
▫Automatic Locking Retractor Mode (ALR) —
If Equipped ..........................53
▫ Energy Management Feature ..............54
▫ Seat Belt Pretensioners ..................54
▫ Enhanced Seat Belt Use Reminder System
(BeltAlert®) ..........................55
▫ Seat Belt Extender .....................56
▫ Seat Belts And Pregnant Women ...........56
▫ Supplemental Restraint System (SRS) — Air
Bags ................................56
▫ Advanced Front Air Bag Features ...........59▫
Air Bag Deployment Sensors And Controls ....63
▫ Event Data Recorder (EDR) ...............71
▫ Child Restraints .......................72
SAFETY TIPS ..........................91
▫ Transporting Passengers ..................91
▫ Safety Checks You Should Make Inside The
Vehicle .............................92
▫ Periodic Safety Checks You Should Make
Outside The Vehicle ....................94
2
THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 11

WARNING!
Before exiting a vehicle, always apply the parking
brake, place the transmission into PARK, and remove
the Key Fob from the ignition. When leaving the
vehicle, always lock your vehicle.
Never leave children alone in a vehicle, or with
access to an unlocked vehicle.
Allowing children to be in a vehicle unattended is
dangerous for a number of reasons. A child or others
could be seriously or fatally injured. Children should
be warned not to touch the parking brake, brake
pedal or the transmission shift buttons.
Do not leave the Key Fob in or near the vehicle, or in
a location accessible to children. A child could oper-
ate power windows, other controls, or move the
vehicle.
(Continued)
WARNING!(Continued)
Do not leave children or animals inside parked
vehicles in hot weather. Interior heat build-up may
cause serious injury or death.
CAUTION!
An unlocked car is an invitation to thieves. Always
remove the key from the ignition and lock all the
doors when leaving the vehicle unattended.
Locking Doors With A Key
You can insert the key with either side up. To lock the
door, turn the key to the right. To unlock the door, turn
the key to the left. Refer to “Body Lubrication” in
“Maintaining Your Vehicle” for maintenance informa-
tion.
2
THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 33

WARNING!
•Do not leave children or animals inside parked
vehicles in hot weather. Interior heat build-up may
cause serious injury or death.
• For personal security and safety in the event of an
collision, lock the vehicle doors as you drive as
well as when you park and leave the vehicle.
• Before exiting a vehicle, always apply the parking
brake, shift the transmission into PARK, and re-
move the Key Fob from the ignition. When leaving
the vehicle, always lock your vehicle.
• Never leave children alone in a vehicle, or with
access to an unlocked vehicle.
(Continued)
WARNING! (Continued)
•Allowing children to be in a vehicle unattended is
dangerous for a number of reasons. A child or
others could be seriously or fatally injured. Chil-
dren should be warned not to touch the parking
brake, brake pedal or the shift lever.
• Do not leave the Key Fob in or near the vehicle, or
in a location accessible to children, and do not
leave the ignition of a vehicle equipped with
Keyless Enter-N-Go in the ACC or ON/RUN mode.
A child could operate power windows, other con-
trols, or move the vehicle.
CAUTION!
An unlocked vehicle is an invitation to thieves.
Always remove the key from the ignition and lock all
of the doors when leaving the vehicle unattended.
40 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

To change the setting proceed as follows:
1. Briefly press theSET ESCbutton “On” or “Off” will
flash on the display (according to the previous set-
ting).
2. Press the UP
or DOWNbutton for setting.
3. Briefly press the SET ESCbutton to go back to the
menu screen, or press and hold the SET ESCbutton
(approximately one second) to go back to the main
screen without storing the settings.
NOTE: Use the Automatic Door Locks feature in accor-
dance with local laws.
Refer to “Electronic Vehicle Information Center (EVIC)”
in “Understanding Your Vehicle” for further information.
POWER WINDOWS
Power Window Switches
There are single window controls located on the shifter
bezel, below the climate controls, which operate the
driver and passenger door windows. The window con-
trols will operate when the ignition switch is in the
ON/RUN position.
WARNING!
Never leave children unattended in a vehicle, and do
not let children play with power windows. Do not
leave the key fob in or near the vehicle. Occupants,
particularly unattended children, can become en-
trapped by the windows while operating the power
window switches. Such entrapment may result in
serious injury or death.
42 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

•All seat belt systems (except the driver’s) include
Automatic Locking Retractors (ALRs), which lock 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
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.
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, refer to “LATCH — Child Seat Anchorage
System (Lower Anchors and Tether for Children).”
Here are some simple steps you can take to minimize the
risk of harm from a deploying air bag: 1. Children 12 years old and under should always ride
buckled up in a rear seat.
WARNING!
•Never place a rear facing infant seat in front of an
air bag. A deploying passenger Advanced Front Air
Bag can cause death or serious injury to a child 12
years or younger, including a child in a rearward
facing infant seat.
• Only use a rearward-facing child restraint in a
vehicle with a rear seat.
Children that are not big enough to wear the vehicle seat
belt properly (see section on Child Restraints) should be
secured in the rear seat in child restraints or belt-
positioning booster seats. Older children who do not use
child restraints or belt-positioning booster seats should
ride properly buckled up in the rear seat. Never allow
children to slide the shoulder belt behind them or under
their arm.
2
THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 45

Lap/Shoulder Belt Untwisting Procedure
Use the following procedure to untwist a twisted lap/
shoulder belt.
1. Position the latch plate as close as possible to theanchor point.
2. At about 6 to 12 in (15 to 30 cm) above the latch plate, grasp and twist the belt webbing 180 degrees to create
a fold that begins immediately above the latch plate.
3. Slide the latch plate upward over the folded webbing. The folded webbing must enter the slot at the top of
the latch plate.
4. Continue to slide the latch plate up until it clears the folded webbing.
Seat Belts In Passenger Seating Positions
The seat belts in the passenger seating positions are
equipped with Automatic Locking Retractors (ALR)
which are used to secure a child restraint system. For
additional information, refer to “Installing Child Re-
straints Using The Vehicle Seat Belt” under the “Child
Restraints” section. The chart below defines the type of
feature for each seating position.
Driver Passenger
First Row N/AALR
Second Row ALR ALR
• N/A — Not Applicable
• ALR — Automatic Locking Retractor
If the passenger seating position is equipped with an
ALR and is being used for normal usage:
52 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

Only pull the belt webbing out far enough to comfortably
wrap around the occupant’s mid-section so as to not
activate the ALR. If the ALR is activated, you will hear a
ratcheting sound as the belt retracts. Allow the webbing
to retract completely in this case and then carefully pull
out only the amount of webbing necessary to comfort-
ably wrap around the occupant’s mid-section. Slide the
latch plate into the buckle until you hear aclick.
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 a vehicle with a 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 until
the 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.
2
THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 53

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.
Energy Management Feature
This vehicle has a safety belt system with an Energy
Management feature in the front seating positions to help
further reduce the risk of injury in the event of a head-on
collision.
This safety belt system has a retractor assembly that is
designed to release webbing in a controlled manner. This
feature is designed to help reduce the belt force acting on
the occupant’s chest.
Seat Belt Pretensioners
The seat belts for both front seating positions are
equipped with pretensioning devices that are designed to
remove slack from the seat belt in the event of a collision.
These devices may improve the performance of the seat
belt by assuring that the belt is tight about the occupant
early in a collision. Pretensioners work for all size occu-
pants, including those in child restraints.
NOTE: These devices are not a substitute for proper seat
belt placement by the occupant. The seat belt still must be
worn snugly and positioned properly.
The pretensioners are triggered by the Occupant Re-
straint Controller (ORC). Like the air bags, the preten-
sioners are single use items. A deployed pretensioner or
a deployed air bag must be replaced immediately.
54 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE