Airbag System

Your vehicle has a frontal airbag for the driver and a frontal airbag for the right front passenger.

Your vehicle may also have roof-mounted side impact airbags designed for either side impact or rollover deployment. Roof-mounted side impact airbags are available for the driver and the passenger seated directly behind the driver and for the right front passenger and the passenger seated directly behind that passenger.

If your vehicle has roof-mounted side impact airbags, the word AIRBAG will appear on the airbag covering on the sidewall trim near the driver’s and right front passenger’s window.

Even if you have no right front passenger seat in your vehicle there is still an active frontal airbag in the right side of the instrument panel. Do not place cargo in front of this airbag.

CAUTION:
Be sure that cargo is not near an airbag.
In a crash, an inflating airbag might force that object toward a person. This could cause severe injury or even death.
Secure objects away from the area in which an airbag would inflate. For more information, see Where Are the Airbags? on page 71 and Loading Your Vehicle on page 330.

Airbags are designed to supplement the protection provided by safety belts. Even though today’s airbags are also designed to help reduce the risk of injury from the force of an inflating bag, all airbags must inflate very quickly to do their job.

Here are the most important things to know about the airbag system:

CAUTION:
You can be severely injured or killed in a crash if you are not wearing your safety belt — even if you have airbags. Wearing your safety belt during a crash helps reduce your chance of hitting things inside the vehicle or being ejected from it.
Airbags are “supplemental restraints” to the safety belts. All airbags are designed to work with safety belts but do not replace them.
Frontal airbags for the driver and right front passenger are designed to deploy in moderate to severe frontal and near frontal crashes. They are not designe to inflate in rollover, rear crashes, or in many side crashes. And, for some unrestrained occupants, frontal airbags may provide less protection in frontal crashes than more forceful airbags have provided in the past.
Roof-mounted side impact airbags are designed to inflate in moderate to severe crashes where something hits the side of your vehicle. They are not designed to inflate in frontal or in rear crashes. If the vehicle is equipped with rollover capable airbags, it has been designed to deploy the roof-mounted side impact airbags in the event of a vehicle rollover. Everyone in your vehicle should wear a safety belt properly — whether or not there is an airbag for that person.

CAUTION:
Both frontal and roof-mounted side impact airbags inflate with great force, faster than the blink of an eye. If you are too close to an inflating airbag, as you would be if you were leaning forward, it could seriously injure you. Safety belts help keep you in position for airbag inflation before and during a crash. Always wear your safety belt even with frontal airbags. The driver should sit as far back as possible while still maintaining control of the vehicle.
Occupants should not lean on or sleep against the door.

CAUTION:
Anyone who is up against, or very close to, any airbag when it inflates can be seriously injured or killed. Airbags plus lap-shoulder belts offer the best protection for adults, but not for young children and infants. Neither the vehicle’s safety belt system nor its airbag system is designed for them. Young children and infants need the protection that a child restraint system can provide. Always secure children properly in your vehicle.

There is an airbag

There is an airbag readiness light on the instrument panel cluster, which shows the airbag symbol.

The system checks the airbag electrical system for malfunctions. The light tells you if there is an electrical problem.

See also:

Rear Safety Belt Comfort Guides
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Trademarks and License Agreements
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Doing Your Own Service Work
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