282
SAFETY
OCCUPANT RESTRAINT SYSTEMS
Some of the most important safety features in your vehicle
are the restraint systems:
O
CCUPANT
R
ESTRAINT
S
YSTEMS
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.
I
MPORTANT
S
AFETY
P
RECAUTIONS
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-positioning booster seat in a rear
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
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 deployment 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
page 398 for customer service contact
information.
S
EAT
B
ELT
S
YSTEMS
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.
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