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56 Seats and Restraints
3. Push the latch plate into thebuckle until it clicks.
Pull up on the latch plate to
make sure it is secure. If the
belt is not long enough, see
Safety Belt Extender 059.
Position the release button on
the buckle so that the safety
belt could be quickly unbuckled
if necessary.
4. If equipped with a shoulder belt height adjuster, move it to the
height that is right for you. See
“Shoulder Belt Height Adjuster”
later in this section for
instructions on use and
important safety information.
5. To make the lap part tight, pullup on the shoulder belt.
To unlatch the belt, push the button
on the buckle. The belt should
return to its stowed position.
Always stow the safety belt slowly.
If the safety belt webbing returns
quickly to the stowed position, the
retractor may lock and cannot be
pulled out. If this happens, pull the
safety belt straight out firmly to
unlock the webbing, and then
release it. If the webbing is still
locked in the retractor, see your
dealer.
Before a door is closed, be sure the
safety belt is out of the way. If a
door is slammed against a safety
belt, damage can occur to both the
safety belt and the vehicle.
Shoulder Belt Height Adjuster
The vehicle has a shoulder belt
height adjuster for the driver and
front outboard passenger seating
positions.
Adjust the height so the shoulder
portion of the belt is on the shoulder
and not falling off of it. The belt
should be close to, but not
contacting, the neck. Improper

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Seats and Restraints 57
shoulder belt height adjustment
could reduce the effectiveness of
the safety belt in a crash. SeeHow
to Wear Safety Belts Properly 054.
Push down on the release button
and move the height adjuster to the
desired position.
The adjuster can be moved up by
pushing the release button up. After
the adjuster is set to the desired
position, try to move it down without
pushing the release button to make
sure it has locked into position.
Safety Belt Pretensioners
This vehicle has safety belt
pretensioners for front outboard
occupants. Although the safety belt
pretensioners cannot be seen, they
are part of the safety belt assembly.
They can help tighten the safety
belts during the early stages of a
moderate to severe frontal, near
frontal, or rear crash if the threshold
conditions for pretensioner
activation are met. Safety belt
pretensioners can also help tighten
the safety belts in a side crash or a
rollover event.
Pretensioners work only once. If the
pretensioners activate in a crash,
the pretensioners and probably
other parts of the vehicle’s safety
belt system will need to be replaced.
See Replacing Safety Belt System
Parts after a Crash 060.
Do not sit on the outboard safety
belt while entering or exiting the
vehicle, or at any time while sitting
in the seat. Sitting on the safety belt
can damage the webbing and
hardware.
Rear Safety Belt Comfort
Guides
{Warning
A safety belt that is not properly
worn may not provide the
protection needed in a crash. The
person wearing the belt could be
seriously injured. The shoulder
belt should go over the shoulder
and across the chest. These parts
of the body are best able to take
belt restraining forces.
Rear safety belt comfort guides may
provide added safety belt comfort
for older children who have
outgrown booster seats and for
some adults. When installed on a
shoulder belt, the comfort guide
positions the shoulder belt away
from the neck and head.
This vehicle will have rear safety
belt comfort guides in the rear
outboard seating positions.

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The front outboard passenger
frontal airbag is in the passenger
side instrument panel.
Driver Side Shown, PassengerSide Similar
The driver and front outboard
passenger seat-mounted side
impact airbags are in the side of the
seats closest to the door.
Driver Side Shown, Passenger Side Similar
The roof-rail airbags for the driver,
front outboard passenger, and
second row outboard passengers
are in the ceiling above the side
windows.
{Warning
If something is between an
occupant and an airbag, the
airbag might not inflate properly
or it might force the object into
that person causing severe injury
or even death. The path of an (Continued)
Warning (Continued)
inflating airbag must be kept
clear. Do not put anything
between an occupant and an
airbag, and do not attach or put
anything on the steering wheel
hub or on or near any other
airbag covering.
Do not use seat accessories that
block the inflation path of a
seat-mounted side impact airbag.
Never secure anything to the roof
of a vehicle with roof-rail airbags
by routing a rope or tie‐down
through any door or window
opening. If you do, the path of an
inflating roof-rail airbag will be
blocked.
When Should an Airbag
Inflate?
This vehicle is equipped with
airbags. SeeAirbag System 061.
Airbags are designed to inflate if the
impact exceeds the specific airbag
system's deployment threshold.

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Seats and Restraints 65
How Does an Airbag
Restrain?
In moderate to severe frontal or
near frontal collisions, even belted
occupants can contact the steering
wheel or the instrument panel. In
moderate to severe side collisions,
even belted occupants can contact
the inside of the vehicle.
Airbags supplement the protection
provided by safety belts by
distributing the force of the impact
more evenly over the
occupant's body.
Rollover capable roof-rail airbags
are designed to help contain the
head and chest of occupants in the
outboard seating positions in the
first and second rows. The rollover
capable roof-rail airbags are
designed to help reduce the risk of
full or partial ejection in rollover
events, although no system can
prevent all such ejections.But airbags would not help in many
types of collisions, primarily
because the occupant's motion is
not toward those airbags. See
When
Should an Airbag Inflate? 063.
Airbags should never be regarded
as anything more than a supplement
to safety belts.
What Will You See after
an Airbag Inflates?
After the frontal airbags and
seat-mounted side impact airbags
inflate, they quickly deflate, so
quickly that some people may not
even realize an airbag inflated.
Roof-rail airbags may still be at least
partially inflated for some time after
they inflate. Some components of
the airbag module may be hot for
several minutes. For location of the
airbags, see Where Are the
Airbags? 062.
The parts of the airbag that come
into contact with you may be warm,
but not too hot to touch. There may
be some smoke and dust coming
from the vents in the deflated
airbags. Airbag inflation does not prevent the driver from seeing out of
the windshield or being able to steer
the vehicle, nor does it prevent
people from leaving the vehicle.
{Warning
When an airbag inflates, there
may be dust in the air. This dust
could cause breathing problems
for people with a history of
asthma or other breathing trouble.
To avoid this, everyone in the
vehicle should get out as soon as
it is safe to do so. If you have
breathing problems but cannot
get out of the vehicle after an
airbag inflates, then get fresh air
by opening a window or a door.
If you experience breathing
problems following an airbag
deployment, you should seek
medical attention.
The vehicle has a feature that may
automatically unlock the doors, turn
on the interior lamps and hazard
warning flashers, and shut off the
fuel system after the airbags inflate.

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66 Seats and Restraints
The feature may also activate,
without airbag inflation, after an
event that exceeds a predetermined
threshold. You can lock the doors,
turn off the interior lamps, and turn
off the hazard warning flashers by
using the controls for those
features.
{Warning
A crash severe enough to inflate
the airbags may have also
damaged important functions in
the vehicle, such as the fuel
system, brake and steering
systems, etc. Even if the vehicle
appears to be drivable after a
moderate crash, there may be
concealed damage that could
make it difficult to safely operate
the vehicle.
Use caution if you should attempt
to restart the engine after a crash
has occurred.
In many crashes severe enough to
inflate the airbag, windshields are
broken by vehicle deformation. Additional windshield breakage may
also occur from the front outboard
passenger airbag.
.
Airbags are designed to inflate
only once. After an airbag
inflates, you will need some new
parts for the airbag system.
If you do not get them, the
airbag system will not be there
to help protect you in another
crash. A new system will include
airbag modules and possibly
other parts. The service manual
for the vehicle covers the need
to replace other parts.
. The vehicle has a crash sensing
and diagnostic module which
records information after a
crash. See Vehicle Data
Recording and Privacy 0304
and Event Data
Recorders 0304.
. Let only qualified technicians
work on the airbag systems.
Improper service can mean that
an airbag system will not work
properly. See your dealer for
service.
Passenger Sensing
System
The vehicle has a passenger
sensing system for the front
outboard passenger position. The
passenger airbag status indicator
will light on the overhead console
when the vehicle is started.
United States
Canada and Mexico
The words ON and OFF, or the
symbols for on and off, will be
visible during the system check.
When the system check is
complete, either the word ON or

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74 Seats and Restraints
{Warning
Never allow a child to wear the
safety belt with the shoulder belt
behind their back. A child can be
seriously injured by not wearing
the lap-shoulder belt properly. In a
crash, the child would not be
restrained by the shoulder belt.
The child could move too far
forward increasing the chance of
head and neck injury. The child
might also slide under the lap
belt. The belt force would then be
applied right on the abdomen.
That could cause serious or fatal
injuries. The shoulder belt should
go over the shoulder and across
the chest.
Infants and Young
Children
Everyone in a vehicle needs
protection! This includes infants and
all other children. Neither the
distance traveled nor the age and
size of the traveler changes the
need, for everyone, to use safety
restraints. In fact, the law in every
state in the United States and in
every Canadian province says
children up to some age must be
restrained while in a vehicle.
{Warning
Children can be seriously injured
or strangled if a shoulder belt is
wrapped around their neck. The
shoulder belt can tighten but
cannot be loosened if it is locked.
The shoulder belt locks when it is
pulled all the way out of the
retractor. It unlocks when the
shoulder belt is allowed to go all
the way back into the retractor,
but it cannot do this if it is
wrapped around a child’s neck.
If the shoulder belt is locked and
tightened around a child’s neck,
the only way to loosen the belt is
to cut it.
Never leave children unattended
in a vehicle and never allow
children to play with the safety
belts.
Every time infants and young
children ride in vehicles, they should
have the protection provided by
appropriate child restraints. Neither

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82 Seats and Restraints
According to accident statistics,
children and infants are safer when
properly restrained in a child
restraint system or infant restraint
system secured in a rear seating
position. SeeWhere to Put the
Restraint 078 for additional
information.
Securing a Child Restraint
Designed for the LATCH
System
{Warning
If a LATCH-type child restraint is
not attached to anchors, the child
restraint will not be able to protect
the child correctly. In a crash, the
child could be seriously injured or
killed. Install a LATCH-type child
restraint properly using the
anchors, or use the vehicle's
safety belts to secure the
restraint, following the instructions
that came with the child restraint
and the instructions in this
manual.
{Warning
To reduce the risk of serious or
fatal injuries during a crash, do
not attach more than one child
restraint to a single anchor.
Attaching more than one child
restraint to a single anchor could
cause the anchor or attachment
to come loose or even break
during a crash. A child or others
could be injured.
{Warning
Children can be seriously injured
or strangled if a shoulder belt is
wrapped around their neck. The
shoulder belt can tighten but
cannot be loosened if it is locked.
The shoulder belt locks when it is
pulled all the way out of the
retractor. It unlocks when the
shoulder belt is allowed to go all
the way back into the retractor,
but it cannot do this if it is
(Continued)
Warning (Continued)
wrapped around a child’s neck.
If the shoulder belt is locked and
tightened around a child’s neck,
the only way to loosen the belt is
to cut it.
Buckle any unused safety belts
behind the child restraint so
children cannot reach them. Pull
the shoulder belt all the way out
of the retractor to set the lock,
and tighten the belt behind the
child restraint after the child
restraint has been installed.
Caution
Do not let the LATCH
attachments rub against the
vehicle’s safety belts. This may
damage these parts. If necessary,
move buckled safety belts to
avoid rubbing the LATCH
attachments.
(Continued)

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86 Seats and Restraints
4. Pull the shoulder belt all theway out of the retractor to set
the lock. When the retractor
lock is set, the belt can be
tightened but not pulled out of
the retractor.5. To tighten the belt, push downon the child restraint, pull the
shoulder portion of the belt to
tighten the lap portion of the
belt, and feed the shoulder belt
back into the retractor. When
installing a forward-facing child
restraint, it may be helpful to
use your knee to push down on
the child restraint as you
tighten the belt.
Try to pull the belt out of the
retractor to make sure the
retractor is locked. If the
retractor is not locked, repeat
Steps 4 and 5. 6. If the child restraint has a top
tether, follow the child restraint
manufacturer's instructions
regarding the use of the top
tether. See Lower Anchors and
Tethers for Children (LATCH
System) 079.
7. Before placing a child in the child restraint, make sure it is
securely held in place. To
check, grasp the child restraint
at the safety belt path and
attempt to move it side to side
and back and forth. When the
child restraint is properly
installed, there should be no
more than 2.5 cm (1 in) of
movement.
To remove the child restraint,
unbuckle the vehicle safety belt and
let it return to the stowed position.
If the top tether is attached to a top
tether anchor, disconnect it.