335
Safety features of your vehicle
C040900AEN-EU
How does the air bag system
operate
Air bags are activated (able to inflate ifnecessary) only when the ignition
switch is turned to the ON or START
position.
Air bags inflate instantly in the event of serious frontal or side collision (if
equipped with side air bag or curtain
air bag) in order to help protect the
occupants from serious physical injury.
There is no single speed at which the air bags will inflate.
Generally, air bags are designed to
inflate by the severity of a collision and
its direction. These two factors deter-
mine whether the sensors produce an
electronic deployment/inflation signal.
Air bag deployment depends on a number of factors including vehicle
speed, angles of impact and the densi-
ty and stiffness of the vehicles or
objects which your vehicle hits in the
collision. The determining factors are
not limited to those mentioned above.
The front air bags will completely inflate and deflate in an instant. It is virtually impossible for you to see
the air bags inflate during an accident.
It is much more likely that you will sim-
ply see the deflated air bags hanging
out of their storage compartments after
the collision.
In order to help provide protection in a severe collision, the air bags must
inflate rapidly. The speed of air bag
inflation is a consequence of the
extremely short time in which a collision
occurs and the need to inflate the air
bag between the occupant and the
vehicle structures before the occupant
impacts those structures. This speed of
inflation reduces the risk of serious or
life-threatening injuries in a severe col-
lision and is thus a necessary part of air
bag design.
However, air bag inflation can also
cause injuries which can include facial
abrasions, bruises and broken bones,
because the inflation speed also caus-
es the air bags to expand with a great
deal of force.
There are even circumstances under which contact with the steer-
ing wheel air bag can cause fatal
injuries, especially if the occupant
is positioned excessively close to
the steering wheel.
WARNING
To avoid severe personal injuryor death caused by deploying air
bags in a collision, the driver
should sit as far back from the
steering wheel air bag as possi-
ble (at least 10 inches (250 mm)
away). The front passenger
should always move their seat as
far back as possible and sit back
in their seat.
Air bag inflates instantly in the event of collision, passengers
may be injured by the air bag
expansion force if they are not in
proper position.
Air bag inflation may cause injuries including facial or bodily
abrasions, injuries from broken
glasses or burns.
543
Driving your vehicle
E140406AFD-EU
Driving on grades
Reduce speed and shift to a lower gear
before you start down a long or steep
downgrade. If you don’t shift down, you
might have to use your brakes so much
that they would get hot and no longer
operate efficiently.
On a long uphill grade, shift down and
reduce your speed to around 45 mph (70
km/h) to reduce the possibility of engine
and transaxle overheating.
If your trailer weighs more than the max-
imum trailer weight without trailer brakes
and you have an automatic transaxle,
you should drive in D (Drive) when tow-
ing a trailer.
Operating your vehicle in D (Drive) when
towing a trailer will minimize heat build up
and extend the life of your transaxle.
✽ ✽NOTICE- For gasoline engine
(2.0l) with Automatic Transaxle
If you tow a trailer on steep grades(in
excess of 12%) at a speed over 18.7 mph
(30 km/h) with the maximum gross vehi-
cle weight and the maximum trailer
weight, it can cause the engine or
transaxle to overheat. When driving in
such conditions, allow the engine to idle
until it cools down. You may proceed
once when the engine or transaxle has
cooled sufficiently.
E140407ATD
Parking on hills
Generally, if you have a trailer attached to
your vehicle, you should not park your
vehicle on a hill. People can be seriously
or fatally injured, and both your vehicle
and the trailer can be damaged if unex-
pectedly roll down hill.
However, if you ever have to park your
trailer on a hill, here's how to do it:
1. Pull the vehicle into the parking space.
Turn the steering wheel in the direction
of the curb (right if headed down hill,
left if headed up hill).
2. If the vehicle has a manual transaxle, place the car in neutral. If the vehicle
has an automatic transaxle, place the
car in P (Park).
3. Set the parking brake and shut off the vehicle.
4. Place chocks under the trailer wheels on the down hill side of the wheels.
CAUTION
When towing a trailer on steep grades (in excess of 6%) payclose attention to the enginecoolant temperature gauge toensure the engine does not over-heat.
(Continued)
(Continued)If the needle of the coolant tem-perature gauge moves across thedial towards “H” (HOT), pull overand stop as soon as it is safe todo so, and allow the engine to idleuntil it cools down. You may pro- ceed once the engine has cooledsufficiently.
You must decide driving speed depending on trailer weight anduphill grade to reduce the possi- bility of engine and transaxleoverheating.
WARNING- Parking on a hill
Parking your vehicle on a hill with a
trailer attached could cause seri-
ous injury or death, should the trail-
er break lose.
