Safety features of your vehicle
74 3
WARNING
• Sitting improperly or out of
position can cause occupants
to be shifted too close to a
deploying air bag, strike the
interior structure or be thrown
from the vehicle resulting in
serious injury or death.
• Always sit upright with the
seatback in an upright posi-
tion, centred on the seat cush-
ion with your seat belt on,
legs comfortably extended
and your feet on the floor.
Additional safety precautions
•Never let passengers ride in the
cargo area or on top of a folded-
down back seat.All occupants
should sit upright, fully back in their
seats with their seat belts on and
their feet on the floor.
•Passengers should not move
out of or change seats whilst the
vehicle is moving.A passenger
who is not wearing a seat belt dur-
ing a crash or emergency stop can
be thrown against the inside of the
vehicle, against other occupants,
or out of the vehicle.
•Each seat belt is designed to
restrain one occupant.If more
than one person uses the same
seat belt, they could be seriously
injured or killed in a collision.
•Do not use any accessories on
seat belts.Devices claiming to
improve occupant comfort or repo-
sition the seat belt can reduce the
protection provided by the seat belt
and increase the chance of serious
injury in a crash.•Passengers should not place
hard or sharp objects between
themselves and the air bags.
Carrying hard or sharp objects on
your lap or in your mouth can result
in injuries if an air bag inflates.
•Keep occupants away from the
air bag covers.All occupants
should sit upright, fully back in their
seats with their seat belts on and
their feet on the floor. If occupants
are too close to the air bag covers,
they could be injured if the air bags
inflate.
•Do not attach or place objects
on or near the air bag covers.
Any object attached to or placed
on the front or side impact air bag
covers could interfere with the
proper operation of the air bags.
•Do not modify the front seats.
Modification of the front seats
could interfere with the operation of
the supplemental restraint system
sensing components or side air
bags.•Do not place items under the
front seats.Placing items under
the front seats could interfere with
the operation of the supplemental
restraint system sensing compo-
nents and wiring harnesses.
•Never hold an infant or child on
your lap.The infant or child could
be seriously injured or killed in the
event of a crash. All infants and
children should be properly
restrained in appropriate child
safety seats or seat belts in the
rear seat.
Driving your vehicle
22 5
For smooth operation, depress the
brake pedal when shifting from N
(Neutral) to a forward or reverse
gear.Transaxle ranges
The indicator lights in the instrument
cluster displays the shift lever posi-
tion when the ignition switch is in the
ON position.
P (Park)
Always come to a complete stop
before shifting into P (Park). This
position locks the transaxle and pre-
vents the front wheels from rotating.
WARNING- Automatic
transaxle
• Always check the surrounding
areas near your vehicle for
people, especially children,
before shifting a vehicle into
D (Drive) or R (Reverse).
• Before leaving the driver’s
seat, always make sure the
shift lever is in the P (Park)
position; then set the parking
brake fully and shut the
engine off. Unexpected and
sudden vehicle movement
can occur if these precautions
are not followed in the order
identified.
• Do not use the engine brake
(shifting from a high gear to
lower gear) rapidly on slip-
pery roads. The vehicle may
slip causing an accident.
CAUTION
• To avoid damage to your
transaxle, do not accelerate
the engine in R (Reverse) or
any forward gear position with
the brakes on.
• When stopped on an upgrade,
do not hold the vehicle sta-
tionary with engine power.
Use the service brake or the
parking brake.
• Do not shift from N (Neutral)
or P (Park) into D (Drive), or R
(Reverse) when the engine is
above idle speed.
WARNING
• Shifting into P (Park) whilst
the vehicle is in motion will
cause the drive wheels to lock
which will cause you to lose
control of the vehicle.
• Do not use the P (Park) posi-
tion in place of the parking
brake. Always make sure the
shift lever is latched in the P
(Park) position and set the
parking brake fully.
• Never leave a child unattend-
ed in a vehicle.