2012 MITSUBISHI iMiEV airbag

Seat and restraint systems
2-13
2 Seat belts
N00406000471
Seat belts are installed in your vehicle to help reduce the risk of
injury to the driver and passenger in the event of an accident.
Always use the provided seat belts.
Carefully review the following information for proper seat belt
usage.
WA R N I N G
!
To help reduce the risk of injury or death in an acci-
dent, seat belts and child restraint systems must
always be used. Refer to “Child restraint systems”
on page 2-23 for additional information.
Never use one seat belt for more than one person.
Never carry more people in your vehicle than there
are seat belts.
Always adjust the seat belt for a snug fit.
Always place the shoulder belt over your shoulder
and across your chest. Never put it behind you or
under your arm.
Always wear the lap belt as low as possible across
your hips, not around your waist.
Never modify or alter the seat belts in your vehicle.
To reduce the risk to the driver of serious injury or
death during deployment of the driver’s airbag,
always properly wear the seat belt and adjust the
driver’s seat as far back as possible while maintain-
ing a position that still enables you to fully apply the
pedals, easily control the steering wheel, and safely
operate the vehicle.

To reduce the risk to a front seat passenger of seri-
ous injury or death from a deploying airbag, make
sure the passenger always wears the seat belt prop-
erly, remains seated all the way back and upright in
their seat, and moves the seat as far back as possible.
Refer to “Supplemental Restraint System (SRS) -
airbag” on page 2-35 for additional information.
Never hold an infant or child in your arms or on
your lap when riding in this vehicle even when you
are wearing your seat belt. Never place any part of
the seat belt you are wearing around an infant or
child. Failure to follow these simple instructions cre-
ates a risk of serious injury or death to your child in
the event of an accident or sudden stop.
Children 12 years old and under should always ride
in the rear seat and be properly restrained. This
reduces their risk of serious injury or death in an
accident, especially due to a deploying front passen-
ger airbag. Refer to “Child restraint systems” on
page 2-23 for additional information.
Any child who is too small to properly wear a seat
belt must be properly restrained in an appropriate
child restraint system.
Infants MUST be placed in a rear-facing child safety
seat and positioned in the rear seat.
In the event of an accident, all seat belt assemblies,
including retractors and attachment hardware,
should be inspected by a certified i-MiEV dealer to
determine whether replacement is necessary.
WA R N I N G
!
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2-14 Seat and restraint systems
2
Seat belt instructions
N00406200457
All seats are equipped with a seat belt which uses one com-
bined lap-and-shoulder belt with an emergency locking retrac-
tor.
This system is designed to provide both comfort and safety. It
permits full extension and automatic retraction of the belts dur-
ing normal vehicle operation. A sensing device inside the belt
retractor is designed to lock the retractor in the event of a sud-
den change in the vehicle’s motion.NOTE
For instructions on installing a child restraint system using
a seat belt, refer to “Installing a child restraint system
using the seat belt” on page 2-31.1. Occupants should always sit back in their seats with their
backs against the upright seatback. To reduce the risk of
serious injury or death during deployment of the airbag,
adjust the driver’s seat as far back as possible while main-
taining a position that still enables you to fully apply the
pedals, easily control the steering wheel, and safely oper-
ate the vehicle. The front passenger seat should also be
moved as far back as possible. Refer to “Supplemental
Restraint System (SRS) - airbag” on page 2-35. Also refer
to “To adjust the seat forward or backward” on page 2-5.
BK0140800US.book 14 ページ ２０１１年９月２９日　木曜日　午後３時２８分

Seat and restraint systems
2-21
2 Seat belt use during pregnancy
N00406800121
Seat belts work for everyone, including pregnant women. Like
all occupants, pregnant women are more likely to be seriously
injured or killed in an accident if they do not wear seat belts.
Seat belt pre-tensioner and force limiter
systems
N00417700654
The driver’s and front passenger’s seats each have a seat belt
equipped with a pre-tensioner system.Pre-tensioner system The driver and front passenger seat belts are equipped with a
seat belt pre-tensioner system. In moderate-to-severe front or
side collisions, this system operates simultaneously with the
deployment of the front airbags, side airbags or curtain airbags.
The seat belt pre-tensioners are located within the seat belt
retractors (A). When activated, the pre-tensioners quickly draw
back seat belt webbing and increase seat belt performance.
WA R N I N G
!
To reduce the risk of serious injury or death to preg-
nant women and unborn children in an accident,
pregnant women should always wear a seat belt. The
lap portion of the seat belt should be worn snug and
low across the hips and below the rounding. Consult
your doctor if you have any additional questions or
concerns.
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2-22 Seat and restraint systems
2
The seat belt pre-tensioner system includes the following com-
ponents:
The airbag control unit monitors the readiness of the electronic
parts of the system whenever the electric motor switch is in the
“ON” or “START” position. These include all of the items
listed above and all related wiring.
The pre-tensioner seat belt system will operate only when the
electric motor switch is in the “ON” or “START” position.When the seat belt pre-tensioners activate, some smoke is
released and a loud noise will be heard. The smoke is not harm-
ful, but care should be taken not to intentionally inhale it, as it
may cause some temporary irritation to people with respiratory
problems.
The pre-tensioners activate in the event of a moderate-to-
severe front or side impact, even if the seat belt is not being
worn. The seat belt pre-tensioners may not activate in certain
frontal collisions, even though the vehicle may appear to be
severely damaged. Such non-activation does not mean some-
thing is wrong with the seat belt pre-tensioner system, but
rather that the collision forces were not severe enough or not of
the type to activate the system.
SRS warning light
N00408700124
This warning light tells you if there is a problem involving the
SRS airbags and/or the pre-tensioner seat belts. Refer to “SRS
warning light” on page 2-44.
1- SRS warning light
2- Front impact sensors
3- Seat belt pre-tensioners
4- Airbag control unit
WA R N I N G
!
The seat belt pre-tensioner system is designed to
work only once. After the seat belt pre-tensioners
have been activated, they will not work again. They
must promptly be replaced and the entire seat belt
pre-tensioner system inspected by a certified i-MiEV
dealer.
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Seat and restraint systems
2-25
2
WA R N I N G
!
Never hold an infant or child in your arms or on
your lap when riding in this vehicle, even when you
are wearing your seat belt. Never place any part of
the seat belt you are wearing around an infant or
child. Failure to follow these simple instructions cre-
ates a risk of serious injury or death to your child in
the event of an accident or sudden stop.
WA R N I N G
!
Your vehicle is also equipped with a front passenger
airbag.
Never put REAR-FACING CHILD RESTRAINT
SYSTEMS or INFANT RESTRAINT SYSTEMS in
the front passenger seat. This places the infant too
close to the passenger airbag. During deployment of
the airbag, the infant can be seriously injured or
killed. Rear-facing child restraint systems or infant
restraint systems must only be used in the rear seat.
Airbag
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Seat and restraint systems
2-35
2 Supplemental Restraint System (SRS) -
airbag
N00407700693
This vehicle is equipped with a Supplemental Restraint System
(SRS), which includes airbags for the driver and passengers.
The SRS front airbags are designed to supplement the primary
protection of the driver and front passenger seat belt systems
by providing those occupants with protection against head and
chest injuries in certain moderate to severe frontal collisions.
The SRS front airbags, together with sensors at the front of the
vehicle and sensors attached to the front seats, form an
advanced airbag system.
The SRS side airbags and the curtain airbags are also designed
to supplement the seat belts. The SRS side airbags provide the
driver and front passenger with protection against chest, abdo-
men and hip injuries by deploying the bag on the side impacted
in moderate to severe side impact collisions. The SRS curtain
airbags provide the driver and passengers on the front seat and
rear seat with protection against head injuries by deploying a
bag on the side impacted in moderate to severe side impact col-
lisions.The SRS airbags are NOT a substitute for use of the seat belts.
For maximum protection in all types of accidents, seat belts
must ALWAYS be worn by everyone who drives or rides in
this vehicle (with infants and small children in an appropriate
child restraint system in the rear seat, and older children buck-
led in the rear seat). Refer to “Child restraint systems” on page
2-23.
WA R N I N G
!
IT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO ALWAYS WEAR
YOUR SEAT BELT PROPERLY EVEN WITH AN
AIRBAG.
• Seat belts help keep the driver and passengers
properly positioned. This reduces the risk of injury
in all collisions, and reduces the risk of serious
injuries or death when the airbags inflate.
During sudden braking just before a collision, an
unrestrained or improperly restrained driver or
passengers can move forward into direct contact
with, or within close proximity to, the airbag when
it begins to inflate.
The beginning stage of airbag inflation is the most
forceful and can cause serious injuries or death if
the occupant comes in contact with the airbag at
this time.
• Seat belts reduce the risk of injury in rollovers,
rear impact collisions, and in lower-speed frontal
collisions, because the airbags are not designed to
inflate in those situations.
• Seat belts reduce the risk of being thrown from
your vehicle in a collision or rollover.
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2-36 Seat and restraint systems
2
WA R N I N G
!
IT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO BE PROPERLY
SEATED.
• A driver or front passenger sitting too close to the
steering wheel or instrument panel during airbag
deployment can be seriously injured or killed.
• Airbags inflate very quickly and with great force.
If the driver and front passenger are not properly
seated and restrained, the airbag may not provide
the proper protection and can cause serious inju-
ries or death when it inflates.
• To reduce the risk to the driver of serious injury or
death due to a deploying driver’s airbag, always
properly wear your seat belt and adjust the
driver’s seat as far back as possible, maintaining a
position that still allows the driver to have good
control of the steering wheel, brake, accelerator,
and other vehicle controls.
• To reduce the risk to the front passenger of serious
injury or death from a deploying passenger’s
airbag, make sure the passenger always wears the
seat belt properly, remains seated upright and all
the way back in the seat, and positions the seat as
far back as possible.
• Seat all infants and children in the rear seat, prop-
erly restrained in an appropriate child restraint
system.
WA R N I N G
!
Airbags inflate very quickly and with great force.
Do not sit on the edge of the seat or lean your head
or chest close to the steering wheel or the instrument
panel.
Do not put your feet or legs on or against the instru-
ment panel.
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Seat and restraint systems
2-37
2
WA R N I N G
!
Infants and small children should never ride unre-
strained, or lean against the instrument panel. They
should never ride held in your arms or on your lap.
They can be seriously injured or killed in an acci-
dent, especially when the airbags inflate. Infants and
children should be properly seated in the rear seat in
an appropriate child restraint system. Refer to
“Child restraint systems” on page 2-23.
WA R N I N G
!
NEVER put REAR-FACING CHILD RESTRAINT
SYSTEMS or INFANT RESTRAINT SYSTEMS in
the front passenger seat. This places the infant too
close to the passenger airbag. During deployment of
the airbag, the infant can be seriously injured or
killed.
Rear-facing child restraint systems or infant
restraint systems must only be used in the rear seat.
Airbag
BK0140800US.book 37 ページ ２０１１年９月２９日　木曜日　午後３時２８分