
PRINCIPLE OF OPERATION
WARNINGS
Airbags do not inflate slowly or
gently, and the risk of injury from a
deploying airbag is the greatest close
to the trim covering the airbag module. All occupants of your vehicle,
including the driver, should always
properly wear their safety belts, even
when an airbag supplemental restraint
system is provided. Failure to properly wear
your safety belt could seriously increase
the risk of injury or death. Always transport children 12 years
old and under in the back seat and
always properly use appropriate
child restraints. Failure to follow this could
seriously increase the risk of injury or death. Never place your arm over the airbag
module as a deploying airbag can
result in serious arm fractures or
other injuries. Airbags can kill or injure a child in a
child seat. Never place a rear-facing
child seat in front of an active airbag.
If you must use a forward-facing child seat
in the front seat, move the seat upon which
the child seat is installed all the way back. Do not attempt to service, repair, or
modify the airbag supplemental
restraint systems or its fuses as you
could be seriously injured or killed. Contact
your authorized dealer as soon as possible. Several airbag system components
get hot after inflation. To avoid risk
of injury, do not touch them after
inflation. If the airbag has deployed, the airbag
will not function again and must be
replaced immediately. If the airbag
is not replaced, the unrepaired area will
increase the risk of injury in a crash. The airbags are a supplemental restraint
system and are designed to work with the
safety belts to help protect the driver and
right front passenger from certain upper
body injuries. Airbags do not inflate slowly;
there is a risk of injury from a deploying
airbag.
Note:
You will hear a loud bang and see a
cloud of harmless powdery residue if an
airbag deploys. This is normal.
The airbags inflate and deflate rapidly
upon activation. After airbag deployment,
it is normal to notice a smoke-like, powdery
residue or smell the burnt propellant. This
may consist of cornstarch, talcum powder
(to lubricate the bag) or sodium
compounds (for example, baking soda)
that result from the combustion process
that inflates the airbag. Small amounts of
sodium hydroxide may be present which
may irritate the skin and eyes, but none of
the residue is toxic.
While the system is designed to help
reduce serious injuries, contact with a
deploying airbag may also cause abrasions
or swelling. Temporary hearing loss is also
a possibility as a result of the noise
associated with a deploying airbag.
Because airbags must inflate rapidly and
with considerable force, there is the risk of
death or serious injuries such as fractures,
facial and eye injuries or internal injuries,
particularly to occupants who are not
properly restrained or are otherwise out of
position at the time of airbag deployment.
Thus, it is extremely important that
occupants be properly restrained as far
away from the airbag module as possible
while maintaining vehicle control.
Routine maintenance of the airbags is not
required.
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Type 1
Type 2
1. Insert the ignition key into the
passenger airbag on and off switch,
turn the switch to off and hold it in off
while removing the key.
2. When the ignition is turned on and the
passenger airbag switch is in the off
position, the off light illuminates briefly,
momentarily shuts off and then turns
back on. This indicates that the
passenger airbag is deactivated. Turning the Passenger Airbag Back On WARNINGS
The seatbelts for the driver and right
front passenger seating positions are
specifically designed to operate
together with the airbags in certain types
of crashes. When you switch off your
airbag, you not only lose the protection of
the airbag, you also may reduce the
effectiveness of your seatbelt system. If
the passenger does not meet the
requirements stated in the National
Highway Traffic Safety Administration or
Transport Canada deactivation criteria,
switching off the airbag can increase the
risk of serious injury or death in a crash. If your vehicle has rear seats, always
transport children who are 12 and
younger in the rear seat. Always use
seatbelts and child restraints properly. Do
not place a child in a rear facing infant seat
in the front seat unless your vehicle is
equipped with an airbag on and off switch
and the passenger airbag is turned off. This
is because the back of the infant seat is
too close to the inflating airbag and the
risk of a fatal injury to the infant when the
airbag inflates is substantial. If the passenger airbag off light is
illuminated when the passenger
airbag switch is on and the ignition
is on, have the passenger airbag switch
serviced immediately by a qualified
technician. The passenger airbag remains off until you
turn it back on.
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1. Insert the ignition key into the
passenger airbag on and off switch and
turn the switch to on.
2. The off light will briefly illuminate when
the ignition is turned on. This indicates
that the passenger airbag is
operational.
The passenger side airbag should always
be on (the airbag off light should not be
illuminated) unless the passenger is a
person who meets the requirements stated
either in Category 1, 2 or 3 of the National
Highway Traffic Safety
Administration/Transport Canada
deactivation criteria which follows.
The vast majority of drivers and passengers
are much safer with an airbag than
without. To do their job and reduce the risk
of life threatening injuries, airbags must
open with great force, and this force can
pose a potentially deadly risk in some
situations, particularly when a front seat
occupant is not properly buckled up. The
most effective way to reduce the risk of
unnecessary airbag injuries without
reducing the overall safety of the vehicle
is to make sure all occupants are properly
restrained in the vehicle, especially in the
front seat. This provides the protection of
seatbelts and permits the airbags to
provide the additional protection they were
designed to provide. If you choose to
deactivate your airbag, you are losing the very significant risk reducing benefits of
the airbag and you are also reducing the
effectiveness of the seatbelts, because
seatbelts in modern vehicles are designed
to work as a safety system with the
airbags.
National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration Deactivation Criteria
(Excluding Canada)
WARNING
This vehicle has special energy
management seatbelts for the driver
and right front passenger. These
particular seatbelts are specifically
designed to work with airbags to help
reduce the risk of injury in a crash. The
energy management seatbelt gives or
releases additional seatbelt webbing in
some accidents to reduce the
concentration of force on an occupant's
chest and to reduce the risk of certain bone
fractures and injuries to underlying organs.
In a crash, if the airbag is off, this energy
management seatbelt might permit the
passenger wearing the seatbelt to move
forward enough to have a serious or fatal
injury. The more severe the crash, and the
heavier the occupant, the greater the risk.
Make sure the airbag is on for any
passenger who does not qualify under the
National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration deactivation criteria. 1.
Infant. An infant (less than 1 year old)
must ride in the front seat because:
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•
The vehicle has no rear seat.
• The vehicle has a rear seat too small
to accommodate a rear-facing infant
seat.
• The infant has a medical condition
which, according to the infant's
physician, makes it necessary for the
infant to ride in the front so that the
driver can constantly monitor the
child's condition.
2. Child age 1 to 12. A child age 1 to 12 must
ride in the front seat because:
• The vehicle has no rear seat.
• Although children ages 1 to 12 ride in
the rear seat(s) whenever possible,
children ages 1 to 12 sometimes must
ride in the front because no space is
available in the rear seat(s) of the
vehicle.
• The child has a medical condition
which, according to the child's
physician, makes it necessary for the
child to ride in the front seat so that the
driver can constantly monitor the
child's condition.
3. Medical condition. A passenger has a
medical condition which, according to his
or her physician:
• Causes the passenger airbag to pose
a special risk for the passenger.
• Makes the potential harm from the
passenger airbag in a crash greater
than the potential harm from turning
off the airbag and allowing the
passenger, even if belted, to hit the
dashboard or windshield in a crash. Transport Canada Deactivation Criteria
(Canada Only) WARNING
This vehicle has special energy
management seatbelts for the driver
and right front passenger. These
particular seatbelts are specifically
designed to work with airbags to help
reduce the risk of injury in a crash. The
energy management seatbelt gives or
releases additional seatbelt webbing in
some accidents to reduce the
concentration of force on an occupant's
chest and to reduce the risk of certain bone
fractures and injuries to underlying organs.
In a crash, if the airbag is off, this energy
management seatbelt might permit the
passenger wearing the seatbelt to move
forward enough to have a serious or fatal
injury. The more severe the crash, and the
heavier the occupant, the greater the risk.
Make sure the airbag is on for any
passenger who does not qualify under the
National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration deactivation criteria. 1.
Infant: An infant (less than 1 year old)
must ride in the front seat because:
• My vehicle has no rear seat.
• The rear seat in my vehicle cannot
accommodate a rear-facing infant
seat.
• The infant has a medical condition
which, according to the infant's
physician, makes it necessary for the
infant to ride in the front seat so that
the driver can monitor the infant's
condition.
2. Child age 12 or under: A child age 12 or
under must ride in the front seat because:
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•
My vehicle has no rear seat.
• Although children age 12 and under ride
in the rear seat whenever possible,
children age 12 and under have no
option but to sometimes ride in the
front seat because rear seat space is
insufficient.
• The child has a medical condition that,
according to the child's physician,
makes it necessary for the child to ride
in the front seat so that the driver can
monitor the child's condition.
3. Medical condition: A passenger has a
medical condition that, according to his or
her physician:
• Poses a special risk for the passenger
if the airbag deploys.
• Makes the potential harm from the
passenger airbag deployment greater
than the potential harm from turning
off the airbag and experiencing a crash
without the protection offered by the
airbag.
Proper Driver and Front Passenger
Seating Adjustment WARNING
National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration (NHTSA)
recommends a minimum distance
of at least
10 in (25 cm) between an
occupant’ s chest and the driver airbag
module. To properly position yourself away from
the airbag:
•
Move your seat to the rear as far as you
can while still reaching the pedals
comfortably.
• Recline the seat slightly (one or two
degrees) from the upright position. After all occupants have adjusted their
seats and put on seatbelts, it is very
important that they continue to sit
properly. Properly seated occupants sit
upright, lean against the seat back, and
center themselves on the seat cushion,
with their feet comfortably extended on
the floor. Sitting improperly can increase
the chance of injury in a crash event. For
example, if an occupant slouches, lies
down, turns sideways, sits forward, leans
forward or sideways, or puts one or both
feet up, the chance of injury during a crash
is greatly increased.
Children and Airbags
WARNING
Airbags can kill or injure a child in a
child restraint. Never place a
rear-facing child restraint in front of
an active airbag. If you must use a
forward-facing child restraint in the front
seat, move the seat upon which the child
seat is installed all the way back. Children must always be properly
restrained. Accident statistics suggest that
children are safer when properly restrained
in the rear seating positions than in the
front seating position. Failure to follow
these instructions may increase the risk of
injury in a crash.
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CRASH SENSORS AND
AIRBAG INDICATOR (If Equipped)
WARNING
Modifying or adding equipment to
the front end of the vehicle (including
frame, bumper, front end body
structure and tow hooks) may affect the
performance of the airbag system,
increasing the risk of injury. Do not modify
the front end of the vehicle. Your vehicle has a collection of crash and
occupant sensors which provide
information to the restraints control
module. The restraints control module
deploys (activates) the front safety belt
pretensioners, driver airbag and passenger
airbag. Based on the type of accident, the
restraints control module will deploy the
appropriate safety devices.
The restraints control module also
monitors the readiness of the above safety
devices plus the crash sensors. The
readiness of the safety system is indicated
by a warning indicator light in the
instrument cluster or by a backup tone if
the warning light is not working. See
Instrument Cluster
(page 51). Routine
maintenance of the airbag is not required.
A difficulty with the system is indicated by
one or more of the following: The readiness light will not
illuminate immediately after the
ignition is turned on.
• The readiness light will either flash or
stay lit.
• A series of five beeps will be heard. The
tone pattern will repeat periodically
until the problem, the light or both are
repaired. If any of these things happen, even
intermittently, have the supplemental
restraint system serviced at an authorized
dealer immediately. Unless serviced, the
system may not function properly in the
event of a crash.
The safety belt pretensioners and the
airbag supplemental restraint system are
designed to activate when the vehicle
sustains frontal deceleration sufficient to
cause the restraints control module to
deploy a safety device.
The fact that the safety belt pretensioners
or airbags did not activate in a crash does
not mean that something is wrong with the
system. Rather, it means the restraints
control module determined the accident
conditions (such as crash severity, belt
usage) were not appropriate to activate
these safety devices.
•
The design of the front airbags is to
activate only in frontal and near-frontal
crashes (not rollovers, side impacts or
rear impacts) unless the crash causes
sufficient frontal deceleration.
• The design of the safety belt
pretensioners is to activate in frontal
or near-frontal crashes and may deploy
in rollovers if the vehicle is equipped
with roll stability control.
AIRBAG DISPOSAL
Contact your authorized dealer as soon as
possible. Airbags must be disposed of by
qualified personnel.
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Engine Oil
It illuminates when you switch
the ignition on.
If it illuminates when the engine
is running this indicates a malfunction.
Stop your vehicle as soon as it is safe to
do so and switch the engine off. Check the
engine oil level. If the oil level is sufficient,
this indicates a system malfunction. Have
your vehicle checked as soon as possible.
See Engine Oil Check (page 141).
Fasten Seatbelt Warning Lamp It illuminates and a tone sounds
until you fasten the seatbelts.
Headlamp High Beam Indicator It illuminates when you switch
the headlamp high beam on.
Low Fuel Level Warning Lamp If it illuminates when you are
driving, refuel as soon as
possible.
Low Tire Pressure Warning Lamp
(If Equipped) It illuminates if the tire pressure
in one or more tires is below the
correct tire pressure.
It also illuminates momentarily when you
switch the ignition on to confirm the lamp
is functional. If it does not illuminate when
you switch the ignition on, or begins to
flash at any time, have the system checked
by your authorized dealer. Powertrain
Malfunction/Electronic Throttle
Control Illuminates when the system
detects a powertrain fault, have
an authorized dealer check the
system as soon as possible.
Service Engine Soon If it illuminates when the engine
is running this indicates a
malfunction. The On Board
Diagnostics system has detected a
malfunction of the vehicle emission control
system.
If it flashes, engine misfire may be
occurring. Increased exhaust gas
temperatures could damage the catalytic
converter or other vehicle components.
Drive in a moderate fashion (avoid heavy
acceleration and deceleration) and have
your vehicle immediately serviced.
It illuminates when you switch the ignition
on prior to engine start to check the bulb
and to indicate whether your vehicle is
ready for Inspection and Maintenance
(I/M) testing.
Normally, it illuminates until the engine is
cranked and automatically turns off if no
malfunctions are present. However, if after
15 seconds it flashes eight times, this
indicates that your vehicle is not ready for
Inspection and Maintenance (I/M) testing.
See
Emission Law (page 82).
Traction Control System Displays when the traction
control is active. If the light
remains on, have an authorized
dealer check the system immediately.
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SITTING IN THE CORRECT
POSITION
WARNINGS
Sitting improperly, out of position or
with the seatback reclined too far
can take weight off the seat cushion
and affect the decision of the passenger
sensing system, resulting in serious injury
or death in the event of a crash. Always sit
upright against your seat back, with your
feet on the floor. Do not recline the seatback as this
can cause the occupant to slide
under the safety belt, resulting in
serious injury in the event of a crash. Do not place objects higher than the
seatback to reduce the risk of serious
injury in the event of a crash or during
heavy braking. When you use them properly, the seat,
head restraint, safety belt and airbags will
provide optimum protection in the event
of a crash. We recommend that you follow these
guidelines:
•
Sit in an upright position with the base
of your spine as far back as possible.
• Do not recline the seatback more than
30 degrees.
• Adjust the head restraint so that the
top of it is level with the top of your
head and as far forward as possible.
Make sure that you remain
comfortable.
• Keep sufficient distance between
yourself and the steering wheel. We
recommend a minimum of 10 in
(25 cm) between your breastbone and
the airbag cover.
• Hold the steering wheel with your arms
slightly bent.
• Bend your legs slightly so that you can
press the pedals fully.
• Position the shoulder strap of the
safety belt over the center of your
shoulder and position the lap strap
tightly across your hips.
Make sure that your driving position is
comfortable and that you can maintain full
control of your vehicle.
HEAD RESTRAINTS 68
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