PRINCIPLE OF OPERATION -
CANADA/UNITED STATES OF
AMERICA
WARNINGS
Airbags do not inflate slowly or
gently, and the risk of injury from a
deploying airbag is the greatest close
to the trim covering the airbag module. All occupants of your vehicle,
including the driver, should always
properly wear their safety belts, even
when an airbag supplemental restraint
system is provided. Failure to properly wear
your safety belt could seriously increase
the risk of injury or death. Always transport children 12 years
old and under in the back seat and
always properly use appropriate
child restraints. Failure to follow this could
seriously increase the risk of injury or death. Never place your arm over the airbag
module as a deploying airbag can
result in serious arm fractures or
other injuries. Airbags can kill or injure a child in a
child seat. Never place a rear-facing
child seat in front of an active airbag.
If you must use a forward-facing child seat
in the front seat, move the seat upon which
the child seat is installed all the way back. Do not attempt to service, repair, or
modify the airbag supplemental
restraint systems or its fuses as you
could be seriously injured or killed. Contact
your authorized dealer as soon as possible. Several airbag system components
get hot after inflation. Do not touch
them after inflation as this may result
in serious injury. WARNINGS
If the airbag has deployed, the airbag
will not function again and must be
replaced immediately. If the airbag
is not replaced, the unrepaired area will
increase the risk of injury in a crash. The airbags are a supplemental restraint
system and are designed to work with the
safety belts to help protect the driver and
right front passenger from certain upper
body injuries. Airbags do not inflate slowly;
there is a risk of injury from a deploying
airbag.
Note:
You will hear a loud bang and see a
cloud of harmless powdery residue if an
airbag deploys. This is normal.
The airbags inflate and deflate rapidly
upon activation. After airbag deployment,
it is normal to notice a smoke-like, powdery
residue or smell the burnt propellant. This
may consist of cornstarch, talcum powder
(to lubricate the bag) or sodium
compounds (for example, baking soda)
that result from the combustion process
that inflates the airbag. Small amounts of
sodium hydroxide may be present which
may irritate the skin and eyes, but none of
the residue is toxic.
While the system is designed to help
reduce serious injuries, contact with a
deploying airbag may also cause abrasions
or swelling. Temporary hearing loss is also
a possibility as a result of the noise
associated with a deploying airbag.
Because airbags must inflate rapidly and
with considerable force, there is the risk of
death or serious injuries such as fractures,
facial and eye injuries or internal injuries,
particularly to occupants who are not
properly restrained or are otherwise out of
position at the time of airbag deployment.
Thus, it is extremely important that
occupants be properly restrained as far
away from the airbag module as possible
while maintaining vehicle control.
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Routine maintenance of the airbags is not
required.
DRIVER AND PASSENGER
AIRBAGS
WARNINGS
Never place your arm or any objects
over an airbag module. Placing your
arm over a deploying airbag can
result in serious arm fractures or other
injuries. Objects placed on or over the
airbag inflation area may cause those
objects to be propelled by the airbag into
your face and torso causing serious injury. Airbags can kill or injure a child in a
child seat. Never place a rear-facing
child seat in front of an active airbag.
If you must use a forward-facing child seat
in the front seat, move the seat upon which
the child seat is installed all the way back. The driver and front passenger airbags will
deploy during significant frontal and near
frontal crashes.
The driver and passenger front airbag
system consists of:
•
Driver and passenger airbag modules.
• Crash sensors and monitoring system
with readiness indicator. See Crash
Sensors and Airbag Indicator (page
42
). Passenger Airbag On and Off
Switch
(If Equipped)
WARNINGS
Even with Advanced Restraints
Systems, children 12 and under
should be properly restrained in a
rear seating position. Failure to follow this
could seriously increase the risk of injury or
death. The front passenger airbag is not
designed to offer protection to an
occupant in the center seating
position. An airbag ON and OFF switch may
be installed in this vehicle. Before
driving, always look at the face of the
switch to be sure the switch is in the proper
position in accordance with these
instructions and warnings. Failure to put
the switch in a proper position can increase
the risk of serious injury or death in a crash. High-series vehicles (if equipped)
The front passenger airbag on and off
switch has indicators that will illuminate,
indicating that the front passenger frontal
airbag is either on or off. The indicator lamp
is located on the radio.
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Note:
The passenger airbag status indicator
OFF and ON lamps will illuminate for a short
period of time when the ignition is first
turned on to confirm it is functional. Passenger airbag
Passenger airbag status
indicator
Switch position
Disabled
OFF: Lit
Off
ON: Unlit Enabled
OFF: Unlit
On
ON: LitLow-series vehicles (if equipped)
The front passenger airbag on and off
switch has an indicator that will illuminate
and stay lit to remind you that the front
passenger frontal airbag is off. The
indicator lamp is located by the radio.
Note:
The indicator lamp will illuminate for
a short period of time when the ignition is
first turned on to confirm it is functional.
Turning the Passenger Airbag Off WARNINGS
If the light fails to illuminate when
the passenger airbag switch is off
and the ignition is on, have the
passenger airbag switch serviced at your
authorized dealer immediately. In order to avoid inadvertent
activation of the switch, always
remove the ignition key from the
passenger airbag on and off switch. WARNINGS
An infant in a rear-facing seat faces
a high risk of serious or fatal injuries
from a deploying passenger airbag.
Rear facing infant seats should never be
placed in the front seats, unless the
passenger airbag is turned off. 35
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1. Insert the ignition key, turn the switch
to OFF and hold in OFF while removing
the key. 2.
When the ignition is turned on, the pass
airbag off light illuminates briefly,
momentarily shuts off and then turns
back on. This indicates that the
passenger airbag is deactivated.
Turning the Passenger Airbag Back On WARNINGS
The safety belts for the driver and
right front passenger seating
positions have been specifically
designed to function together with the
airbags in certain types of crashes. When
you turn off your airbag, you not only lose
the protection of the airbag, you also may
reduce the effectiveness of your safety belt
system, which was designed to work with
the airbag. If you are not a passenger who
meets the requirements stated in the
National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration or Transport Canada
deactivation criteria turning off the airbag
can increase the risk of serious injury or
death in a crash. If your vehicle has rear seats, always
transport children who are 12 years
and under in the rear seat. Always
use safety belts and child restraints
correctly. Do not place a child in a rear
facing infant seat in the front seat unless
your vehicle is equipped with an airbag on
and off switch and the passenger airbag is
turned off. This is because the back of the
infant seat is too close to the inflating
airbag and the risk of a fatal injury to the
infant when the airbag inflates is
substantial. If the pass airbag off light is
illuminated when the passenger
airbag switch is on and the ignition
is on, have the passenger airbag switch
serviced at your authorized dealer
immediately. The passenger airbag remains off until you
turn it back on.
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1. Insert the ignition key and turn the
switch to ON.
2. The pass airbag off light will briefly illuminate when the ignition is turned
to on. This indicates that the passenger
airbag is operational.
The passenger side airbag should always
be on (the pass airbag off light should not
be illuminated) unless the passenger
meets the requirements stated either in
Category 1, 2 or 3 of the National Highway
Traffic Safety Administration or Transport
Canada deactivation criteria which follows.
The vast majority of drivers and passengers
are much safer with an airbag than
without. To do their job and reduce the risk
of life threatening injuries, airbags must
open with great force, and this force can
pose a potentially deadly risk in some
situations, particularly when a front seat
passenger is not using the safety belt
correctly. The most effective way to reduce
the risk of unnecessary airbag injuries
without reducing the overall safety of your
vehicle is to make sure all passengers are
correctly restrained in the vehicle,
especially in the front seat. This provides
the protection of safety belts and permits
the airbags to provide the additional
protection they were designed to provide.
If you choose to deactivate your airbag, you are losing the very significant risk
reducing benefits of the airbag and you are
also reducing the effectiveness of the
safety belts, because safety belts in
modern vehicles are designed to work as
a safety system with the airbags.
National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration Deactivation Criteria
(Excluding Canada)
WARNING
This vehicle has special energy
management safety belts for the
driver and right front passenger.
These particular belts are specifically
designed to work with airbags to help
reduce the risk of injury in a crash. The
energy management safety belt is
designed to give or release additional belt
webbing in some accidents to reduce
concentration of force on an occupant's
chest and reduce the risk of certain bone
fractures and injuries to underlying organs.
In a crash, if the airbag is turned off, this
energy management safety belt might
permit the person wearing the belt to move
forward enough to incur a serious or fatal
injury. The more severe the crash, and the
heavier the occupant, the greater the risk
is. Be sure the airbag is turned on for any
person who does not qualify under the
National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration deactivation criteria. 1.
Infant. An infant (less than 1 year old)
must ride in the front seat because:
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•
the vehicle has no rear seat;
• the vehicle has a rear seat too small to
accommodate a rear-facing infant
seat; or
• the infant has a medical condition
which, according to the infant's
physician, makes it necessary for the
infant to ride in the front so that the
driver can constantly monitor the
child's condition.
2. Child age 1 to 12. A child age 1 to 12 must
ride in the front seat because:
• the vehicle has no rear seat;
• although children ages 1 to 12 ride in the
rear seat(s) whenever possible,
children ages 1 to 12 sometimes must
ride in the front because no space is
available in the rear seat(s) of the
vehicle; or
• the child has a medical condition
which, according to the child's
physician, makes it necessary for the
child to ride in the front seat so that the
driver can constantly monitor the
child's condition.
3. Medical condition. A passenger has a
medical condition which, according to his
or her physician:
• causes the passenger airbag to pose a
special risk for the passenger;
• makes the potential harm from the
passenger airbag in a crash greater
than the potential harm from turning
off the airbag and allowing the
passenger, even if belted, to hit the
dashboard or windshield in a crash. Transport Canada Deactivation Criteria
(Canada Only) WARNING
This vehicle has special energy
management safety belts for the
driver and right front passenger.
These particular belts are specifically
designed to work with airbags to help
reduce the risk of injury in a crash. The
energy management safety belt is
designed to give or release additional belt
webbing in some accidents to reduce
concentration of force on an occupant's
chest and reduce the risk of certain bone
fractures and injuries to underlying organs.
In a crash, if the airbag is turned off, this
energy management safety belt might
permit the person wearing the belt to move
forward enough to incur a serious or fatal
injury. The more severe the crash, and the
heavier the occupant, the greater the risk
is. Be sure the airbag is turned on for any
person who does not qualify under the
National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration deactivation criteria. 1.
Infant: An infant (less than 1 year old)
must ride in the front seat because:
• my vehicle has no rear seat;
• the rear seat in my vehicle cannot
accommodate a rear-facing infant
seat;
• the infant has a medical condition
which, according to the infant's
physician, makes it necessary for the
infant to ride in the front seat so that
the driver can monitor the infant's
condition.
2. Child age 12 or under: A child age 12 or
under must ride in the front seat because:
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•
my vehicle has no rear seat;
• although children age 12 and under ride
in the rear seat whenever possible,
children age 12 and under have no
option but to sometimes ride in the
front seat because rear seat space is
insufficient;
• the child has a medical condition that,
according to the child's physician,
makes it necessary for the child to ride
in the front seat so that the driver can
monitor the child's condition.
3. Medical condition: A passenger has a
medical condition that, according to his or
her physician:
• poses a special risk for the passenger
if the airbag deploys; and
• makes the potential harm from the
passenger airbag deployment greater
than the potential harm from turning
off the airbag and experiencing a crash
without the protection offered by the
airbag
Proper Driver and Front Passenger
Seating Adjustment WARNING
The National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration recommends a
minimum distance of at least 10
inches (25 centimeters) between an
occupant’ s chest and the driver airbag
module. To properly position yourself away from
the airbag:
•
Move your seat to the rear as far as you
can while still reaching the pedals
comfortably.
• Recline the seat slightly (one or two
degrees) from the upright position. After all occupants have adjusted their
seats and put on safety belts, it is very
important that they continue to sit
properly. Properly seated occupants sit
upright, lean against the seat back, and
center themselves 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.
Children and Airbags
WARNING
Airbags can kill or injure a child in a
child seat. Never place a rear-facing
child seat in front of an active airbag.
If you must use a forward-facing child seat
in the front seat, move the seat upon which
the child seat is installed all the way back. Children must always be properly
restrained. Accident statistics suggest that
children are safer when properly restrained
in the rear seating positions than in the
front seating position. Failure to follow
these instructions may increase the risk of
injury in a crash.
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If two adults and a child occupy a Regular
Cab, properly restrain the child in the
center front unless doing so would interfere
with driving your vehicle. This provides lap
and shoulder belt protection for all
occupants, and airbag protection for the
adults. A child or infant properly restrained
in the center front seat should not incur
risk of serious injury from the airbags.
SIDE AIRBAGS (If Equipped)
WARNINGS
Do not place objects or mount
equipment on or near the airbag
cover, on the side of the seatbacks
(of the front seats), or in front seat areas
that may come into contact with a
deploying airbag. Failure to follow these
instructions may increase the risk of
personal injury in the event of a crash. Do not use accessory seat covers.
The use of accessory seat covers
may prevent the deployment of the
side airbags and increase the risk of injury
in an accident. Do not lean your head on the door.
The side airbag could injure you as it
deploys from the side of the
seatback. 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. 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 seatbacks 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 label or embossed side panel
indicating that side airbags are found
on your vehicle.
• Side airbags located inside the
seatback of the driver and front
passenger seats. ·Crash sensors and monitoring
system with readiness indicator.
See
Crash Sensors and Airbag
Indicator (page 42).
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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