Page 12 of 448
POWER DOOR LOCKS ...................20
▫ Automatic Door Locks ..................22
▫ Auto Unlock Doors ....................22
WINDOWS ...........................22
▫ Power Windows .......................22
▫ Wind Buffeting .......................24
OCCUPANT RESTRAINT SYSTEMS ..........24
▫ Important Safety Precautions ..............24
▫ Seat Belt Systems ......................26
▫ Supplemental Restraint System (SRS) ........39▫
Child Restraints .......................54
▫ Transporting Pets ......................63
ENGINE BREAK-IN RECOMMENDATIONS ....63
SAFETY TIPS ..........................64
▫ Transporting Passengers ..................64
▫ Exhaust Gas .........................65
▫ Safety Checks You Should Make Inside The
Vehicle .............................66
▫ Periodic Safety Checks You Should Make Outside
The Vehicle ..........................68
10 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE
Page 26 of 448

Auto-Down Feature
The front window switches are equipped with an Auto-
Down feature. Push the window switch for a short period
of time, release, and the window will go down automati-
cally.
To stop the Auto-Down motion part way, pull the win-
dow switch briefly and release.
NOTE:The power window switches remain active for up
to three minutes (depending on the accessory delay
setting) after the ignition switch has been turned OFF.
Opening a vehicle front door will cancel this feature.
Wind Buffeting
Wind buffeting can be described as the perception of
pressure on the ears or a helicopter-type sound in the
ears. Your vehicle may exhibit wind buffeting with the windows down in certain open or partially open posi-
tions. This is a normal occurrence and can be minimized.
If the buffeting occurs open the front windows together
to minimize the buffeting.
OCCUPANT RESTRAINT SYSTEMS
Some of the most important safety features in your
vehicle are the restraint systems:
•
Seat Belt Systems
• Supplemental Restraint Systems (SRS) Air Bags
• Child Restraints
Important Safety Precautions
Please pay close attention to the information in this
section. It tells you how to use your restraint system
properly, to keep you and your passengers as safe as
possible.
24 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE
Page 27 of 448

Here are some simple steps you can take to minimize the
risk of harm from a deploying air bag:
1. Children 12 years old and under should always ridebuckled up in a vehicle with a rear seat.
2. If a child from 2 to 12 years old (not in a rear-facing child restraint) must ride in the front passenger seat,
move the seat as far back as possible and use the
proper child restraint. (Refer to “Child Restraints”)
3. Children that are not big enough to wear the vehicle seat belt properly (Refer to Child Restraints) should
be secured in a vehicle with a rear seat in child
restraints or belt-positioning booster seats. Older chil-
dren who do not use child restraints or belt-
positioning booster seats should ride properly buckled
up in a vehicle with a rear seat.
4. Never allow children to slide the shoulder belt behind them or under their arm. 5. You should read the instructions provided with your
child restraint to make sure that you are using it
properly.
6. All occupants should always wear their lap and shoulder belts properly.
7. The driver and front passenger seats should be moved back as far as practical to allow the Advanced Front
Air Bags room to inflate.
8. Do not lean against the door or window. If your vehicle has side air bags, and deployment occurs, the
side air bags will inflate forcefully into the space
between occupants and the door and occupants could
be injured.
9. If the air bag system in this vehicle needs to be modified to accommodate a disabled person, contact
the Customer Center. Phone numbers are provided
under If You Need Assistance.
2
THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 25
Page 28 of 448

WARNING!
•Never place a rear-facing child restraint in front of
an air bag. A deploying passenger Advanced Front
Air Bag can cause death or serious injury to a child
12 years or younger, including a child in a rear-
facing child restraint.
• Only use a rear-facing child restraint in a vehicle
with a rear seat.
Seat Belt Systems
Buckle up even though you are an excellent driver, even
on short trips. Someone on the road may be a poor driver
and could cause a collision that includes you. This can
happen far away from home or on your own street.
Research has shown that seat belts save lives, and they
can reduce the seriousness of injuries in a collision. Some
of the worst injuries happen when people are thrown
from the vehicle. Seat belts reduce the possibility of ejection and the risk of injury caused by striking the
inside of the vehicle. Everyone in a motor vehicle should
be belted at all times.
Enhanced Seat Belt Use Reminder System
(BeltAlert) — If Equipped
Driver and Passenger BeltAlert
BeltAlert is a feature intended to remind the driver
and outboard front seat passenger (if equipped with
outboard front passenger seat BeltAlert) to buckle
their seat belts. The Belt Alert feature is active when-
ever the ignition switch is in the AVV/START or
MAR/RUN position.
Initial Indication
If the driver is unbuckled when the ignition switch is first
turned to the AVV/START or MAR/RUN position, a
chime will signal for a few seconds. If the driver or
outboard front seat passenger (if equipped with outboard
26 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE
Page 37 of 448

Seat Belts And Pregnant Women
Seat belts must be worn by all occupants including
pregnant women: the risk of injury in the event of an
accident is reduced for the mother and the unborn child
if they are wearing a seat belt.Position the lap belt snug and low below the abdomen
and across the strong bones of the hips. Place the
shoulder belt across the chest and away from the neck.
Never place the shoulder belt behind the back or under
the arm.
Seat Belt Pretensioner
The front seat belt system is equipped with pretensioning
devices that are designed to remove slack from the seat
belt in the event of a collision. These devices may
improve the performance of the seat belt by removing
slack from the seat belt early in a collision. Pretensioners
work for all size occupants, including those in child
restraints.
NOTE:
These devices are not a substitute for proper seat
belt placement by the occupant. The seat belt still must be
worn snugly and positioned properly.
Pregnant Women And Seat Belts
2
THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 35
Page 38 of 448

The pretensioners are triggered by the Occupant Re-
straint Controller (ORC). Like the air bags, the preten-
sioners are single use items. A deployed pretensioner or
a deployed air bag must be replaced immediately.
Energy Management Feature
This vehicle has a seat belt system with an Energy
Management feature in the front seating positions that
may help further reduce the risk of injury in the event of
a collision. This seat belt system has a retractor assembly
that is designed to release webbing in a controlled
manner.
Switchable Automatic Automatic Locking Retractor
(ALR)
The seat belt in the passenger seating position are
equipped with a Switchable Automatic Locking Retractor
(ALR) which is used to secure a child restraint system.
For additional information, refer to “Installing Child
Restraints Using The Vehicle Seat Belt” under the “ChildRestraints” section of this manual. The table below
defines the type of feature for each seating position.Front Bucket Seat Automatic Locking Retractor (ALR)
Location
36 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE
Page 39 of 448

If the passenger seating position is equipped with an
ALR and is being used for normal usage, only pull the
seat belt webbing out far enough to comfortably wrap
around the occupant’s mid-section so as to not activate
the ALR. If the ALR is activated, you will hear a clicking
sound as the seat belt retracts. Allow the webbing to
retract completely in this case and then carefully pull out
only the amount of webbing necessary to comfortably
wrap around the occupant’s mid-section. Slide the latch
plate into the buckle until you hear aclick.
In Automatic Locking Mode, the shoulder belt is auto-
matically pre-locked. The seat belt will still retract to
remove any slack in the shoulder belt. Use the Automatic
Locking Mode anytime a child restraint is installed in a
seating position that has a seat belt with this feature.
Children 12 years old and under should always be
properly restrained in a vehicle with a rear seat.
Front Bench Seat Automatic Locking Retractor (ALR) Locations
•ALR = Switchable Automatic Locking Retractor
2
THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 37
Page 40 of 448

WARNING!
•Never place a rear-facing child restraint in front of
an air bag. A deploying Passenger Advanced Front
Air Bag can cause death or serious injury to a child
12 years or younger, including a child in a rear-
facing child restraint.
• Only use a rear-facing child restraint in a vehicle
with a rear seat.
How To Engage The Automatic Locking Mode
1. Buckle the combination lap and shoulder belt.
2. Grasp the shoulder portion and pull downward until the entire seat belt is extracted.
3. Allow the seat belt to retract. As the seat belt retracts, you will hear a clicking sound. This indicates the seat
belt is now in the Automatic Locking Mode. How To Disengage The Automatic Locking Mode
Unbuckle the combination lap/shoulder belt and allow it
to retract completely to disengage the Automatic Locking
Mode and activate the vehicle sensitive (emergency)
locking mode.
WARNING!
•
The seat belt assembly must be replaced if the
switchable Automatic Locking Retractor (ALR) fea-
ture or any other seat belt function is not working
properly when checked according to the proce-
dures in the Service Manual.
• Failure to replace the seat belt assembly could
increase the risk of injury in collisions.
• Do not use the Automatic Locking Mode to restrain
occupants who are wearing the seat belt or children
who are using booster seats. The locked mode is
(Continued)
38 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE