Observe the Airbag Usage Rules!

The operation of the life-saving airbag system involves some potential risks.

Airbag deployment involves significant force, speed, and suddenness, so airbags of the supplemental restraint system operate more effectively and safely when occupants are sitting in the correct position.

Basic airbag usage rules:

• DO NOT place a rear-facing child restraint on the front seat.
• Children up to and including 12 years old should be seated in the rear seat whenever possible.
• Always fasten seat belts, even if the vehicle is equipped with airbags.
• Move the seat back as far as possible to a comfortable and safe position, lean slightly forward and sit with your back against the seatback.
• DO NOT place any objects on or near airbag modules or above them. These objects, thrown during airbag deployment, can cause serious injury.
• DO NOT lean against or rest on airbag module covers.
• DO NOT drive the vehicle if the steering column is in its extreme upright position.

Failure to follow these airbag usage rules may result in serious injury or death.

Always secure a rear-facing child restraint.

DO NOT place a rear-facing child restraint on the front seat. Airbag deployment may result in serious injury or death to a child in a rear-facing child restraint placed on the front seat.

The rear seat is intended for children.

Vehicle accident statistics show that for children up to and including 12 years old who are properly secured with seat belts, the rear seat is safer than the front seat. Therefore, children should be seated in the rear seat whenever possible.

This is not only due to the risk of injury from airbag deployment. Studies have shown that the rear seat is safer for children than the front seat even without airbags.

Correct Position for Adults and Adolescents

Adults and adolescents in the driver's and front passenger's seats can also improve their safety and the effectiveness of the airbags by sitting in the correct position.

To ensure the best position for adults and adolescents:

• Three-point seat belts must be worn at all times.

To minimize the risk of serious injury or death in a collision, the driver and all passengers must wear seat belts regardless of whether the seating position is equipped with an airbag or not.

Airbags do not deploy in side or rear impacts. No safety system provides protection for the driver and passengers without seat belts fastened, so in these types of collisions they may suffer serious injury or death.

Drivers and passengers without properly fastened seat belts may be thrown forward during braking before a collision and end up near or on the airbag modules.

This may result in serious injury from being struck by a deploying airbag.

• Move the seat back as far as possible to a comfortable and safe position.

Moving the seat away from the airbag module does not reduce its effectiveness. Increasing the distance from the airbag module improves safety when the deploying airbag exerts force. Do not move the driver's seat back too far, so that you can still operate the steering wheel, pedals and other controls comfortably.

• Pull the seat belt slightly away from your body and do not lean forward.

Recline the seatback slightly and sit back against it.

Do not lean over or move closer than 15 cm to the airbag module. Do not lean against the plastic cover of the airbag module or the surface next to it (the steering wheel hub or the passenger-side instrument panel above the glove box). Try to sit so that your head and torso are no closer than 25–30 cm to the airbag module. The farther away, the safer.

For the airbag to protect effectively, it must inflate quickly. Maximum force occurs during the first 5–8 cm after the airbag breaks through the cover and begins to inflate. These first 5–8 cm after the airbag breaks through the module cover and starts to deploy form the danger zone.

• If a person is in this danger zone when the airbag deploys, it may cause serious injury or death.
• The farther you are from the module cover, the less force the deploying airbag exerts.
• Increasing the distance from the airbag module means greater safety when the deploying airbag exerts its force.
• Make sure there are no objects, children or animals between you and the airbag module.

The airbag modules of your vehicle are located in the steering wheel and in the instrument panel above the glove box. Do not place any objects on or near the plastic covers of the airbag modules or above them. When the airbags deploy, such objects may be thrown at your face or body, causing serious injury.

Children and animals must not be held on the front passenger's lap. Do not place objects on the front passenger's lap that could cause injury when the airbag deploys.

• Tilt the steering wheel downward (if equipped) so that the airbag deploys toward your chest, not your head or neck.

Do not set the steering wheel to its highest position. This position should be used only to make it easier to enter and exit the vehicle. Lower the steering wheel before driving.

This ensures that the airbag deploys toward the driver's chest rather than more vulnerable areas such as the head and neck.

The deployment criterion is peak acceleration, not vehicle damage. Determining whether airbag system components should deploy by visually inspecting a damaged vehicle is not correct.