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.
• 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 Systems (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 an authorized
dealer.
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SAFETY 183
WARNING!
•Being too close to the steering wheel or instrument
panel during 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 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 the rear seat
of 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.
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
(Continued)
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SAFETY 187
positioned 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.
WARNING!
•Do not mount equipment, or 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 lo-
cated should remain free from any obstructions.
• In order for the SABICs to work as intended, do not
install any accessory items in your vehicle which
could alter the roof. Do not add an aftermarket
sunroof to your vehicle. Do not add roof racks that
require permanent attachments (bolts or screws) for
installation on the vehicle roof. Do not drill into the
roof of the vehicle for any reason. Side Impacts
The Side Air Bags are designed to activate in certain side
impacts. The Occupant Restraint Controller (ORC) deter-
mines whether the deployment of the Side Air Bags in a
particular impact event is appropriate, based on the sever-
ity and type of collision. The side impact sensors aid the
ORC in determining the appropriate response to impact
events. The system is calibrated to deploy the Side Air Bags
on the impact side of the vehicle during impacts that
require Side Air Bag occupant protection. In side impacts,
the Side Air Bags deploy independently; a left side impact
deploys the left Side Air Bags only and a right-side impact
deploys the right Side Air Bags only. Vehicle damage by
itself is not a good indicator of whether or not Side Air
Bags should have deployed.
The Side Air Bags will not deploy in all side collisions,
including some collisions at certain angles, or some side
collisions that do not impact the area of the passenger
compartment. The Side Air Bags may deploy during
angled or offset frontal collisions where the front air bags
deploy.
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SAFETY 191
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.
192 SAFETY
These data can help provide a better understanding of the
circumstances in which crashes and injuries occur.
NOTE:EDR data are recorded by your vehicle only if a
non-trivial crash situation occurs; no data are recorded by
the EDR under normal driving conditions and no personal
data (e.g., name, gender, age, and crash location) are
recorded. However, other parties, such as law enforcement,
could combine the EDR data with the type of personally
identifying data routinely acquired during a crash investi-
gation.
To read data recorded by an EDR, special equipment is
required, and access to the vehicle or the EDR is needed. In
addition to the vehicle manufacturer, other parties, such as
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.
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SAFETY 197
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
website for additional information: http://
www.tc.gc.ca/eng/motorvehiclesafety/safedrivers-
childsafety-index-53.htm
198 SAFETY
Summary Of Recommendations For Restraining Children In Vehicles
Child Size, Height, Weight Or AgeRecommended Type Of Child Re-
straint
Infants and Toddlers Children who are two years old or
younger and who have not reached the height or weight limits of their child restraint Either an Infant Carrier or a Convert-
ible Child Restraint, facing rearward in the rear seat of the vehicle
Small Children Children who are at least two years
old or who have outgrown the
height or weight limit of their rear- facing child restraint Forward-Facing Child Restraint with
a five-point Harness, facing forward in the rear seat of the vehicle
Larger Children Children who have outgrown their
forward-facing child restraint, but
are too small to properly fit the vehi- cle’s seat belt Belt Positioning Booster Seat and the
vehicle seat belt, seated in the rear seat of the vehicle
Children Too Large for Child Restraints Children 12 years old or younger,
who have outgrown the height or weight limit of their booster seat Vehicle Seat Belt, seated in the rear
seat of the vehicle
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SAFETY 199
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.
• Only use a rear-facing child restraint in the rear seat
of a vehicle with a rear seat.
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.
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