Essential Safety Equipment; SRS Air Bags; Supplemental Restraint Systems (SRS) Precautions- Page 43

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Essential Safety Equipment

Form No. 8R29-EA-02I

SRS Air Bags

Read this owner’s manual carefully to verify what air bags (driver-side air bag, passenger-
side air bag, side and curtain air bags) are equipped in your vehicle.

The front and side supplemental restraint systems (SRS) include up to 6 air bags (verify 
"SRS AIR BAG" location indicator marks).
They are located in:

•

The steering wheel hub

•

The passenger side dashboard

•

The outboard sides of the front seatbacks (If equipped with side air bags.)

•

The front and rear window pillars, and the roof edge along both sides (If equipped with 
curtain air bags.)

These systems operate independently depending on the type of accident encountered; if 
you have side and curtain air bags, the side and curtain air bags are not likely to deploy on 
both sides in the same accident because a vehicle is not often hit from both sides. The side 
and curtain air bags work together but they and the frontal air bag system will not normally 
deploy during the same type of accident unless a combination of frontal and side impacts 
occur.

The air bag supplemental restraint systems are designed to provide supplemental protection 
only in the front seats in certain situations and the rear outside passenger positions only in 
same-side collisions, so seat belts become important in the following ways:

Without seat belt usage, the air bags cannot provide adequate protection during an accident. 
Seat belt usage is necessary to:

•

Keep the passenger away from an inflating air bag.

•

Reduce the possibility of injuries during an accident that is not designed for air bag 
inflation, such as roll-over or rear impact.

•

Reduce the possibility of injuries in frontal or side collisions that are not severe enough 
to activate the air bags.

•

Reduce the possibility of being thrown from your vehicle.

•

Reduce the possibility of injuries to lower body and legs during an accident because the 
air bags provide no protection to these parts.

•

Hold the driver in a position which allows better control of the vehicle.

Supplemental Restraint Systems (SRS) Precautions

J56J_8R29_EA_02I_Edition4.book  Page 33  Monday, April 21, 2003  3:44 PM