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Essential Safety Equipment
SRS Air Bags
*Some models.
Supplementary Restraint System (SRS) Precautions
The front and side supplementary restraint systems (SRS) include different types of air bags.
Please verify the different types of air bags which are equipped on your vehicle by
locating the “SRS AIRBAG” location indicators. These indicators are visible in the area
where the air bags are installed.
The air bags are installed in the following locations:
The steering wheel hub (driver air bag)
The front passenger instrument panel (front passenger air bag)
The outboard sides of the front seatbacks (side air bags) *
The front and rear window pillars, and the roof edge along both sides (curtain air bags) *
The air bag supplementary restraint systems are designed to provide supplementary
protection in certain situations so seat belts are always important in the following ways:
Without seat belt usage, the air bags cannot provide adequate protection during an accident.
Seat belt usage is necessary to:
Keep the occupant from being thrown into an in À ating air bag.
Reduce the possibility of injuries during an accident that is not designed for air bag
in À ation, such as roll-over or rear impact.
Reduce the possibility of injuries in frontal, near frontal or side collisions that are not
severe enough to activate the air bags.
Reduce the possibility of being thrown from your vehicle.
Reduce the possibility of injuries to lower body and legs during an accident because the
air bags provide no protection to these parts of the body.
Hold the driver in a position which allows better control of the vehicle.
A child who is too small to use a seat belt must be properly secured using a child-restraint
system (page 2-22 ).
Carefully consider which child-restraint system is necessary for your child and follow
the installation directions in this Owner's Manual as well as the child-restraint system
manufacturer's instructions.
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Essential Safety Equipment
SRS Air Bags
WARNING
Seat belts must be worn in air bag equipped vehicles:
Depending only on the air bags for protection during an accident is dangerous. Alone,
air bags may not prevent serious injuries. The appropriate air bags can be expected to
in À ate only in the ¿ rst accident, such as frontal, near frontal or side collisions that are
at least moderate. Vehicle occupants should always wear seat belts.
Children should not ride in the front passenger seat:
Placing a child, 12 years or under, in the front seat is dangerous. The child could be hit
by a deploying air bag and be seriously injured or even killed. A sleeping child is more
likely to lean against the door and be hit by the side air bag in moderate collision to the
front-passenger side of the vehicle. Whenever possible, always secure a child 12 years
and under on the rear seats with an appropriate child-restraint system for the child's
age and size.
Extreme Hazard! Never use a rear-facing child-restraint system on the front passenger
seat with an air bag that could deploy:
NEVER use a rearward facing child restraint on a seat protected by an ACTIVE
AIRBAG in front of it, DEATH or SERIOUS INJURY to the CHILD can occur.
Even in a moderate collision, the child-restraint system can be hit by a deploying air
bag and moved violently backward resulting in serious injury or death to the child. If
your vehicle is equipped with a front passenger air bag deactivation switch, always set
the switch to the OFF position when installing a rear-facing child-restraint system on
the front passenger seat.
Do not sit too close to the driver and front passenger air bags:
Sitting too close to the driver and front passenger air bag modules or placing hands or
feet on them is extremely dangerous. The driver and front passenger air bags in À ate
with great force and speed. Serious injuries could occur if someone is too close. The
driver should always hold onto only the rim of the steering wheel. The front seat
passenger should keep both feet on the À oor. Front seat occupants should adjust their
seats as far back as possible and always sit upright against the seatbacks with seat belts
worn properly.
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Essential Safety Equipment
SRS Air Bags
WARNING
Sit in the centre of the seat and wear seat belts properly:
Sitting too close to the side air bag modules or placing hands on them, or sleeping up
against the door or hanging out the windows is extremely dangerous. The side and
curtain air bags in À ate with great force and speed directly expanding along the door on
the side the car is hit. Serious injury could occur if someone is sitting too close to the
door or leaning against a window, or if rear seat occupants grab the sides of the front
seatbacks. Give the side and curtain air bags room to work by sitting in the centre of the
seat while the vehicle is moving with seat belts worn properly.
Do not attach objects on or around the area where driver and front passenger air bags
deploy:
Attaching an object to the driver and front passenger air bag modules or placing
something in front of them is dangerous. In an accident, an object could interfere with
air bag in À ation and injure the occupants.
Do not attach objects on or around the area where a side air bag deploys:
Attaching objects to the front seat in such a way as to cover the outboard side of the seat
in any way is dangerous. In an accident the object could interfere with the side air bag,
which in À ates from the outboard side of the front seats, impeding the added protection
of the side air bag system or redirecting the air bag in a way that is dangerous.
Furthermore, the bag could be cut open releasing the gas.
Do not hang net bags, map pouches or backpacks with side straps on the front seats.
Never use seat covers on the front seats. Always keep the side air bag modules in your
front seats free to deploy in the event of a side collision.
Do not attach objects on or around the area where a curtain air bag deploys:
Attaching objects to the areas where the curtain air bag activates such as on the
windscreen glass, side door glass, front and rear window pillars and along the roof edge
and assist grips is dangerous. In an accident the object could interfere with the curtain
air bag, which in À ates from the front and rear window pillars and along the roof edge,
impeding the added protection of the curtain air bag system or redirecting the air bag in
a way that is dangerous. Furthermore, the bag could be cut open releasing the gas.
Do not place hangers or any other objects on the assist grips. When hanging clothes,
hang them on the coat hook directly. Always keep the curtain air bag modules free to
deploy in the event of a side collision.
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