03
3-5
Safety Precautions
Adjusting the seats so that you are sitting
in a safe and comfortable position plays
an important role for the safety of the
driver an passengers, as much as seat
belts and air bags when in an accident.
WARNING
Do not use a cushion that reduces
friction between the seat and the
passenger. The passenger’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.
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.
WARNING
To reduce the risk of serious injury or
death from an inflating air bag, take the
following precautions:
[ Adjust the driver’s seat as far to the
rear as possible maintaining the
ability to control 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 minimize the risk
of injuries to your hands and arms.
[ NEVER place anything or anyone
between you and the air bag.
[ Do not allow the front passenger to
place feet or legs on the dashboard
to minimize the risk of leg injuries.
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. Children who have
outgrown a booster seat and adults must
be restrained using the seat belts.
WARNING
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 passenger’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.
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Front Seats
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.
WARNING
Take the following precautions when
adjusting your seat:
[ NEVER attempt to adjust the seat
while the vehicle is moving. The seat
could respond with unexpected
movement and may cause loss
of vehicle control resulting in an
accident.
[ 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 interfere
with the normal position and proper
locking of the seatback.
[ 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.
[ Use extreme caution when picking
up small objects trapped under the
seats or between the seat and the
center console. Your hands might be
cut or injured by the sharp edges of
the seat mechanism.
[ If there are occupants in the rear
seats, be careful while adjusting the
front seat position.
[ Make sure that the seat is locked in
place after the adjustment. If not,
the seat might move unexpectedly
resulting in an accident.
CAUTION
To prevent injury:
[ Do not adjust your seat while
wearing your seat belt. Moving the
seat cushion forward may cause
strong pressure on your abdomen.
[ Do not allow your hands or fingers to
get caught in the seat mechanisms
while the seat is moving.
WARNING
NEVER allow children in the vehicle
unattended. The power seats are
operable when the vehicle is turned off.
NOTICE
To prevent damage to the seats:
[ Always stop adjusting the seats when
the seat has been adjusted as far
forward or rearward as possible.
[ Do not adjust the seats 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 malfunction.
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OHI038142
To release your seat belt:
Press the release button (1) in the locking
buckle.
Once r
eleased, the belt should
automatically draw back into the
retractor. If this does not happen, check
the belt to be sure it is not twisted, then
try again.
Rear Seat Belt – Passenger’s 3-point
system with convertible locking
retractor
This type of seat belt combines the
features of both an emergency locking
retractor seat belt and an automatic
locking retractor seat belt. Convertible
retractor type seat belts are installed
in the rear seat positions to help
accommodate the installation of child
restraint systems. Although a convertible
retractor is also installed in the front
passenger seat position, NEVER place
any infant/child restraint system in the
front seat of the vehicle.
To fasten your seat belt:
Pull the seat belt out of the retractor
and insert the me
tal tab into the buckle.
There will be an audible “click” when
the tab locks into the buckle. When
not securing a child restraint, the seat
belt operates in the same way as the
driver’s seat belt (Emergency Locking
Retractor Type). It automatically adjusts
to the proper length only after the lap
belt portion of the seat belt is adjusted
manually so that it fits snugly across your
hips.
When the seat belt is fully extended from
the retractor to allow the installation of
a child restraint system, the seat belt
operation changes to allow the belt to
retract, but not to extend (Automatic
Locking Retractor Type). Refer to the
“Using a Child Restraint System” section
in this chapter.
03
3-41
Securing a child restraint with lap/
shoulder belt
When not using the LATCH system, all
child restraints must be secured to a
vehicle rear seat with the lap part of a
lap/shoulder belt.
WARNING
ALWAYS place a rear-facing child
restraint in the rear seat of the vehicle.
Placing a rear-facing child restraint in
the front seat can result in serious injury
or death if the child restraint is struck
by an inflating air bag.
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Automatic locking mode
Since all passenger seat belts move
fr
eely under normal conditions and
only lock under extreme or emergency
conditions (emergency locking mode),
you must manually pull the seat belt all
the way out to shift the retractor to the
“Automatic Locking” mode to secure a
child restraint.
The “Automatic Locking” mode will
help prevent the normal movement of
the child in the vehicle from causing
the seat belt to loosen and compromise
the child restraint system. To secure a
child restraint system, use the following
procedure. To install a child restraint system on the
rear seats, do the following:
1. Place the child restraint system on a rear seat and route the lap/ shoulder
belt around or through the child
restraint, following the restraint
manufacturer’s instructions. Be sure
the seat belt webbing is not twisted.
Information
When using the rear center seat belt, you
should also refer to the “Rear Seat Belt –
Passenger’s 3-point system” section in this
chapter.
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2. Fasten the lap/shoulder belt latch into the buckle. Listen for the distinct
“click” sound.
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Information
Position the release button so that it is easy
to access in case of an emergency.
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3. Pull the shoulder portion of the seat belt all the way out. When the
shoulder portion of the seat belt
is fully extended, it will shift the
retractor to the “Automatic Locking”
(child restraint) mode.
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4. Slowly allow the shoulder portion of the seat belt to retract and listen for
an audible “clicking” or “ratcheting”
sound. This indicates that the retractor
is in the “Automatic Locking” mode.
If no distinct sound is heard, repeat
steps 3 and 4.
5. Remove as much slack from the belt as possible by pushing down on the
child restraint system while feeding
the shoulder belt back into the
retractor. 6. Push and pull on the child restraint
system to confirm that the seat belt
is holding it firmly in place. If it is not,
release the seat belt and repeat steps
2 through 6.
7. Double check that the retractor is in the “Automatic Locking” mode by
attempting to pull more of the seat
belt out of the retractor. If you cannot,
the retractor is in the “Automatic
Locking” mode.
If your CRS (child restraint system)
manufacturer instructs or recommends
you to use a tether anchor with the lap/
shoulder belt, refer to the previous pages
for more information.
Information
When the seat belt is allowed to retract to
its fully stowed position, the retractor will
automatically switch from the “Automatic
Locking” mode to the emergency lock
mode for normal adult usage.
WARNING
If the retractor is not in the “Automatic
Locking” mode, the child restraint
can move when your vehicle turns or
stops suddenly. A child can be seriously
injured or killed if the child restraint
is not properly anchored in the car,
including manually pulling the seat belt
all the way out to shift the retractor to
the “Automatic Locking” mode.
To remove the child restraint, press the
release button on the buckle and then
pull the lap/shoulder belt out of the
restraint and allow the seat belt to retract
fully.