
As a guide, if you are shorter than average, you will prefer
the shoulder belt anchorage in a lower position, and if you
are taller than average, you will prefer the shoulder belt
anchorage in a higher position. After you release the
anchorage button, try to move it up or down to make sure
that it is locked in position.
NOTE:The adjustable upper shoulder belt anchorage is
equipped with an Easy Up feature. This feature allows the
shoulder belt anchorage to be adjusted in the upward
position without pushing or squeezing the release button.
To verify the shoulder belt anchorage is latched, pull
downward on the shoulder belt anchorage until it is locked
into position.
WARNING!
• Wearing your seat belt incorrectly could make your
injuries in a collision much worse. You might suffer
internal injuries, or you could even slide out of the
seat belt. Follow these instructions to wear your seat
belt safely and to keep your passengers safe, too.
(Continued)
WARNING! (Continued)
•Position the shoulder belt across the shoulder and
chest with minimal, if any slack so that it is comfort-
able and not resting on your neck. The retractor will
withdraw any slack in the shoulder belt.
• Misadjustment of the seat belt could reduce the
effectiveness of the safety belt in a crash.
Second Row Center (If Equipped) And Third Row
Center Seat Belt Operating Instructions
The second row center (if equipped) and third row center seat
belts feature a seat belt with a mini-latch plate and buckle,
which allows the seat belt to detach from the lower anchor
when the seat is folded. The mini-latch plate and regular latch
plate can then be stored out of the way in the headliner for
added convenience to open up utilization of the storage areas
behind the front seats when the seat is not occupied.
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SAFETY 247

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.
Seat Belt Park Stitch — If Equipped
The rear outboard seat belts may be equipped with a park
stitch to raise the latch plate for easier access to occupants.
If the park stitch interferes with the tight installation of a
child restraint, slide the latch plate over the stitching to
shorten the lap portion of the belt and install the car seat
normally. When the car seat is removed from the vehicle,
slide the latch plate above the park stitch to enable occu-
pants to latch the seatbelt securely.
Seat Belt Park Stitch Location
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SAFETY 255

WARNING!
•Do not drill, cut, or tamper with the knee impact
bolsters in any way.
• Do not mount any accessories to the knee impact
bolsters such as alarm lights, stereos, citizen band
radios, etc.
Supplemental Driver And Front Passenger Knee Air
Bags
This vehicle is equipped with a Supplemental Driver Knee
Air Bag mounted in the instrument panel below the
steering column and a Supplemental Passenger Knee Air
Bag mounted in the instrument panel below the glove
compartment. The Supplemental Knee Air Bags provide
enhanced protection during a frontal impact by working
together with the seat belts, pretensioners, and front air
bags.
Supplemental Side Air Bags
Supplemental Seat-Mounted Side Air Bags (SABs)
This vehicle is equipped with Supplemental Seat-Mounted
Side Air Bags (SABs). Supplemental Seat-Mounted Side Air Bags (SABs) are
located in the outboard side of the front seats. The SABs are
marked with “SRS AIRBAG” or “AIRBAG” on a label or on
the seat trim on the outboard side of the seats.
The SABs may help to reduce the risk of occupant injury
during certain side impacts, in addition to the injury
reduction potential provided by the seat belts and body
structure.
When the SAB deploys, it opens the seam on the outboard
side of the seatback’s trim cover. The inflating SAB deploys
Front Supplemental Seat-Mounted Side Air Bag
268 SAFETY

Side Air Bags are a supplement to the seat belt restraint
system. Side Air Bags deploy in less time than it takes to
blink your eyes.
WARNING!
•Occupants, including children, who are up against or
very close to Side Air Bags can be seriously injured
or killed. Occupants, including children, should
never lean on or sleep against the door, side win-
dows, or area where the side air bags inflate, even if
they are in an infant or child restraint.
• Seat belts (and child restraints where appropriate)
are necessary for your protection in all collisions.
They also help keep you in position, away from an
inflating Side Air Bag. To get the best protection
from the Side Air Bags, occupants must wear their
seat belts properly and sit upright with their backs
against the seats. Children must be properly re-
strained in a child restraint or booster seat that is
appropriate for the size of the child.
WARNING!
•Side Air Bags need room to inflate. Do not lean
against the door or window. Sit upright in the center
of the seat.
• Being too close to the Side Air Bags during deploy-
ment could cause you to be severely injured or
killed.
• Relying on the Side Air Bags alone could lead to
more severe injuries in a collision. The Side Air Bags
work with your seat belt to restrain you properly. In
some collisions, Side Air Bags won’t deploy at all.
Always wear your seat belt even though you have
Side Air Bags.
NOTE: Air bag covers may not be obvious in the interior
trim, but they will open during air bag deployment.
Rollover Events
Side Air Bags are designed to activate in certain rollover
events. The ORC determines whether the deployment of
the Side Air Bags in a particular rollover event is appro-
priate, based on the severity and type of collision. Vehicle
damage by itself is not a good indicator of whether or not
Side Air Bags should have deployed.
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SAFETY 271

law enforcement, that have the special equipment, can read
the information if they have access to the vehicle or the
EDR.
Child Restraints
Everyone in your vehicle needs to be buckled up at all
times, including babies and children. Every state in the
United States, and every Canadian province, requires that
small children ride in proper restraint systems. This is the
law, and you can be prosecuted for ignoring it.
Children 12 years or younger should ride properly buckled
up in a rear seat, if available. According to crash statistics,
children are safer when properly restrained in the rear
seats rather than in the front.
WARNING!
In a collision, an unrestrained child can become a
projectile inside the vehicle. The force required to hold
even an infant on your lap could become so great that
you could not hold the child, no matter how strong you
are. The child and others could be badly injured or
killed. Any child riding in your vehicle should be in a
proper restraint for the child’s size.There are different sizes and types of restraints for children
from newborn size to the child almost large enough for an
adult safety belt. Always check the child seat Owner ’s
Manual to make sure you have the correct seat for your
child. Carefully read and follow all the instructions and
warnings in the child restraint Owner ’s Manual and on all
the labels attached to the child restraint.
Before buying any restraint system, make sure that it has a
label certifying that it meets all applicable Safety Stan-
dards. You should also make sure that you can install it in
the vehicle where you will use it.
NOTE:
•
For additional information, refer to http://www.nhtsa.gov/
parents-and-caregivers or call: 1–888–327–4236
•Canadian residents should refer to Transport Canada’s web-
site for additional information: http://www.tc.gc.ca/eng/
motorvehiclesafety/safedrivers-childsafety-index-53.htm
276 SAFETY

Infant And Child Restraints
Safety experts recommend that children ride rear-facing in
the vehicle until they are two years old or until they reach
either the height or weight limit of their rear-facing child
restraint. Two types of child restraints can be used rear-
facing: infant carriers and convertible child seats.
The infant carrier is only used rear-facing in the vehicle. It
is recommended for children from birth until they reach
the weight or height limit of the infant carrier. Convertible
child seats can be used either rear-facing or forward-facing
in the vehicle. Convertible child seats often have a higher
weight limit in the rear-facing direction than infant carriers
do, so they can be used rear-facing by children who have
outgrown their infant carrier but are still less than at least
two years old. Children should remain rear-facing until
they reach the highest weight or height allowed by their
convertible child 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.
(Continued)
WARNING!(Continued)
•Only use a rear-facing child restraint in the rear seat
of a vehicle with a rear seat.
WARNING!
Do not install a rear-facing car seat using a rear support
leg in this vehicle. The floor of this vehicle is not
designed to manage the crash forces of this type of car
seat. In a crash, the support leg may not function as it
was designed by the car seat manufacturer, and your
child may be more severely injured as a result.
278 SAFETY

Older Children And Child Restraints
Children who are two years old or who have outgrown
their rear-facing convertible child seat can ride forward-
facing in the vehicle. Forward-facing child seats and con-
vertible child seats used in the forward-facing direction are
for children who are over two years old or who have
outgrown the rear-facing weight or height limit of their
rear-facing convertible child seat. Children should remain
in a forward-facing child seat with a harness for as long as
possible, up to the highest weight or height allowed by the
child seat.
All children whose weight or height is above the forward-
facing limit for the child seat should use a belt-positioning
booster seat until the vehicle’s seat belts fit properly. If the
child cannot sit with knees bent over the vehicle’s seat
cushion while the child’s back is against the seatback, they
should use a belt-positioning booster seat. The child and
belt-positioning booster seat are held in the vehicle by the
seat belt.
WARNING!
•Improper installation can lead to failure of an infant
or child restraint. It could come loose in a collision.
The child could be badly injured or killed. Follow
the child restraint manufacturer ’s directions exactly
when installing an infant or child restraint.
• After a child restraint is installed in the vehicle, do
not move the vehicle seat forward or rearward be-
cause it can loosen the child restraint attachments.
Remove the child restraint before adjusting the ve-
hicle seat position. When the vehicle seat has been
adjusted, reinstall the child restraint.
• When your child restraint is not in use, secure it in
the vehicle with the seat belt or LATCH anchorages,
or remove it from the vehicle. Do not leave it loose in
the vehicle. In a sudden stop or accident, it could
strike the occupants or seatbacks and cause serious
personal injury.
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SAFETY 279

Children Too Large For Booster Seats
Children who are large enough to wear the shoulder belt
comfortably, and whose legs are long enough to bend over
the front of the seat when their back is against the seatback,
should use the seat belt in a rear seat. Use this simple 5-step
test to decide whether the child can use the vehicle’s seat
belt alone:
1. Can the child sit all the way back against the back of thevehicle seat?
2. Do the child’s knees bend comfortably over the front of the vehicle seat – while the child is still sitting all the
way back?
3. Does the shoulder belt cross the child’s shoulder be- tween their neck and arm?
4. Is the lap part of the belt as low as possible, touching the child’s thighs and not the stomach? 5. Can the child stay seated like this for the whole trip?
If the answer to any of these questions was “no,” then the
child still needs to use a booster seat in this vehicle. If the
child is using the lap/shoulder belt, check seat belt fit
periodically and make sure the seat belt buckle is latched.
A child’s squirming or slouching can move the belt out of
position. If the shoulder belt contacts the face or neck,
move the child closer to the center of the vehicle, or use a
booster seat to position the seat belt on the child correctly.
WARNING!
Never allow a child to put the shoulder belt under an
arm or behind their back. In a crash, the shoulder belt
will not protect a child properly, which may result in
serious injury or death. A child must always wear both
the lap and shoulder portions of the seat belt correctly.
280 SAFETY