
Continued33
uuSeat Belts uAbout Your Seat Belts
Safe Driving
■Proper use of seat belts
Follow these guidelines for proper use:
• All occupants should sit upright, well back  in the seat, and remain in that position 
for the duration of the tr ip. Slouching and leaning re duces the effectiveness of 
the belt and can increase the chance  of serious injury in a crash.
• Never place the shoulder part of a lap/shoulder seat belt under your arm or 
behind your back. This could cause very serious injuries in a crash.
• Two people should never use the same seat  belt. If they do, they could be very 
seriously injured in a crash.
• Do not put any accessories on the seat belt s. Devices intended to improve comfort 
or reposition the shoulder part of a seat  belt can reduce the protective capability 
and increase the chance of  serious injury in a crash.
Your vehicle monitors front seat belt use. If 
the ignition switch  is turned to ON 
(w*1 
before the driver’s seat belt is fastened, the 
beeper will sound and the indicator will blink. 
If the driver does not fasten the belt before 
the beeper stops, the indicator will remain on.
The beeper will also periodically sound and 
the indicator will blink while driving until the 
driver’s and front passenger’s seat belts are 
fastened.
*1 : Models with the smart entry system have an  ENGINE START/STOP button instead of an ignition switch.
■Seat Belt Reminder
1About Your Seat Belts
If a rear seat passenger moves around and extends 
the seat belt, the lockable retractor may activate. If 
this happens, release the  retractor by unfastening the 
seat belt and allow the belt to retract completely. 
Then refasten the belt.
1 Seat Belt Reminder
The indicator will also co me on if a front passenger 
does not fasten their seat belt within six seconds after 
the ignition switch is turned to ON 
( w*1.
When no one is sitting in th e front passenger’s seat, 
the indicator will not come  on and the beeper will not 
sound. The indicator also  may not come on and the 
beeper may not sound when the occupant is not 
heavy enough to trigger th e weight sensor. Such 
occupants (e.g., infants and smaller children) should 
be moved to the rear seat  as a deploying front airbag 
likely will injure or kill them. 2 Protecting Child Passengers  P. 54
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42
uuAirbags uAirbag System Components
Safe Driving
The front, front side, and side curtain 
airbags are deployed  according to the 
direction and severity of impact. Both side 
curtain airbags are depl oyed in a rollover. 
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*1.
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 or side impact.
iAn indicator on the dashboard that alerts 
you that the front passenger’s front 
airbag has been turned off.
jAn indicator on the instrument panel that 
alerts you to a possible problem with your 
airbag system or seat belt tensioners.
kA rollover sensor that detects whether 
the vehicle is about to roll over.
*1 : Models with the smart entry system have an  ENGINE START/STOP  button instead of an ignition 
switch.
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Continued45
uuAirbags uFront 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 
front airbag provides supplemental protection 
for your head and chest.
The front airbags deflate immediately so that 
they won’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
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.
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46
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 passenger to move  towards the front of the vehicle. Side 
airbags and side curtain airbag s have been specifically designed to help reduce the 
severity of injuries that can occur durin g 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 
impact. Front airbags cannot provide any si gnificant 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 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 
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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47
uuAirbags uFront Airbags (SRS)
Safe DrivingYour front airbags have advanced features to help reduce the likelihood of airbag 
related injuries to smaller occupants.
The driver’s advanced front airbag system 
includes a seat position sensor.
If the seat is too far forward, the airbag 
inflates with less force, regardless of the 
severity of the impact.
The passenger’s advanced front airbag system 
has weight sensors.
Although we recommend against carrying an 
infant or small child in front, if the sensors 
detect the weight of a child (up to about 65 
lbs or 29 kg), the system will automatically 
turn off the passenger’s front airbag.
■Advanced Airbags1 Advanced Airbags
If there is a problem with the driver’s seat position 
sensor, the SRS indicator wi ll come on and the airbag 
will inflate with full (normal) force, regardless of the 
driver’s seating position.
For both advanced front airbags to work properly:
•Do not spill any liquid on or under the seats.•Do not put any object under the passenger’s seat.
•Make sure any objects  are positioned properly on 
the floor. Improperly pos itioned objects can 
interfere with the advanced airbag sensors.
•All occupants should sit upri ght and wear their seat 
belts properly.
•Do not place any cover over the passenger side 
dashboard.
Driver’s 
Seat 
Position 
Sensor
Passenger’s 
Seat 
Weight 
Sensors
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48
uuAirbags uSide Airbags
Safe Driving
Side Airbags
The side airbags help protect the torso and  pelvis of the driver or a front passenger 
during a moderate-to-severe side impact.
The side airbags are housed in the outside 
edge of the driver’s and passenger’s seat-
backs.
Both are marked SIDE AIRBAG.
When the sensors detect a moderate-to-
severe side impact, the control unit signals the 
side airbag on the impact side to immediately 
inflate.
■Housing Locations
1 Side Airbags
Make sure you and your front seat passenger always 
sit upright. Leaning into the  path of a side airbag can 
prevent the airbag from  deploying properly and 
increases your risk of serious injury.
Do not attach accessories on  or near the side airbags. 
They can interfere with the proper operation of the 
airbags, or hurt someone if an airbag inflates.
If the impact is on the passenger side, the airbag 
deploys even if there is  no passenger in the passenger 
seat.
Do not cover or replace the front seat-back covers 
without consulting a dealer.
Improperly replac ing or covering front seat-back 
covers can prevent your si de airbags from properly 
deploying during  a side impact.
Housing Location
■Operation
When 
inflated
Side Airbag
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49
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 occu r when the point of impact was towards 
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 protec tion even if it had deployed.
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uuAirbags uAirbag System Indicators
52
Safe Driving■When the passen ger airbag off 
indicator comes on
The indicator comes on  to alert you that the 
passenger’s front airbag  has been turned off.
This occurs when the front passenger’s weight 
sensors detect 65 lbs (29 kg) or less, the 
weight of an infant or small child, on the seat.
Infants and small children should always ri de properly restrained in a back seat.
2Child Safety  P. 54
Objects placed on the seat can also cause the indicator to come on.
If the front passenger seat is empty, the pa ssenger’s front airbag will not deploy and 
the indicator will not come on.
■Passenger Airbag Off Indicator1 Passenger Airbag Off Indicator
If the indicator comes on wi th no front passenger and 
no objects on the passenger’s  seat, or with an adult 
riding there, something may be interfering with the 
weight sensors, such as:
•An object hanging on the seat  or in the seat-back 
pocket.
•A child seat or other obj ect pressing against the 
rear of the seat-back.
•A rear passenger pushing or  pulling on the back of 
the front passe nger’s seat.
•The front seat or seat-back is forced back against 
an object on the seat or floor behind it.
•An object placed under th e front passenger’s seat.
If none of these conditions exist, have your vehicle 
checked by a dealer as soon as possible.
The passenger airbag off  indicator may come on and 
goes off repeatedly if the to tal weight on the seat is 
near the airbag cutoff threshold.
U.S. models
Canadian models
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