Note:When the passenger airbag status indicator OFF lamp is
illuminated, the passenger side airbag (seat mounted) may be disabled to
avoid the risk of airbag deployment injuries.
After all occupants have adjusted their seats and put on safety belts, it’s
very important that they continue to sit properly. A properly seated
occupant sits upright, leaning against the seat back, and centered on the
seat cushion, with their feet comfortably extended on the floor. Sitting
improperly can increase the chance of injury in a crash event. For
example, if an occupant slouches, lies down, turns sideways, sits forward,
leans forward or sideways, or puts one or both feet up, the chance of
injury during a crash is greatly increased.
If you think that the state of the passenger airbag status indicator lamp
is incorrect, check for the following:
•Objects lodged underneath the seat
•Objects between the seat cushion and the center console
•Objects hanging off the seat back
•Objects stowed in the seat back map pocket
•Objects placed on the occupant’s lap
•Cargo interference with the seat
•Other passengers pushing or pulling on the seat
•Rear passenger feet and knees resting or pushing on the seat
The conditions listed above may cause the weight of a properly seated
occupant to be incorrectly interpreted by the front passenger sensing
system. The person in the front passenger seat may appear heavier or
lighter due to the conditions described in the previous list.
Make sure the front passenger sensing system is operating
properly. SeeCrash Sensors and Airbag Indicatorlater in this
chapter.
If the airbag readiness light is lit, do the following:
The driver and adult passengers should check for objects lodged
underneath the front passenger seat, or cargo interfering with the seat.
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WARNING:Do not attempt to service, repair, or modify the
airbag, its fuses or the seat cover on a seat containing an airbag,
as you could be seriously injured or killed. Contact your authorized
dealer as soon as possible.
WARNING:If the side airbag has deployed, the airbag will not
function again. The side airbag system (including the seat) must
be inspected and serviced by an authorized dealer. If the airbag is not
replaced, the unrepaired area will increase the risk of injury in a crash.
The side airbags are located on the outboard side of the seat backs of
the front seats. In certain sideways crashes, the airbag on the side
affected by the crash will be inflated. The airbag was designed to inflate
between the door panel and occupant to further enhance the protection
provided occupants in side impact crashes.
The system consists of the
following:
•a tag on the seat back indicating
that side airbags are found on
your vehicle
•side airbags located inside the
seat back of the driver and front
passenger seats.
•crash sensors and monitoring system with readiness
indicator. SeeCrash Sensors and Airbag Indicatorlater in
this chapter.
•front passenger sensing system.
Note:The passenger sensing system will deactivate the passenger
seat-mounted side airbag if it detects an empty passenger seat.
The design and development of the side airbag system included
recommended testing procedures that were developed by a group of
automotive safety experts known as the Side Airbag Technical Working
Group. These recommended testing procedures help reduce the risk of
injuries related to the deployment of side airbags.
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The Safety Canopy will deploy during significant side crashes or when a
certain likelihood of a rollover event is detected by the rollover sensor.
The Safety Canopy is mounted to the roof side-rail sheet metal, behind
the headliner, above each row of seats. In certain sideways crashes or
rollover events, the Safety Canopy will be activated, regardless of which
seats are occupied. The Safety Canopy is designed to inflate between the
side window area and occupants to further enhance protection provided
in side impact crashes and rollover events.
The system consists of:
•safety canopy curtain airbags
fitted above the trim panels over
the front and rear side windows
identified by a label or wording
on the headliner or roof-pillar
trim.
•a flexible headliner which opens
above the side doors to allow air
curtain deployment.
•crash sensors and monitoring system with readiness
indicator. SeeCrash Sensors and Airbag Indicatorin this
chapter.
Children 12 years old and under should always be properly restrained in
the rear seats. The Safety Canopy will not interfere with children
restrained using a properly installed child or booster seat because it is
designed to inflate downward from the headliner above the doors along
the side window opening.
The design and development of the Safety Canopy included
recommended testing procedures that were developed by a group of
automotive safety experts known as the Side Airbag Technical Working
Group. These recommended testing procedures help reduce the risk of
injuries related to the deployment of side airbags (including the Safety
Canopy).
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CRASH SENSORS AND AIRBAG INDICATOR
WARNING:Modifying or adding equipment to the front end of
your vehicle (including frame, bumper, front end body structure
and tow hooks) may affect the performance of the airbag system,
increasing the risk of injury. Do not modify the front end of your
vehicle.
Your vehicle has a collection of crash and occupant sensors which
provide information to the restraints control module which deploys
(activates) the front safety belt pretensioners, rear inflatable safety belts,
driver airbag, passenger airbag, passenger knee airbag, seat mounted side
airbags, and the Safety Canopy. Based on the type of accident (frontal
impact, side impact or rollover) the restraints control module will deploy
the appropriate safety devices.
The restraints control module also monitors the readiness of the above
safety devices plus the crash and occupant sensors. The readiness of the
safety system is indicated by a warning indicator light in the instrument
cluster or by a backup tone if the warning light is not working. See the
Instrument Clusterchapter. Routine maintenance of the airbag is not
required.
A difficulty with the system is indicated by one or more of the following:
•The readiness light will either flash or stay lit.
•The readiness light will not illuminate immediately after the
ignition is turned on.
•A series of five beeps will be heard. The tone pattern will repeat
periodically until the problem or light is repaired.
If any of these things happen, even intermittently, have the supplemental
restraint system serviced at an authorized dealer immediately. Unless
serviced, the system may not function properly in the event of a crash.
The safety belt pretensioners, rear inflatable safety belts and the airbag
supplemental restraint system are designed to activate when the vehicle
sustains frontal or sideways deceleration sufficient to cause the restraints
control module to deploy a safety device or when a certain likelihood of
a rollover event is detected by the rollover sensor.
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Note:If any door or the luggage compartment is open, or if the hood is
open on vehicles with an anti-theft alarm or remote start, the horn
sounds twice and the lamps will not flash.
Activating Intelligent Access (If Equipped)
The intelligent access key must be within 3 feet (1 meter) of your
vehicle.
At the Front Doors
Pull a front exterior door handle. The door will unlock and can be
opened.
Press and hold the door handle lock
sensor to lock your vehicle. To avoid
unlocking the door inadvertently, be
sure to only touch the lock sensor
and not other areas of the door
handle.
At the Liftgate
Press the button hidden near the license plate.
Smart Unlocks for Integrated Keyhead Transmitter
This feature helps to prevent you from locking yourself out of your
vehicle if your key is still in the ignition.
When you open one of the front doors and lock your vehicle with the
power door lock control, all the doors will lock then unlock if your key is
still in the ignition.
You can still lock your vehicle with the key in the ignition using the
keyless entry keypad with the driver door closed, or by pressing the lock
button on the transmitter even if the doors are not closed.
If both front doors are closed, you can lock your vehicle by any method,
regardless of whether the key is in the ignition or not.
Smart Unlocks for Intelligent Access Keys (If Equipped)
This feature helps to prevent you from unintentionally locking your
intelligent access key inside your vehicle’s passenger compartment or
rear cargo area.
When you lock your vehicle using the driver or passenger power door
lock control (with the door open, transmission inPand ignition off),
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WINDSHIELD WIPERS
Note:Fully defrost the windshield before switching on the windshield
wipers.
Note:Make sure the windshield wipers are switched off before entering
a car wash.
Note:
Clean the windshield and wiper blades if they begin to leave streaks
or smears. If that does not resolve the issue, install new wiper blades.
Note:Do not operate the wipers on a dry windshield. This may scratch
the glass, damage the wiper blades or cause the wiper motor to burn out.
Always use the windshield washers before wiping a dry windshield.
Rotate the end of the control away
from you to increase the speed of
the wipers. Rotate toward you to
decrease the speed of the wipers.
Speed-dependent Wipers (If Equipped)
When your vehicle speed increases, the interval between wipes will
decrease when intermittent wipe is selected.
RAIN-SENSING WIPERS (IF EQUIPPED)
Note:Wet road conditions may result in inconsistent or unexpected
wiping or smearing. Lower the sensitivity, switch to normal or high-speed
wiping or turn the wipers off to reduce smearing.
Note:Turn off the wipers before entering a car wash.
Use the rotary control to adjust the
sensitivity to one of the interval
moisture settings. The wipers will
not cycle until moisture is detected
on the windshield. The wiper speed
will vary based on the amount of
moisture detected on the windshield
and the sensitivity setting. The
wipers will continue to wipe as long as moisture is detected.
Keep the outside of the windshield clean, especially the area around the
interior mirror where the sensor is located, or sensor performance may
be affected.
A
U
T
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Auto-Dimming Mirror
Note:Do not block the sensors on the front and back of the mirror.
Mirror performance may be affected. A rear center passenger or raised
rear center head restraint may also block light from reaching the sensor.
The mirror will dim automatically to reduce glare when bright lights are
detected from behind your vehicle. It will automatically return to normal
reflection when you select reverse gear to make sure you have a clear
view when backing up.
SUN VISORS
Slide-On-Rod
Rotate the visor toward the side
window and extend it rearward for
extra sunlight coverage.
Retract the visor before moving it
back toward the windshield and
storing it.
Illuminated Visor Vanity Mirror
Lift the cover to switch on the
lamp.
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INFORMATION MESSAGES
Note:Depending on the vehicle options equipped with your vehicle, not
all of the messages will display or be available. Certain messages may be
abbreviated or shortened depending upon which cluster type you have.
Press the OK button to
acknowledge and remove some
messages from the information
display. Other messages will be
removed automatically after a short
time. When a warning message
appears, you must wait two seconds
before being able to clear it. Certain
messages need to be confirmed before you can access the menus.
Message indicators:Some messages will be supplemented by a system
specific symbol.
Adaptive Cruise
Control MessagesAction / Description
Adaptive Cruise
MalfunctionDisplayed when a radar malfunction is
preventing the ACC from engaging.
Adaptive Cruise Not
AvailableDisplayed when conditions exist such that the
adaptive cruise cannot function properly.
Adaptive Cruise Not
Available Sensor
BlockedDisplayed when the radar is blocked because
of poor radar visibility due to bad weather or
ice/mud/water in front of radar. Driver can
typically clean the sensor to resolve.
AdvanceTrac® /
Traction Control
MessagesAction / Description
Service AdvanceTrac Displayed when the AdvanceTrac® system has
detected a condition that requires service.
Contact your authorized dealer as soon as
possible.
Traction control off Displayed when the traction control has been
disabled by the driver.
Trailer Sway Reduce
SpeedDisplayed when the trailer sway control has
detected trailer sway.
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