
SITTING IN THE CORRECT
POSITION
WARNINGS
Sitting improperly, out of position orwith the seatback reclined too farcan take weight off the seat cushionand affect the decision of the passengersensing system, resulting in serious injuryor death in the event of a crash. Always situpright against your seat back, with yourfeet on the floor.
Do not recline the seatback as thiscan cause the occupant to slideunder the safety belt, resulting inserious injury in the event of a crash.
Do not place objects higher than theseatback to reduce the risk of seriousinjury in the event of a crash or duringheavy braking.
When you use them properly, the seat,head restraint, safety belt and airbags willprovide optimum protection in the eventof a crash.
We recommend that you follow theseguidelines:
•Sit in an upright position with the baseof your spine as far back as possible.
•Do not recline the seatback more than30 degrees.
•Adjust the head restraint so that thetop of it is level with the top of yourhead and as far forward as possible.Make sure that you remaincomfortable.
•Keep sufficient distance betweenyourself and the steering wheel. Werecommend a minimum of 10 in(25 cm) between your breastbone andthe airbag cover.
•Hold the steering wheel with your armsslightly bent.
•Bend your legs slightly so that you canpress the pedals fully.
•Position the shoulder strap of thesafety belt over the center of yourshoulder and position the lap straptightly across your hips.
Make sure that your driving position iscomfortable and that you can maintain fullcontrol of your vehicle.
HEAD RESTRAINTS
WARNINGS
Fully adjust the head restraint beforeyou sit in or operate your vehicle. Thiswill help minimize the risk of neckinjury in the event of a crash. Do not adjustthe head restraint when your vehicle ismoving.
The head restraint is a safety device.Whenever possible it should beinstalled and properly adjusted whenthe seat is occupied. An improperlyadjusted head restraint may notadequately protect an occupant during animpact from the rear.
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SeatsE68595

Switching Off the Vehicle When ItIs Moving
WARNING
Switching off the engine when thevehicle is still moving will result in aloss of brake and steering assistance.The steering will not lock, but higher effortwill be required. When the ignition isswitched off, some electrical circuits,including air bags, warning lamps andindicators may also be off. If the ignitionwas turned off accidentally, you can shiftinto neutral (N) and re-start the engine.
Vehicles with an Ignition Key
1. Move the transmission selector leverto position N and use the brakes tobring your vehicle to a safe stop.
2. When your vehicle has stopped, movethe transmission selector lever toposition P and turn the key to position0.
3. Apply the parking brake.
Vehicles with Keyless Start
1. Move the transmission selector leverto position N and use the brakes tobring your vehicle to a safe stop.
2. When your vehicle has stopped, movethe transmission selector lever toposition P.
3. Press and hold the button for onesecond, or press it three times withintwo seconds.
4. Apply the parking brake.
Guarding Against Exhaust Fumes
WARNING
If you smell exhaust fumes insideyour vehicle, have your vehiclechecked by your authorized dealerimmediately. Do not drive your vehicle ifyou smell exhaust fumes. Carbonmonoxide is present in exhaust fumes.Take precautions to avoid its dangerouseffects.
Important Ventilating Information
If you stop your vehicle and leave it idlingfor long periods, we recommend that youdo one of the following:
•Open the windows at least 1 in(2.5 cm).
•Set your climate control to outside air.
ENGINE BLOCK HEATER (If
Equipped)
WARNINGS
Failure to follow engine block heaterinstructions could result in propertydamage or serious personal injury.
Do not use your heater withungrounded electrical systems ortwo-pronged adapters. There is a riskof electrical shock.
Do not fully close the hood, or allowit to drop under its own weight whenusing the engine block heater. Thiscould damage the power cable and maycause an electrical short resulting in fire,injury and property damage.
Note:The heater is most effective whenoutdoor temperatures are below 0°F(-18°C).
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Starting and Stopping the Engine

LOAD LIMIT
Vehicle Loading - with andwithout a Trailer
This section will guide you in theproper loading of your vehicle,trailer or both, to keep your loadedvehicle weight within its designrating capability, with or withouta trailer. Properly loading yourvehicle will provide maximumreturn of vehicle designperformance. Before loading yourvehicle, familiarize yourself with
the following terms fordetermining your vehicle’s weightratings, with or without a trailer,from the vehicle’s Tire Label orSafety Compliance CertificationLabel:
Base Curb Weight - is the weightof the vehicle including full fluidsand all standard equipment. Itdoes not include passengers,cargo, or optional equipment.
Vehicle Curb Weight - is theweight of your new vehicle whenyou picked it up from yourauthorized dealer plus anyaftermarket equipment.
Payload - is the combined weightof cargo and passengers that thevehicle is carrying. The maximumpayload for your vehicle can befound on the Tire Label on theB-Pillar or the edge of the driverdoor (vehicles exported outsidethe US and Canada may not havea Tire Label). Look for “THECOMBINED WEIGHT OFOCCUPANTS AND CARGOSHOULD NEVER EXCEED XXXkg OR XXX lb.” for maximum
payload. The payload listed on theTire Label is the maximumpayload for the vehicle as built bythe assembly plant. If you installany aftermarket orauthorized-dealer installedequipment on the vehicle, youmust subtract the weight of theequipment from the payload listedon the Tire Label in order todetermine the new payload.
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Load CarryingE143816PAYLOAD

WARNING
The appropriate loadingcapacity of your vehicle canbe limited either by volumecapacity (how much space isavailable) or by payload capacity(how much weight the vehicleshould carry). Once you havereached the maximum payload ofyour vehicle, do not add morecargo, even if there is spaceavailable. Overloading orimproperly loading your vehiclecan contribute to loss of vehiclecontrol and vehicle rollover.
Example only:
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Load CarryingE210944 E210945 E143817CARGO

Cargo Weight - includes allweight added to the Base CurbWeight, including cargo andoptional equipment. When towing,trailer tongue load or king pinweight is also part of cargo weight.
GAW (Gross Axle Weight) - isthe total weight placed on eachaxle (front and rear) includingvehicle curb weight and allpayload.
GAWR (Gross Axle WeightRating) - is the maximumallowable weight that can becarried by a single axle (front orrear). These numbers are shownon the Safety Compliance
Certification Label. The label shallbe affixed to either the door hingepillar, door-latch post, or the dooredge that meets the door-latchpost, next to the driver's seatingposition.The total load on eachaxle must never exceed itsGross Axle Weight Rating.
Note: For trailer towinginformation refer to the RV andTrailer Towing Guide available atan authorized dealer.
GVW (Gross Vehicle Weight) -is the Vehicle Curb Weight, pluscargo, plus passengers.
GVWR (Gross Vehicle WeightRating) - is the maximumallowable weight of the fullyloaded vehicle (including alloptions, equipment, passengersand cargo). It is shown on the
Safety Compliance CertificationLabel. The label shall be affixedto either the door hinge pillar,door-latch post, or the door edgethat meets the door-latch post,next to the driver's seatingposition.The Gross VehicleWeight must never exceed theGross Vehicle Weight Rating.
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Load CarryingE143818GVW

Example only:
WARNING
Exceeding the SafetyCompliance CertificationLabel vehicle weight rating limitscould result in substandardvehicle handling or performance,engine, transmission and/orstructural damage, seriousdamage to the vehicle, loss ofcontrol and personal injury.
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Load CarryingE198828 E143819GCW
GVW

GCW (Gross Combined Weight)- is the Gross Vehicle Weight plusthe weight of the fully loadedtrailer.
GCWR (Gross CombinedWeight Rating) - is the maximumallowable weight of the vehicleand the loaded trailer, includingall cargo and passengers, that thevehicle can handle without riskingdamage. (Important: The towingvehicle’s braking system is ratedfor operation at Gross VehicleWeight Rating, not at GrossCombined Weight Rating.)Separate functional brakes shouldbe used for safe control of towedvehicles and for trailers where theGross Combined Weight of thetowing vehicle plus the trailerexceed the Gross Vehicle WeightRating of the towing vehicle.TheGross Combined Weight mustnever exceed the GrossCombined Weight Rating.
Maximum Loaded TrailerWeight - is the highest possibleweight of a fully loaded trailer thevehicle can tow. It assumes avehicle with mandatory options,driver and front passenger weight(150 pounds [68 kilograms]each), no cargo weight (internalor external) and a tongue load of10–15% (conventional trailer) orking pin weight of 15–25% (fifthwheel trailer). Consult anauthorized dealer (or the RV andTrailer Towing Guide available at
an authorized dealer) for moredetailed information.
Tongue Load or Fifth WheelKing Pin Weight - refers to theamount of the weight that a trailerpushes down on a trailer hitch.
Examples: For a 5000 pound(2268 kilogram) conventionaltrailer, multiply 5000 by 0.10 and0.15 to obtain a proper tongueload range of 500 to 750 pounds(227 to 340 kilograms). For an11500 pound (5216 kilogram) fifthwheel trailer, multiply by 0.15 and0.25 to obtain a proper king pinload range of 1725 to 2875 pounds(782 to 1304 kilograms).
WARNINGS
Do not exceed the GVWR orthe GAWR specified on theSafety Compliance CertificationLabel.
Do not use replacement tireswith lower load carryingcapacities than the original tiresbecause they may lower thevehicle’s GVWR and GAWRlimitations. Replacement tireswith a higher limit than the originaltires do not increase the GVWRand GAWR limitations.
Exceeding any vehicle weightrating limitation could resultin serious damage to the vehicleand/or personal injury.
Steps for determining thecorrect load limit:
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Load Carrying

1. Locate the statement "Thecombined weight of occupantsand cargo should never exceedXXX kg or XXX lb." on yourvehicle’s placard.
2.Determine the combinedweight of the driver andpassengers that will be ridingin your vehicle.
3.Subtract the combined weightof the driver and passengersfrom XXX kg or XXX lb.
4.The resulting figure equals theavailable amount of cargo andluggage load capacity. Forexample, if the “XXX” amountequals 1,400 lb. and there willbe five 150 lb. passengers inyour vehicle, the amount ofavailable cargo and luggageload capacity is 650 lb.(1400-750 (5 x 150) = 650 lb.)
5.Determine the combinedweight of luggage and cargobeing loaded on the vehicle.That weight may not safelyexceed the available cargo andluggage load capacitycalculated in Step 4.
6.If your vehicle will be towing atrailer, load from your trailerwill be transferred to yourvehicle. Consult this manual todetermine how this reduces theavailable cargo and luggageload capacity of your vehicle.
The following gives you a fewexamples on how to calculate the
available amount of cargo andluggage load capacity:
*Suppose your vehicle has a1400-pound (635-kilogram) cargoand luggage capacity. You decideto go golfing. Is there enough loadcapacity to carry you, four of yourfriends and all the golf bags? Youand four friends average 220pounds (99 kilograms) each andthe golf bags weigh approximately30 pounds (13.5 kilograms) each.The calculation would be: 1400 -(5 x 220) - (5 x 30) = 1400 - 1100- 150 = 150 pounds. Yes, you haveenough load capacity in yourvehicle to transport four friendsand your golf bags. In metric units,the calculation would be: 635kilograms - (5 x 99 kilograms) -(5 x 13.5 kilograms) = 635 - 495 -67.5 = 72.5 kilograms.
*Suppose your vehicle has a1400-pound (635-kilogram) cargoand luggage capacity. You andone of your friends decide to pickup cement from the local homeimprovement store to finish thatpatio you have been planning forthe past two years. Measuring theinside of the vehicle with the rearseat folded down, you have roomfor twelve 100-pound(45-kilogram) bags of cement. Doyou have enough load capacity totransport the cement to yourhome? If you and your friend eachweigh 220 pounds (99 kilograms),the calculation would be: 1400 -(2 x 220) - (12 x 100) = 1400 - 440- 1200 = - 240 pounds. No, you donot have enough cargo capacity
to carry that much weight. Inmetric units, the calculation would
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