illuminated indicating that the passenger Advanced
Front Airbag is turned off and will not inflate.
NOTE:Even though this vehicle is equipped with an
occupant classification system, children 12 years and
younger should always ride buckled up in a rear seat in
an appropriate child restraint (refer to “Child Re-
straints”).
WARNING!
Never place a rear facing infant seat in front of an
airbag. A deploying passenger Advanced Front Air-
bag can cause death or serious injury to a child in a
rear-facing infant seat.
Passenger Airbag Disable (PAD) System
Front Passenger Indicator Light Airbag Status Adult OFFON
Child ONOFF
Grocery Bags,
Heavy Briefcases and Other Rela-
tively Light Ob- jects ON
OFF
Empty or Very Light Objects OFF*
OFF
* Since the system senses weight, some small objects will turn the PAD Indicator Light on.
Drivers and adult passengers should verify that the PAD
Indicator Light is not illuminated when an adult is riding
in the front passenger seat. If an adult occupant’s weight
is transferred to another part of the vehicle (like the door
or instrument panel), the weight sensors in the seat may
66 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

not properly classify the occupant. Objects lodged under
the seat or between the seat and the center console can
prevent the occupant’s weight from being measured
properly and may result in the occupant being improp-
erly classified. Ensure that the front passenger seatback
does not touch anything placed on the second row of
seats because this can also affect occupant classification.
Also, if you fold down the seats in the second row check
to be sure they don’t touch the front passenger seat.
If the front passenger seat is damaged in any way, it
should only be serviced by an authorized dealer. If the
seat is removed (or even if the seat attachment bolts are
loosened or tightened in any way), take the vehicle to an
authorized dealer.If there is a fault present in the airbag system, the Airbag
Warning Light (a red light located in the center of the
instrument cluster directly in front of the driver) will be
turned on. This indicates that you should have an autho-
rized dealer service the system immediately. The Airbag
Warning Light is turned on whenever there is a fault that
can affect the operation of the airbag system. If there is a
fault present in the PAD Indicator Light, the Airbag
Warning Light will be illuminated to show that the
passenger Advanced Front Airbag may be turned off
until the fault is cleared. If the Airbag Warning Light is
illuminated, have an authorized dealer service the airbag
system immediately. If an object is lodged under the seat
and interferes with operation of the weight sensors, a
fault will occur which turns on both the PAD Indicator
Light and the Airbag Warning Light. Once the lodged
object is removed, the fault will be automatically cleared
after a short period of time.
2
THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 67

Driver and Passenger Advanced Front Airbag
Inflator Units
TheDriver and Passenger Advanced Front Airbag In-
flator 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 Advanced Front
Airbags, it signals the inflator units. A large quantity of
non-toxic gas is generated to inflate the Advanced Front
Airbags. Different airbag inflation rates are possible
based on collision severity and type. The steering wheel
hub trim cover and the upper right side of the instrument
panel separate and fold out of the way as the airbags
inflate to their full size. The airbags fully inflate in about
50 to 70 milliseconds. This is about half of the time it
takes to blink your eyes. The airbags then quickly deflate
while helping to restrain the driver and front passenger. The Advanced 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.
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.
Supplemental Side Airbag Inflatable Curtains
(SABIC)
The
Supplemental Side Airbag Inflatable Curtains
(SABIC) may deploy during rollovers and collisions
where the impact is confined to a particular area of the
side of the vehicle, depending on the severity and type of
collision. In these events, the ORC will deploy the SABIC
only on the impact side of the vehicle. Because airbag
sensors estimate deceleration over time, vehicle speed
and damage by themselves are not good indicators of
whether or not an airbag should have deployed.
68 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR 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
milliseconds (about one quarter of the time 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 where the side curtain airbag
inflates. This especially applies to children. The side
curtain airbag is only about 3
12inches (9 cm) thick when
it is inflated.
The system includes side impact sensors adjacent to both
front and rear seat occupants that are calibrated to deploy
the SABIC airbags during impacts that require airbag
occupant protection.
WARNING!
If your vehicle is equipped with left and right
Supplemental Side Airbag Inflatable Curtains
(SABIC), do not stack luggage or other cargo up high
enough to block the location of the SABIC. The area
where the SABIC is located should remain free from
any obstructions.
The front passenger seat assembly contains critical com-
ponents that affect the front passenger airbag deploy-
ment. Correctly functioning front passenger seat compo-
nents are critical for the Occupant Classification System
(OCS) to properly classify the front passenger and calcu-
late the proper airbag deployment. Do not make any
modifications to the front passenger seat components,
assembly, or to the seat cover.
2
THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 69

Airbag Warning Light
You will want to have the airbag system ready to inflate
for your protection in an impact. The airbag warning
light monitors the internal circuits and interconnecting
wiring associated with airbag system electrical compo-
nents. The airbag system is designed to be maintenance
free. If any of the following occurs, have an authorized
dealer service the system promptly:
•Does not come on during the four to eight seconds
after the ignition switch is first turned ON.
•Remains on after the four to eight second interval.
•Comes on for any period of time while driving.
Event Data Recorder (EDR)
In the event of a collision, your vehicle is designed to
record up to five seconds of specific vehicle data param-
eters (see list below) in an event data recorder prior to the
moment of airbag deployment, or near deployment (ifapplicable), and up to a quarter second of either high-
speed deceleration data or change in velocity during
and/or after airbag deployment or near-deployment.
EDR data is ONLY recorded if an airbag deploys, or
nearly deploys, and is otherwise unavailable.
NOTE:
1. A near-deployment event occurs when the airbag
sensor detects severe vehicle deceleration usually indica-
tive of a crash, but not severe enough to warrant airbag
deployment.
2. Under certain circumstances, EDR data may not be
recorded (e.g., loss of battery power).
In conjunction with other data gathered during a com-
plete accident investigation, the electronic data may be
used by Chrysler Group LLC and others to learn more
about the possible causes of crashes and associated
injuries in order to assess and improve vehicle perfor-
mance. In addition to crash investigations initiated by
74 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

System Usage Precautions
NOTE:
•Ensure that the rear bumper is free of snow, ice, mud,
dirt and debris to keep ParkSenseoperating properly.
•Jackhammers, large trucks, and other vibrations could
affect the performance of ParkSense.
•When you turn ParkSenseoff, the instrument cluster
will display “PARK ASSIST DISABLED.” Further-
more, once you turn ParkSense off, it remains off
until you turn it on again, even if you cycle the ignition
key.
•When you move the shift lever to the REVERSE
position and ParkSense is turned off, a single chime
will sound once per ignition cycle and the instrument
cluster will display “PARK ASSIST DISABLED.”
•ParkSense, when on, will MUTE the radio when it is
sounding a tone.
•If a ParkSense system malfunction occurs, a single
chime will sound once per ignition cycle. In addition,
the Electronic Vehicle Information Center (EVIC) will
display “SERVICE PARK ASSIST SYSTEM” and the
LED in the ParkSense Rear Park Assist switch will
illuminate. If this occurs after making sure the rear
bumper is free of snow, ice, mud, dirt and debris, see
your authorized dealer for service.
CAUTION!
•ParkSense is only a parking aid and it is unable
to recognize every obstacle, including small ob-
stacles. Parking curbs might be temporarily de-
tected or not detected at all. Obstacles located
above or below the sensors will not be detected
when they are in close proximity.
(Continued)
160 UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE

CAUTION! (Continued)
•The vehicle must be driven slowly when using
ParkSenseto be able to stop in time when the
obstacle is detected. It is recommended that the
driver looks over his/her shoulder when using
ParkSense.
•Clean the ParkSense sensors with water, car wash
soap, and a soft cloth. Do not use rough or hard
cloths. Do not scratch or poke the sensors. Other-
wise, you could damage the sensors.
WARNING!
•Drivers must be careful when backing up even
when using the ParkSense Rear Park Assist Sys-
tem. Always check carefully behind your vehicle,
look behind you, and be sure to check for pedes-
trians, animals, other vehicles, obstructions, and
blind spots before backing up. You are responsible
for safety and must continue to pay attention to
your surroundings. Failure to do so can result in
serious injury or death.
(Continued)
3
UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE 161

WARNING! (Continued)
•Before using the ParkSenseRear Park Assist
System, it is strongly recommended that the ball
mount and hitch ball assembly is disconnected
from the vehicle when the vehicle is not used for
towing. Failure to do so can result in injury or
damage to vehicles or obstacles because the hitch
ball will be much closer to the obstacle than the
rear fascia when the warning display turns the red
LEDs ON. Also, the sensors could detect the ball
mount and hitch ball assembly, depending on its
size and shape, giving a false indication that an
obstacle is behind the vehicle.
Enabling and Disabling ParkSense
There are times when you may want to disable Park-
Sense, such as when towing a trailer.
Vehicles Equipped With the Electronic Vehicle
Information Center (EVIC)
You can turn ParkSense on or off through the EVIC.
Refer to “Electronic Vehicle Information Center (EVIC)/
Personal Settings (Customer-Programmable Features)” in
“Understanding Your Instrument Panel” for further
information.
Vehicles Equipped with ParkSense Rear Park
Assist Switch
You can turn ParkSense on or off by pressing
the ParkSense Rear Park Assist switch located
on the lower switch bank below the climate
controls.
162 UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE