SAFETY
144
The TPMS should not be used as a tire
pressure gauge while adjusting your tire
pressure.
Driving on a significantly underinflated tire will
cause the tire to overheat, and can lead to tire
failure. Underinflation also reduces fuel
efficiency and tire tread life, and may affect the
vehicle’s handling and stopping ability.
The TPMS is not a substitute for proper tire
maintenance, and it is the driver’s responsi-
bility to maintain correct tire pressure using an
accurate tire pressure gauge, even if underin -
flation has not reached the level to trigger
illumination of the Tire Pressure Monitoring
System Warning Light.
Seasonal temperature changes will affect tire
pressure, and the TPMS will monitor the actual
tire pressure in the tire
Ú
page 239.
OCCUPANT RESTRAINT
SYSTEMS
Some of the most important safety features in
your vehicle are the restraint systems:
OCCUPANT RESTRAINT SYSTEMS
F
EATURES
Seat Belt Systems
Supplemental Restraint Systems (SRS) Air
Bags
Child Restraints
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.
IMPORTANT SAFETY PRECAUTIONS
Please pay close attention to the information in
this section. It tells you how to use your restraint
system properly, to keep you and your
passengers as safe as possible.
Here are some simple steps you can take to
minimize the risk of harm from a deploying air
bag:
1. Children 12 years old and under should always ride buckled up in the rear seat of a
vehicle with a rear seat.
2. A child who is not big enough to wear the vehicle seat belt properly must be secured in
the appropriate child restraint or belt-posi -
tioning booster seat in a rear seating position
Ú
page 158.
3. If a child from 2 to 12 years old (not in a rear-facing child restraint) must ride in the
front passenger seat, move the seat as far
back as possible and use the proper child
restraint
Ú
page 158.
4. Never allow children to slide the shoulder belt behind them or under their arm.
5. You should read the instructions provided with your child restraint to make sure that you
are using it properly.
6. All occupants should always wear their lap and shoulder belts properly.
7. The driver and front passenger seats should be moved back as far as practical to allow the
front air bags room to inflate.
8. Do not lean against the door or window. If your vehicle has side air bags, and deploy -
ment occurs, the side air bags will inflate forcefully into the space between occupants
and the door and occupants could be injured.
9. If the air bag system in this vehicle needs to be modified to accommodate a disabled
person, see
Ú
page 236 for customer
service contact information.
SEAT BELT SYSTEMS
Buckle up even though you are an excellent
driver, even on short trips. Someone on the road
may be a poor driver and could cause a collision
that includes you. This can happen far away from
home or on your own street.
Research has shown that seat belts save lives,
and they can reduce the seriousness of injuries in
a collision. Some of the worst injuries happen
when people are thrown from the vehicle. Seat
belts reduce the possibility of ejection and the
risk of injury caused by striking the inside of the
vehicle. Everyone in a motor vehicle should be
belted at all times.
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.
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.
23_GA_OM_EN_USC_t.book Page 144
149
Switchable Automatic Locking Retractors
(ALR)
The seat belts in the passenger seating positions
are equipped with a Switchable Automatic
Locking Retractor (ALR) which is used to secure a
child restraint system. For additional information
on ALR, see
Ú
page 163. The figure below
illustrates the locking feature for each seating
position.
Switchable Automatic Locking Retractor (ALR) Locations
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
comfortably wrap around the occupant’s
mid-section. Slide the latch plate into the buckle
until you hear a "click."
In Automatic Locking Mode, the shoulder belt is
automatically pre-locked. The seat belt will still
retract to remove any slack in the shoulder belt. Use the Automatic Locking Mode anytime a child
restraint is installed 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.
How To Engage The Automatic Locking Mode
1. Buckle the combination lap and shoulder
belt.
2. Grab 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 Auto -
matic 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) locking mode.
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 intercon -
necting wiring associated with the electrical Air
Bag System Components. Your vehicle may be
equipped with the following Air Bag System
Components:
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.
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.
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
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.
23_GA_OM_EN_USC_t.book Page 149
179
(Continued)
MANUAL PARK RELEASE
See an authorized dealer to disengage the
manual park release lever.
TOWING A DISABLED
VEHICLE
This section describes procedures for towing a
disabled vehicle using a commercial towing
service.The operators of the assistance vehicle must be
informed with regard to the vehicle's minimum
height from ground in order to avoid contact
between the ends of the fascia/bumper with the
equipment of the breakdown truck.
The following image illustrates the front and rear
attachment corners of the vehicle, to be taken
into consideration when loading the vehicle on
the assistance vehicle.
Front And Rear Loading Angles
REAR WHEEL DRIVE (RWD) MODELS
It is recommended to tow the vehicle with all four
wheels OFF the ground on the flatbed of a
roadside assistance vehicle.
If an assistance vehicle with a flatbed is not
available, the vehicle must be towed with the rear
wheels lifted from the ground using a trailer or
special equipment allowing lifting of the rear
wheels.
WARNING!
A special tool is required to perform this
procedure. Damage to the vehicle or serious
injury or death may occur if the procedure is
performed improperly. Please contact an
authorized dealer to have this procedure
performed.
CAUTION!
The vehicle should be transported with all
four wheels OFF the ground on the flatbed of
a roadside assistance vehicle. Avoid towing
with only the front (or rear) wheels lifted.
When towing with only the front (or rear)
wheels lifted, in addition to damaging the
body, it could damage the transmission.
Do not use sling-type equipment when
towing. Vehicle damage may occur.
When securing the vehicle to a flatbed truck,
do not attach to front or rear suspension
components. Damage to your vehicle may
result from improper towing.
Ensure that the Electric Park Brake is
released, and remain released, while being
towed.
Damage from improper towing is not covered
under the New Vehicle Limited Warranty.
CAUTION!RWD
ModelsAWD
Models
A — Front Loading
Angle 12.880° 15.160°
B — Rear Loading
Angle 17.105° 18.400°
CAUTION!
Do not use sling type equipment when
towing. Vehicle damage may occur.
When securing the vehicle to a flat bed truck,
do not attach to front or rear suspension
components. Damage to your vehicle may
result from improper towing.
Ensure that the Electric Park Brake is
released, and remains released, while being
towed.
23_GA_OM_EN_USC_t.book Page 179
219
TIRE ROTATION RECOMMENDATIONS
Tires on the front and rear axles of vehicles
operate at different loads and perform different
steering, driving, and braking functions. For these
reasons, they wear at unequal rates. These
effects can be reduced by timely rotation of tires.
Rotation will increase tread life, maintain traction
levels and contribute to a smooth, quiet ride.
To resolve this problem, tires should be rotated at
each service interval (approximately every
10,000 miles [16,000km]). More frequent
rotation is permissible if desired. The reasons for
any rapid or unusual wear should be corrected
prior to rotation being performed.
Tire Rotations Not Recommended — If Equipped
Due to different size tires and wheels on front and
rear axles tire rotation is not possible for:
2.0T GME Engine Equipped with a 225/40R19
front and 255/35R19 rear tires
2.9L V6 Engine Equipped with 19” tires and
wheelsTire rotation contributes to the preservation of the
grip and traction performance on wet, muddy or
snowy roads, guaranteeing optimal drivability of
the vehicle.
In the case of irregular wear of the tires identify
the cause and correct it as soon as possible, by
contacting an authorized dealer.
Tire Rotation for Directional Tires — If Equipped
Directional tires are equipped on the following:
2.0T GME Engine equipped with same size
tires and wheels on front and rear axles
The rotational direction of the tire must be taken
into consideration when rotating the tires. The
recommended rotation pattern for directional
tires is shown in the following diagram.
Tire Rotation
All Wheel Drive (AWD) Models
It is recommended to avoid situations with a large
difference in wear between the front and rear
tires and to strictly use Winter tires of the sizes
given on the tire placard. The AWD system and the original tires are
developed together to ensure the vehicle’s best
performance. When changing the tires, it is
recommended to us the same “AR” marked tires,
to maintain the same level of performance and
component life.
DEPARTMENT OF
TRANSPORTATION
UNIFORM TIRE QUALITY
GRADES
The following tire grading categories
were established by the National
Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
The specific grade rating assigned by
the tire's manufacturer in each
category is shown on the sidewall of the
tires on your vehicle.
All passenger vehicle tires must
conform to Federal safety requirements
in addition to these grades.
TREADWEAR
The Treadwear grade is a comparative
rating, based on the wear rate of the
tire when tested under controlled
conditions on a specified government
test course. For example, a tire graded
150 would wear one and one-half times
as well on the government course as a
tire graded 100. The relative
performance of tires depends upon the
CAUTION!
Damage to the vehicle may occur if 225/
40R19 front and 255/35R19 rear tires are
rotated
CAUTION!
Damage to the vehicle may occur if 19” front
and rear tires are rotated
23_GA_OM_EN_USC_t.book Page 219