3. Children that are not big enough to wear the vehicle seatbelt 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 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 shoul- der 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.
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 occu-
pants 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 Cus-
tomer Center. Phone numbers are provided under Cus-
tomer Assistance.”
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.
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
202 SAFETY
Seat Belt Extender
If a seat belt is not long enough to fit properly, even when
the webbing is fully extended and the adjustable upper
shoulder belt anchorage (if equipped) is in its lowest
position, your authorized dealer can provide you with a
Seat Belt Extender. The Seat Belt Extender should be used
only if the existing seat belt is not long enough. When the
Seat Belt Extender is not required for a different occupant,
it must be removed.
WARNING!
•ONLY use a Seat Belt Extender if it is physically
required in order to properly fit the original seat belt
system. DO NOT USE the Seat Belt Extender if,
when worn, the distance between the front edge of
the Seat Belt Extender buckle and the center of the
occupant’s body is LESS than 6 inches.
• Using a Seat Belt Extender when not needed can
increase the risk of serious injury or death in a
collision. Only use the Seat Belt Extender when the
lap belt is not long enough and only use in the
recommended seating positions. Remove and store
the Seat Belt Extender when not needed.
Seat Belts And Pregnant Women
Seat belts must be worn by all occupants including preg-
nant 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.
Pregnant Women And Seat Belts
210 SAFETY
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.
The pretensioners are triggered by the Occupant Restraint
Controller (ORC). Like the air bags, the pretensioners 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 Man-
agement feature in the front seating positions that may
help further reduce the risk of injury in the event of a
collision. The seat belt system has a retractor assembly that
is designed to release webbing in a controlled manner.
Switchable Automatic Locking Retractors (ALR)
(If Equipped)
The seat belts in the passenger seating positions may be
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 “Child Restraints”
section of this manual. The figure below illustrates the
locking feature for each seating position.
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 occu-
pant’s mid-section. Slide the latch plate into the buckle
until you hear a click.
5
SAFETY 211
In Automatic Locking Mode, the shoulder belt is automati-
cally 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.
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.
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) lock-
ing 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 procedures
in the Service Manual.
• Failure to replace the seat belt assembly could in-
crease 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 only
used to install rear-facing or forward-facing child
restraints that have a harness for restraining the child.
212 SAFETY
Switchable Automatic Locking Retractor (ALR)
The seat belts in the passenger seating positions 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 “Child Restraints”
section of this manual. The table below defines the type of
feature for each seating position.
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 theALR 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 occu-
pant’s mid-section. Slide the latch plate into the buckle
until you hear a
click.
In Automatic Locking Mode, the shoulder belt is automati-
cally 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.
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.
Automatic Locking Retractor (ALR) Locations
5
SAFETY 213
How To Engage The Automatic Locking Mode
1. Buckle the combination lap and shoulder belt.
2. Grasp the shoulder portion and pull downward untilthe 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 procedures
in the Service Manual.
• Failure to replace the seat belt assembly could in-
crease the risk of injury in collisions.
(Continued)
WARNING! (Continued)
•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 only
used to install rear-facing or forward-facing child
restraints that have a harness 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 autho-
rized dealer.
The air bag system must be ready to protect you in a
collision. The Occupant Restraint Controller (ORC) moni-
tors the internal circuits and interconnecting wiring asso-
ciated with the electrical Air Bag System Components.
Your vehicle may be equipped with the following Air Bag
System Components:
Air Bag System Components
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.
214 SAFETY
WARNING!
•Being too close to the steering wheel or instrument
panel during Advanced Front Air Bag deployment
could cause serious injury, including death. Air bags
need room to inflate. Sit back, comfortably extending
your arms to reach the steering wheel or instrument
panel.
• 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.
Driver and Passenger Front Air Bag Features
The Advanced Front Air Bag system has multistage driver
and front passenger air bags. This system provides output
appropriate to the severity and type of collision as deter-
mined by the Occupant Restraint Controller (ORC), which
may receive information from the front impact sensors (if
equipped) or other system components. The first stage inflator is triggered immediately during an
impact that requires air bag deployment. A low energy
output is used in less severe collisions. A higher energy
output is used for more severe collisions.
This vehicle may be equipped with a driver and/or front
passenger seat belt buckle switch that detects whether the
driver or front passenger seat belt is buckled. The seat belt
buckle switch may adjust the inflation rate of the Ad-
vanced Front Air Bags.
This vehicle may be equipped with driver and/or front
passenger seat track position sensors that may adjust the
inflation rate of the Advanced Front Air Bags based upon
seat position.
This vehicle is equipped with a right front passenger
Occupant Classification System (“OCS”) that is designed to
provide Passenger Advanced Front Air Bag output appro-
priate to the occupant’s seated weight input, as determined
by the OCS.
218 SAFETY
Occupant Classification System (OCS) —
Front Passenger Seat
The OCS is part of a Federally regulated safety system for
this vehicle. It is designed to provide Passenger Advanced
Front Air Bag output appropriate to the occupant’s seated
weight, as determined by the OCS.
The Occupant Classification System (OCS) consists of the
following:
•Occupant Restraint Controller (ORC)
• Occupant Classification Module (OCM) and Sensor lo-
cated in the front passenger seat
• Air Bag Warning Light
Occupant Classification Module (OCM) and Sensor
The Occupant Classification Module (OCM) is located
underneath the front passenger seat. The Sensor is located
beneath the passenger seat cushion foam. Any weight on
the seat will be sensed by the Sensor. The OCM uses input
from the Sensor to determine the front passenger ’s most
probable classification. The OCM communicates this infor-
mation to the ORC. The ORC may reduce the inflation rate
of the Passenger Advanced Front Air Bag deployment
based on occupant classification. In order for the OCS to
operate as designed, it is important for the front passenger
to be seated properly and properly wearing the seat belt.
The OCS will NOT prevent deployment of the Passenger
Advanced Front Air Bag. The OCS may reduce the inflation
rate of the Passenger Advanced Front Air Bag if the OCS
estimates that:
•The front passenger seat is unoccupied or has very light
objects on it; or
• The front passenger seat is occupied by a small passen-
ger, including a child; or
• The front passenger seat is occupied by a rear-facing
child restraint; or
220 SAFETY