We recommend that all infants and children be properly secured in an infant or child restraint system at all times while the vehicle is in motion.

The use of seat belts and infant and child restraint systems is required by law in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, the U.S. territories and all Canadian provinces.

Infants and children must always be seated in an appropriate infant or child restraint system recommended for the size and weight of the child. The infant or child restraint system must be properly secured in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions. All infant or child restraint systems must meet U.S.

Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards 213 and 225 and Canadian Motor Vehicle Safety Standards 213 and 210.2.

An information label on the child restraint system indicates whether it meets these standards. This information is also provided in the installation instructions supplied with the child restraint system.

Always read and follow the manufacturer's instructions when using an infant or child restraint system or booster seat.

Observe all warning signs in the vehicle interior and on the infant or child restraint.

WARNING

According to accident statistics, children are safer when properly restrained in the rear seating positions than in the front seating position. Thus, we strongly recommend that children be placed in the rear seats whenever possible. Regardless of seating position, children 12 years old and under must be seated and properly secured in an appropriate infant restraint, toddler restraint, or booster seat recommended for the size and weight of the child.

The infant or child restraint must be properly secured with the vehicle's seat belt, the seat belt and top tether strap, or lower anchors and top tether strap, fully in accordance with the child seat manufacturer's instructions.

Occupants, especially children, should always sit as upright as possible, wear the seat belt properly and use an appropriately sized infant restraint, toddler restraint, or booster seat recommended for the size and weight of the child.

Children can be killed or seriously injured by an inflating air bag. Note the following important information when circumstances require you to place a child in the front passenger seat:

• Your vehicle is equipped with air bag technology designed to deactivate the front passenger front air bag in your vehicle when the system senses the weight of a typical 12-month-old child or less along with the weight of a standard appropriate child restraint on the front passenger seat.
• For children larger than the typical 12-month-old child, the front passenger front air bag may or may not be activated. Always make sure the indicator lamp is illuminated, indicating that the front passenger front air bag is deactivated. RA child in a rear-facing child restraint on the front passenger seat will be seriously injured or even killed if the front passenger front air bag inflates in a collision which could occur under some circumstances, even with the air bag technology installed in your vehicle. The only means to completely eliminate this risk is to never place a child in a rear-facing child restraint in the front seat. We therefore strongly recommend that you always place a child in a rear-facing child restraint in a backseat.
• If you must install a rear-facing child restraint on the front passenger seat because circumstances require you to do so, make sure the indicator lamp is illuminated, indicating that the front passenger front air bag is deactivated. Should the indicator lamp not illuminate or go out while the restraint is installed, please check installation. Periodically check the 4 5 indicator lamp while driving to make sure the indicator lamp is illuminated. If the indicator lamp goes out or remains out, do not transport a child on the front passenger seat until the system has been repaired.
  A child in a rear-facing child restraint on the front passenger seat will be seriously injured or even killed if the front passenger front air bag inflates.
• If you have to place a child in a forwardfacing child restraint on the front passenger seat, move the seat as far back as possible, use the proper child restraint recommended for the age, size and weight of the child, and secure child restraint with the vehicle's seat belt according to the child seat manufacturer's instructions.

WARNING

Infants and small children should never share a seat belt with another occupant. During an accident, they could be crushed between the occupant and seat belt.

A child's risk of serious or fatal injuries is significantly increased if the child restraints 56 Children in the vehicle are not properly secured in the vehicle and/ or the child is not properly secured in the child restraint.

Children too big for a toddler restraint must ride in seats using regular seat belts. Position the shoulder belt across the chest and shoulder, not face or neck. A booster seat may be necessary to achieve proper seat belt positioning for children over 41 lb (18 kg) until they reach a height where a lap/shoulder belt fits properly without a booster.

When the child restraint is not in use, remove it from the vehicle or secure it with the seat belt to prevent the child restraint from becoming a projectile in the event of an accident.

If an infant or child is traveling in the vehicle:

• Secure the infant or child with an appropriate infant or child restraint recommended for the child's age and weight.
• Make sure that the infant or child is properly secured at all times while the vehicle is in motion.

WARNING

When leaving the vehicle, always remove the SmartKey from the ignition lock. Always take the SmartKey with you and lock the vehicle. Do not leave children unattended in the vehicle, even if they are secured in a child restraint system, or with access to an unlocked vehicle. A child's unsupervised access to a vehicle could result in an accident and/or serious personal injury. The children could:

• injure themselves on parts of the vehicle
• be seriously or fatally injured through excessive exposure to extreme heat or cold
• injure themselves or cause an accident with vehicle equipment that can be operated even if the SmartKey is removed from the ignition lock or removed from the vehicle, such as seat adjustment, steering wheel adjustment, or the memory function If children open a door, they could injure other persons or get out of the vehicle and injure themselves or be injured by following traffic.
  Do not expose the child restraint system to direct sunlight. The child restraint system's metal parts, for example, could become very hot, and the child could be burned on these parts.

WARNING

Do not carry heavy or hard objects in the passenger compartment or trunk unless they are firmly secured in place.

Unsecured or improperly positioned cargo increases a child's risk of injury in the event of

• strong braking maneuvers
• sudden changes of direction
• an accident