Safety System3-4
Safety Precautions
Adjusting the seats so that you are sitting
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.
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 while maintaining
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 minimize the risk
of injuries to your hands and arms. [
NEVER place anything or anyone
between the steering wheel 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. Adults and children who
have outgrown a booster seat 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.
03
3-17
NOTICE
If you are not able to smoothly pull
enough of the seat belt out from the
retractor, firmly pull the seat belt out
and release it. After release, you will be
able to pull the belt out smoothly.
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To release your seat belt:
Press the release button (1) in the locking
buckle.
When it is 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.
NOTICE
Although the seat belt retractor
provides the same level of protection
for seated passengers in either
emergency or automatic locking
modes, the emergency locking mode
allows seated passengers to move
freely in their seat while keeping
some tension on the belt. During a
collision or sudden stop, the retractor
automatically locks the belt to help
restrain your body.
To deactivate the automatic locking
mode, unbuckle the seat belt and allow
the belt to fully retract.
Safety System3-26
After selecting a proper child seat
for your child, check to make sure it
fits properly in your vehicle. Follow
the instructions provided by the
manufacturer when installing the child
seat. Note these general steps when
installing the seat to your vehicle:
[ Properly secure the child restraint
to the vehicle. All child restraints
must be secured to the vehicle with
the lap part of a lap/shoulder belt
or with the LATCH system. If using
the lap/shoulder belt for your child
restraint, the convertible locking
retractor should be pulled all the way
out to engage the “automatic locking”
mode. (See page 3-29)
[ Make sure the child restraint is
firmly secured. After installing a
child restraint to the vehicle, push
and pull the seat forward-and-back
and side-to-side to verify that it
is securely attached to the seat. A
child restraint secured with a seat
belt should be installed as firmly as
possible. However, some side-to-side
movement can be expected.
[ Secure the child in the child
restraint. Make sure the child is
properly strapped in the child restraint
according to the manufacturer
instructions.
CAUTION
A child restraint in a closed vehicle can
become very hot. To prevent burns,
check the seating surface and buckles
before placing your child in the child
restraint.
Lower Anchors And Tether for
Children (LATCH System)
The LATCH system holds a child restraint
during driving and in an accident. This
system is designed to make installation
of the child restraint easier and reduce
the possibility of improperly installing
your child restraint. The LATCH system
uses anchors in the vehicle and
attachments on the child restraint. The
LATCH system eliminates the need to use
seat belts to secure the child restraint to
the rear seats.
Lower anchors are metal bars built into
the vehicle. There are two lower anchors
for each LATCH seating position that
will accommodate a child restraint with
lower attachments.
To use the LATCH system in your vehicle,
you must have a child restraint with
LATCH attachments.
The child seat manufacturer will provide
you with instructions on how to use the
child seat with its attachments for the
LATCH lower anchors.
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LATCH anchors have been provided in
the left and right outboard rear seating
positions. Their locations are shown
in the illustration. There are no LATCH
anchors provided for the center rear
seating position.
03
3-29
3. Check that the child restraint is securely attached to the seat by
pushing and pulling the seat forward-
and-back and side-to-side.
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.
Make sure to insert the belt into the
guide(1).
NOTICE
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. Make sure to insert the belt into the guide (1) and check that the seat belt
is not twisted.
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3. Fasten the lap/shoulder belt latch into the buckle. Listen for the distinct
“click” sound.
Safety System3-30
Information
Position the release button so that it is easy
to access in case of an emergency.
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4. 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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5. 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.
6. 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.
7. 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.
8. 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.
NOTICE
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 rectractor 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.