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uuFor Safe Driving uYour Vehicle’s Safety Features
Safe Driving
Your Vehicle’s Safety FeaturesThe following checklist will help you take an active role in protecting yourself and
your passengers.
1Your Vehicle’s Safety Features
Your vehicle is equipped with many features that
work together to help protect you and your
passengers during a crash.
Some features do not require any action on your part.
These include a strong steel framework that forms a
safety cage around the passenger compartment,
front and rear crush zones, a collapsible steering
column, and tensioners that tighten the front seat
belts in a sufficient crash.
However, you and your passengers cannot take full
advantage of these features unless you remain seated
in the correct position and always wear your seat
belts. In fact, some safety features can contribute to
injuries if they are not used properly.
679101112
Safety Cage
Crush Zones
Seats and Seat-Backs
Head Restraints
Collapsible Steering Column
Seat Belts
Front Airbags
Side Curtain Airbags
Door Locks Side Airbags
Seat Belt Tensioners/Seat Belt
e-pretensioners
*
77
10
10
9
9
11
116
12
8Knee Airbag
8
* Not available on all models
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uuAirbags uFront 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
causes a driver or front passen ger to move toward the front of the vehicle. Side
airbags and side curtain airbags 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 mov e toward the side of the vehicle.
Rear impacts: Head restraints and seat belts are your best protection during a rear
impact. Front airbags cannot provide any significant protection and are not designed
to deploy in such collisions.
Rollovers: Seat belts, and in vehicles equipped with a rollover sensor, side airbags,
and side curtain airbags offer the best protection 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 su dden deceleration, a strong impact to the
vehicle framework or suspension might cause 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 the vehicle chassis. Since the impact is
underneath the vehicle, damage may not be readily apparent.■When front airbags may not deploy, eve n though exterior damage
appears severe
Since crushable body parts absorb crash energy during an impact, the amount of
visible 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.
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uuAirbags uDriver’s Knee Airbag
Safe Driving
■When driver’s knee airbag deploys with little or no visible damage
Because the airbag system senses sudden deceleration, a strong impact to the
vehicle framework or suspension might cause 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 the vehicle chassis. Since the impact is
underneath the vehicle, damag e may not be readily apparent.■When driver’s knee airbag may not deploy, even though exterior damage
appears severe
Since crushable body parts absorb crash energy during an impact, the amount of
visible 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.
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uuAirbags uSide Airbags
Safe Driving
■When a side airbag deploys with little or no visible damage
Because the airbag system senses sudden acceleration, a strong impact to the side
of the vehicle’s framework can cause a side airbag to deploy. In such cases, there
may be little or no damage, but the side impact sensors detected a severe enough
impact to deploy the airbag.■When a side airbag may not deploy, even though visible damage appears
severe
It is possible for a side airbag to not deploy during an impact that results in
apparently severe damage. This can occur when the point of impact was toward the
far front or rear of the vehicle, or when the vehicle’s crushable body parts absorbed
most of the crash energy. In either case, the side airbag would not have been
needed nor provided protection even if it had deployed.
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uuCleaning uExterior Care
Maintenance
The inside lenses of exterior lights (headlights, brake lights, etc.) may fog temporarily
if you have driven in the rain, or after the vehicle has been run through a car wash.
Dew condensation also may build up inside the lenses when there is a significant
enough difference between the ambient and inside lens temperatures (similar to
vehicle windows fogging up in rainy conditions). These conditions are natural
processes, not structural design problems in the exterior lights.
Lens design characteristics may result in moisture developing on the light lens frame
surfaces. This also is not a malfunction.
However, if you see large amounts water accumulation, or large water drops
building up inside the lenses, have your vehicle inspected by a dealer.■
Fogged Exterior Light Lenses