Safety features of your vehicle
Important safety precautions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-2
• Always wear your seat belt. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-2
• Restrain all children . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-2
• Air bag hazards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-2
• Driver distraction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-2
• Control your speed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-3
• Keep your vehicle in safe condition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-3
Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-4
• Safety precautions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-5
• Front seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-6
• Rear seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-12
• Headrest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-15
• Seat warmers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-19
Seat belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-21
• Seat belt safety precautions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-21
• Seat belt warning light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-22
• Seat belt restraint system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-23
• Additional seat belt safety precautions . . . . . . . . . . . 3-29
• Care of seat belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-32
Child restraint system (CRS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-33
• Selecting a Child Restraint System (CRS) . . . . . . . . 3-34
• Installing a Child Restraint System (CRS) . . . . . . . . 3-36
Air bag - advanced supplemental restraint
system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-44
• Where are the air bags? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-46
• SRS components and functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-49
• What to expect after an air bag inflates . . . . . . . . . . 3-53
• Occupant Classification System (OCS) . . . . . . . . . . . 3-54
• Why Didn’t My Air Bag Go Off in a Collision? . . . 3-59
• SRS care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-64
• Additional safety precautions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-65
• Air bag warning labels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-66
3
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, to name a few.
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:
• ALWAYS set up your mobile devices
(i.e., MP3 players, phones, naviga-
tion units, etc.) when your vehicle is
parked or safely stopped.
• ONLY use your mobile device when
allowed by laws and when conditions
permit safe use. NEVER text or
email while driving.
IMPORTANT SAFETY PRECAUTIONS Safety features of your vehicle
2 3
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.
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.
Safety features of your vehicle
35
WARNING
Do not use a cushion that
reduces friction between the
seat and the passenger. The
passenger'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 normally.
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.
Safety features of your vehicle
6 3
Front seatsWARNING
Take the following precautions
when adjusting your seat belt:
•NEVER use one seat belt for
more than one occupant.
•Always position the seatback
upright with the lap portion of
the seat belt snug and low
across the hips.
•NEVER allow children or small
infants to ride in a passenger’s
lap.
•Do not route the seat belt
across your neck, across sharp
edges, or reroute the shoulder
strap away from your body.
•Do not allow the seat belt to
become caught or jammed.
WARNING
Take the following precautions
when adjusting your seat:
•NEVER attempt to adjust the
seat while the vehicle is mov-
ing. The seat could respond
with unexpected movement
and may cause loss of vehicle
control resulting in an acci-
dent.
•Do not place anything under
the front seats. Loose objects
in the driver’s foot area could
interfere with the operation of
the foot pedals, causing an
accident.
•Do not allow anything to inter-
fere with the normal position
and proper locking of the seat-
back.
•Do not place a cigarette lighter
on the floor or seat. When you
operate the seat, gas may exit
out of the lighter causing a fire.
WARNING
To prevent injury:
•Do not adjust your seat while
wearing your seat belt.
Moving the seat cushion for-
ward may cause strong pres-
sure on your abdomen.
•Do not allow your hands or
fingers to get caught in the
seat mechanisms while the
seat is moving.
•Use extreme caution when
picking small objects trapped
under the seats or between
the seat and the center con-
sole. Your hands might be cut
or injured by the sharp edges
of the seats mechanism.
Safety features of your vehicle
8 3Seat belts must be snug against your
hips and chest to work properly.
When the seatback is reclined, the
shoulder belt cannot do its job
because it will not be snug against
your chest. Instead, it will be in front
of you. During an accident, you could
be thrown into the seat belt, causing
neck or other injuries.
The more the seatback is reclined,
the greater chance the passenger’s
hips will slide under the lap belt or
the passenger’s neck will strike the
shoulder belt.Seat cushion height
(for driver’s seat)
To change the height of the seat
cushion:
• Push down on the lever several
times, to lower the seat cushion.
• Pull up on the lever several times,
to raise the seat cushion.
Power adjustment
The front seat can be adjusted by
using the control switches located on
the outside of the seat cushion. Before
driving, adjust the seat to the proper
position so that you can easily control
the steering wheel, foot pedals and
controls on the instrument panel.
OMD030004
WARNING
NEVER allow children in the
vehicle unattended. The power
seats are operable when the
engine is turned off.
Safety features of your vehicle
319
To reinstall the headrest:
1. Recline the seatback.
2. Put the headrest poles (3) into the
holes while pressing the release
button (1).
3. Adjust the headrest to the appropri-
ate height.Seat warmers
Seat warmers are provided to warm
the seats during cold weather.
WARNING
Always make sure the headrest
locks into position after rein-
stalling and adjusting it to prop-
erly protect the occupants.
WARNING
The seat warmers can cause a
SERIOUS BURN, even at low
temperatures and especially if
used for long periods of time.
Passengers must be able to feel
if the seat is becoming too warm
so they can turn it off, if needed.
People who cannot detect tem-
perature change or pain to the
skin should use extreme cau-
tion, especially the following
types of passengers:
•Infants, children, elderly or
disabled persons, or hospital
outpatients.
•People with sensitive skin or
who burn easily.
•Fatigued individuals.
•Intoxicated individuals.
•People taking medication that
can cause drowsiness or
sleepiness.
WARNING
NEVER place anything on the
seat that insulates against heat
when the seat warmer is in oper-
ation, such as a blanket or seat
cushion. This may cause the
seat warmer to overheat, caus-
ing a burn or damage to the seat.
CAUTION
To prevent damage to the seat
warmers and seats:
•Never use a solvent such as
paint thinner, benzene, alco-
hol or gasoline to clean the
seats.
•Do not place heavy or sharp
objects on seats equipped
with seat warmers.
Safety features of your vehicle
321
This section describes how to use the
seat belts properly. It also describes
some of the things not to do when
using seat belts.
Seat belt safety precautions
Always fasten your seat belt and
make sure all passengers have fas-
tened their seat belts before starting
any trip. Air bags are designed to
supplement the seat belt as an addi-
tional safety device, but they are not a
substitute.
SEAT BELTS
WARNING
Seat belts must be used by ALL
passengers whenever the vehi-
cle is moving. Take the following
precautions when adjusting and
wearing seat belts:
•ALWAYS properly restrain
children under age 13 in the
rear seats.
•NEVER allow children to ride
in the front passenger seat. If
a child age 13 or older must be
seated in the front seat, move
the seat as far back as possi-
ble and properly restrain them
in the seat belt.
•NEVER allow an infant or child
to be carried on an occupant’s
lap.
•NEVER ride with the seatback
reclined when the vehicle is
moving.
•Do not allow children to share
a seat or seat belt.
•Do not wear the shoulder belt
under your arm or behind your
back.
(Continued)
(Continued)
•Do not use the seat belt if it is
twisted. A twisted seat belt
will not protect you properly
in an accident.
•Do not use a seat belt if the
webbing or hardware is dam-
aged.
•Do not latch the seat belt into
the buckles of other seats.
•NEVER unfasten the seat belt
while driving. This may cause
loss of vehicle control result-
ing in an accident.
•Make sure there is nothing in
the buckle interfering with the
seat belt latch mechanism.
This may prevent the seat belt
from fastening securely.
•No modifications or additions
should be made by the user
which will either prevent the
seat belt adjusting devices
from operating to remove
slack, or prevent the seat belt
assembly from being adjusted
to remove slack.
Seat Belt – Passenger’s 3-point
system with combination locking
retractor
This type of seat belt combines the
features of both an emergency lock-
ing retractor seat belt and an auto-
matic locking retractor seat belt.
Combination retractor type seat belts
are installed in the rear seat positions
to help accommodate the installation
of child restraint systems. Although a
combination retractor is also installed
in the front passenger seat position,
NEVER place any infant restraint sys-
tem in the front seat of the vehicle.
To fasten your seat belt:
Pull the seat belt out of the retractor
and insert the metal tab into the
buckle. There will be an audible
"click" when the tab locks into the
buckle. When not securing a child
restraint, the seat belt operates in the
same way as the driver's seat belt
(Emergency Locking Retractor
Type). It automatically adjusts to the
proper length only after the lap belt
portion of the seat belt is adjusted
manually so that it fits snugly across
your hips.
Safety features of your vehicle
325
OLMB033025
WARNING
Improperly positioned seat belts
may increase the risk of serious
injury in an accident. Take the fol-
lowing precautions when adjust-
ing the seat belt:
•Position the lap portion of the
seat belt as low as possible
across your hips, not on your
waist, so that it fits snugly.
(Continued)
(Continued)
•Position one arm under the
shoulder belt and the other over
the belt, as shown in the illus-
tration.
•Always position the shoulder
belt anchor into the locked
position at the appropriate
height.
•Never position the shoulder
belt across your neck or face.