WARNING:Do not lean your head on the door. The side airbag
could injure you as it deploys from the side of the seatback.
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 seatback indicating
that side airbags are found on
your vehicle.
• Side airbags located inside the
seatback of the driver and front
passenger seats.
• Front passenger sensing system.
• Crash sensors and monitoring system with readiness
indicator. See Crash Sensors and Airbag Indicator later in
this chapter.
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
located above the trim panels
over the front and rear side
windows identified by wording on
the B-pillar trim.
• A flexible headliner which opens above the side doors to allow air
curtain deployment.
•Crash sensors and monitoring system with readiness
indicator. See Crash Sensors and Airbag Indicator in 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. The restraints
control module deploys (activates) the front safety belt pretensioners,
driver airbag, passenger 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 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
Cluster chapter. 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 are 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 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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Locking the DoorsPress the button to lock all the doors. The turn signals will
illuminate.
Press the button again within three seconds to confirm that all the doors
are closed. The doors will lock again, the horn will sound and the turn
signals will illuminate if all the doors and the luggage compartment are
closed.
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.
Opening the Trunk
Press the button twice within three seconds to open the trunk.
Make sure to close and latch the trunk before driving your vehicle. An
unlatched trunk may cause objects to fall out or block your view.
Activating Intelligent Access (If Equipped)
You must have the intelligent access key within 3 feet (1 meter) of your
vehicle.
At the Front Doors
Pull a front exterior door handle to unlock and open the door. The
unlock sensor is on the back of the handle. Make sure not to touch the
lock sensor area on the front of the handle. Press and hold the lock sensor area
for about a second to lock your
vehicle. To avoid unlocking the door
inadvertently, make sure to only
touch the lock sensor and not other
areas of the door handle.
After locking the doors with the
lock sensor, there is a brief delay
before you can unlock your vehicle. This delay lets you pull the door
handle to make sure it locked.
Note: Keep the door handle surface clean to avoid issues with operation.
At the Trunk
Press the exterior trunk release button hidden near the license plate.
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WINDSHIELD WIPERS
Note:Fully defrost the windshield before switching on the windshield
wipers.
Note: Make sure you switch off the windshield wipers 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.
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.
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A camera sensor is centrally mounted behind the windshield of the
vehicle, and monitors the conditions to decide when to switch the high
beams off and on.
Once the system is active the high beams will switch on if:
•The ambient light level is low enough that high beams are needed.
• There is no traffic in front of the vehicle.
• Vehicle speed is greater than 32 mph (52 km/h).
• Severe weather is not detected.
The high beams will switch off if:
• An approaching vehicle’s headlights or a preceding vehicle’s tail lamps
are detected.
• The vehicle speed falls below 27 mph (44 km/h).
• The ambient light level is high enough that high beams are not
needed.
• Severe rain, snow or fog is detected.
• The camera is blocked.
Activating the system
Switch the system on within the information display. See Information
displays.
Turn the lighting control to the
autolamps position.
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INTERIOR MIRROR
WARNING:Do not adjust the mirror when your vehicle is
moving.
Note: Do not clean the housing or glass of any mirror with harsh
abrasives, fuel or other petroleum or ammonia based cleaning products.
You can adjust the interior mirror to your preference. Some mirrors also
have a second pivot point. This lets you move the mirror head up or
down and from side to side.
Pull the tab below the mirror toward you to reduce glare at night.
Auto-Dimming Mirror (If Equipped)
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.
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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. 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 Messages Action / Description
Adaptive Cruise
Malfunction Displayed when a radar malfunction is
preventing the ACC from engaging.
Adaptive Cruise Not
Available Displayed when conditions exist such that the
adaptive cruise cannot function properly.
Adaptive Cruise Not
Available Sensor
Blocked Displayed 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 Messages Action / 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.
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