INSTALLING CHILD
RESTRAINTS
Child Seats
Use a child restraint (sometimes called aninfant carrier, convertible seat, or toddlerseat) for infants, toddlers, or childrenweighing 40 lb (18 kg) or less (generallyage four or younger).
Using Lap and Shoulder Belts
WARNING: Do not place arearward facing child restraint in front ofan active airbag. Failure to follow thisinstruction could result in personal injuryor death.
WARNING: Properly securechildren 12 years old and under in a rearseating position whenever possible. Ifyou are unable to properly secure allchildren in a rear seating position,properly secure the largest child on thefront seat. If you must use a forwardfacing child restraint on the front seat,move the seat as far back as possible.Failure to follow these instructions couldresult in personal injury or death.
WARNING: Depending on whereyou secure a child restraint, anddepending on the child restraint design,you may block access to certain seatbeltbuckle assemblies and LATCH loweranchors, rendering those featurespotentially unusable. To avoid risk ofinjury, make sure occupants only useseating positions where they are able tobe properly restrained.
When installing a child restraint withcombination lap and shoulder belts:
•Use the correct seatbelt buckle for thatseating position.
•Insert the belt tongue into the properbuckle until you hear a snap and feel itlatch. Make sure the tongue is securelyfastened in the buckle.
•Keep the buckle release buttonpointing up and away from the childrestraint, with the tongue between thechild restraint and the release button,to prevent accidental unbuckling.
•Place the vehicle seat in the uprightposition before you install the childrestraint.
•Put the seatbelt in the automaticlocking mode. See Step 5. This vehicledoes not require the use of a lockingclip.
Perform the following steps wheninstalling the child restraint withcombination lap and shoulder belts:
Note:Although the child restraintillustrated is a forward facing child restraint,the steps are the same for installing a rearfacing child restraint.
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If the booster seat slides on the vehicleseat upon which it is being used, placing arubberized mesh sold as shelf or carpetliner under the booster seat may improvethis condition. Do not introduce any itemthicker than this under the booster seat.Check with the booster seatmanufacturer's instructions.
CHILD RESTRAINT
POSITIONING
WARNING: Do not place arearward facing child restraint in front ofan active airbag. Failure to follow thisinstruction could result in personal injuryor death.
WARNING: Properly securechildren 12 years old and under in a rearseating position whenever possible. Ifyou are unable to properly secure allchildren in a rear seating position,properly secure the largest child on thefront seat. If you must use a forwardfacing child restraint on the front seat,move the seat as far back as possible.Failure to follow these instructions couldresult in personal injury or death.
WARNING: Always carefully followthe instructions and warnings providedby the manufacturer of any childrestraint to determine if the restraintdevice is appropriate for your child's size,height, weight, or age. Follow the childrestraint manufacturer's instructions andwarnings provided for installation anduse in conjunction with the instructions
and warnings provided by your vehiclemanufacturer. A safety seat that isimproperly installed or utilized, isinappropriate for your child's height, age,or weight or does not properly fit thechild may increase the risk of seriousinjury or death.
WARNING: Do not allow apassenger to hold a child on their lapwhen your vehicle is moving. Failure tofollow this instruction could result inpersonal injury or death in the event of asudden stop or crash.
WARNING: Do not use pillows,books or towels to boost your child'sheight. Failure to follow this instructioncould result in personal injury or death.
WARNING: Properly secure childrestraints or booster seats when they arenot in use. They could become projectilesin a sudden stop or crash. Failure tofollow this instruction could result inpersonal injury or death.
WARNING: Do not put the shouldersection of the seatbelt or allow the childto put the shoulder section of theseatbelt under their arm or behind theirback. Failure to follow this instructioncould reduce the effectiveness of theseatbelt and increase the risk of injury ordeath in a crash.
WARNING: Do not leave childrenor pets unattended in your vehicle.Failure to follow this instruction couldresult in personal injury or death.
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PRINCIPLE OF OPERATION
WARNING: Always drive and ridewith the seat backrest upright and thelap belt snug and low across the hips.
WARNING: To reduce the risk ofinjury, make sure children sit where theycan be properly restrained.
WARNING: Never let a passengerhold a child on his or her lap while yourvehicle is moving. The passenger cannotprotect the child from injury in a crashwhich may result in serious injury ordeath.
WARNING: All occupants of thevehicle, including the driver, shouldalways properly wear their safety belts,even when an airbag supplementalrestraint system is provided. Failure toproperly wear your safety belt couldseriously increase the risk of injury ordeath.
WARNING: It is extremelydangerous to ride in a cargo area, insideor outside of a vehicle. In a crash, peopleriding in these areas are more likely to beseriously injured or killed. Do not allowpeople to ride in any area of your vehiclethat is not equipped with seats andsafety belts. Be sure everyone in yourvehicle is in a seat and using a safety beltproperly.
WARNING: In a rollover crash, anunbelted person is significantly morelikely to die than a person wearing asafety belt.
WARNING: Each seating positionin your vehicle has a specific safety beltassembly which is made up of onebuckle and one tongue that are designedto be used as a pair. 1) Use the shoulderbelt on the outside shoulder only. Neverwear the shoulder belt under the arm. 2)Never swing the safety belt around yourneck over the inside shoulder. 3) Neveruse a single belt for more than oneperson.
WARNING: When possible, allchildren 12 years old and under shouldbe properly restrained in a rear seatingposition. Failure to follow this couldseriously increase the risk of injury ordeath.
WARNING: Safety belts and seatscan become hot in a vehicle that hasbeen closed up in sunny weather; theycould burn a small child. Check seatcovers and buckles before you place achild anywhere near them.
WARNING: Front and rear seatoccupants, including pregnant women,should wear safety belts for optimumprotection in an accident.
All seating positions in this vehicle havelap and shoulder safety belts. Alloccupants of the vehicle should alwaysproperly wear their safety belts, even whenan airbag supplemental restraint systemis provided.
The safety belt system consists of:
•Lap and shoulder safety belts.
•Shoulder safety belt with automaticlocking mode, (except driver safetybelt).
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•Height adjuster at the front outboardseating positions.
•Safety belt pretensioner at the frontoutboard seating positions.
•Safety belt warning light and chime.
•Crash sensors and monitoring systemwith readiness indicator.
The safety belt pretensioners at the frontseating positions are designed to tightenthe safety belts when activated. In frontaland near-frontal crashes, the safety beltpretensioners may be activated alone or,if the crash is of sufficient severity, togetherwith the front airbags.
FASTENING THE SEATBELTS
The front outboard safety restraints in thevehicle are combination lap and shoulderbelts.
1.Insert the belt tongue into the properbuckle (the buckle closest to thedirection the tongue is coming from)until you hear a snap and feel it latch.Make sure the tongue is securelyfastened in the buckle.
2.To unfasten, press the release buttonand remove the tongue from thebuckle.
Using Seatbelts During Pregnancy
WARNING: Always ride and drivewith your seatback upright and properlyfasten your seatbelt. Fit the lap portionof the seatbelt snugly and low acrossthe hips. Position the shoulder portion ofthe seatbelt across your chest. Pregnantwomen must follow this practice. Seethe following figure.
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PRINCIPLE OF OPERATION
WARNING: Airbags do not inflateslowly or gently, and the risk of injuryfrom a deploying airbag is the greatestclose to the trim covering the airbagmodule.
WARNING: All occupants of yourvehicle, including the driver, shouldalways properly wear their seatbelts,even when an airbag supplementalrestraint system is provided. Failure toproperly wear your seatbelt couldseriously increase the risk of injury ordeath.
WARNING: Properly securechildren 12 years old and under in a rearseating position whenever possible. Ifyou are unable to properly secure allchildren in a rear seating position,properly secure the largest child on thefront seat. If you must use a forwardfacing child restraint on the front seat,move the seat as far back as possible.Failure to follow these instructions couldresult in personal injury or death.
WARNING: Do not place your armson the airbag cover or through thesteering wheel. Failure to follow thisinstruction could result in personal injury.
WARNING: Do not place arearward facing child restraint in front ofan active airbag. Failure to follow thisinstruction could result in personal injuryor death.
WARNING: Do not attempt toservice, repair, or modify thesupplementary restraint system orassociated components. Failure tofollow this instruction could result inpersonal injury or death.
WARNING: Several airbag systemcomponents get hot after inflation. Toreduce the risk of injury, do not touchthem after inflation.
WARNING: If a supplementaryrestraint system component hasdeployed, it will not function again. Havethe system and associated componentsinspected as soon as possible. Failure tofollow this instruction could result inpersonal injury or death.
The airbags are a supplemental restraintsystem and are designed to work with theseatbelts to help protect the driver andright front passenger from certain upperbody injuries. Airbags do not inflate slowly;there is a risk of injury from a deployingairbag.
Note:You will hear a loud bang and see acloud of harmless powdery residue if anairbag deploys. This is normal.
The airbags inflate and deflate rapidlyupon activation. After airbag deployment,it is normal to notice a smoke-like, powderyresidue or smell the burnt propellant. Thismay consist of cornstarch, talcum powder(to lubricate the bag) or sodiumcompounds (for example, baking soda)that result from the combustion processthat inflates the airbag. Small amounts ofsodium hydroxide may be present whichmay irritate the skin and eyes, but none ofthe residue is toxic.
While the system is designed to helpreduce serious injuries, contact with adeploying airbag may also cause abrasionsor swelling. Temporary hearing loss is alsoa possibility as a result of the noiseassociated with a deploying airbag.Because airbags must inflate rapidly andwith considerable force, there is the risk ofdeath or serious injuries such as fractures,facial and eye injuries or internal injuries,
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particularly to occupants who are notproperly restrained or are otherwise out ofposition at the time of airbag deployment.Thus, it is extremely important thatoccupants be properly restrained as faraway from the airbag module as possiblewhile maintaining vehicle control.
Routine maintenance of the airbags is notrequired.
DRIVER AND PASSENGER
AIRBAGS
WARNING: Do not place your armson the airbag cover or through thesteering wheel. Failure to follow thisinstruction could result in personal injury.
WARNING: Do not place arearward facing child restraint in front ofan active airbag. Failure to follow thisinstruction could result in personal injuryor death.
The driver and front passenger airbagsdeploy during significant frontal and nearfrontal crashes.
The driver and passenger front airbagsystem consists of:
•Driver and passenger airbag modules.
· Crash sensors and monitoringsystem with readiness indicator.See Crash Sensors and AirbagIndicator (page 40).
Passenger Airbag On and OffSwitch (If Equipped)
WARNING: Your vehicle may havean airbag deactivation switch. Beforedriving, always look at the switch tomake sure it is in the appropriateposition. Failure to put the switch in theproper position can increase the risk ofserious injury or death in a crash.
Note:The passenger airbag on and offswitch may be on vehicles with no rearseats.
Switching the Passenger Airbag Off
WARNING: If the light does notilluminate when the passenger airbagswitch is off and you switch the ignitionon, have the passenger airbag switchserviced immediately by a qualifiedtechnician.
WARNING: To avoid switching onthe airbag, always remove the ignitionkey with the switch in the off position.
WARNING: NEVER use a rearwardfacing child restraint on a seat protectedby an ACTIVE AIRBAG in front of it,DEATH or SERIOUS INJURY to the CHILDcan occur.
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1.Insert the ignition key into thepassenger airbag on and off switch,turn the switch to off and hold it in offwhile removing the key.
2.When you switch the ignition on andthe passenger airbag switch is in theoff position, the off light illuminatesbriefly, momentarily shuts off and thenturns back on. This indicates that thepassenger airbag is deactivated.
Switching the Passenger Airbag BackOn
WARNING: The seatbelts for thedriver and right front passenger seatingpositions are specifically designed tooperate together with the airbags incertain types of crashes. When youswitch off your airbag, you not only losethe protection of the airbag, you alsomay reduce the effectiveness of yourseatbelt system. If the passenger doesnot meet the requirements stated in theNational Highway Traffic SafetyAdministration or Transport Canadadeactivation criteria, switching off theairbag can increase the risk of seriousinjury or death in a crash.
WARNING: If your vehicle has rearseats, always transport children who are12 and younger in the rear seat. Alwaysuse seatbelts and child restraintsproperly. Do not place a child in a rearfacing infant seat in the front seat unlessyour vehicle is equipped with an airbagon and off switch and the passengerairbag is turned off. This is because theback of the infant seat is too close to theinflating airbag and the risk of a fatalinjury to the infant when the airbaginflates is substantial.
WARNING: If the passenger airbagoff light is illuminated when thepassenger airbag switch is on and theignition is on, have the passenger airbagswitch serviced immediately by aqualified technician.
The passenger airbag remains off until youswitch it back on.
1.Insert the ignition key into thepassenger airbag on and off switch andturn the switch to on.
2.The off light briefly illuminates whenyou switch the ignition on. Thisindicates that the passenger airbag isoperational.
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The passenger side airbag should alwaysbe on (the airbag off light should not beilluminated) unless the passenger is aperson who meets the requirements statedeither in Category 1, 2 or 3 of the NationalHighway Traffic SafetyAdministration/Transport Canadadeactivation criteria which follows.
The vast majority of drivers and passengersare much safer with an airbag thanwithout. To do their job and reduce the riskof life threatening injuries, airbags mustopen with great force, and this force canpose a potentially deadly risk in somesituations, particularly when a front seatoccupant is not properly buckled up. Themost effective way to reduce the risk ofunnecessary airbag injuries withoutreducing the overall safety of the vehicleis to make sure all occupants are properlyrestrained in the vehicle, especially in thefront seat. This provides the protection ofseatbelts and permits the airbags toprovide the additional protection they weredesigned to provide. If you choose todeactivate your airbag, you are losing thevery significant risk reducing benefits ofthe airbag and you are also reducing theeffectiveness of the seatbelts, becauseseatbelts in modern vehicles are designedto work as a safety system with theairbags.
National Highway Traffic SafetyAdministration Deactivation Criteria(Excluding Canada)
WARNING: This vehicle has specialenergy management seatbelts for thedriver and right front passenger. Theseparticular seatbelts are specificallydesigned to work with airbags to helpreduce the risk of injury in a crash. Theenergy management seatbelt gives orreleases additional seatbelt webbing insome accidents to reduce the
concentration of force on an occupant'schest and to reduce the risk of certainbone fractures and injuries to underlyingorgans. In a crash, if the airbag is off, thisenergy management seatbelt mightpermit the passenger wearing theseatbelt to move forward enough tohave a serious or fatal injury. The moresevere the crash, and the heavier theoccupant, the greater the risk. Make surethe airbag is on for any passenger whodoes not qualify under the NationalHighway Traffic Safety Administrationdeactivation criteria.
1.Infant. An infant (less than 1 year old)must ride in the front seat because:
•The vehicle has no rear seat.
•The vehicle has a rear seat too smallto accommodate a rear-facing infantseat.
•The infant has a medical conditionwhich, according to the infant'sphysician, makes it necessary for theinfant to ride in the front so that thedriver can constantly monitor thechild's condition.
2.Child age 1 to 12. A child age 1 to 12 mustride in the front seat because:
•The vehicle has no rear seat.
•Although children ages 1 to 12 ride inthe rear seat(s) whenever possible,children ages 1 to 12 sometimes mustride in the front because no space isavailable in the rear seat(s) of thevehicle.
•The child has a medical conditionwhich, according to the child'sphysician, makes it necessary for thechild to ride in the front seat so that thedriver can constantly monitor thechild's condition.
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