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WARNING!(Continued)
cause internal injuries. Ribs aren’t as strong as
shoulder bones. Wear the seat belt over your
shoulder so that your strongest bones will take
the force in a collision.
• A shoulder belt placed behind you will not pro-
tect you from injury during a collision. You are
more likely to hit your head in a collision if you
do not wear your shoulder belt. The lap and
shoulder belt are meant to be used together.
• A frayed or torn seat belt could rip apart in a
collision and leave you with no protection. In-
spect the seat belt system periodically, checking
for cuts, frays, or loose parts. Damaged parts must
be replaced immediately. Do not disassemble or
modify the seat belt system. Seat belt assemblies
must be replaced after a collision.
Lap/Shoulder Belt Operating Instructions
1. Enter the vehicle and close the door. Sit back and adjust the seat.
2. The seat belt latch plate is above the back of the front seat, and next to your arm in the rear seat (for
vehicles equipped with a rear seat). Grasp the latch
plate and pull out the seat belt. Slide the latch plate
up the webbing as far as necessary to allow the seat
belt to go around your lap.
3. When the seat belt is long enough to fit, insert the latch plate into the buckle until you hear a “click.”
Pulling Out The Latch Plate
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SAFETY 103
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4. Position the lap belt so that it is snug and lies lowacross your hips, below your abdomen. To remove
slack in the lap belt portion, pull up on the shoulder
belt. To loosen the lap belt if it is too tight, tilt the
latch plate and pull on the lap belt. A snug seat belt
reduces the risk of sliding under the seat belt in a
collision. 5. 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.
6. To release the seat belt, push the red button on the buckle. The seat belt will automatically retract to its
stowed position. If necessary, slide the latch plate
down the webbing to allow the seat belt to retract
fully.
Inserting Latch Plate Into BucklePositioning The Lap Belt
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Lap/Shoulder Belt Untwisting Procedure
Use the following procedure to untwist a twisted lap/
shoulder belt.
1. Position the latch plate as close as possible to theanchor point.
2. At about 6 to 12 inches (15 to 30 cm) above the latch plate, grasp and twist the seat belt webbing 180
degrees to create a fold that begins immediately
above the latch plate.
3. Slide the latch plate upward over the folded web- bing. The folded webbing must enter the slot at the
top of the latch plate.
4. Continue to slide the latch plate up until it clears the folded webbing and the seat belt is no longer
twisted.
Seat Belts And Pregnant Women
Seat belts must be worn by all occupants including
pregnant women: the risk of injury in the event of an
accident is reduced for the mother and the unborn child
if they are wearing a seat belt.
Position the lap belt snug and low below the abdomen
and across the strong bones of the hips. Place the
shoulder belt across the chest and away from the neck.
Never place the shoulder belt behind the back or under
the arm.
Pregnant Women And Seat Belts
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Seat Belt Pretensioner
The front outboard 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 Re-
straint Controller (ORC). Like the air bags, the preten-
sioners are single use items. A deployed pretensioner or
a deployed air bag must be replaced immediately.
Energy Management Feature
The front outboard seat belt system is equipped with an
Energy Management feature that may help further
reduce the risk of injury in the event of a collision. The
seat belt system has a retractor assembly that is de-
signed to release webbing in a controlled manner.
Switchable Automatic Locking Retractor (ALR)
The seat belt in the passenger seating position is
equipped with a Switchable Automatic Locking Retrac-
tor (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 figure
below illustrates the locking feature for each seating
position.
ALR — Switchable Automatic Locking Retractor
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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 the occupant’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 comfort-
ably wrap around the occupant’s mid-section. Slide the
latch plate into the buckle until you hear aclick.
In Automatic Locking Mode, the shoulder belt is auto-
matically pre-locked. The seat belt will still retract to
remove any slack in the shoulder belt. Use the Auto-
matic Locking Mode anytime a child restraint is in-
stalled in a seating position that has a seat belt with this
feature. Children 12 years old and under should always
be properly restrained in the rear seat of a vehicle with
a rear 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
(Continued)
WARNING! (Continued)
years or younger, including a child in a rear-
facing child restraint.
• Never install a rear-facing child restraint in the
front seat of a vehicle. Only use a rear-facing child
restraint in the rear seat. If the vehicle does not
have a rear seat, do not transport a rear-facing
child restraint in that vehicle.
How To Engage The Automatic Locking Mode
1. Buckle the combination lap and shoulder belt.
2. Grasp the shoulder portion and pull downward until the 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 (emer-
gency) locking mode.
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WARNING!
•The seat belt assembly must be replaced if the
switchable Automatic Locking Retractor (ALR)
feature 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
increase the risk of injury in collisions.
• Do not use the Automatic Locking Mode to re-
strain 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 har-
ness 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.
The air bag system must be ready to protect you in a
collision. The Occupant Restraint Controller (ORC) monitors the internal circuits and interconnecting wir-
ing associated with the electrical Air Bag System Com-
ponents. Your vehicle may be equipped with the fol-
lowing Air Bag System Components:
Air Bag System Components
•
Occupant Restraint Controller (ORC)
• Air Bag Warning Light
•Steering Wheel and Column
• Instrument Panel
• Knee Impact Bolsters
• Driver and Front Passenger Air Bags
• Seat Belt Buckle Switch
• Supplemental Side Air Bags
• Supplemental Knee Air Bags
• Front and Side Impact Sensors
• Seat Belt Pretensioners
• Seat Track Position Sensors
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Air Bag Warning Light
The ORC monitors the readiness of the electronic partsof the air bag system whenever the ignition
switch is in the AVV/START or MAR/ACC/
ON/RUN position. If the ignition switch is in
the STOP/OFF/LOCK position the air bag
system is not on and the air bags will not inflate.
The ORC contains a backup power supply system that
may deploy the air bag system even if the battery loses
power or it becomes disconnected prior to deployment.
The ORC turns on the Air Bag Warning Light in the
instrument panel for approximately four to eight sec-
onds for a self-check when the ignition switch is in the
MAR/ACC/ON/RUN position. After the self-check,
the Air Bag Warning Light will turn off. If the ORC
detects a malfunction in any part of the system, it turns
on the Air Bag Warning Light, either momentarily or
continuously. A single chime will sound to alert you if
the light comes on again after initial startup.
The ORC also includes diagnostics that will illuminate
the instrument panel Air Bag Warning Light if a mal-
function is detected that could affect the air bag system. The diagnostics also record the nature of the malfunc-
tion. While the air bag system is designed to be main-
tenance free, if any of the following occurs, have an
authorized dealer service the air bag system
immediately.
•
The Air Bag Warning Light does not come on during
the four to eight seconds when the ignition switch is
first in the MAR/ACC/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.
NOTE: If the speedometer, tachometer, or any engine
related gauges are not working, the Occupant Restraint
Controller (ORC) may also be disabled. In this condi-
tion the air bags may not be ready to inflate for your
protection. Have an authorized dealer service the air
bag system immediately.
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WARNING!
Ignoring the Air Bag Warning Light in your instru-
ment panel could mean you won’t have the air bag
system to protect you in a collision. If the light does
not come on as a bulb check when the ignition is
first turned on, stays on after you start the vehicle,
or if it comes on as you drive, have an authorized
dealer service the air bag system immediately.
Front Air Bags
This vehicle has front air bags and lap/shoulder belts
for both the driver and front passenger. The front air
bags are a supplement to the seat belt restraint systems.
The driver front air bag is mounted in the center of the
steering wheel. The passenger front air bag is mounted
in the instrument panel, above the glove compartment.
The words “SRS AIRBAG” or “AIRBAG” are embossed
on the air bag covers.
WARNING!
•Being too close to the steering wheel or instru-
ment panel during front air bag deployment
could cause serious injury, including death. Air
bags need room to inflate. Sit back, comfortably
(Continued)
Front Air Bag/Knee Bolster Locations
1 — Driver And Passenger Front Air Bags
2 — Passenger Knee Impact Bolster
3 — Driver Knee Impact Bolster/Supplemental Driver Knee Air
Bag
110 SAFETY