OCCUPANT RESTRAINT SYSTEMS
Some of the most important safety features in your
vehicle are the restraint systems.
Occupant Restraint Systems Features
•Seat Belt Systems
• Supplemental Restraint Systems (SRS) Air Bags
• Child Restraints
Some of the safety features described in this section
may be standard equipment on some models, or may be
optional equipment on others. If you are not sure, ask
your authorized dealer.
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.
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 ride buckled 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
children who do not use child restraints or belt-
positioning booster seats should ride properly buck-
led 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 front air
bags room to inflate.
24 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE
NOTE:If BeltAlert has been deactivated and the driver
or outboard front seat passenger (if equipped with
outboard front passenger seat BeltAlert) is unbuckled
the Seat Belt Reminder Light will turn on and remain on
until the driver and outboard front seat passenger seat
belts are buckled.
Lap/Shoulder Belts
All seating positions in your vehicle are equipped with
lap/shoulder belts.
The seat belt webbing retractor will lock only during
very sudden stops or collisions. This feature allows the
shoulder part of the seat belt to move freely with you
under normal conditions. However, in a collision the
seat belt will lock and reduce your risk of striking the
inside of the vehicle or being thrown out of the vehicle.
WARNING!
•Relying on the air bags alone could lead to more
severe injuries in a collision. The air bags work
with your seat belt to restrain you properly. In some
collisions, the air bags won’t deploy at all. Always
wear your seat belt even though you have air bags.
(Continued)
WARNING! (Continued)
•In a collision, you and your passengers can suffer
much greater injuries if you are not properly
buckled up. You can strike the interior of your
vehicle or other passengers, or you can be thrown
out of the vehicle. Always be sure you and others
in your vehicle are buckled up properly.
• It is dangerous to ride in a cargo area, inside or
outside of a vehicle. In a collision, people riding
in these areas are more likely to be seriously
injured or killed.
• Do not allow people to ride in any area of your
vehicle that is not equipped with seats and seat
belts.
• Be sure everyone in your vehicle is in a seat and
using a seat belt properly. Occupants, including
the driver, should always wear their seat belts
whether or not an air bag is also provided at their
seating position to minimize the risk of severe
injury or death in the event of a crash.
• Wearing your seat belt incorrectly could make
your injuries in a collision much worse. You
might suffer internal injuries, or you could even
(Continued)
2
THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 27
WARNING!
•The seat belt assembly must be replaced if the
switchable Automatic Locking Retractor (ALR)
feature or any other seat belt function is not
working properly when checked according to the
procedures 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 re-
strain occupants who are wearing the seat belt or
children who are using booster seats. The locked
mode is only used to install rear-facing or
forward-facing child restraints that have a har-
ness for restraining the child.
Supplemental Restraint System (SRS)
Some of the safety features described in this section
may be standard equipment on some models, or may be
optional equipment on others. If you are not sure, ask
your authorized dealer.
The air bag system must be ready to protect you in a
collision. The Occupant Restraint Controller (ORC) monitors the internal circuits and interconnecting wir-
ing associated with the electrical Air Bag System Com-
ponents. Your vehicle may be equipped with the fol-
lowing Air Bag System Components:
Air Bag System Components
Your vehicle may be equipped with the following air
bag system components:
•
Occupant Restraint Controller (ORC)
• Air Bag Warning Light
•Instrument Panel
• Knee Impact Bolsters
• Driver and Front Passenger Air Bags
• Supplemental Side Air Bags
• Supplemental Knee Air Bags
• Front and Side Impact Sensors
• Seat Belt Pretensioners
• Seat Track Position Sensors
• Seat Belt Buckle Switch
34 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE
left side SABIC only and a right-side impact deploys the
right side SABIC only. Vehicle damage by itself is not a
good indicator of whether or not SABICs should have
deployed.
SABICs will not deploy in all side collisions, including
some collisions at certain angles, or some side collisions
that do not impact the area of the passenger compart-
ment. SABICs may deploy during angled or offset
frontal collisions where the front air bags deploy.
SABICs are a supplement to the seat belt restraint
system. SABICs deploy in less time than it takes to blink
your eyes.
WARNING!
•Occupants, including children, who are up
against or very close to SABICs can be seriously
injured or killed. Occupants, including children,
should never lean on or sleep against the door,
side windows, or area where the side air bags
inflate, even if they are in an infant or child
restraint.
(Continued)
WARNING! (Continued)
•Seat belts (and child restraints where appropriate)
are necessary for your protection in all collisions.
They also help keep you in position, away from
an inflating SABIC. To get the best protection
from the SABICs, occupants must wear their seat
belts properly and sit upright with their backs
against the seats. Children must be properly re-
strained in a child restraint or booster seat that is
appropriate for the size of the child.
• Do not stack luggage or other cargo up high
enough to block the deployment of the SABICs.
The door trim below the side windows where the
SABIC and its deployment path are located
should remain free from any obstructions.
• SABICs need room to inflate. Do not lean against
the door or window. Sit upright in the center of
the seat.
• Being too close to the SABICs during deployment
could cause you to be severely injured or killed.
• Relying on the SABICs alone could lead to more
severe injuries in a collision. The SABICs work
with your seat belt to restrain you properly. In
(Continued)
40 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE
such as law enforcement, that have the special equip-
ment, can read the information if they have access to the
vehicle or the EDR.
Child Restraints
Everyone in your vehicle needs to be buckled up at all
times, including babies and children. Every state in the
United States, and every Canadian province, requires
that small children ride in proper restraint systems. This
is the law, and you can be prosecuted for ignoring it.
Children 12 years or younger should ride properly
buckled up in a rear seat, if available. According to
crash statistics, children are safer when properly re-
strained in the rear seats rather than in the front.
WARNING!
In a collision, an unrestrained child can become a
projectile inside the vehicle. The force required to
hold even an infant on your lap could become so
great that you could not hold the child, no matter
how strong you are. The child and others could be
badly injured. Any child riding in your vehicle
should be in a proper restraint for the child’s size.There are different sizes and types of restraints for
children from newborn size to the child almost large
enough for an adult safety belt. Always check the child
seat Owner ’s Manual to make sure you have the correct
seat for your child. Carefully read and follow all the
instructions and warnings in the child restraint Own-
er ’s Manual and on all the labels attached to the child
restraint.
Before buying any restraint system, make sure that it
has a label certifying that it meets all applicable Safety
Standards. You should also make sure that you can
install it in the vehicle where you will use it.
NOTE:
•
For additional information, refer to www.seatcheck.org
or call 1-866-SEATCHECK.
•Canadian residents should refer to Transport Canada’s
website for additional information: www.tc.gc.ca/
eng/motorvehiclesafety/safedrivers-childsafety-
index-53.htm
46 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE
Infant And Child Restraints
Safety experts recommend that children ride rear-facing
in the vehicle until they are two years old or until they
reach either the height or weight limit of their rear-
facing child restraint. Two types of child restraints can
be used rear-facing: infant carriers and convertible child
seats.
The infant carrier is only used rear-facing in the vehicle.
It is recommended for children from birth until they
reach the weight or height limit of the infant carrier.
Convertible child seats can be used either rear-facing or
forward-facing in the vehicle. Convertible child seats
often have a higher weight limit in the rear-facing
direction than infant carriers do, so they can be used
rear-facing by children who have outgrown their infant
carrier but are still less than at least two years old.
Children should remain rear-facing until they reach the
highest weight or height allowed by their convertible
child seat.
WARNING!
•Never place a rear-facing child restraint in front of
an air bag. A deploying passenger 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.
Older Children And Child Restraints
Children who are two years old or who have outgrown
their rear-facing convertible child seat can ride forward-
facing in the vehicle. Forward-facing child seats and
convertible child seats used in the forward-facing direc-
tion are for children who are over two years old or who
have outgrown the rear-facing weight or height limit of
their rear-facing convertible child seat. Children should
remain in a forward-facing child seat with a harness for
as long as possible, up to the highest weight or height
allowed by the child seat.
All children whose weight or height is above the
forward-facing limit for the child seat should use a
belt-positioning booster seat until the vehicle’s seat
belts fit properly. If the child cannot sit with knees bent
48 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE
over the vehicle’s seat cushion while the child’s back is
against the seatback, they should use a belt-positioning
booster seat. The child and belt-positioning booster seat
are held in the vehicle by the seat belt.
WARNING!
•Improper installation can lead to failure of an
infant or child restraint. It could come loose in a
collision. The child could be badly injured or
killed. Follow the child restraint manufacturer ’s
directions exactly when installing an infant or
child restraint.
•
After a child restraint is installed in the vehicle, do
not move the vehicle seat forward or rearward
because it can loosen the child restraint attach-
ments. Remove the child restraint before adjusting
the vehicle seat position. When the vehicle seat has
been adjusted, reinstall the child restraint.
• When your child restraint is not in use, secure it
in the vehicle with the seat belt or LATCH anchor-
ages, or remove it from the vehicle. Do not leave
it loose in the vehicle. In a sudden stop or
accident, it could strike the occupants or seat-
backs and cause serious personal injury.
Children Too Large For Booster Seats
Children who are large enough to wear the shoulder
belt comfortably, and whose legs are long enough to
bend over the front of the seat when their back is
against the seatback, should use the seat belt in a rear
seat. Use this simple 5-step test to decide whether the
child can use the vehicle’s seat belt alone:
1. Can the child sit all the way back against the back of
the vehicle seat?
2. Do the child’s knees bend comfortably over the front of the vehicle seat – while they are still sitting all the
way back?
3. Does the shoulder belt cross the child’s shoulder between their neck and arm?
4. Is the lap part of the belt as low as possible, touching the child’s thighs and not their stomach?
5. Can the child stay seated like this for the whole trip?
If the answer to any of these questions was “no,” then
the child still needs to use a booster seat in this vehicle.
If the child is using the lap/shoulder belt, check seat
belt fit periodically and make sure the seat belt buckle is
latched. A child’s squirming or slouching can move the
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THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 49
belt out of position. If the shoulder belt contacts the face
or neck, move the child closer to the center of the
vehicle, or use a booster seat to position the seat belt on
the child correctly.
WARNING!
Never allow a child to put the shoulder belt under
an arm or behind their back. In a crash, the shoulder
belt will not protect a child properly, which may
result in serious injury or death. A child must
always wear both the lap and shoulder portions of
the seat belt correctly.
Installing Child Restraints Using The Vehicle
Seat Belt
Child restraint systems are designed to be secured in
vehicle seats by lap belts or the lap belt portion of a
lap/shoulder belt.
WARNING!
•Improper installation or failure to properly secure
a child restraint can lead to failure of the restraint.
The child could be badly injured or killed.
• Follow the child restraint manufacturer ’s direc-
tions exactly when installing an infant or child
restraint.
The seat belts in the passenger seating positions are
equipped with a Switchable Automatic Locking Retrac-
tor (ALR) that is designed to keep the lap portion of the
seat belt tight around the child restraint so that it is not
necessary to use a locking clip. The ALR retractor can be
“switched” into a locked mode by pulling all of the
webbing out of the retractor and then letting the web-
bing retract back into the retractor. If it is locked, the
ALR will make a clicking noise while the webbing is
pulled back into the retractor. Refer to the “Automatic
Locking Mode” description under “Occupant Re-
straints” for additional information on ALR.
50 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE