uu Seat Belts u Fastening a Seat Belt
34
Safe Driving1. Pull out the seat belt’s small latch plate and
the latch plate from each holding slot in the
ceiling.
2.Line up the triangle marks on the small
latch plate and anchor buckle. Make sure
the seat belt is not twisted. Attach the belt
to the anchor buckle.
3. Insert
the latch plate into the buckle.
Properly fasten the seat belt the same way
you fasten the lap/shoulder seat belt.
■Seat Belt with Detachable Anchor1Seat Belt with Detachable Anchor
To unlatch the detachable anchor, insert the latch
plate into the slot on the side of the anchor buckle.
3 WARNING
Using the seat belt with the detachable
anchor unlatched incr eases the chance of
serious injury or death in a crash.
Before using the seat belt, make sure the
detachable anchor is correctly latched.
Small Latch Plate
Latch Plate
Small Latch Plate
Latch Plate
Small Latch Plate
Anchor Buckle
Latch
Plate
Buckle
35
uu Seat Belts u Fastening a Seat Belt
Safe DrivingIf you are pregnant, the best way to prot ect yourself and your unborn child when
driving or riding in a vehicle is to always wear a seat belt and keep the lap part of the
belt as low as possible across the hips.
■Advice for Pregnant Women1 Advice for Pregnant Women
Each time you have a checkup, ask your doctor if it is
okay for you to drive.
To reduce the risk of inju ries to both you and your
unborn child that can be caus ed by an inflating front
airbag:
•When driving, sit upright a nd adjust the seat as far
back as possible while allowing full control of the
vehicle.
•When sitting in the front passenger's seat, adjust
the seat as far back as possible.
Wear the shoulder belt
across the chest avoiding
the abdomen.
Wear the lap part of the
belt as low as possible
across the hips.
36
uu Seat Belts u Seat Belt Inspection
Safe Driving
Seat Belt Inspection
Regularly check the condition of your seat belts as follows:
• Pul
l each belt out fully, and look for frays, cuts, burns, and wear.
•Che
ck that the latches work smoothly and the belts retract easily.
u If a
belt does not retract eas ily, cleaning the belt may correct the problem. Only
use a mild soap and warm water. Do not use bleach or cleaning solvents. Make
sure the belt is completely dry before allowing it to retract.
Any belt that is not in good condition or working properly will not provide proper
protec
tion and should be replaced as soon as possible.
A belt that has been worn during a crash may not provide the same level of
protec
tion in a subsequent crash. Have your seat belts inspected by a dealer after
any collision.
1 Seat Belt Inspection
3 WARNING
Not checking or maintaining seat belts can
result in serious injury or death if the seat
belts do not work properly when needed.
Check your seat belts regularly and have
any problem corrected as soon as possible.
38
uu Airbags u Airbag System Components
Safe Driving
The front, front side, and side curtain
airbags are deployed according to the
direction and severity of impact. The airbag
system includes:
aTwo SRS (Supplemental Restraint System)
front airbags. The driver's airbag is stored
in the center of the steering wheel; the
front passenger's airbag is stored in the
dashboard. Both are marked SRS
AIRBAG.
bTwo side airbags, one for the driver and
one for a front passenger. The airbags are
stored in the outer edges of the seat-
backs. Both are marked SIDE AIRBAG .
cTwo side curtain airbags, one for each
side of the vehicle. The airbags are stored
in the ceiling, above the side windows.
The front and rear pillars are marked
SIDE CURTAIN AIRBAG.
dAn electronic control unit that continually
monitors and records information about
the sensors, the airb ag activators, the
seat belt tensioners, and driver and front
passenger seat belt use when the ignition
switch is in ON
(w
.
eAutomatic front seat belt tensioners. The
driver's and front passenger's seat belts
incorporate sensors that detect whether
or not they are fastened.
fA driver's seat position sensor. If the seat
is too far forward, the airbag will inflate
with less force.
gWeight sensors in the front passenger's
seat. The front passenger's airbag will be
turned off if the weight on the seat is 65
lbs (29 kg) or less (the weight of an infant
or small child).
hImpact sensors that can detect a
moderate to severe front impact, side
impact, or if your vehicle is about to
rollover.
iAn indicator on the dashboard that alerts
you that the front passenger's front
airbag has been turned off.
jSensors that can detect if a child or small
statured adult is in the deployment path
of the front passenger's side airbag.
kAn indicator on the instrument panel that
alerts you to a possibl e problem with your
airbag system or seat belt tensioners.
lAn indicator on the instrument panel that
alerts you that the front passenger's side
airbag has been turned off.
mSafing Sensor
39
uu Airbags u Airbag System Components
Safe DrivingAirbags can pose serious hazards. To do their job, airbags must inflate with
tremendous force. So, while airbags help sa ve lives, they can cause burns, bruises,
and other minor injuries, and sometimes even fatal ones if occupants are not
wearing their seat belts properly and sitting correctly.
What you should do: Always wear your seat belt properly , and sit upright and as
far back from the steering wheel as possi ble while allowing full control of the
vehicle. A front passenger should move their seat as far back from the dashboard as
possible.
Remember, however, that no safety system ca n prevent all injuries or deaths that
can
occur in a severe crash, even when s eat belts are properly worn and the airbags
deploy.
Do not place hard or sharp objects between yourself and a front airbag.
Car
rying hard or sharp objects on your lap, or driving with a pipe or other sharp
object in your mouth, can result in in juries if your front airbag inflates.
Do not attach or place objects on the front airbag covers. Obj
ects on the
covers marked SRS AIRBAG could interfere with the proper operation of the airbags
or be propelled inside the vehicle an d hurt someone if the airbags inflate.
■Important Facts About Your Airbags1Important Facts About Your Airbags
Do not attempt to deactivate your airbags. Together,
airbags and seat belts pr ovide the best protection.
When driving, keep hand s and arms out of the
deployment path of the front airbag by holding each
side of the steering wheel. Do not cross an arm over
the airbag cover.
40
uu Airbags u Types of Airbags
Safe Driving
Types of Airbags
Your vehicle is equipped with three types of airbags:
• Front ai
rbags: Airbags in front of the driver 's and front passenger's seats.
• Si
de airbags: Airbags in the driver's and front passenger's seat-backs.
• Si
de curtain airbags: Airbags above the side windows.
Each is discussed in the following pages.
Front Airbags (SRS)
The front SRS airbags inflate in a moderate-to -severe frontal collision to help protect
the head and chest of the driver and/or front passenger.
SRS (Supplemental Restraint
System) indicates that the airbags are designed to
supplement seat belts, not replace them. Seat belts are the occupant's primary
restraint system.
The front airbags are housed in the cente
r of the steering wheel for the driver, and
in the dashboard for the front pass enger. Both airbags are marked SRS AIRBAG.
■Housing Locations
1Types of Airbags
The airbags can inflate whenever the ignition switch
is in ON
(
w
.
1Front Airbags (SRS)
Dual-Stage, Multiple-Threshold Front Airbags
(SRS)
Your vehicle is equipped wi th dual-stage, multiple-
threshold front airbags (SRS).
During a frontal crash severe enough to cause one or
both front airbags to deploy, the airbags can inflate
at different rates, dependi ng on the severity of the
crash, whether or not the se at belts are latched, and/
or other factors. Frontal airbags are designed to
supplement the seat belts to help reduce the
likelihood of head and chest injuries in frontal
crashes.
Continued41
uu Airbags u Front Airbags (SRS)
Safe DrivingFront airbags are designed to inflate duri ng moderate-to-severe frontal collisions.
When the vehicle decelerates suddenly, the sensors send information to the control
unit which signals one or both front airbags to inflate.
A frontal collision can be either head-on or angled between two vehicles, or when a
vehicle crashes into a stationary object, such as a concrete wall.
While your seat belt restrains your torso, the
fr
ont airbag provides supplemental protection
for your head and chest.
The front airbags deflate immediately so that
they wo
n't interfere with the driver's visibility
or the ability to steer or operate other
controls.
The total time for inflation and deflation is so fast
that most occupants are not
aware that the airbags deployed until th ey see them lying in front of them.
■Operation
■How the Front Airbags Work1How the Front Airbags Work
After a front airbag inflates in a crash, you may see
what looks like smoke. This is actually powder from
the airbag's surface. Although the powder is not
harmful, people with re spiratory problems may
experience some temporary di scomfort. If this occurs,
get out of the vehicle as soon as it is safe to do so.
Although the driver's and fr ont passenger's airbags
normally inflate within a spli t second of each other, it
is possible for only one airbag to deploy. This can
happen if the severity of a collision is at the margin,
or threshold, that determines whether or not the
airbags will deploy. In such cases, the seat belt will
provide sufficient protec tion, and the supplemental
protection offered by the airbag would be minimal.
42
uu Airbags u Front Airbags (SRS)
Safe Driving
■When front airbags should not deploy
Minor frontal crashes: Front airbags were designed to supplement seat belts and
help
save lives, not to prevent minor scrapes, or even broken bones that might occur
during a less than moderate-to-severe frontal crash.
Side impacts: Front airbags can provide protection when a sudden deceleration
c
auses a driver or front passenger to move towards the front of the vehicle. Side
airbags and side curtain airb ags have been specifically designed to help reduce the
severity of injuries that can occur during a moderate-to-severe side impact which
can cause the driver or passenger to move towards the side of the vehicle.
Rear impacts: Head restraints and seat belts are your best protection during a rear
impac
t. Front airbags cannot provide any significant protection and are not designed
to deploy in such collisions.
Rollovers: Seat belts and, in vehicl e
s equipped with a rollover sensor, side airbags
and side curtain airbags offer the best prot ection in a rollover. Because front airbags
could provide little if any protection, they are not designed to deploy during a
rollover.
■When front airbags deploy with little or no visible damage
Because the airbag system senses sudden deceleration, a strong impact to the
vehicle
framework or suspension might caus e one or more of the airbags to deploy.
Examples include running into a curb, the edge of a hole, or other low fixed object
that causes a sudden deceleration in th e vehicle chassis. Since the impact is
underneath the vehicle, damage may not be readily apparent.
■When front airbags may not deploy, even though exterior damage
appears severe
Since crushable body parts absorb crash energy during an impact, the amount of
vi
sible damage does not always indicate proper airbag operation. In fact, some
collisions can result in severe damage but no airbag deployment because the airbags
would not have been needed or would not have provided protection even if they
had deployed.