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Safety Precautions
Adjusting the seats so that you are sit-
ting in a safe, comfortable position
plays an important role in driver and
passenger safety together with the
seat belts and air bags in an accident.
Air bags
You can take steps to reduce the risk
of being injured by an inflating air
bag. Sitting too close to an air bag
greatly increases the risk of injury in
the event the air bag inflates.
The National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration (NHTSA) recommends
that drivers allow at least 10 inches
(25 cm) between the center of the
steering wheel and their chest.
Do not use a cushion that
reduces friction between the seat
and the passenger. The passen-
ger's hips may slide under the
lap portion of the seat belt during
an accident or a sudden stop.
Serious or fatal internal injuries
could result because the seat
belt cannot operate properly.
WARNING
To reduce the risk of serious
injury or death from an inflating
air bag, take the following pre-
cautions:
•Adjust the driver's seat as far to
the rear as possible while main-
taining the ability to maintain
full control of the vehicle.
Adjust the front passenger seat
as far to the rear as possible.
Hold the steering wheel by the
rim with hands at the 9 o'clock
and 3 o'clock positions to mini-
mize the risk of injuries to your
hands and arms.
NEVER place anything or any-
one between the steering wheel
and the air bag.
Do not allow the front passen-
ger to place feet or legs on the
dashboard to minimize the risk
of leg injuries.
WARNING
2-5
Safety system of your vehicle
2
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2-6
Safety system of your vehicle
Seat belts
Always fasten your seat belt before
starting any trip.
At all times, passengers should sit
upright and be properly restrained.
Infants and small children must be
restrained in appropriate child restraint
systems. Adults and children who
have outgrown a booster seat must be
restrained using the seat belts.
Front Seats
Take the following precautions
when adjusting your seat belt:
NEVER use one seat belt for
more than one occupant.
Always position the seatback
upright with the lap portion of
the seat belt snug and low
across the hips.
NEVER allow children or small
infants to ride on a passen-
ger's lap.
Do not route the seat belt
across your neck, across sharp
edges, or reroute the shoulder
strap away from your body.
Do not allow the seat belt to
become caught or jammed.
WARNING
Take the following precautions
when adjusting your seat:
NEVER attempt to adjust the
seat while the vehicle is mov-
ing. The seat could respond
with unexpected movement
and may cause loss of vehicle
control resulting in an acci-
dent.
Do not place anything under
the front seats. Loose objects
in the driver's foot area could
interfere with the operation of
the foot pedals, causing an
accident.
Do not allow anything to inter-
fere with the normal position
and proper locking of the seat-
back.
Do not place a cigarette lighter
on the floor or seat. When you
operate the seat, gas may exit
out of the lighter causing a fire.(Continued)
WARNING
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2-8
Seatback angle
To recline the seatback:
1. Lean forward slightly and lift upthe seatback lever.
2. Carefully lean back on the seat and adjust the seatback to the
position you desire.
3. Release the lever and make sure the seatback is locked in place.
(The lever MUST return to its orig-
inal position for the seatback to
lock.) Reclining seatback
Sitting in a reclined position when
the vehicle is in motion can be dan-
gerous. Even when buckled up, the
protection of your restraint system
(seat belts and air bags) is greatly
reduced by reclining your seatback.
Seat belts must be snug against your
hips and chest to work properly.
When the seatback is reclined, the
shoulder belt cannot do its job
because it will not be snug against
your chest. Instead, it will be in front
of you. During an accident, you could
be thrown into the seat belt, causing
neck or other injuries.
The more the seatback is reclined,
the greater chance the passenger's
hips will slide under the lap belt or
the passenger's neck will strike the
shoulder belt.
Safety system of your vehicle
NEVER ride with a reclined
seatback when the vehicle is
moving.
Riding with a reclined seatback
increases your chance of seri-
ous or fatal injuries in the event
of a collision or sudden stop.
Drivers and passengers should
ALWAYS sit well back in their
seats, properly belted, and with
the seatbacks upright.
WARNING
OAE036003
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2-9
Safety system of your vehicle
2
Seat cushion height
To change the height of the seat
cushion:
Push down on the lever severaltimes, to lower the seat cushion.
Pull up on the lever several times, to raise the seat cushion.
Power adjustment (for driver's seat, if equipped)
The front seat can be adjusted by
using the control switches located on
the outside of the seat cushion. Before
driving, adjust the seat to the proper
position so that you can easily control
the steering wheel, foot pedals and
controls on the instrument panel. To prevent damage to the seats:
Always stop adjusting the seats
when the seat has moved as far
forward or rearward as possible.
Do not adjust the seats for longer than necessary when the
vehicle is turned off. This may
result in unnecessary battery
drain.
Do not operate two or more seats at the same time. This may
result in an electrical malfunc-
tion.
NOTICE
NEVER allow children in the
vehicle unattended. The power
seats are operable when the
vehicle is turned off.
WARNING OAE036004
Page 32 of 589
2-10
Forward and rearward adjustment
To move the seat forward or rearward:
1. Push the control switch forward orrearward.
2. Release the switch once the seat reaches the desired position.
Seatback angle
To adjust the seatback:
1. Rotate the top of control switchforward or rearward.
2. Release the switch once the seat- back reaches the desired position. Reclining seatback
Sitting in a reclined position when
the vehicle is in motion can be dan-
gerous. Even when buckled up, the
protections of your restraint system
(seat belts and air bags) is greatly
reduced by reclining your seatback.
Safety system of your vehicle
NEVER ride with a reclined seat-
back when the vehicle is moving.
Riding with a reclined seatback
increases your chance of serious
or fatal injuries in the event of a
collision or sudden stop.
Driver and passengers should
ALWAYS sit well back in their
seats, properly belted, and with
the seatbacks upright.
WARNING
OAE036007OAE036006
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2-12
Safety system of your vehicle
Seatback pocket
The seatback pocket is provided on
the back of the front passenger's
seatback.
Rear Seats
Folding the rear seat
The rear seatbacks can be folded to
facilitate carrying long items or to
increase the luggage capacity of the
vehicle.
To prevent the Occupant
Classification System from mal-
functioning:
Do not hang onto the front pas-
senger's seatback.
WARNING
Never allow passengers to sit
on top of the folded down
seatback while the vehicle is
moving. This is not a proper
seating position and no seat
belts are available for use.
This could result in serious
injury or death in case of an
accident or sudden stop.
Objects carried on the folded
down seatback should not
extend higher than the top of
the front seatbacks. This
could allow cargo to slide for-
ward and cause injury or dam-
age during sudden stops.
WARNING
Do not put heavy or sharp
objects in the seatback pockets.
In an accident they could come
loose from the pocket and
injure occupants.
CAUTION
OAD035017
Page 36 of 589
When returning the rear seat-
back from a folded to an upright
position, hold the seatback and
return it slowly. Ensure that the
seatback is completely locked
into its upright position by
pushing on the top of the seat-
back. In an accident or sudden
stop, the unlocked seatback
could allow cargo to move for-
ward with great force and enter
the passenger compartment,
which could result in serious
injury or death.
WARNING
2-14
6. Fold the seatback toward the frontof the vehicle. 7. To use the rear seat, lift and unfold
the seatback to the upright posi-
tion. Push the seatback firmly until
it clicks into place. Make sure the
seatback is locked in place.
When you return the seatback to its upright position, always be sure
it has locked into position by push-
ing on the top of the seatback.
Safety system of your vehicle
OAE036021OAE036066L
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2-15
Safety system of your vehicle
2
Armrest (if equipped)
The armrest is located in the center
of the rear seat. Use the strap in the
center of the armrest to pull it down.
Do not place objects in the rear
seats, since they cannot be
properly secured and may hit
vehicle occupants in a collision
causing serious injury or death.
WARNING
Make sure the vehicle is off, the
shift lever is in P (Park), and the
parking brake is securely applied
whenever loading or unloading
cargo. Failure to take these steps
may allow the vehicle to move if
the shift lever is inadvertently
moved to another position.
WARNING
OAE036022
Be careful when loading
cargo through the rear pas-
senger seats to prevent dam-
age to the vehicle interior.
When cargo is loaded through
the rear passenger seats,
ensure the cargo is properly
secured to prevent it from
moving while driving.
Unsecured cargo in the pas-
senger compartment can
cause damage to the vehicle
or injury to it's occupants.
CAUTION