2-2
You will find many safety precautions
and recommendations throughout
this section, and throughout this man-
ual. The safety precautions in this sec-
tion are among the most important.
Always Wear Your Seat Belt
A seat belt is your best protection in
all types of accidents. Air bags are
designed to supplement seat belts,
not replace them. So even though
your vehicle is equipped with air bags,
ALWAYS make sure you and your
passengers wear your seat belts, and
wear them properly.
Restrain All Children
All children under age 13 should ride
in your vehicle properly restrained in
a rear seat, not the front seat. Infants
and small children should be
restrained in an appropriate child
restraint. Larger children should use
a booster seat with the lap/shoulder
belt until they can use the seat belt
properly without a booster seat.
Air Bag Hazards
While air bags can save lives, they
can also cause serious or fatal
injuries to occupants who sit too
close to them, or who are not prop-
erly restrained. Infants, young chil-
dren, and shorter adults are at the
greatest risk of being injured by an
inflating air bag. Follow all instruc-
tions and warnings in this manual.
Driver Distraction
Driver distraction presents a serious
and potentially deadly danger, espe-
cially for inexperienced drivers. Safety
should be the first concern when
behind the wheel and drivers need to
be aware of the wide array of potential
distractions, such as drowsiness,
reaching for objects, eating, personal
grooming, other passengers, and
using cellular phones.
Drivers can become distracted when
they take their eyes and attention off
the road or their hands off the wheel
to focus on activities other than driv-
ing. To reduce your risk of distraction
or getting into an accident:
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Safety system of your vehicle
Safety Precautions
Adjusting the seats so that you are sit-
ting in a safe, comfortable position
plays an important role in driver and
passenger safety together with the
seat belts and air bags in an accident.
Air bags
You can take steps to reduce the risk
of being injured by an inflating air
bag. Sitting too close to an air bag
greatly increases the risk of injury in
the event the air bag inflates.The National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration (NHTSA) recommends
that drivers allow at least 10 inches
(25 cm) between the center of the
steering wheel and their chest.
Seat belts
Always fasten your seat belt before
starting any trip.
At all times, passengers should sit
upright and be properly restrained.
Infants and small children must be
restrained in appropriate child restraint
systems. Children who have outgrown
a booster seat and adults must be
restrained using the seat belts.
Do not use a cushion that
reduces friction between the seat
and the passenger. The passen-
ger's hips may slide under the
lap portion of the seat belt during
an accident or a sudden stop.
Serious or fatal internal injuries
could result because the seat
belt cannot operate properly.
WARNING To reduce the risk of serious
injury or death from an inflating
air bag, take the following pre-
cautions:
•Adjust the driver’s seat as far to
the rear as possible while main-
taining the ability to maintain
full control of the vehicle.
Adjust the front passenger seat
as far to the rear as possible.
Hold the steering wheel by the
rim with hands at the 9 o’clock
and 3 o’clock positions to mini-
mize the risk of injuries to your
hands and arms.
NEVER place anything or any-
one between the steering wheel
and the air bag.
Do not allow the front passen-
ger to place feet or legs on the
dashboard to minimize the risk
of leg injuries.
WARNING
2-5
Safety system of your vehicle
2
2-7
Safety system of your vehicle
Manual adjustment
Forward and rearward adjustment
To move the seat forward or rearward:
1. Pull up the seat slide adjustmentlever and hold it.
2. Slide the seat to the position you desire.
3. Release the lever and make sure the seat is locked in place. Move
forward and rearward without using
the lever. If the seat moves, it is not
locked properly.
Seatback angle
To recline the seatback:
1. Lean forward slightly and lift up theseatback lever.
2. Carefully lean back on the seat and adjust the seatback to the
position you desire.
3. Release the lever and make sure the seatback is locked in place.
(The lever MUST return to its orig-
inal position for the seatback to
lock.) Reclining seatback
Sitting in a reclined position when
the vehicle is in motion can be dan-
gerous. Even when buckled up, the
protection of your restraint system
(seat belts and air bags) is greatly
reduced by reclining your seatback.
2
OLF034003N
OLF034002N
NEVER ride with a reclined
seatback when the vehicle is
moving.
Riding with a reclined seatback
increases your chance of seri-
ous or fatal injuries in the event
of a collision or sudden stop.
Drivers and passengers should
ALWAYS sit well back in their
seats, properly belted, and with
the seatbacks upright.
WARNING
2-32
Safety system of your vehicle
If the shoulder belt portion slightly
touches the child’s neck or face, try
placing the child closer to the center
of the vehicle. If the shoulder belt still
touches their face or neck they need
to be returned to an appropriate
booster seat in the rear seat.
Transporting an injured person
A seat belt should be used when an
injured person is being transported.
Consult a physician for specific rec-
ommendations.
One person per belt
Two people (including children) should
never attempt to use a single seat belt.
This could increase the severity of
injuries in case of an accident.
Do not lie down
Sitting in a reclined position when the
vehicle is in motion can be dangerous.
Even when buckled up, the protec-
tions of your restraint system (seat
belts and air bags) is greatly reduced
by reclining your seatback.
To reduce the chance of injuries in the
event of an accident and to achieve
the maximum effectiveness of the
restraint system, all passengers
should be sitting up and the front and
rear seats should be in an upright
position when the car is moving. A seat belt cannot provide proper
protection if the person is lying down
in the rear seat or if the front or rear
seats are in a reclined position.
NEVER ride with a reclined
seatback when the vehicle is
moving.
Riding with a reclined seatback
increases your chance of seri-
ous or fatal injuries in the event
of a collision or sudden stop.
Drivers and passengers should
always sit well back in their
seats, properly belted, and with
the seatbacks upright.
WARNING
Always make sure children
are wearing their seat belts
and that they are properly
adjusted before driving.
NEVER allow the shoulder
belt to contact the child’s
neck or face.
Do not allow more than one
child to use a single seat belt.
WARNING
2-46
Safety system of your vehicle
This vehicle is equipped with an
Advanced Supplemental Air Bag
System for the driver’s seat and front
passenger’s seats.
The front air bags are designed to
supplement the three-point seat
belts. For these air bags to provide
protection, the seat belts must be
worn at all times when driving.
You can be severely injured or killed
in an accident if you are not wearing
a seat belt. Air bags are designed to
supplement seat belts, but do not
replace them. Also, air bags are not
designed to deploy in every collision.
In some accidents, the seat belts are
the only restraint protecting you. AIR BAG SAFETY PRECAUTIONS
ALWAYS use seat belts and child restraints - every trip, every time,
everyone! Even with air bags, you can be seriously injured or killed in
a collision if you are improperly belted or not wearing your seat belt
when the air bag inflates.
NEVER place a child in any child restraint or booster seat in the front
passenger seat. An inflating air bag could forcefully strike the infant
or child causing serious or fatal injuries.
ABC - Always Buckle Children under age 13 in the back seat. It is the
safest place for children of any age to ride. If a child age 13 or older
must be seated in the front seat, he or she must be properly belted
and the seat should be moved as far back as possible.
All occupants should sit upright with the seatback in an upright posi-
tion, centered on the seat cushion with their seat belt on, legs com-
fortably extended and their feet on the floor until the vehicle is parked
and the engine is turned off. If an occupant is out of position during
an accident, the rapidly deploying air bag may forcefully contact the
occupant causing serious or fatal injuries.
You and your passengers should never sit or lean unnecessarily
close to the air bags or lean against the door or center console.
Move your seat as far back as possible from front air bags, while still
maintaining control of the vehicle. The U.S. National Highway Traffic
Safety Administration (NHTSA) recommends that drivers allow at
least 10 inches (25 cm) between the center of the steering wheel and
the chest.
WARNING
2-53
Safety system of your vehicle
2
You can take steps to reduce the risk
of being injured by an inflating air
bag. The greatest risk is sitting too
close to the air bag. An air bag needs
about 10 inches (25 cm) of space to
inflate. NHTSA recommends that
drivers allow at least 10 inches
(25 cm) between the center of the
steering wheel and the chest.When the SRSCM detects a suffi-
ciently severe impact to the front of
the vehicle, it will automatically
deploy the front air bags.
OHM039102N
■Driver’s front air bag (1)
To reduce the risk of serious
injury or death from an inflating
air bag, take the following pre-
cautions:
NEVER place a child restraint
in the front passenger seat.
Always properly restrain chil-
dren under age 13 in the rear
seats of the vehicle.
Adjust the front passenger’s
and driver’s seats as far to the
rear as possible while allow-
ing you to maintain full con-
trol of the vehicle.
Hold the steering wheel with
hands at the 9 o’clock and 3
o’clock positions.
Never place anything or any-
one between the air bag and
the seat occupant.
Do not allow the front passen-
ger to place their feet or legs
on the dashboard.
WARNING
5-5
Driving your vehicle
5
NEVER drink or take drugs and
drive.
Drinking or taking drugs and
driving is dangerous and may
result in an accident and SERI-
OUS INJURY or DEATH.
Drunk driving is the number
one contributor to the highway
death toll each year. Even a
small amount of alcohol will
affect your reflexes, percep-
tions and judgment. Just one
drink can reduce your ability to
respond to changing conditions
and emergencies and your reac-
tion time gets worse with each
additional drink.
Driving while under the influ-
ence of drugs is as dangerous
or more dangerous than driving
under the influence of alcohol.(Continued)
WARNING (Continued)
You are much more likely to have
a serious accident if you drink or
take drugs and drive. If you are
drinking or taking drugs, don’t
drive. Do not ride with a driver
who has been drinking or taking
drugs. Choose a designated
driver or call a taxi.
To reduce the risk of SERIOUS
INJURY or DEATH, take the fol-
lowing precautions:
ALWAYS wear your seat belt.
All passengers must be prop-
erly belted whenever the vehi-
cle is moving. For more infor-
mation, refer to “Seat Belts” in
chapter 2.
Always drive defensively.
Assume other drivers or
pedestrians may be careless
and make mistakes.
Stay focused on the task of
driving. Driver distraction can
cause accidents.
Leave plenty of space between
you and the vehicle in front of
you.
WARNING