▫Wind Buffeting .........................23
SLIDING SIDE DOOR .....................23
▫ Opening And Closing From Outside The
Vehicle ...............................23
▫ Opening And Closing From The Inside ........24
▫ Child Lock System .......................24
▫ Key Emergency Lock (KEL) Device ...........24
DOUBLE REAR SWING DOORS ..............25
▫ Opening/Closing The First Swing Door From
The Outside ...........................25
▫ Emergency Opening Of The First Swing Door
From The Inside ........................25
▫ Opening The Second Swing Door ............25
OCCUPANT RESTRAINT SYSTEMS ...........26
▫ Occupant Restraint Systems Features .........26▫
Important Safety Precautions ...............26
▫ Seat Belt Systems .......................27
▫ Supplemental Restraint System (SRS) ..........37
▫ Child Restraints ........................48
▫ Transporting Pets .......................66
ENGINE BREAK-IN RECOMMENDATIONS .....66
SAFETY TIPS ...........................67
▫ Transporting Passengers ...................67
▫ Exhaust Gas ...........................68
▫ Safety Checks You Should Make Inside
The Vehicle ...........................68
▫ Periodic Safety Checks You Should Make Outside
The Vehicle ...........................71
10 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE
OCCUPANT RESTRAINT SYSTEMS
Some of the most important safety features in your vehicle
are the restraint systems.
Occupant Restraint Systems Features
•Seat Belt Systems
• Supplemental Restraint Systems (SRS) Air Bags
• Child Restraints
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.
Important Safety Precautions
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.
Please pay close attention to the information in this section.
It tells you how to use your restraint system properly, to
keep you and your passengers as safe as possible. Here are some simple steps you can take to minimize the
risk of harm from a deploying air bag:
1. Children 12 years old and under should always ride
buckled up in a vehicle with a rear seat.
2. If a child from 2 to 12 years old (not in a rear-facing child restraint) must ride in the front passenger seat, move the
seat as far back as possible and use the proper child
restraint (Refer to “Child Restraints”).
3. Children that are not big enough to wear the vehicle seat belt 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.
26 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE
7. The driver and front passenger seats should be movedback 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 If
You Need 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
risk of injury caused by striking the inside of the vehicle.
Everyone in a motor vehicle should be belted at all times.
Driver and Passenger BeltAlert — If Equipped
Front Seat BeltAlert
BeltAlert is a feature intended to remind the driver
and outboard front seat passenger (if equipped with
outboard front passenger seat BeltAlert) to buckle their
seat belts. The Belt Alert feature is active whenever the
ignition switch is in the START or ON/RUN position.
Initial Indication
If the driver is unbuckled when the ignition switch is first
in the START or ON/RUN position, a chime will signal for
a few seconds. If the driver or outboard front seat passen-
ger (if equipped with outboard front passenger seat
BeltAlert) is unbuckled when the ignition switch is first in
the START or ON/RUN position the Seat Belt Reminder
Light will turn on and remain on until both outboard front
2
THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 27
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. This seat belt system has a retractor assembly that
is designed to release webbing in a controlled manner.
Switchable Automatic Locking Retractor (ALR)
Commercial Vehicle
The seat belt in the passenger seating position is 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.
Commercial Vehicle
2
THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 35
Passenger Vehicle
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 theoccupant’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.
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 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.
Passenger Vehicle
36 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE
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) 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.
(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.
Air Bag System Components
Your vehicle may be equipped with the following air bag
system components:
• Occupant Restraint Controller (ORC)
• Air Bag Warning Light
• Steering Wheel and Column
• Instrument Panel
• Knee Impact Bolsters
2
THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 37
WARNING!(Continued)
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.
WARNING!
•
No objects should be placed over or near the air bag
on the instrument panel or steering wheel because
any such objects could cause harm if the vehicle is in
a collision severe enough to cause the air bag to
inflate.
• Do not put anything on or around the air bag covers
or attempt to open them manually. You may damage
the air bags and you could be injured because the air
bags may no longer be functional. The protective
covers for the air bag cushions are designed to open
only when the air bags are inflating.
• Relying on the air bags alone could lead to more
severe injuries in a collision. The air bags work with
your seat belt to restrain you properly. In some
collisions, air bags won’t deploy at all. Always wear
your seat belts even though you have air bags.
2
THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 39
SABICs may help reduce the risk of head and other injuries
to front and rear seat outboard occupants in certain side
impacts in addition to the injury reduction potential pro-
vided by the seat belts and body structure.
The SABIC deploys downward, covering the side win-
dows. An inflating SABIC pushes the outside edge of the
headliner out of the way and covers the window. The
SABICs inflate with enough force to injure occupants if
they are not belted and seated properly, or if items arepositioned in the area where the SABICs inflate. Children
are at an even greater risk of injury from a deploying air
bag.
The SABICs may help reduce the risk of partial or complete
ejection of vehicle occupants through side windows in
certain side impact events.
•The Air Bag Warning Light
does not come on
during the four to eight seconds when the ignition
switch is first in the ON/RUN position.
• The Air Bag Warning Light remains on after the four to
eight-second interval.
• The Air Bag Warning Light comes on intermittently or
remains on while driving.
Reference the “Air Bag Warning Light” topic in “Supple-
mental Restraint System (SRS)” for further information.
WARNING!
• Do not stack luggage or other cargo up high enough
to block the deployment of the SABICs. The trim
covering above the side windows where the SABIC
and its deployment path are located should remain
free from any obstructions.
(Continued)
Supplemental Side Air Bag Inflatable Curtain (SABIC)
Label Location
42 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE