Safety Belt System

WARNING:
- Children having a seating height greater than 71 cm (28 inches) should use the safety belts provided with the vehicle. However, the shoulder belt portion of the lap/shoulder safety belt should not be used if it contact the child's face, chin, neck, or throat.

- If the shoulder portion of the safety belt either touches or hangs in front of the child's face, chin, neck, or throat, move the child closer to the center of the vehicle or use a booster seat to help provide a good shoulder belt fit.

- If the shoulder belt still does not fit, move the child to a seat with a lap belt only. If the safety belts are not adjusted properly, the child's chances of being injured in a collision increase.

- All vehicle occupants, including pregnant women, should wear safety belts for maximum protection in the event of a collision. All vehicle occupants, including pregnant women, should be sure the lap safety belt, or lap safety belt portion of the lap/shoulder belt, is fitted snugly and as low as possible around the hips, not the waist. Failure to properly use the safety belts may increase the chances and/or severity of injury in the event of a collision.

- According to accident statistics, properly restrained children are safer in the rear seat than in the front seat. For young children, infant and child restraints should be obtained and used in accordance with the instructions provided by the manufacturer of the infant and child restraint. Child restraint use is required by law.

A continuous loop, single retractor restraint system is used on this system.

The lap/shoulder safety belt assembly consists of:
- Belt webbing
- Tongue
- Retractor

The retractor is designed to let the webbing move in or out freely except for hard braking, cornering, or impacts of approximately 8 km/h (5 mph) or higher when the webbing is automatically locked by a mechanically actuated inertia sensor, or when the retractor has been switched to the automatic locking retractor mode to secure child restraints in front and rear passenger positions.

Dual Locking Mode Passenger Seat Lap/Shoulder Belt Retractor

NOTE: When the lap/shoulder belt is unbuckled and allowed to retract completely, the retractor will switch to the vehicle sensitive (emergency) locking mode.

This vehicle is equipped with a dual locking mode retractor on the shoulder belt portion of the combination lap/shoulder safety belt for the front passenger seat and all rear passengers. The retractor modes function as follows:

Vehicle Sensitive (Emergency) Locking Mode
In this operating mode, the lap/shoulder belt retractor will allow the occupant freedom of movement, locking tight only on hard braking, hard cornering, or impacts of approximately 5 mph (8 km/h) or more. The retractor can also be made to lock by pulling on the belt.

Automatic Locking Mode
In this operating mode, the lap/shoulder belt retractor will remain locked and does not allow the occupant freedom of movement. This mode provides the following:
- A tight lap belt on the hips.
- Child seat or infant carrier installation.

This mode must be used when installing a child safety seat or infant carrier on the right front passenger seat and in the rear seat. To switch the retractor from the emergency locking mode to the automatic locking mode, perform the following steps:

WARNING: Never install a rear facing child safety seat or infant carrier in the front seat.

1. Buckle the lap/shoulder belt.
2. Grasp the shoulder portion of the belt and pull downward until all of the belt is extracted and a click is heard. At this time, the retractor is in the automatic locking mode (child restraint mode).
3. Allow the belt to retract. A clicking sound will be heard as the belt retracts. This indicates that the retractor is in the automatic locking mode.
4. Pull up on the shoulder belt to remove slack in the belt.