1-33
Servicing Your Air Bag-Equipped Vehicle
Air bags affect how your vehicle should be serviced.
There are parts of the air bag systems in several places
around your vehicle. Your dealer and the service manual
have information about servicing your vehicle and the
air bag systems. To purchase a service manual, see
“Service and Owner Publications” in the Index.
CAUTION:
For up to 10 seconds after the ignition key is
turned off and the battery is disconnected, an
air bag can still inflate during improper service.
You can be injured if you are close to an air bag
when it inflates. Avoid wires wrapped with
yellow felt, wires wrapped with yellow tape or
yellow connectors. They are probably part of
the air bag systems. Be sure to follow proper
service procedures, and make sure the person
performing work for you is qualified to do so.
The air bag systems do not need regular maintenance.
Safety Belt Pretensioners
Your vehicle has safety belt pretensioners. You’ll find
them on the buckle end of the safety belts for the
driver and right front passenger. They help the safety
belts reduce a person’s forward movement in a
moderate to severe crash in which the front of the
vehicle hits something.
Pretensioners work only once. If they activate in a crash,
you’ll need to get new ones, and probably other new
parts for your safety belt system. See “Replacing
Restraint System Parts After a Crash” in the Index.
Rear Seat Passengers
It’s very important for rear seat passengers to buckle up!
Accident statistics show that unbelted people in the rear
seat are hurt more often in crashes than those who are
wearing safety belts.
Rear passengers who aren’t safety belted can be thrown
out of the vehicle in a crash. And they can strike others
in the vehicle who are wearing safety belts.