33
Safety features of your vehicle
WARNING - Driver’s seat
Never attempt to adjust theseat while the vehicle is mov-
ing. This could result in loss
of control of your vehicle.
Do not allow anything to inter- fere with the normal position
of the seatback and seatback
adjustment.
Sit as far back as possible from the steering wheel while
still maintaining comfortable
control of your vehicle. A dis-
tance of at least 10" from your
chest to the steering wheel is
recommended. Failure to do
so can result in airbag infla-
tion injuries to the driver.
WARNING - Uprightingseat
Do not press the release lever
on a manual seatback without
holding and controlling the
seatback. The seatback will
spring upright possibly impact-
ing you or other passengers.
WARNING- Loose objects
Do not place anything in the dri-
ver's foot well or under the front
seats. Loose objects in the dri-
ver's foot area could interfere with
the operation of the foot pedals.
WARNING - Seat cushion
Occupants should never sit on
aftermarket seat cushions or sit-
ting cushions. The passenger's
hips may slide under the lap por-
tion of the seat belt during an
accident or a sudden stop.
WARNING- Driver
responsibility for passen-
gers
The driver must advise the pas-
senger to keep the seatback in
an upright position whenever
the vehicle is in motion. If a seat
is reclined during an accident,
the occupant's hips may slide
under the lap portion of the seat
belt, applying great force to the
unprotected abdomen.
1KMN3661
39
Safety features of your vehicle
Seatback pocket
The seatback pocket is provided on
the back of the front passenger’s
seatback.
Rear seat adjustment
Headrest
The rear seat is equipped with head-
rests in all the seating positions for
the occupant's safety and comfort.
The headrest not only provides com-
fort for passengers, but also helps
protect the head and neck in the
event of a collision.
To help maximum effectiveness in
case of an accident, the headrest
should be adjusted so the middle of
the headrest is at the same height of
the center of gravity of an occupant's
head.Generally, the center of gravity of
most people's head is similar with
the height as the top of their eyes.
Also adjust the headrest as close to
your head as possible. For this rea-
son, the use of a cushion that holds
the body away from the seatback is
not recommended.
OUB031043N
WARNING- Seatback
pocket
Do not put heavy or sharp
objects in the seatback pocket.
An occupant could contact
such objects in a crash. Heavy
objects in the front passenger
seatback could also interfere
with the airbag sensing system.
OUB031009
323
Safety features of your vehicle
CHILD RESTRAINT SYSTEM
Children riding in the car should sit in
the rear seat and must always be
properly restrained to minimize the
risk of injury in an accident, sudden
stop or sudden maneuver. According
to accident statistics, children are
safer when properly restrained in the
rear seats than in the front seat.
Larger children who are not in a child
restraint should use one of the seat
belts provided.
You should be aware of the specific
requirements in your state. Child
and/or infant safety seats must be
properly placed and installed in the
rear seat. You must use a commer-
cially available child restraint system
that meets the requirements of the
Federal Motor Vehicle Safety
Standards (FMVSS).
Child restraint systems are designed
to be secured in vehicle seats by
seat belt, or by a tether anchor
and/or LATCH anchors (if equipped).Children could be injured or killed in
a crash if their restraints are not
properly secured. For small children
and babies, a child seat or infant seat
must be used. Before buying a par-
ticular child restraint system, make
sure it fits your vehicle seat and seat
belts, and fits your child. Follow all
the instructions provided by the man-
ufacturer when installing the child
restraint system.
When the child restraint system is
not in use, store it in the luggage
area or fasten it with a seat belt so
that it will not be thrown forward in
case of a sudden stop or an acci-
dent.
WARNING - Restraint location
Never install a child or infant
seat on the front passenger's
seat.
A child riding in the front pas-
senger seat can be forcefully
struck by an inflating airbag.
WARNING - Hot childrestraint
A child restraint system can
become very hot if it is left in a
closed vehicle on a sunny day.
Be sure to check the seat cover,
buckles and latches before
placing a child in the restraint
system.
Safety features of your vehicle
32
3
How does the air bag system
operate
Air bag are activated (able to
inflate if necessary) only when the
ignition switch is turned to the ON
or START the appropriate position.
Air bags inflate instantly in the event of serious frontal or side col-
lision (if equipped with side impact
air bag or curtain air bag) in order
to help protect the occupants from
serious physical injury.
There is no single speed at which the air bags will inflate.
Generally, air bags are designed to
inflate based upon the severity of a
collision and its direction. These
two factors determine whether the
sensors produce an electronic
deployment/ inflation signal.
Air bag deployment depends on a number of complex factors includ-
ing vehicle speed, angles of impact
and the density and stiffness of the
vehicles or objects which your
vehicle hits in the collision. Though,
factors are not limited to those
mentioned above. The front air bags will completely
inflate and deflate in an instant.
It is virtually impossible for you to
see the air bags inflate during an
accident. It is much more likely that
you will simply see the deflated air
bags hanging out of their storage
compartments after the collision.
In order to help provide protection in a severe collision, the air bags
must inflate rapidly. The speed of
air bag inflation is a consequence
of extremely short time in which a
collision occurs and the need to
get the air bag between the occu-
pant and the vehicle structures
before the occupant impacts those
structures. This speed of inflation
reduces the risk of serious or life-
threatening injuries in a severe col-
lision and is thus a necessary part
of air bag design.
However, air bag inflation can also
cause injuries which can include
facial abrasions, bruises and bro-
ken bones because the inflation
speed also causes the air bags to
expand with a great deal of force. There are even circumstances
under which contact with the
steering wheel air bag can cause
fatal injuries, especially if the
occupant is positioned exces-
sively close to the steering
wheel.
WARNING - Airbag inflation
Sit as far back as possible from
the steering wheel while still
maintaining comfortable con-
trol of your vehicle. A distance
of at least 10" from your chest
to the steering wheel is recom-
mended. Failure to do so can
result in airbag inflation injuries
to the driver.
333
Safety features of your vehicle
Noise and smoke
When the air bags inflate, they make
a loud noise and they leave smoke
and powder in the air inside of the
vehicle. This is normal and is a result
of the ignition of the air bag inflator.
After the air bag inflates, you may
feel substantial discomfort in breath-
ing due to the contact of your chest
to both the seat belt and the air bag,
as well as from breathing the smoke
and powder.Open your doors
and/or windows as soon as possi-
ble after the impact in order to
reduce discomfort and prevent
prolonged exposure to smoke and
powder.
Though smoke and powder are non-
toxic, it may cause irritation to the
skin (eyes, nose and throat etc). If
this is the case, wash and rinse with
the cold water immediately and con-
sult the doctor if the symptom per-
sists.
Installing a child restraint on a
front passenger’s seat is forbid-den
Never place a rear-facing child
restraint in the front passenger’s
seat. If the air bag deploys, it would
impact the rear-facing child restraint,
causing serious or fatal injury.
In addition, do not place front-facing
child restraint in the front passen-
ger’s seat either. If the front passen-
ger air bag inflates, it would cause
serious or fatal injuries to the child.
1JBH3051
WARNING
- Hot components
Do not touch the air bag storage
area's internal components
immediately after airbag infla-
tion. The air bag related parts in
the steering wheel, instrument
panel and the roof rails above
the front and rear doors are
very hot. Hot components can
result in burn injuries.
339
Safety features of your vehicle
WARNING - ODS system
Riding in an improper position
adversely affects the occupant
detection system (ODS) and
may result in the deactivation of
front passenger airbag. It is
important for the driver to
instruct the passenger as to the
proper seating instructions as
contained in this manual.(Continued)
Condition and operation in the front passenger occupant detectionsystem
*1) The system judges a person of adult size as an adult. When a smaller adult sits in the front passenger seat, the system may recognize him/her
as a child depending on his/her physique and posture.
*2) Do not allow children to ride in the front passenger seat. When a smaller child than the same age sits in the front passenger seat, the system may
recognize him/her as an infant depending on his/her physique or posture.
*3) Never install a child restraint system on the front passenger seat.
*4) The PASSENGER AIR BAG "OFF" indicator may turn on or off when a child above 12 months to 12 years old (with or without child restraint sys-
tem) sits in the front passenger seat. This is a normal condition.
Condition detected by the occupant
detection system
1. Adult *
1or child age 13 and up *2
2. Infant or child restraint system with 12 months old *3 *4
3. Unoccupied
4. Malfunction in the system
Off
On
On
Off Off
Off
Off
OnActivated
Deactivated
Deactivated Activated
PASSENGER AIR
BAG “OFF” indica- tor lightSRS warninglightFront passenger air bag
Indicator/Warning light Devices
341
Safety features of your vehicle
When an adult is seated in the front
passenger seat, if the PASSENGER
AIR BAG “OFF” indicator is on, turn
the ignition switch to the LOCK posi-
tion and ask the passenger to sit
properly (sitting upright with the seat
back in an upright position, centered
on the seat cushion with their seat
belt on, legs comfortably extended
and their feet on the floor). Restart
the engine and have the person
remain in that position. This will allow
the system to detect the person and
to enable the passenger air bag.If the PASSENGER AIR BAG “OFF”
indicator is still on, ask the passen-
ger to move to the rear seat.
✽ ✽
NOTICE
The PASSENGER AIR BAG “OFF”
indicator illuminates for about 4 sec-
onds after the ignition switch is
turned to the ON position or after
the engine is started. If the front
passenger seat is occupied, the occu-
pant detection sensor will then clas-
sify the front passenger after several
more seconds.
B990A01O
WARNING - “AIR BAG
OFF” light
Do not allow an adult passenger
to ride in the front seat when the
PASSENGER AIR BAG “OFF”
indicator is illuminated,
because the air bag will not
deploy in the event of a crash.
The driver must instruct the
passenger to reposition himself
in the seat. Failure to properly
position yourself may lead to
airbag deactivation resulting in
airbag non-deployment and in a
collision. If the PASSENGER
AIR BAG “OFF” indicator
remains illuminated after the
passenger repositions them-
selves properly and the car is
restarted, it is recommended
that passenger move to the rear
seat because the passenger's
front air bag will not deploy.
345
Safety features of your vehicle
❈The actual air bags in the vehicle may
differ from the illustration.
Side impact air bag
Your vehicle is equipped with a side
impact air bag in each front seat. The purpose of the air bag is to pro-
vide the vehicle's driver and/or the
front passenger with additional pro-
tection than that offered by the seat
belt alone.
The side impact air bags are
designed to deploy only during cer-
tain side-impact collisions, depend-
ing on the crash severity, angle,
speed and point of impact. The side
air bags are not designed to deploy
in all side impact situations.
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OUB035045N
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Side impact
Rear impact
Rollover
OUB031030
OLM032310L
Front
WARNING - Unexpected deployment
Avoid impact to the side impact
airbag sensor when the ignition
switch is ON to prevent unex-
pected deployment of the side
impact air bag.