shut OFF. An airbag deployment can cause severe
injury or death to an infant in this position. Refer to
“Passenger Airbag Disabled (PAD) Indicator Light”.
3. A child who is not big enough to wear the vehicle seat belt properly should be secured in a child safety seat
or booster seat. (Refer to “Child Restraints”)
4. An older child who does not use a child safety seat or booster seat should ride buckled properly in their seat.
5. Never allow a child to place the shoulder belt behind them or under the arm.
6. Never allow a child to lean forward toward the instrument panel as a passenger airbag deployment
could cause severe injury or death to a child in this
position.
7. For a child from 1 to 12 years old: Move the passenger seat as far back as possible. For a child from 20 to
60 lbs (9 kg to 27 kg): Secure them in the appropriate child safety seat or booster seat. If too large for a
booster seat, the child should wear the lap/shoulder
belt properly.
8. Read the instructions provided with your child re- straint to make sure that you are using it properly.
9. Read the instructions provided with your child safety seat or booster seat to make sure that you are using it
properly.
10. All occupants should always wear their lap and shoulder belts properly.
11. Position the driver seat and passenger seat as far away from the instrument panel as practical to allow
the airbags room to inflate. Note that the power
adjustable pedals allow for more driver’s seat adjust-
ment options. Refer to “Adjustable Pedals” in “Un-
derstanding The Features Of Your Vehicle” for de-
tails.
42 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE
Knee Impact Bolsters
The Knee Impact Bolsters help protect the knees of the
driver and the passenger, and position front occupants
for the best interaction with the airbags.
Airbag System Components
Your vehicle may be equipped with the following airbag
system components:
•Occupant Restraint Controller (ORC)
• Airbag Warning Light
• Steering Wheel and Column
• Instrument Panel
• Knee Impact Bolster
• Driver Advanced Front Airbag
• Passenger Advanced Front Airbag
• Front and Side Impact Sensors •
Front Seat Belt Pretensioners, Seat Belt Buckle Switch,
and Seat Track Position Sensors
• Occupant Classification System (OCS)
• Occupant Classification Module (OCM)
• Passenger Airbag Disable (PAD) Indicator Light
• Flex Mat
Airbag Deployment Sensors And Controls
The following requirements must be strictly adhered to:
• Do not modify the passenger seat assembly or compo-
nents in any way.
• Do not use prior or future model year seat covers not
designated for the specific model being repaired. Al-
ways use the correct seat cover specified for the
vehicle.
• Do not replace the seat cover with an aftermarket seat
cover.
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THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 43
Because airbag sensors measure vehicle deceleration over
time, vehicle speed and damage by themselves are not
good indicators of whether or not an airbag should have
deployed.
Seat belts are necessary for your protection in all colli-
sions, and also are needed to help keep you in position,
away from an inflating airbag.
The ORC monitors the readiness of the electronic parts of
the airbag system whenever the ignition is in the START
or ON/RUN position. If the ignition is in the OFF
position, in the ACC position, or not in the ignition, the
airbag system is not on and the airbags will not inflate.
The ORC contains a backup power supply system that
may deploy the airbags even if the battery loses power or
it becomes disconnected prior to deployment.The ORC turns on the Airbag Warning Light
and Passenger Airbag Disable (PAD) Indicator
Light for four to eight seconds as a self-check
when the ignition is first turned to ON/RUN.
After the self-check, the Airbag Warning Light will turn
off and the PAD Indicator Light will function normally
(Refer to “Passenger Airbag Disable (PAD) Indicator
Light”). If the ORC detects a malfunction in any part of
the system, it turns on the Airbag Warning Light either
momentarily or continuously. A single chime will sound
if the light comes on again after initial startup.
It also includes diagnostics that will illuminate the instru-
ment cluster Airbag Warning Light if a malfunction is
noted that could affect the airbag system. The diagnostics
also record the nature of the malfunction.
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THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 45
If there is a fault present in the OCS, the Airbag Warning
Light will turn on. This indicates that you should take the
vehicle to an authorized dealer for service. The Airbag
Warning Light will turn on whenever there is a fault
present, which can affect the operation of the airbag
system. If there is a fault present in the OCS, both the
PAD Indicator Light and the Airbag Warning Light will
illuminate to show that the passenger airbag is turned
off. Should this occur the passenger airbag would remain
off until the fault is cleared. If an object is lodged under
the seat and interferes with operation of the Flex Mat, 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 cleared automatically
after a short period.
Passenger Airbag Disabled (PAD) Indicator Light
The Passenger Airbag Disabled (PAD) Indicator Light
indicates to the driver and passenger when the passengerairbag is turned OFF. In the presence of an occupant
seated properly in the passenger seat, when the PAD
Indicator Light is illuminated, the passenger airbag is
turned OFF.
The passenger airbag will be enabled for most any size
adult who is seated properly in the passenger seat. The
passenger airbag may or may not be enabled for (de-
pending on size) a small teenager or a small adult who is
seated properly in the passenger seat. The driver and
passenger should always use the PAD Indicator Light as
an indication that the passenger is positioned properly in
their seat. If the PAD Indicator Light comes on when an
adult or teenager is in the passenger seat, have the
passenger reposition their self in the seat until the light
goes out. Remember, if the PAD Indicator Light is illu-
minated the passenger airbag will not inflate in the event
of a collision.
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THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 47
The passenger airbag will not be enabled for most any
size child who is seated properly in the passenger seat
and for most properly installed child restraint systems.
However, under certain conditions, even with a properly
installed child restraint system, the PAD Indicator Light
may not be on, even though the airbag is disabled. This
can occur if the child restraint is lighter than the thresh-
old weight necessary to turn the PAD Indicator Light on.
In any case,DO NOTassume the airbag is turned off if
the PAD Indicator Light is not illuminated.
WARNING!
An infant in rear facing child safety seat, designed
for a child up to one year or approximately 20 lbs
(9 kg), should NEVER ride in the front seat of a
vehicle equipped with a passenger airbag, unless the
airbag is shut OFF. An airbag deployment can cause
severe injury or death to an infant in this position.
Flex Mat
The Flex Mat is located beneath the passenger seat
cushion foam. The Flex Mat sends signals to the OCM for
classifying the occupant in the passenger seat.
Any weight on the seat will be sensed by the Flex Mat.
Therefore, the occupant in the passenger seat needs to sit
in a normal position (with their feet on or near the floor)
in order to be classified properly. If an occupant’s weight
is transferred to another part of the vehicle (like the door
or instrument panel), the system may not classify the
occupant properly. Furthermore, objects lodged under
the seat can prevent the occupant’s weight from being
measured properly and may result in the occupant being
classified improperly.
The passenger seat assembly contains critical compo-
nents that affect passenger airbag deployment. Correctly
functioning passenger seat components are critical for the
OCS to classify the passenger properly and calculate the
48 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE
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.
52 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE