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2-2
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 short 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.
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
and 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 conditions per-
mit safe use. NEVER text or email
while driving. Most countries have
laws prohibiting drivers from texting.
Some countries and cities also pro-
hibit drivers from using handheld
phones.
IMPORTANT SAFETY PRECAUTIONS
Safety system of your vehicle
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2-5
Safety system of your vehicle
2
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. Move
your seat as far back as possible
from front air bags, while still main-
taining control of the vehicle.
Do not use a cushion that
reduces friction between the seat
and the passenger. The passen-
ger'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 properly.
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
maintaining the ability to main-
tain full control of the vehicle.
•Adjust the front passenger
seat as far to the rear as possi-
ble.
(Continued)
WARNING
(Continued)
•Hold the steering wheel by the
rim with hands at the 9 o’clock
and 3 o’clock positions to min-
imize the risk of injuries to
your hands and arms.
•NEVER place anything or any-
one between 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.
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2-6
Safety system of your vehicle
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.
Front seats
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.
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.
(Continued)
(Continued)
•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.
(Continued)
WARNING
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2-8
Seatback angle
To recline the seatback:
1. Lean forward slightly and lift up the
seatback lever.
2. Carefully lean back on the seat
and adjust the seatback to the
position you desire.
3. Release the lever and make sure
the seatback is locked in place.
(The lever MUST return to its orig-
inal position for the seatback to
lock.)Reclining seatback
Sitting in a reclined position when
the vehicle is in motion can be dan-
gerous. Even when buckled up, the
protections of your restraint system
(seat belts and/or air bags) is greatly
reduced by reclining your seatback.Seat 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.
Safety system of your vehicle
OAD035003NEVER ride with a reclined
seatback when the vehicle is
moving.
Riding with a reclined seatback
increases your chance of seri-
ous or fatal injuries in the event
of a collision or sudden stop.
Drivers and passengers should
ALWAYS sit well back in their
seats, properly belted, and with
the seatbacks upright.
WARNING
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2-9
Safety system of your vehicle
Seat cushion height
(for front seats, if equipped)
To change the height of the seat
cushion:
• Push down the lever several times,
to lower the seat cushion.
• Pull up 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.
2
OAD035004
To prevent damage to the seats:
•Always stop adjusting the
seats when the seat has been
adjusted as far forward or
rearward as possible.
•Do not adjust the seats longer
than necessary when the
engine is turned off. This may
result in unnecessary battery
drain.
•Do not operate two or more
seats at the same time. This
may result in an electrical mal-
function.
CAUTION
NEVER allow children in the
vehicle unattended. The power
seats are operable when the
engine is turned off.
WARNING
Page 40 of 637
NEVER ride with a reclined seat-
back when the vehicle is moving.
Riding with a reclined seatback
increases your chance of serious
or fatal injuries in the event of a
collision or sudden stop.
Driver and passengers should
ALWAYS sit well back in their
seats, properly belted, and with
the seatbacks upright.
WARNING
2-10
Forward and rearward adjustment
To move the seat forward or rearward:
1. Push the control switch forward or
rearward.
2. Release the switch once the seat
reaches the desired position.
Seatback angle
To recline the seatback:
1. Push the control switch forward or
rearward.
2. Release the switch once the seat-
back reaches the desired position.Reclining seatback
Sitting in a reclined position when
the vehicle is in motion can be dan-
gerous. Even when buckled up, the
protections of your restraint system
(seat belts and air bags) is greatly
reduced by reclining your seatback.
Safety system of your vehicle
OAD035005OAD035006
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Safety system of your vehicle
Seatback pocket (if equipped)
The seatback pocket is provided on
the back of the front seatbacks.
Rear seats
Folding the rear seat
(if equipped)
The rear seatbacks can be folded to
facilitate carrying long items or to
increase the luggage capacity of the
vehicle.
To fold down the rear seatback:
1. Set the front seatback to the
upright position and if necessary,
slide the front seat forward.
2. Lower the rear head restraints to
the lowest position.
Do not put heavy or sharp
objects in the seatback pockets.
In an accident they could come
loose from the pocket and injure
occupants.
CAUTION
OAD035017
•Never allow passengers to sit
on top of the folded down
seatback while the vehicle is
moving. This is not a proper
seating position and no seat
belts are available for use.
This could result in serious
injury or death in case of an
accident or sudden stop.
•Objects carried on the folded
down seatback should not
extend higher than the top of
the front seatbacks. This could
allow cargo to slide forward
and cause injury or damage
during sudden stops.
WARNING
OAD035019
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2-13
Safety system of your vehicle
3. Pull on the seatback folding lever
(1) located in the trunk.4. Fold the seatback toward the front
of the vehicle.
5. To use the rear seat, lift and pull
the seatback rearward. Pull the
seatback firmly until it clicks into
place. Make sure the seatback is
locked in place.
When you return the seatback to
its upright position, always be sure
it has locked into position by push-
ing on the top of the seatback.
2
OAD035021OAD035022
Do not place objects in the rear
seats, since they cannot be
properly secured and may hit
vehicle occupants in a collision
causing serious injury or death.
WARNING
When returning the rear seat-
back from a folded to an upright
position, hold the seatback and
return it slowly. Ensure that the
seatback is completely locked
into its upright position by
pushing on the top of the seat-
back. In an accident or sudden
stop, the unlocked seatback
could allow cargo to move for-
ward with great force and enter
the passenger compartment,
which could result in serious
injury or death.
WARNING