Safety features of your vehicle
16 3
WARNING - Cargo loading
Make sure the engine is off, the
automatic transaxle is in P
(Park) or the manual transaxle
is in R (Reverse) or 1st, and the
parking brake is securely
applied whenever loading or
unloading cargo. Failure to take
these steps may allow the vehi-
cle to move if the shift lever is
inadvertently moved to another
position.
WARNING - Cargo
Cargo should always be
secured to prevent it from being
thrown about the vehicle in a
collision and causing injury to
the vehicle occupants. Special
care of objects should be taken
when placing them in the rear
seats, since those may hit the
front seat occupants in a frontal
collision.
CAUTION - Rear seat
belts
When returning the rear seat-
backs to the upright position,
remember to return the rear
shoulder belts to their proper
position.
WARNING - Uprighting
seat
When you return the seatback
to its upright position, hold the
seatback and return it slowly. If
the seatback is returned with-
out holding it, the back of the
seat could spring forward
resulting in injury caused by
being struck by the seatback.
317
Safety features of your vehicle
Seat belt restraint system
SEAT BELTS
WARNING
Seat belts are designed to bear
upon the bony structure of the
body, and should be worn low
across the front of the pelvis,
chest and shoulders, as appli-
cable; wearing the lap section
of the belt across the abdominal
area must be avoided.
Seat belts should be adjusted
as firmly as possible, consis-
tent with comfort, to provide the
protection for which they have
been designed.
A slack belt will greatly reduce
the protection afforded to the
occupant.
(Continued)
(Continued)
Never wear the shoulder belt
under your arm or behind
your back. An improperly
positioned shoulder belt can
cause serious injuries in a
crash. The shoulder belt
should be positioned midway
over your shoulder across
your collarbone.
Avoid wearing twisted seat
belts. A twisted belt can't do
its job as well. In a collision, it
could even cut into you. Be
sure the belt webbing is
straight and not twisted.
Be careful not to damage the
belt webbing or hardware. If
the belt webbing or hardware
is damaged, replace it.
WARNING
For maximum restraint sys-
tem protection, the seat belts
must always be used whenev-
er the car is moving.
Seat belts are most effective
when seatbacks are in the
upright position.
Children age 12 and younger
must always be properly
restrained in the rear seat.
Never allow children to ride in
the front passenger seat. If a
child over 12 must be seated
in the front seat, he/she must
be properly belted and the
seat should be moved as far
back as possible.
(Continued)
Safety features of your vehicle
18 3
Seat belt warning (for driver’s seat)
The driver's seat belt warning light
and chime will activate to the follow-
ing table when the ignition switch is
in "ON" position.
WARNING
No modifications or additions
should be made by the user
which will either prevent the
seat belt adjusting devices
from operating to remove
slack, or prevent the seat belt
assembly from being adjusted
to remove slack.
When you fasten the seat belt,
be careful not to latch the seat
belt in the buckles of another
seat. It's very dangerous and
you may not be protected by
the seat belt properly.
Do not unfasten the seat belt
and do not fasten and unfas-
ten the seat belt repeatedly
while driving. This could result
in loss of control, and an acci-
dent causing death, serious
injury, or property damage.
Make sure there is nothing in
the buckle. The seat belt may
not be fastened securely.
1GQA2083
(Continued)
Care should be taken to avoid
contamination of the webbing
with polishes, oils and chemi-
cals and particularly battery
acid. Cleaning may safely be
carried out using mild soap and
water. The belt should be
replaced if webbing becomes
frayed, contaminated or dam-
aged. It is essential to replace
the entire assembly after it has
been worn in a severe impact
even if damage to the assembly
is not obvious. Belts should not
be worn with straps twisted.
Each seat belt assembly must
only be used by one occupant;
it is dangerous to put a belt
around a child being carried on
the occupant's lap.
319
Safety features of your vehicle
*1Warning pattern repeats 11 times
with an interval of 24 seconds. If
the driver's seat belt is buckled, the
light will stop within 6 seconds and
chime will stop immediately.
*
2The light will stop within 6 seconds
and chime will stop immediately.
Seat belt - Driver's 3-point system
with emergency locking retractor
To fasten your seat belt:
To fasten your seat belt, pull it out of
the retractor and insert the metal tab
(1) into the buckle (2). There will be
an audible "click" when the tab locks
into the buckle.The seat belt automatically adjusts to
the proper length only after the lap
belt portion is adjusted manually so
that it fits snugly around your hips. If
you lean forward in a slow, easy
motion, the belt will extend and let
you move around. If there is a sud-
den stop or impact, however, the belt
will lock into position. It will also lock
if you try to lean forward too quickly.
If you are not able to pull out the seat
belt from the retractor, firmly pull the
belt out and release it. Then you will
be able to pull the belt out smoothly.
B180A01NF-1
ConditionsWarning Pattern
Seat BeltVehicle
SpeedLight-BlinkChime-
Sound
Unbuckled6 seconds
Buckled6 secondsNone
Buckled →
Unbuckled
Below 3 mph
(5 km/h)6 secondsNone
3 mph~
6 mph6 seconds
Above 6 mph
(10 km/h)6 sec. on / 24 sec. off
(11 times)
Unbuckled
Above 6 mph
(10 km/h)
↓
Below 3 mph
(5 km/h)
6 seconds *1
↓
Stop *
2
Safety features of your vehicle
20 3
Height adjustment (Front)
You can adjust the height of the shoul-
der belt anchor to one of 4 positions
for maximum comfort and safety.
The shoulder portion should be
adjusted so that it lies across your
chest and midway over your shoulder
nearest the door and not your neck.
The height of the adjusting seat belt
should not be too near your neck.
To adjust the height of the seat belt
anchor, lower or raise the height
adjuster into an appropriate position.To raise the height adjuster, pull it up
(1). To lower it, push it down (3) while
pressing the height adjuster button (2).
Release the button to lock the
anchor into position. Try sliding the
height adjuster to make sure that it
has locked into position.
WARNING
Verify the shoulder belt
anchor is locked into position
at the appropriate height.
Never position the shoulder
belt across your neck or face.
Improperly positioned seat
belts can cause serious
injuries in an accident.
Failure to replace seat belts
after an accident could leave
you with damaged seat belts
that will not provide protec-
tion in the event of another
collision leading to personal
injury or death. Replace your
seat belts after being in an
accident as soon as possible.
OHD036019
Front seat
B200A02NF
WARNING
You should place the lap belt
portion as low as possible and
snugly across your hips, not on
your waist. If the lap belt is locat-
ed too high on your waist, it may
increase the chance of injury in
the event of a collision. Both
arms should not be under or
over the belt. Rather, one should
be over and the other under, as
shown in the illustration.
Never wear the seat belt under
the arm nearest the door.
321
Safety features of your vehicle
Seat belts - Front passenger and
rear seat 3-point system with
combination locking retractor
To fasten your seat belt:
Combination retractor type seat belts
are installed in the rear seat positions
to help accommodate the installation
of child restraint systems. Although a
combination retractor is also installed
in the front passenger seat position, it
is strongly recommended that children
always be seated in the rear seat.
NEVER place any infant restraint sys-
tem in the front seat of the vehicle.
This type of seat belt combines the
features of both an emergency lock-
ing retractor seat belt and an auto-
matic locking retractor seat belt. To
fasten your seat belt, pull it out of the
retractor and insert the metal tab into
the buckle. There will be an audible
"click" when the tab locks into the
buckle. When not securing a child
restraint, the seat belt operates in the
same way as the driver's seat belt
(Emergency Locking Retractor Type).
It automatically adjusts to the proper
length only after the lap belt portion of
the seat belt is adjusted manually so
that it fits snugly around your hips.When the seat belt is fully extended
from the retractor to allow the instal-
lation of a child restraint system, the
seat belt operation changes to allow
the belt to retract, but not to extend
(Automatic Locking Retractor Type).
Refer to “Using a child restraint sys-
tem” in this section.
To convert from the automatic lock-
ing feature to the emergency locking
operation mode, allow the unbuckled
seat belt to fully retract.
When using the rear center seat belt,
the buckle with the “CENTER” mark
must be used.
OFD037056
Safety features of your vehicle
22 3
To release the seat belt:
The seat belt is released by pressing
the release button (1) in the locking
buckle. When it is released, the belt
should automatically draw back into
the retractor.
If this does not happen, check the
belt to be sure it is not twisted, then
try again.Pre-tensioner seat belt
Your vehicle is equipped with driver's
and front passenger's pre-tensioner
seat belts.
1. Retractor pre-tensioner
The retractor pre-tensioner, which is
a supplement system of the seat
belts, helps the driver and front pas-
senger’s upper body to be fastened
surely to the seat by pulling the
shoulder belt in certain frontal colli-
sions.2. Emergency Fastening Device
(EFD)
Emergency Fastening Device, which
is a supplement system of the seat
belts, protects the driver and front
passenger’s lower body by pulling the
lap belt in certain frontal collisions.
The pre-tensioner seat belts may be
activated in crashes where the
frontal collision (or side collision) is
severe enough.
When the vehicle stops suddenly, or
if the occupant tries to lean forward
too quickly, the seat belt retractor will
lock into position. In certain frontal
collisions (or side collisions), the pre-
tensioner will activate and pull the
seat belt into tighter contact against
the occupant's body.
If the system senses excessive ten-
sion on the driver or passenger's
seat belt when the pre-tensioner acti-
vates, the load limiter inside the
retractor pre-tensioner will release
some of the pressure on the affected
seat belt.
B210A01NF-1/HOED030300
323
Safety features of your vehicle
The seat belt pre-tensioner system
consists mainly of the following com-
ponents. Their locations are shown in
the illustration:
1. SRS air bag warning light
2. Retractor pre-tensioner assembly
3. SRS control module
4. Emergency fastening device (EFD)
WARNING
Do not put anything near the
buckle. Placing objects near
the buckle may increase the
risk of personal injury in the
event of a collision.
For your safety, be sure that
the belt webbing is not loose
or twisted and always sit
properly on your seat.
OMD030051N-1
WARNING
To obtain maximum benefit
from a pre-tensioner seat belt:
1. The seat belt must be worn
correctly and adjusted to the
proper position. Please read
and follow all of the important
information and precautions
about your vehicle’s occupant
safety features – including
seat belts and air bags – that
are provided in this manual.
2. Be sure you and your passen-
gers always wear seat belts
properly.