Safety system of your vehicle
Important safety precautions...............................2-2
Always Wear Your Seat Belt ..........................................2-2
Restrain All Children .........................................................2-2
Air Bag Hazards .................................................................2-2
Driver Distraction ..............................................................2-2
Control Your Speed ...........................................................2-3
Keep Your Vehicle in Safe Condition ............................2-3
Seats ........................................................................\
2-4
Safety Precautions ...........................................................2-5
Front Seats ........................................................................\
.2-6
Rear Seats........................................................................\
.2-11
Head Restraints ...............................................................2-14
Seat Warmers and Air Ventilation Seats ...................2-18
Seat belts ..............................................................2-21
Seat Belt Safety Precautions .......................................2-21
Seat Belt Warning Light ................................................2-22
Seat Belt Restraint System...........................................2-23
Additional Seat Belt Safety Precautions ...................2-30
Care of Seat Belts...........................................................2-33
Child restraint system (CRS) ..............................2-34
Children Always in the Rear .........................................2-34
Selecting a Child Restraint System (CRS) .................2-35
Installing a Child Restraint System (CRS)..................2-37
Air bag
- Advanced supplemental restraint system .....2-45
Where Are the Air Bags? ..............................................2-47
How Does the Air Bag System Operate?..................2-50
What to Expect After an Air Bag Inflates ................2-55
Occupant Classification System (OCS).......................2-56
Why Didn't My Air Bag Go Off in a Collision? ........2-61
SRS Care ........................................................................\
....2-66
Additional Safety Precautions .....................................2-67
Air Bag Warning Labels .................................................2-67
This chapter provides you with important information about how to protect yourself and your passengers.
It explains how to properly use your seats and seat belts, and how your air bags work.
Additionally, this chapter explains how to properly restrain infants and children in your vehicle.
2
2-2
You will find many safety precautions
and recommendations throughout
this section, and throughout this man-
ual. The safety precautions in this sec-
tion are among the most important.
Always Wear Your Seat Belt
A seat belt is your best protection in
all types of accidents. Air bags are
designed to supplement seat belts,
not replace them. So even though
your vehicle is equipped with air bags,
ALWAYS make sure you and your
passengers wear your seat belts, and
wear them properly.
Restrain All Children
All children under age 13 should ride
in your vehicle properly restrained in
a rear seat, not the front seat. Infants
and small children should be
restrained in an appropriate child
restraint. Larger children should use
a booster seat with the lap/shoulder
belt until they can use the seat belt
properly without a booster seat.
Air Bag Hazards
While air bags can save lives, they
can also cause serious or fatal
injuries to occupants who sit too
close to them, or who are not prop-
erly restrained. Infants, young chil-
dren, and shorter adults are at the
greatest risk of being injured by an
inflating air bag. Follow all instruc-
tions and warnings in this manual.
Driver Distraction
Driver distraction presents a serious
and potentially deadly danger, espe-
cially for inexperienced drivers.
Safety should be the first concern
when behind the wheel and drivers
need to be aware of the wide array of
potential distractions, such as
drowsiness, reaching for objects,
eating, personal grooming, other
passengers, and using cellular
phones.
Drivers can become distracted when
they take their eyes and attention off
the road or their hands off the wheel
to focus on activities other than driv-
ing. To reduce your risk of distraction
or getting into an accident:• ALWAYS set up your mobile
devices (i.e., MP3 players, phones,
navigation units, etc.) when your
vehicle is parked or safely stopped.
ONLY use your mobile device when allowed by laws and when
conditions permit safe use. NEVER
text or email while driving. Most
states have laws prohibiting drivers
from texting. Some states and
cities also prohibit drivers from
using handheld phones.
NEVER let the use of a mobile device distract you from driving.
You have a responsibility to your
passengers and others on the road
to always drive safely, with your
hands on the wheel as well as your
eyes and attention on the road.
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Safety system of your vehicle
2-3
Safety system of your vehicle
Control Your Speed
Excessive speed is a major factor in
crash injuries and deaths. Generally,
the higher the speed, the greater the
risk, but serious injuries can also
occur at lower speeds. Never drive
faster than is safe for current condi-
tions, regardless of the maximum
speed posted.
Keep Your Vehicle in Safe
Condition
Having a tire blowout or a mechani-
cal failure can be extremely haz-
ardous. To reduce the possibility of
such problems, check your tire pres-
sures and condition frequently, and
perform all regularly scheduled
maintenance.
2
2-5
Safety system of your vehicle
2
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.
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.
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
2-6
Safety system of your vehicle
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.
WARNING
To prevent injury:
Do not adjust your seat while
wearing your seat belt.
Moving the seat cushion for-
ward may cause strong pres-
sure on your abdomen.
Do not allow your hands or
fingers to get caught in the
seat mechanisms while the
seat is moving.
CAUTION
Use extreme caution when
picking up small objects
trapped under the seats or
between the seat and the cen-
ter console. Your hands might
be cut or injured by the sharp
edges of the seat mechanism.
2-14
Safety system of your vehicle
Armrest
The armrest is located in the center
of the rear seat. Use the strap in the
center of the armrest to pull it down.
Head Restraints
The vehicle's front and rear seats
have adjustable head restraints. The
head restraints provide comfort for
passengers, but more importantly
they are designed to help protect
passengers from whiplash and other
neck and spinal injuries during an
accident, especially in a rear impact
collision.
OIK037023L
To reduce the risk of serious
injury or death in an accident,
take the following precautions
when adjusting your head
restraints:
Always properly adjust the
head restraints for all passen-
gers BEFORE starting the
vehicle.
NEVER let anyone ride in a
seat with the head restraints
removed or reversed.
Adjust the head restraints so
the middle of the head
restraint is at the same height
as the height of the top of the
eyes.
NEVER adjust the head
restraint position of the dri-
ver's seat when the vehicle is
in motion.
Adjust the head restraint as
close to the passenger's head
as possible. Do not use a seat
cushion that holds the body
away from the seatback.
Make sure the head restraint
locks into position after adjust-
ing it.
WARNING
OLF034072N
2-17
Safety system of your vehicle
2
Rear seat head restraints
The rear seats are equipped with
head restraints in all the seating
positions for the passenger's safety
and comfort.
Adjusting the height up and down
To raise the head restraint:
1. Pull it up to the desired position (1).
To lower the head restraint:
1. Push and hold the release button(2) on the head restraint support.
2. Lower the head restraint to the desired position (3).
Removal/Reinstallation
To remove the head restraint:
1. Raise the head restraint as far as it can go.
2. Press the head restraint release button (1) while pulling the head
restraint up (2).
To reinstall the head restraint:
1. Put the head restraint poles into the holes (3) while pressing the
release button (1).
2. Adjust the head restraint to the appropriate height.
ODH034111
OIK037022OIK037022N
2-18
Safety system of your vehicle
Seat Warmers and Air
Ventilation Seats
Seat warmers (if equipped)
Seat warmers are provided to warm
the seats during cold weather.To prevent damage to the seat
warmers and seats:
Never use a solvent such aspaint thinner, benzene, alcohol
or gasoline to clean the seats.
Do not place heavy or sharp objects on seats equipped with
seat warmers.
Do not change the seat cover. It may damage the seat warmer.
NOTICE
The seat warmers can cause a
SERIOUS BURN, even at low
temperatures and especially if
used for long periods of time.
Passengers must be able to feel
if the seat is becoming too warm
so they can turn it off, if needed.
WARNING
People who cannot detect tem-
perature change or pain to the
skin should use extreme cau-
tion, especially the following
types of passengers:
Infants, children, elderly or
disabled persons, or hospital
outpatients.
People with sensitive skin or
who burn easily.
Fatigued individuals.
Intoxicated individuals.
People taking medication that
can cause drowsiness or
sleepiness.
NEVER place anything on the
seat that insulates against heat
when the seat warmer is in oper-
ation, such as a blanket or seat
cushion. This may cause the
seat warmer to overheat, caus-
ing a burn or damage to the seat.
WARNING