Honda Civic 2002 User Manual

Owner’s Identification

OWNER

ADDRESS

STREET

CITY STATE/PROVINCE ZIP CODE/

V. I. N.

DELIVERY DATE

(Date sold to original retail purchaser)

DEALER NAME DEALER NO.

ADDRESS

STREET

CITY STATE/PROVINCE ZIP CODE/

OWNER’S SIGNATURE

DEALER’S SIGNATURE

POSTAL CODE

This Owner’s Manual should be considered a permanent part of the car, and should remain with the car when it is sold.

This Owner’s Manual covers all models of the Civic 4-door. You may find descriptions of equipment and features that are not on your particular model.

The information and specifications included in this publication were in effect at the time of approval for printing. Honda Motor Co., Ltd. reserves the right, however, to discontinue or change specifications or design at any time without notice and without incurring any obligation whatsoever.

Si prefiere este Manual del Propietario en español, comuníquese con el concesionario Honda.

POUR CLIENTS CANADIEN AVIS IMPORTANT: Si vous avez besoin d’un Manuel du Conducteur en français, veuillez demander à votreconcessionnairede commander le numéro de pièce 33S5AC10

Introduction

Congratulations Your selection of a 2002 Honda Civic was a wise investment. It will give you years of driving pleasure.

One of the best ways to enhance the enjoyment of your new Honda is to read this manual. In it, you will learn how to operate its driving controls and convenience items. Afterwards, keep this owner’s manual in your car so you can refer to it at any time.

Several warranties protect your new Honda. Read the warranty booklet thoroughly so you understand the coverages and are aware of your rights and responsibilities.

Maintaining your car according to the schedules given in this manual helps to keep your driving trouble-free while it preserves your investment. When your car needs maintenance, keep in mind that your Honda dealer’s staff is specially trained in servicing the many systems unique to your Honda. Your Honda dealer is dedicated to your satisfaction and will be pleased to answer any questions and concerns.

California Proposition 65 Warning

WARNING:

California to cause cancer and birth defects or other reproductive harm.

！

This product contains or emits chemicals known to the State of

As you read this manual, you will find information that is preceded by a symbol. This information is intended to help you avoid damage to your Honda, other property, or the environment.

AFewWordsAboutSafety

Your safety, and the safety of others, is very important. And operating this car safely is an important responsibility.

To help you make informed decisions about safety, we have provided operating procedures and other information on labels and in this manual. This information alerts you to potential hazards that could hurt you or others.

Of course, it is not practical or possible to warn you about all the hazards associated with operating or maintaining your car. You must use your own good judgement.

You will find this important safety information in a variety of forms, including:

Safety Labels Safety Messages

three signal words: , , or . These signal words mean:

Safety Headings

Safety Precautions.

Safety Section Instructions

This entire book is filled with important safety information please read it carefully.

−

on the car.

−

preceded by a safety alert symbol and one of

DANGER WARNING CAUTION

You WILL be KILLED or SERIOUSLY HURT if you don’t follow instructions.

You CAN be KILLED or SERIOUSLY HURT if you don’t follow instructions.

You CAN be HURT if you don’t follow instructions.

−

such as Important Safety Reminders or Important

−

such as Driver and Passenger Safety.

−

how to use this car correctly and safely.

−

Turn to the beginning of each section for a complete list of subjects.

...............Your Car at a Glance . 2

....Driver and Passenger Safety . 5

Important information about the proper use and care of your car’s seat belts, an overview of the Supplemental Restraint System, and valuable information on how to protect children with child restraints.

.....Instruments and Controls . 57

Explains the purpose of each instrument panel indicator and gauge, and how to use the controls on the dashboard and steering column.

Comfort and Convenience

............................Features . 105

How to operate the heating and air conditioning system, the audio system, and other convenience features.

...................Before Driving . 163

What gasoline to use, how to

break-in your new car, and how to load luggage and other cargo.

..............................Driving . 177

The proper way to start the engine, shift the transmission, and park.

......................Maintenance . 195

The Maintenance Schedule shows you when you need to take your car to the dealer. There is also a list of things to check and instructions on how to check them.

................Appearance Care . 257

Tips on cleaning and protecting your car. Also some things to look for if your car ever needs body repairs.

Taking Careof the

.......................Unexpected . 265

This section covers several problems motorists sometimes experience, and details how to handle them.

Contents

.........Technical Information . 293

ID numbers, dimensions, capacities, and technical information.

Warranty and Customer Relations

........(U.S. and Canada only) . 307

A summary of the warranties covering your new Honda, and how to contact us for any reason. Refer to your warranty manual for detailed information.

AuthorizedManuals

.........................(U.S.only) .311

How to order manuals and other technical literature.

.....................................Index . I

Service Information Summary

A summary of information you need when you pull up to the fuel pump.

Your Car at a Glance

PPOOWWEERR DDOOOORR LLOOCCKK SSWWIITTCCHH ((PP.. 8822))

PPOOWWEERR WWIINNDDOOWW SSWWIITTCCHHEESS ((PP.. 9933))

FFUUEELL FFIILLLL DDOOOORR RREELLEEAASSEE ((PP.. 116655))

TTRRUUNNKK RREELLEEAASSEE ((PP.. 8866))

HHOOOODD RREELLEEAASSEE HHAANNDDLLEE ((PP.. 116666))

AAIIRRBBAAGGSS ((PP.. 1100,, 4488))

AAUUTTOOMMAATTIICC TTRRAANNSSMMIISSSSIIOONN ((PP.. 118822))

MMAANNUUAALL TTRRAANNSSMMIISSSSIIOONN ((PP.. 118800))

AAUUDDIIOO SSYYSSTTEEMM ((PP.. 111144,, 112266,, 113388))

DDIIGGIITTAALL CCLLOOCCKK ((PP.. 111199,, 113311,, 114433))

HHEEAATTIINNGG//CCOOOOLLIINNGG CCOONNTTRROOLLSS ((PP.. 110066))

Your Car at a Glance

HHEEAADDLLIIGGHHTTSS//TTUURRNN SSIIGGNNAALLSS ((PP.. 7700,, 7722))

MMOOOONNRROOOOFF ((PP.. 9955))

CCRRUUIISSEE CCOONNTTRROOLL MMAASSTTEERR SSWWIITTCCHH ((PP.. 115599))

MMIIRRRROORR CCOONNTTRROOLLSS ((PP.. 9966)) ((PP.. 7766))

WWIINNDDSSHHIIEELLDD WWIIPPEERRSS//WWAASSHHEERRSS ((PP.. 7722,, 7744))

TTIILLTT AADDJJUUSSTTMMEENNTT

HHAAZZAARRDD WWAARRNNIINNGG LLIIGGHHTTSS ((PP.. 7744))

CCRRUUIISSEE CCOONNTTRROOLL SSWWIITTCCHHEESS ((PP.. 116600))

RREEAARR WWIINNDDOOWW DDEEFFOOGGGGEERR ((PP.. 7755))

Driver and Passenger Safety

This section gives you important information about how to protect yourself and your passengers. It shows you how to use seat belts properly. It explains your Supplemental Restraint System. And it tells you how to properly restrain infants andchildreninyourcar.

.........Important Safety Precautions . 6

.............Your Car’s Safety Features . 7

.......................................Seat Belts . 8

.........................................Airbags . 10

.....................Seats & Seat-Backs . 11

..........................Head Restraints . 11

..................................Door Locks . 11

........Pre-Drive Safety Checklist . 12

............................Protecting Adults . 13

.....1. Close and Lock the Doors . 13

...........2. Adjust the Front Seats . 13

............3. Adjust the Seat-Backs . 15

5. Fasten and Position the Seat

.....................................Belts . 16

....6. Adjust the Steering Wheel . 18

7. Maintain a Proper Sitting

................................Position . 19

.....Advice for Pregnant Women . 20

........................Protecting Children . 22

All Children Must Be

...............................Restrained . 22

Children Should Sit in the Back

...........................................Seat . 23

The Passenger’s Front Airbag

Poses Serious Risks to

...............................Children . 23

If You Must Drive with Several

...................................Children . 25

If a Child Requires Close

..................................Attention . 26

General Guidelines for Using

...............................Child Seats . 27

.......................Protecting Infants . 31

...4. Adjust the Head Restraints . 16

...Additional Safety Precautions . 20

...Additional Safety Precautions . 26

.........Protecting Small Children . 35

.......Protecting Larger Children . 38

Using Child Seats with

.....................................Tethers . 42

.............................Using LATCH . 43

Additional Information About Your

.................................Seat Belts . 45

..Seat Belt System Components . 45

......................Lap/Shoulder Belt . 45

Automatic Seat Belt

...............................Tensioners . 46

...............Seat Belt Maintenance . 47

Additional Information About

...........................Your Airbags . 48

........................SRS Components . 48

How Your Front Airbags

.........................................Work . 48

...How Your Side Airbags Work . 50

How the SRS Indicator Light

.......................................Works . 51

How the Side Airbag Cut-off

...........Indicator Light Works . 52

.............................Airbag Service . 53

...Additional Safety Precautions . 53

.............Carbon Monoxide Hazard . 54

...................................Safety Labels . 55

Driver and Passenger Safety

Important Safety Precautions

You’ll find many safety recommendations throughout this section, and throughout this manual. Therecommendationsonthispage are the ones we consider to be the most important.

Always Wear Your Seat Belt

A seat belt is your best protection in all types of collisions. Airbags supplement seat belts, but airbags are designed to inflate only in a moderate to severe frontal collision. So even though your car is equipped with airbags, make sure you and your passengers always wear your seat belts, and wear them properly. (See page .)

Restrain All Children

Children are safest when they are properly restrained in the back seat, notthefrontseat.Achildwhoistoo smallforaseatbeltmustbeproperly restrained in a child safety seat. (See page .)1622

Driver and Passenger Safety

Be Aware of Airbag Hazards Control Your Speed

While airbags can save lives, they can cause serious or fatal injuries to occupants who sit too close to them, or are not properly restrained. Infants, young children, and short adults are at the greatest risk. Be sure to follow all instructions and warnings in this manual. (See page

Don’t Drink and Drive

Alcohol and driving don’t mix. Even one drink can reduce your ability to respond to changing conditions, and your reaction time gets worse with every additional drink. So don’t drink and drive, and don’t let your friends drink and drive, either.

Excessive speed is a major factor in crash injuries and deaths. Generally, the higher the speed the greater the risk, but serious accidents can also occur at lower speeds. Never drive faster than is safe for current conditions, regardless of the maximum speed posted.

Keep Your Car in Safe Condition

Having a tire blowout or a mechanical failure can be extremely hazardous. To reduce the possibility of such problems, check your tire pressures and condition frequently, and perform all regularly scheduled maintenance. (See page .)

200

((55))

((77))

((1100)) ((11)) ((33))

((88))

((22))

((44))

((66))

((77))

((99))

((11)) SSaaffeettyy CCaaggee ((22)) CCrruusshh ZZoonnee ((33)) SSeeaattss && SSeeaatt--BBaacckkss ((44)) HHeeaadd RReessttrraaiinnttss ((55)) CCoollllaappssiibbllee SStteeeerriinngg CCoolluummnn ((66)) SSeeaatt BBeellttss ((77)) FFrroonntt AAiirrbbaaggss ((88)) SSiiddee AAiirrbbaaggss

((OOppttiioonnaall oonn UU..SS.. mmooddeellss oonnllyy)) ((99)) SSeeaatt BBeelltt TTeennssiioonneerrss ((1100)) DDoooorr LLoocckkss

((88))

((22))

Your Car’s Safety Features

Your car is equipped with many features that work together to protect you and your passengers during a crash.

Some safety features do not require anyactiononyourpart.These include a strong steel framework that forms a safety cage around the passenger compartment; front and rear crush zones that are designed to crumple and absorb energy during a crash; a collapsible steering column; and seat belt tensioners that automatically tighten the front seat belts in the event of a crash.

CONTINUED

Driver and Passenger Safety

Your Car’s Safety Features

These safety features are designed to reduce the severity of injuries in a crash. However, you and your passengers can’t take full advantage of these safety features unless you remain sitting in a proper position

alwayswear your seat belts

and

properly.

features can contribute to injuries if they are not used properly.

In fact, some safety

Driver and Passenger Safety

Seat Belts

Foryoursafety,andthesafetyof your passengers, your car is equipped with seat belts in all seating positions.

Your seat belt system also

includes a light on the instrument panel to remind you and your passengers to fasten your seat belts.

Why Wear Seat Belts

Seat belts are the single most effective safety device for adults and larger children. (Infants and smaller children must be properly restrained in child seats.)

Not wearing a seat belt properly increases the chance of serious injury or death in a crash, even though your car has airbags.

In addition, most states and all Canadian provinces require you to wear seat belts.

Your Car’s Safety Features

Not wearing a seat belt properly increases the chance of serious injury or death in a crash, even if you have airbags.

Be sure you and your passengers always wear seat belts and wear them properly.

When properly worn, seat belts:

Keep you connected to the vehicle so you can take advantage of the vehicle’s built-in safety features.

Help protect you in almost every type of crash, including frontal, side, and rear impacts and rollovers.

Help keep you from being thrown against the inside of the vehicle and against other occupants.

Keep you from being thrown out of the vehicle.

Help keep you in a good position should the airbags ever deploy. A good position reduces the risk of injury from an inflating airbag, and allows you to get the best advantage from the airbag.

Of course, seat belts cannot completely protect you in every crash.Butinmostcases,seatbelts can reduce your risk of serious injury.

What you should do:

your seat belt, and make sure you wear it properly.

Driver and Passenger Safety

Always wear

Your Car’s Safety Features

Airbags

Your car has a Supplemental Restraint System (SRS) with front airbags to help protect the heads and chests of the driver and a front seat passenger during a moderate to severe frontal collision.

Driver and Passenger Safety

Only on U.S. models equipped with side airbags.

Your car also has side airbags to help protect the upper torso of the driver or a front seat passenger during a moderate to severe side impact.

The most important things you need to know about your airbags are:

Airbags do not replace seat belts.

They are designed to supplement the seat belts.

Airbags off er no protection in rear impacts, rollovers, or minor frontal or side collisions.

Airbags can pose serious hazards.

To do their job, airbags must inflate with tremendous force and speed. So while airbags help save lives, they can cause minor injuries, or more serious or even fatal injuries if occupants are not properly restrained or sitting properly.

What you should do:

Always wear your seat belt properly, and sit upright and as far back as possible from the steering wheel or dashboard.

Your Car’s Safety Features

Seats & Seat-Backs

Your car’s seats are designed to keep you in a comfortable, upright position so you can take full advantage of the protection offered by seat belts and the energy absorbing materials in the seats.

How you adjust your seats and seatbacks can also affect your safety. For example, sitting too close to the steering wheel or dashboard increases the risk of you or your passenger being injured by striking theinsideofthecar,orbyan inflating airbag.

Reclining a seat-back too far reduces the seat belt’s effectiveness and increases the chance that the seat’s occupant will slide under the seat belt in a crash and be seriously injured.

What you should do:

seats as far back as possible, and keep adjustable seat-backs in an upright position whenever the car is moving.

Head Restraints

Head restraints can help protect you from whiplash and other injuries. For maximum protection, the back of your head should rest against the center of the head restraint.

Move the front

Door Locks

Keeping your doors locked reduces thechanceofbeingthrownoutof the car during a crash. It also helps prevent occupants from accidentally opening a door and falling out, and outsiders from unexpectedly opening your doors.

Driver and Passenger Safety

Your Car’s Safety Features

Pre-Drive Saf ety Checklist

To make sure you and your passengers get the maximum protection from your car’s safety features, check the following each time before you drive away:

All adults, and children who have outgrown child safety seats, are wearing their seat belts and wearingthemproperly(seepage

Any infant or small child is properly restrained in a child seat inthebackseat(seepage ).

Driver and Passenger Safety

Frontseatoccupantsaresitting upright and as far back as possible from the steering wheel and dashboard (see page ).1613

Seat-backs are upright (see page

Head restraints are properly adjusted (see page ).

All doors are closed and locked (see page ).

All cargo is properly stored or secured (see page ).

173

The rest of this section gives more detailed information about how you can maximize your safety.

Remember, however, that no safety system can prevent all injuries or deaths that can occur in severe crashes, even when seat belts are properly worn and the airbags deploy.

Introduction Adjust the Front SeatsClose and Lock the Doors1. 2.

The following pages provide instructions on how to properly protect the driver and other adult occupants.

These instructions also apply to children who have outgrown child seats and are large enough to wear lap/shoulder belts. (See page for important additional guidelines on how to properly protect larger children.)

After everyone has entered the car, be sure the doors are closed and locked.

For safety, locking the doors reduces the chance that a passenger, especially a child, will open a door while the car is moving and accidentally fall out. It also reduces the chance of someone being thrown out of the car during a crash.

For security, locked doors can prevent an outsider from unexpectedly opening a door when you come to a stop.

See page for how to lock the doors.

Any driver who sits too close to the steering wheel is at risk of being seriously injured or killed by striking the steering wheel or from being struck by an inflating front airbag during a crash.

Protecting Adults

CONTINUED

Driver and Passenger Safety

Protecting Adults

To reduce the chance of injury, wear your seat belt properly, sit upright with your back against the seat, and movetheseatawayfromthe steering wheel to the farthest distance that allows you to maintain full control of the car.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and Transport Canada recommend that drivers adjust the seat so the center of the chest is at least 10 inches (25 cm) away from the center of the steering wheel.Alsomakesureyourfront seat passenger moves the seat as far to the rear as possible.

Driver and Passenger Safety

Sitting too close to a front airbag can result in serious injury or death if the front airbags inflate.

Always sit as far back from the front airbags as possible.

Most shorter drivers can get far enough away from the steering wheel and still reach the pedals. However, if you are concerned about sitting too close, we recommend that you investigate whether some type of adaptive equipment may help.

Once your seat is adjusted correctly, rock it back and forth to make sure the seat is locked in position.

See page for how to adjust the front seats.

Protecting Adults

Adjust the Seat-Backs3.

Adjust the driver’s seat-back to a comfortable, upright position, leaving ample space between your chest and the airbag cover in the center of the steering wheel. If you sit too close to the steering wheel, you could be injured if the front airbag inflates.

A front passenger should also adjust the seat-back to an upright position, but as far from the dashboard as possible. A passenger who sits too close to the dashboard could be injured if the front airbag inflates.

Reclining a seat-back so that the shoulder part of the belt no longer rests against the occupant’s chest reduces the protective capability of the belt. It also increases the chance of sliding under the belt in a crash and being seriously injured. The farther a seat-back is reclined, the greater the risk of injury.

Reclining the seat-back too far can result in serious injury or death in a crash.

Adjust the seat-back to an upright position and sit well back in the seat.

See page for how to adjust seatbacks.

Driver and Passenger Safety

Protecting Adults

Adjust the Head Restraints Fastenand Position the Seat

4. 5. Belts

Before driving, make sure everyone with an adjustable head restraint has properly positioned the head restraint. The restraint should be positioned so the back of the occupant’s head rests against the center of the restraint. A taller person should adjust the restraint as high as possible.

Improperly positioning head restraints reduces their effectiveness and you can be seriously injured in a crash.

Make sure head restraints are in place and positioned properly before driving.

Properly adjusted head restraints will help protect occupants from whiplash and other crash injuries.

See page for how to adjust the head restraints.

Insert the latch plate into the buckle, then tug on the belt to make sure the belt is securely latched. Also check that the belt is not twisted, because a twisted belt can cause serious injuries in a crash.

Driver and Passenger Safety

Protecting Adults

Position the lap part of the belt as low as possible across your hips, then pull up on the shoulder part of the belt so the lap part fits snugly. This lets your strong pelvic bones take the force of a crash and reduces the chance of internal injuries.

If necessary, pull up on the belt again to remove any slack from the shoulder part, then check that the belt rests across the center of your chest and over your shoulder. This spreads the forces of a crash over the strongest bones in your upper body.

Improperly positioning the seat belts can cause serious injury or death in a crash.

Make sure all seat belts are properly positioned before driving.

If the seat belt touches or crosses your neck, or if it crosses your arm instead of your shoulder, you need to adjust the seat belt anchor height.

To adjust the height of a front seat belt anchor, squeeze the two release buttons and slide the anchor up or down as needed (it has four positions).

CONTINUED

Driver and Passenger Safety

Protecting Adults

Never place the shoulder portion of a lap/shoulder belt under your arm or behind your back.

This could cause

very serious injuries in a crash.

Driver and Passenger Safety

If a seat belt does not seem to work as it should, it may not protect the occupant in a crash.

sit in a seat with an inoperative seat belt.

Anyone using a seat belt that is

No one should

not working properly can be seriously injured or killed. Have your Honda dealer check the belt as soon as possible.

See page for additional

45 information about your seat belt system and how to take care of your belts.

Adjust the Steering Wheel6.

Adjust the steering wheel, if needed, so that the wheel points toward your chest, not toward your face.

Pointing the steering wheel toward your chest provides optimal protection from the airbag.

See page for how to adjust the

steering wheel.

Protecting Adults

Maintain a Proper Sitting

7. Position

After all occupants have adjusted their seats and put on seat belts, it is very important that they continue to sit upright, well back in their seats, with their feet on the floor, until the car is parked and the engine is off.

Sitting improperly can increase the chance of injury during a crash. For example, if an occupant slouches, lies down, turns sideways, sits forward, leans forward or sideways, or puts one or both feet up, the chance of injury during a crash is greatly increased.

In addition, an occupant who is out of position in the front seat can be seriously or fatally injured by striking interior parts of the car, or by being struck by an inflating front airbag. Being struck by an inflating side airbag can result in possibly serious injuries.

Sitting improperly or out of position can result in serious injury or death in a crash.

Always sit upright, well back in the seat, with your feet on the floor.

Remember, to get the best protection from your car’s airbags and other safety features, you must sit properly and wear your seat belt properly.

Driver and Passenger Safety

Protecting Adults

Advice for Pregnant Women Additional Safety Precautions

Because protecting the mother is the best way to protect her unborn child, a pregnant woman should always wear a seat belt whenever she drives or rides in a vehicle.

Remember to keep the lap portion of the belt as low as possible across your hips.

Driver and Passenger Safety

Pregnant women should also sit upright and as far back as possible from the steering wheel or dashboard. This will reduce the risk of injuries toboth the mother and her unborn child that can be caused by a crash or an inflating airbag.

Each time you have a check-up, ask your doctor if it’s okay for you to drive.

Two people should never use the same seat belt.

could be very seriously injured in a crash.

Do not put any accessories on seat belts.

Devices intended to improve occupant comfort or reposition the shoulder part of a seat belt can severely compromise the protective capability of the seat belt and increase the chance of serious injury in a crash.

If they do, they

Protecting Adults

Do not place hard or sharp objects between yourself and a front airbag.

Carrying hard or sharp objects on your lap, or driving with a pipe or other sharp object in your mouth, can result in injuries if your front airbag inflates.

Do not attach or place objects on the front airbag covers.

Any object attached to or placed on the covers marked ‘‘SRS AIRBAG’’ in the center of the steering wheel and on top of the dashboard could interfere with the proper operation of the airbags. Or, if the airbags inflate, the objects could be propelled inside the car and hurt someone.

On U.S. models with side airbags, do not attach hard objects on or near a front door.

If a side airbag inflates,acupholderorotherhard object attached on or near the door could be propelled inside the car and hurt someone.

Keep your hands and arms away from the airbag covers.

If your hands or arms are close to the airbag cover in the center of the steering wheel or on top of the dashboard, they could be injured if the front airbags inflate.

Driver and Passenger Safety

Protecting Children

Children depend on adults to protect them. However, despite their best intentions, many parents and other adults may not know how to protect young passengers.

So if you have children, or if you ever need to drive with a grandchild or otherchildreninyourcar,besureto read this section.

properly

Children who are unrestrained or improperly restrained can be seriously injured or killed in a crash.

Any child too small for a seat belt should be properly restrained in a child seat. A larger child should be properly restrained with a seat belt.

AllChildrenMust BeRestrained

Each year, many children are injured or killed in vehicle crashes because they are either unrestrained or not properly restrained. In fact, vehicle accidents are the number one cause of death of children ages 12 and under.

To reduce the number of child deaths and injuries, every state and Canadian province requires that infants and children be restrained whenever they ride in a vehicle.

Anychildwhoistoosmalltoweara seat belt should be properly restrained in a child seat.

(See page

A larger child should always be restrained with a seat belt.

(See page

.)2738

Driver and Passenger Safety

Protecting Children

Additional Precautions to Parents

Neverholdaninfantorchildon your lap.

If you are not wearing a seat belt in a crash, you could be thrown forward into the dashboard and crush the child.

Ifyouarewearingaseatbelt,the child can be torn from your arms during a crash. For example, if your car crashes into a parked vehicleat30mph(48km/h),a 20-lb (9 kg) infant will become a 600-lb (275 kg) force, and you will not be able to hold on.

Never put a seat belt over yourself and an infant or child.

During a crash, the belt could press deep into the child and cause very serious injuries.

Children Should Sit in the Back Seat

According to accident statistics, children of all ages and sizes are safer when they are restrained in the back seat, not the front seat. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and Transport Canada recommend that all children ages 12 and under be properly restrained in the back seat.

In the back seat, children are less likely to be injured by striking hard interior parts during a collision or hard braking. Also, children cannot be injured by an inflating airbag when they ride in the back.

The Passenger’s Front Airbag Poses Serious Risks to Children

Front airbags have been designed to help protect adults in a moderate to severe frontal collision. To do this, the passenger’s front airbag is quite large, and it inflates with tremendous speed.

Infants Never put a rear-f acing child seat in the front seat of a vehicle equipped with a passenger’s front airbag.

If the airbag inflates, it can hit the back of the child seat with enough force to kill or very seriously injure an infant.

CONTINUED

Driver and Passenger Safety

Protecting Children

Placing a forward-facing child seat in the front seat of a vehicle equipped with a passenger’s front airbag can be hazardous.

too far forward, or the child’s head is thrown forward during a collision, an inflating front airbag can strike the child with enough force to kill or very seriously injure a small child.

Larger Children Children whohave outgrown child seats are also at risk of being injured or killed by an inflating passenger’s front airbag.

larger children should sit in the back seat, properly restrained with a seat belt. (See page for important information about protecting larger children.)

If the vehicle seat is

Whenever possible,

U.S. ModelsSmall Children

To remind you of the passenger’s front airbag hazards, and that children must be properly restrained in the back seat, your car has warninglabelsonthedashboardand on the driver’s and front passenger’s visors. Please read and follow the instructions on these labels.

Driver and Passenger Safety

Protecting Children

Canadian Models

To remind you of the front airbag hazards, your car has warning labels on the driver’s and front passenger’s visors. Please read and follow the instructions on these labels.

If You Must Drive with Several Children

Your car has three seating positions in the back seat where children can be properly restrained.

If you ever have to carry more than three children in your car:

Place the largest child in the front seat, provided the child is large enough to wear a seat belt properly (see page ).

Move the vehicle seat as far to the rear as possible (see page ).

Have the child sit upright and well backintheseat(seepage ).

Make sure the seat belt is properly positioned and secured (see page

Driver and Passenger Safety

Protecting Children

Attention

Many parents say they prefer to put an infant or small child in the front passenger seat so they can watch the child, or because the child requires attention.

Placing a child in the front seat exposes the child to hazards from the passenger’s front airbag, and paying close attention to a child distracts the driver from the important tasks of driving, placing both of you at risk.

If a child requires physical attention or frequent visual contact, we strongly recommend that another adult ride with the child in the back seat. The back seat is far safer for a child than the front.

Driver and Passenger Safety

Additional Safety PrecautionsIf a Child Requires Close

Use childproof door locks to prevent children from opening the doors.

Using this feature will prevent children from opening the doors and accidentally falling out (see page ).

Use the main power window switch to prevent children from opening the rear windows.

Using this feature will prevent children from playing with the windows, which could expose them to hazards or distract the driver (see page ).

Do not leave children alone in your vehicle.

Leaving children without adult supervision is illegal in most states and Canadian provinces, and can be very hazardous. For example, infants and small childrenleftinavehicleonahot day can die from heatstroke. And children left alone with the key in

the ignition can accidentally set the vehicle in motion, possibly injuring themselves or others.

Lock all doors and the trunk when your vehicle is not in use.

Children who play in cars can accidentally get trapped inside the trunk. Teach your children not to play in or around cars. Know how to operate the emergency trunk opener (U.S. models only) and decide if your children should be shown how to use this feature (see page ).

Keep car keys and remote transmittersout of the reach of children.

Even very young children learn how to unlock vehicle doors, turn on the ignition, and open the trunk, which can lead to accidental injury or death.

Protecting Children

General Guidelines for Using Child Seats

The following pages give general guidelines for selecting and installing child seats for infants and small children.

Selecting a Child Seat

To provide proper protection, a child seat should meet three requirements:

The child seat should meet safety

1. standards.

The child seat should meet Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 213 (FMVSS 213) or Canadian Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 213 (CMVSS 213). Look for the manufacturer’s statement of compliance on the box and seat.

The child seat should be of the

2. proper type and size to fit the child.

Infants:

Childrenuptoaboutone year old should be restrained in a rear-facing, reclining child seat. Only a rear-facing seat provides the proper support to protect an infant’s head, neck, and back. See page

foradditional information on

protecting infants.

CONTINUED

Driver and Passenger Safety

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