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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 all seating
positions
• Advanced Front Airbags for driver and front
passenger
• An energy-absorbing steering column and steering
wheel
• Knee bolsters/blockers for front seat occupants
• Seat belts incorporate pretensioners to enhance occu-
pant protection by managing occupant energy during
an impact event — if equipped
• Passenger side seatbelt incorporates an Automatic
Locking Retractor (ALR), which locks the seat belt
webbing into position by extending the belt all the way out and then adjusting the belt to the desired length to
restrain a child seat or secure a large item in a seat —
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).
NOTE: The Advanced Front Airbags have a multistage
inflator design. This allows the airbag to have different
rates of inflation based on several factors, including the
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.
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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 an 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 an 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
Each seat belt is a combined lap/shoulder belt system.
The belt webbing retractor will lock only during very
sudden stops or impacts. This feature allows the shoulder
portion of the belt to move freely with you under normal
conditions. However, in an collision, the belt will lock
and reduce your risk of striking the inside of the vehicle
or being thrown out of the vehicle.
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Automatic Locking Retractor Mode (ALR) — If
Equipped
In this mode, the shoulder belt is automatically pre-
locked. The belt will still retract to remove any slack in
the shoulder belt. The Automatic Locking Mode is avail-
able on all passenger-seating positions with a combina-
tion lap/shoulder belt. Use the Automatic Locking Mode
anytime a child safety seat is installed in a seating
position that has a belt with this feature. Children 12
years old and under should always be properly re-
strained in the rear seat.
How To Engage The Automatic Locking Mode
1. Buckle the combination lap and shoulder belt.
2. Grasp the shoulder portion and pull downward untilthe entire belt is extracted. 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
Unbuckle the combination lap/shoulder belt and allow it
to retract completely to disengage the Automatic Locking
Mode and activate the vehicle sensitive (emergency)
locking mode.
WARNING!
•The belt and retractor assembly must be replaced if
the seat belt assembly Automatic Locking Retractor
(ALR) feature or any other seat belt function is not
working properly when checked according to the
procedures in the Service Manual.
• Failure to replace the belt and retractor assembly
could increase the risk of injury in collisions.
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proper airbag deployment. Do not make any modifica-
tions to the passenger seat components, assembly, or to
the seat cover. If the seat, trim cover, or cushion needs
service for any reason, take the vehicle to your autho-
rized dealer. Only manufacturer approved seat accesso-
ries may be used.
Enhanced Accident Response System
In the event of an impact causing airbag deployment, if
the communication network remains intact, and the
power remains intact, depending on the nature of the
event the ORC will determine whether to have the
Enhanced Accident Response System perform the follow-
ing functions:
•Cut off fuel to the engine.
• Flash hazard lights as long as the battery has power or
until the ignition is cycled to OFF. •
Turn on the interior lights, which remain on as long as
the battery has power or until the ignition is cycled to
OFF.
• Unlock the doors automatically.
If A Deployment Occurs
The front airbags are designed to deflate immediately
after deployment.
NOTE: Front airbags will not deploy in all collisions.
This does not mean something is wrong with the airbag
system.
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Airbag Warning Light
You will want to have the airbags ready to
inflate for your protection in a collision. The
Airbag Warning Light monitors the internal
circuits and interconnecting wiring associated
with airbag system electrical components. While the
airbag system is designed to be maintenance free, if any
of the following occurs, have an authorized dealer ser-
vice the airbag system immediately.
• The Airbag Warning Light does not come on during
the four to eight seconds when the ignition is first
cycled to the ON/RUN position.
• The Airbag Warning Light remains on after the four to
eight-second interval.
• The Airbag 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 disabled. The airbags may
not be ready to inflate for your protection. Promptly
check the fuse block for blown fuses. Refer to the label
located on the inside of the fuse block cover for the
proper airbag fuses. See your authorized dealer if the
fuse is good.
Child Restraints
Everyone in your vehicle needs to be buckled up all the
time, including babies and children. Every state in the
United States and all Canadian provinces require small
children ride in proper restraint systems. This is the law,
and you can be prosecuted for ignoring it.
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5. Attach the tether hook to the anchor loop.
6. Move the seat to its farthest rearward position. Applybody pressure to the seat to be sure the seat adjusters
have latched.
7. Return the seatback to an upright position. 8. Install the child restraint according to the manufactur-
er’s directions.
9. Remove slack from the tether strap according to the child restraint manufacturer’s directions.
WARNING!
An incorrectly anchored tether strap could lead to
increased head motion and possible injury to the
child. Use only the anchor position directly behind the
child seat to secure a child restraint top tether strap.
Installing Child Restraints Using The Vehicle Seat
belt
The passenger seat belt is equipped with an automatic
locking retractor for child restraint system installation. It
is designed to keep the lap portion of the restraint held
tightly to the passenger seat (Refer to “Automatic Lock-
ing Mode”).
Tether Hook
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To restrain the child seat:
1. Pull enough webbing from the retractor to allow thebelt to pass through the child restraint and insert the
latch plate into the buckle until you hear a “click.”
2. Grasp the shoulder portion of the belt and pull all of the webbing out of the retractor.
3. Allow some of the webbing to retract back into the retractor. As the belt retracts, you will hear a clicking
sound indicating that the belt is now in Automatic
Locking Mode.
4. Tighten the lap portion of the belt and allow the excess webbing to retract back to the retractor. If it still does
not make the child restraint secure, then secure the
child restraint with the Child Restraint Tether Anchor.
NOTE:
Once the belt is in Automatic Locking Mode, you
will not be able to pull any more of the webbing out of the retractor. In this mode, you will only be able to retract excess
webbing into the retractor to secure the child restraint.
Transporting Pets
Deploying airbags could harm your pet. An unrestrained
pet will be thrown about and possibly injured, or injure a
passenger during panic braking or in an collision.
Pets should be restrained in pet harnesses or pet carriers
that are secured by seat belts.
BREAK-IN RECOMMENDATIONS
A long break-in period is not required for the drivetrain
(engine, transmission, and rear axle) in your new vehicle.
Following these few simple guidelines is all that is
necessary for a good break-in.
For the first 500 miles (800 km):
•
Keep your vehicle speed below the legal, posted speed
limit and your engine speed below 4,000 RPM.
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Periodic Safety Checks You Should Make Outside
The Vehicle
Tires
Examine tires for excessive tread wear and uneven wear
patterns. Check for stones, nails, glass, or other objects
lodged in the tread. Inspect the tread and sidewall for
cuts and cracks. Check the wheel nuts for tightness.
Check the tires for proper pressure.
Lights
Have someone observe the operation of brake lights and
exterior lights while you work the controls. Check turn
signal and high beam indicator lights on the instrument
panel.
Door Latches
Check for positive closing, latching, and locking.
Fluid Leaks
Check area under vehicle after overnight parking for fuel,
engine coolant, oil, or other fluid leaks. Also, if gasoline
fumes are detected or if fuel, power steering fluid, or
brake fluid leaks are suspected, the cause should be
located and corrected immediately.
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