WARNING!
Relying on the air bags alonecould lead to more severe injuries
in a collision. The air bags work
with your seat belt to restrain you
properly. In some collisions, the
air bags won't deploy at all. Al-
ways wear your seat belts even
though you have air bags.
Being too close to the steering
wheel or instrument panel during
Advanced Front Air Bag deploy-
ment could cause serious injury,
including death. Air Bags need
room to inflate. Sit back, comfort-
ably extending your arms to reach
the steering wheel or instrument
panel.
Side air bags also need room to
inflate. Do not lean against the
door or window. Sit upright in the
center of the seat. AIR BAG DEPLOYMENT
SENSORS AND CONTROLS
Occupant Restraint Controller
(ORC)
The
ORC is part of a regulated safety
system required for this vehicle.
The ORC determines if deployment of
the front and/or side air bags in a
frontal or side collision is required.
Based on the impact sensor's signals,
a central electronic ORC deploys the
Advanced Front Air Bags, SABIC air
bags, Supplemental Seat-Mounted
Side Air Bags, and front seat belt pre-
tensioners, as required, depending on
the severity and type of impact.
Advanced Front Air Bags are designed
to provide additional protection by
supplementing the seat belts in cer-
tain frontal collisions depending on
the severity and type of collision. Ad-
vanced Front Air Bags are not ex-
pected to reduce the risk of injury in
rear, side, or rollover collisions.
The Advanced Front Air Bags will not
deploy in all frontal collisions, includ-
ing some that may produce substan-
tial vehicle damage — for example, some pole collisions, truck under-
rides, and angle offset collisions. On
the other hand, depending on the type
and location of impact, Advanced
Front Air Bags may deploy in crashes
with little vehicle front-end damage
but that produce a severe initial decel-
eration.
The side air bags will not deploy in all
side collisions. Side air bag deploy-
ment will depend on the severity and
type of collision.
Because air bag sensors measure ve-
hicle deceleration over time, vehicle
speed and damage by themselves are
not good indicators of whether or not
an air bag should have deployed.
Seat belts are necessary for your pro-
tection in all collisions, and also are
needed to help keep you in position,
away from an inflating air bag.
The ORC monitors the readiness of
the electronic parts of the air bag sys-
tem whenever the ignition switch is in
the START or ON/RUN position. If
the key is in the OFF position, in the
ACC position, or not in the ignition,
48
If you do have a collision which de-
ploys the air bags, any or all of the
following may occur:
The nylon air bag material maysometimes cause abrasions and/or
skin reddening to the driver and
front passenger as the air bags de-
ploy and unfold. The abrasions are
similar to friction rope burns or
those you might get sliding along a
carpet or gymnasium floor. They
are not caused by contact with
chemicals. They are not permanent
and normally heal quickly. How-
ever, if you haven't healed signifi-
cantly within a few days, or if you
have any blistering, see your doctor
immediately.
As the air bags deflate, you may see some smoke-like particles. The
particles are a normal by-product
of the process that generates the
non-toxic gas used for air bag infla-
tion. These airborne particles may
irritate the skin, eyes, nose, or
throat. If you have skin or eye irri-
tation, rinse the area with cool wa-
ter. For nose or throat irritation,
move to fresh air. If the irritation continues, see your doctor. If these
particles settle on your clothing,
follow the garment manufacturer's
instructions for cleaning.
Do not drive your vehicle after the air
bags have deployed. If you are in-
volved in another collision, the air
bags will not be in place to protect
you.
WARNING!
Deployed air bags and seat belt pre-
tensioners cannot protect you in an-
other collision. Have the air bags,
seat belt pretensioners, and the
driver and front seat belt retractor
assemblies replaced by an autho-
rized dealer immediately. Also, have
the Occupant Restraint Controller
(ORC) system serviced as well. Maintaining Your Air Bag System
WARNING!
Modifications to any part of the
air bag system could cause it to
fail when you need it. You could
be injured if the air bag system is
not there to protect you. Do not
modify the components or wiring,
including adding any kind of
badges or stickers to the steering
wheel hub trim cover or the upper
right side of the instrument panel.
Do not modify the front bumper,
vehicle body structure, or add af-
termarket side steps or running
boards.
It is dangerous to try to repair any
part of the air bag system your-
self. Be sure to tell anyone who
works on your vehicle that it has
an air bag system.
(Continued)
51
WARNING!(Continued)
Do not attempt to modify any part
of your air bag system. The air
bag may inflate accidentally or
may not function properly if
modifications are made. Take
your vehicle to an authorized
dealer for any air bag system ser-
vice. If your seat including your
trim cover and cushion needs to
be serviced in any way (including
removal or loosening/tightening
of seat attachment bolts), take the
vehicle to your authorized dealer.
Only manufacturer approved seat
accessories may be used. If it is
necessary to modify the air bag
system for persons with disabili-
ties, contact your authorized
dealer.
Air Bag Warning Light You will want to have the
air bags ready to inflate for
your protection in a colli-
sion. The Air Bag Warning
Light monitors the internal circuits
and interconnecting wiring associated
with air bag system electrical compo- nents. While the air bag system is
designed to be maintenance free, if
any of the following occurs, have an
authorized dealer service the air bag
system immediately.
The Air Bag Warning Light does
not come on during the four to eight
seconds when the ignition switch is
first turned to the ON/RUN posi-
tion.
The Air Bag Warning Light remains on after the four to eight-second
interval.
The Air Bag Warning Light comes on intermittently or remains on
while driving.
NOTE:
If the speedometer, tachometer, or
any engine related gauges are not
working, the Occupant Restraint
Controller (ORC) may also be dis-
abled. The air bags may not be
ready to inflate for your protec-
tion. Promptly check the fuse
block for blown fuses. Refer to the
label located on the inside of the
fuse block cover for the proper air bag fuses. See your authorized
dealer if the fuse is good.
EVENT DATA RECORDER
(EDR)
This vehicle is equipped with an event
data recorder (EDR). The main pur-
pose of an EDR is to record, in certain
crash or near crash-like situations,
such as an air bag deployment or hit-
ting a road obstacle, data that will
assist in understanding how a vehi-
cle’s systems performed. The EDR is
designed to record data related to ve-
hicle dynamics and safety systems for
a short period of time, typically
30 seconds or less. The EDR in this
vehicle is designed to record such data
as:
How various systems in your ve-
hicle were operating;
Whether or not the driver and pas- senger safety belts were buckled/
fastened;
How far (if at all) the driver was depressing the accelerator and/or
brake pedal; and,
How fast the vehicle was traveling.52
If the ABS light is on, the brake sys-
tem should be serviced as soon as
possible to restore the benefits of
Anti-Lock brakes. If the ABS light
does not turn on when the ignition
switch is turned to the ON/RUN posi-
tion, have the light inspected by an
authorized dealer.
8. Tire Pressure Monitoring
Telltale Light (for versions/
markets, where provided)Each tire, including the
spare (if provided), should
be checked monthly when
cold and inflated to the in-
flation pressure recommended by the
vehicle manufacturer on the vehicle
placard or tire inflation pressure la-
bel. (If your vehicle has tires of a
different size than the size indicated
on the vehicle placard or tire inflation
pressure label, you should determine
the proper tire inflation pressure for
those tires.) As an added safety feature, your ve-
hicle has been equipped with a Tire
Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS)
that illuminates a low tire pressure
telltale when one or more of your tires
is significantly under-inflated. Ac-
cordingly, when the low tire pressure
telltale illuminates, you should stop
and check your tires as soon as pos-
sible, and inflate them to the proper
pressure. Driving on a significantly
under-inflated tire causes the tire to
overheat and can lead to tire failure.
Under-inflation also reduces fuel effi-
ciency and tire tread life, and may
affect the vehicle’s handling and stop-
ping ability.
Please note that the TPMS is not a
substitute for proper tire mainte-
nance, and it is the driver’s responsi-
bility to maintain correct tire pres-
sure, even if under-inflation has not
reached the level to trigger illumina-
tion of the TPMS low tire pressure
telltale.Your vehicle has also been equipped
with a TPMS malfunction indicator to
indicate when the system is not oper-
ating properly. The TPMS malfunc-
tion indicator is combined with the
low tire pressure telltale. When the
system detects a malfunction, the tell-
tale will flash for approximately one
minute and then remain continuously
illuminated. This sequence will con-
tinue upon subsequent vehicle start-
ups as long as the malfunction exists.
When the malfunction indicator is il-
luminated, the system may not be
able to detect or signal low tire pres-
sure as intended. TPMS malfunctions
may occur for a variety of reasons,
including the installation of replace-
ment or alternate tires or wheels on
the vehicle that prevent the TPMS
from functioning properly. Always
check the TPMS malfunction telltale
after replacing one or more tires or
wheels on your vehicle, to ensure that
the replacement or alternate tires and
wheels allow the TPMS to continue to
function properly.
165
NOTE:
The torque converter clutch will
not engage until the transmission
fluid and engine coolant are warm
[usually after 1.6 to 4.8 km of driv-
ing]. Because the engine speed is
higher when the torque converter
clutch is not engaged, it may seem
as if the transmission is not shift-
ing into Overdrive when cold. This
is normal. Using the Electronic
Range Select (ERS) feature, when
the transmission is sufficiently
warm, will demonstrate that the
transmission is able to shift into
and out of Overdrive.
DRIVING ON SLIPPERY
SURFACES
ACCELERATION
Rapid acceleration on snow covered,
wet, or other slippery surfaces may
cause the driving wheels to pull errati-
cally to the right or left. This phenom-
enon occurs when there is a difference
in the surface traction under the front
(driving) wheels.
WARNING!
Rapid acceleration on slippery sur-
faces is dangerous. Unequal traction
can cause sudden pulling of the front
wheels. You could lose control of the
vehicle and possibly have a collision.
Accelerate slowly and carefully
whenever there is likely to be poor
traction (ice, snow, wet mud, loose
sand, etc.).
TRACTION
When driving on wet or slushy roads,
it is possible for a layer of water to
build up between the tire and road
surface. This is known as hydroplan-
ing and may cause partial or complete
loss of vehicle control and stopping
ability. To reduce this possibility, the
following precautions should be ob-
served:
1. Slow down during rainstorms or
when roads are slushy.
2. Slow down if the road has standing
water or puddles.
3. Replace the tires when tread wear
indicators first become visible.
4. Keep the tires properly inflated. 5. Maintain sufficient distance be-
tween your vehicle and the vehicle in
front of you to avoid a collision in a
sudden stop.
DRIVING THROUGH
WATER
Driving through water more than a
few centimeters deep will require ex-
tra caution to ensure safety and pre-
vent damage to your vehicle.
FLOWING/RISING WATER
WARNING!
Do not drive on or across a road or
path where water is flowing and/or
rising (as in storm run-off). Flowing
water can wear away the road or
path's surface and cause your
ve-
hicle to sink into deeper water. Fur-
thermore, flowing and/or rising wa-
ter can carry your vehicle away
swiftly. Failure to follow this warn-
ing may result in injuries that are
serious or fatal to you, your passen-
gers, and others around you.
236
ANTI-LOCK BRAKE
SYSTEM (ABS)
The Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS)
provides increased vehicle stability
and brake performance under most
braking conditions. The system oper-
ates with a separate computer to
modulate hydraulic pressure to pre-
vent wheel lock-up and help avoid
skidding on slippery surfaces.
ABS is activated during braking un-
der certain road or stopping condi-
tions. ABS-inducing conditions can
include ice, snow, gravel, bumps, rail-
road tracks, loose debris, or panic
stops.
You may experience the following
when the brake system goes into anti-
lock:
The ABS motor running (it maycontinue to run for a short time
after the stop)
A clicking sound of solenoid valves
Brake pedal pulsations
A slight drop or fall away of the brake pedal at the end of the stop
WARNING!
The Anti-Lock Brake System con-tains sophisticated electronic
equipment that may be suscep-
tible to interference caused by im-
properly installed, or high output
radio transmitting equipment.
This interference can cause pos-
sible loss of anti-lock braking ca-
pability. Installation of such
equipment should be performed
by qualified professionals.
Pumping of the Anti-Lock Brakes
will diminish their effectiveness
and may lead to a collision.
Pumping makes the stopping dis-
tance longer. Just press firmly on
your brake pedal when you need
to slow down or stop.
The Anti-Lock Brake System can-
not prevent collisions, including
those resulting from excessive
speed in turns, following another
vehicle too closely, or hydroplan-
ing.
(Continued)
WARNING!(Continued)
The capabilities of an ABS-
equipped vehicle must never be
exploited in a reckless or danger-
ous manner, which could jeopar-
dize the user’s safety or the safety
of others.
All vehicle wheels and tires must be
the same size and type, and tires must
be properly inflated to produce accu-
rate signals for the computer.
ANTI-LOCK BRAKE
WARNING LIGHT The “Anti-Lock Brake
Warning Light” monitors
the anti-lock brake system.
The light will come on when
the ignition switch is turned to the ON
position and may stay on for as long
as four seconds.
If the “Anti-Lock Brake Warning
Light” remains on or comes on while
driving, it indicates that the anti-lock
portion of the brake system is not
functioning and that service is re-
quired. However, the conventional
240
ESC Activation/Malfunction
Indicator Light And ESC OFF
Indicator LightThe “ESC Activation/
Malfunction Indicator
Light” in the instrument
cluster will come on when
the ignition switch is turned to the ON
position. It should turn off with the
engine running. If the “ESC
Activation/Malfunction Indicator
Light” comes on continuously with
the engine running, a malfunction has
been detected in the ESC system. If
this light remains on after several ig-
nition cycles, and the vehicle has been
driven several kilometers at speeds
greater than 48 km/h, see your autho-
rized dealer as soon as possible to
have the problem diagnosed and cor-
rected.
The “ESC Activation/Malfunction In-
dicator Light” (located in the instru-
ment cluster) starts to flash as soon as
the tires lose traction and the ESC
system becomes active. The “ESC
Activation/Malfunction Indicator
Light” also flashes when TCS is ac-
tive. If the “ESC Activation/ Malfunction Indicator Light” begins
to flash during acceleration, ease up
on the accelerator and apply as little
throttle as possible. Be sure to adapt
your speed and driving to the prevail-
ing road conditions.
NOTE:
The “ESC Activation/
Malfunction Indicator Light”
and the “ESC OFF Indicator
Light” come on momentarily
each time the ignition switch is
turned ON.
Each time the ignition is turned ON, the ESC system will be ON
even if it was turned off previ-
ously.
The ESC system will make buzz- ing or clicking sounds when it is
active. This is normal; the
sounds will stop when ESC be-
comes inactive following the
maneuver that caused the ESC
activation.
The “ESC OFF Indicator
Light” indicates the Elec-
tronic Stability Control
(ESC) is off. TIRES — GENERAL
INFORMATION
TIRE PRESSURE
Proper tire inflation pressure is essen-
tial to the safe and satisfactory opera-
tion of your vehicle. Three primary
areas are affected by improper tire
pressure.
Safety
WARNING!
Improperly inflated tires are dan-
gerous and can cause collisions.
Under-inflation increases tire
flexing and can result in over-
heating and tire failure.
Over-inflation reduces a tir e's
ability to cushion shock. Objects
on the road and chuckholes can
cause damage that result in tire
failure.
Over -inflated or under-inflated
tires can affect vehicle handling
and can fail suddenly, resulting in
loss of vehicle control.
(Continued)
244
NOTE:
If either front tire is flat it may be
necessary to jack up the vehicle to
remove the compact spare tire/
cover assembly from under the ve-
hicle.
4. Stand the tire/cover assembly up-
right and remove the wheel spacer by
squeezing the winch retaining tabs to-
gether. Push the retainer through the
spare tire to release it from the wheel.
PREPARATIONS FOR
JACKING
1. Park the vehicle on a firm, level
surface. Avoid ice or slippery areas.
WARNING!
Do not attempt to change a tire on
the side of the vehicle close to mov-
ing traffic, pull far enough off the
road to avoid being hit when operat-
ing the jack or changing the wheel.
2. Turn on the Hazard Warning
flasher.
3. Set the parking brake.
4. Place the shift lever into PARK.
5. Turn OFF the ignition. 6. Block both the
front and rear of
the wheel diago-
nally opposite the
jacking position.
For example, if
changing the right
front tire, block the left rear wheel.
NOTE:
Passengers should not remain in
the vehicle when the vehicle is be-
ing jacked. JACKING INSTRUCTIONS
WARNING!
Carefully follow these tire changing
warnings to help prevent personal
injury or damage to your vehicle:
Always park on a firm, level sur-
face as far from the edge of the
roadway as possible before raising
the vehicle.
Turn on the Hazard Warning
flasher.
Block the wheel diagonally oppo-
site the wheel to be raised.
Set the parking brake firmly and
set an automatic transmission in
PARK; a manual transmission in
REVERSE.
Never start or run the engine with
the vehicle on a jack.
Do not let anyone sit in the vehicle
when it is on a jack.
Do not get under the vehicle when
it is on a jack.
Only use the jack in the positions
indicated and for lifting this ve-
hicle during a tire change.
(Continued)
Removing Wheel Spacer
272