warning CHRYSLER PT CRUISER 2004 1.G User Guide

WARNING!
Never leave children in a vehicle, with the keys in
the ignition switch. Occupants, particularly unat-
tended children, can become entrapped by the win-
dows while operating the power window switches.
Such entrapment may result in serious injury or
death.
Auto Down Feature
The driver's and passenger's front window switches
have an auto down feature. Press the window switch past
the detent, release, and the window will go down auto-
matically. Press the switch a second time in either direc-
tion to stop the window.
To open the window part way, press the window switch
part way and release it when you want the window to
stop.
Rear Window Switches
There are also rear passenger window switches located at
the rear of the center console near the floor.
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Wind Buffeting
Wind buffeting can be described as the perception of
pressure on the ears or a helicopter type sound in the
ears. Your vehicle may exhibit wind buffeting with the
windows down, or the sunroof (if equipped) in certain
open or partially open positions. This is a normal occur-
rence and can be minimized. If the buffeting occurs with
the rear windows open, open the front and rear windows
together to minimize the buffeting. If the buffeting occurs
with the sunroof open, adjust the sunroof opening to
minimize the buffeting.
OCCUPANT RESTRAINTS
Some of the most important safety features in your
vehicle are the restraint systems. These include the front
and rear seat belts for the driver and all passengers, front
airbags for both the driver and front passenger and if
equipped, side airbags for both the driver and front
passenger. If you will be carrying children too small foradult-size seat belts, your seat belts or the LATCH feature
also, can be used to hold infant and child restraint
systems.
Please pay close attention to the information in this
section. It tells you how to use your restraint system
properly to keep you and your passengers as safe as
possible.
WARNING!
In a collision, you and your passengers can suffer
much greater injuries if you are not properly buck-
led up. You can strike the interior of your vehicle or
other passengers, or you can be thrown out of the
vehicle. Always be sure you and others in your
vehicle are buckled up properly.
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Buckle up even though you are an excellent driver, even
on short trips. Someone on the road may be a poor driver
and cause a collision that includes you. This can happen
far away from home or on your own street.
Research has shown that seat belts save lives, and they
can reduce the seriousness of injuries in a collision. Some
of the worst injuries happen when people are thrown
from the vehicle. Seat belts reduce the possibility of
ejection and the risk of injury caused by striking the
inside of the vehicle.Everyonein a motor vehicle should
be belted at all times.
Lap/Shoulder Belts
All the seats in your vehicle are equipped with Lap/
Shoulder Belts.The belt webbing retractor is designed to lock during
very sudden stops or collisions. This feature allows the
shoulder part of the belt to move freely with you under
normal conditions. But in a collision, the belt will lock
and reduce the risk of your striking the inside of the
vehicle or being thrown out.
WARNING!
²It is extremely dangerous to ride in a cargo area,
inside or outside of a vehicle. In a collision,
people riding in these areas are more likely to be
seriously injured or killed.
²Do not allow people to ride in any area of your
vehicle that is not equipped with seats and seat
belts.
²Be sure everyone in your vehicle is in a seat and
using a seat belt properly.
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WARNING!
²Wearing a seat belt incorrectly is dangerous. Seat
belts are designed to go around the large bones of
your body. These are the strongest parts of your
body and can take the forces of a collision the
best.
²Wearing your belt in the wrong place could make
your injuries in a collision much worse. You
might suffer internal injuries, or you could even
slide out of part of the belt. Follow these instruc-
tions to wear your seat belt safely and to keep
your passengers safe, too.
²Two people should never be belted into a single
seat belt. People belted together can crash into one
another in an accident, hurting one another badly.
Never use a lap/shoulder belt or lap belt for more
than one person, no matter what their size.
Lap/Shoulder Belt Operating Instructions
1. Enter the vehicle and close the door. Sit back and
adjust the seat.
2. The seat belt latch plate is above the back of the front
seat, next to your arm. Grasp the latch plate and pull out
the belt. Slide the latch plate up the webbing as far as
necessary to allow the belt to go around your lap.
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WARNING!
²A belt that is buckled into the wrong buckle will not
protect you properly. The lap portion could ride too
high on your body, possibly causing internal inju-
ries. Always buckle your belt into the buckle nearest
you.
²A belt that is too loose will not protect you as well. In
a sudden stop you could move too far forward,
increasing the possibility of injury. Wear your seat
belt snugly.
²A belt that is worn under your arm is very danger-
ous. Your body could strike the inside surfaces of the
vehicle in a collision, increasing head and neck
injury. A belt worn under the arm can cause internal
injuries. Ribs aren't as strong as shoulder bones.
Wear the belt over your shoulder so that your stron-
gest bones will take the force in a collision.
²A shoulder belt placed behind you will not protect
you from injury during a collision. You are more
likely to hit your head in a collision if you do not
wear your shoulder belt. The lap and shoulder belt
are meant to be used together.
4. Position the lap belt across your thighs, below your
abdomen. To remove slack in the lap belt portion, pull up
on the shoulder belt. To loosen the lap belt if it is too tight,
tilt the latch plate and pull on the lap belt. A snug belt
reduces the risk of sliding under the belt in a collision.
36 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

WARNING!
²A lap belt worn too high can increase the risk of
internal injury in a collision. The belt forces won't
be at the strong hip and pelvic bones, but across your
abdomen. Always wear the lap belt as low as pos-
sible and keep it snug.
²A twisted belt can't do its job as well. In a collision
it could even cut into you. Be sure the belt is straight.
If you can't straighten a belt in your vehicle, take it
to your dealer and have it fixed.
5. Position the shoulder belt on your chest so that it is
comfortable and not resting on your neck. The retractor
will withdraw any slack in the belt.6. To release the belt, push the red button on the buckle.
The belt will automatically retract to its stowed position.
If necessary, slide the latch plate down the webbing to
allow the belt to retract fully.
WARNING!
A frayed or torn belt could rip apart in a collision
and leave you with no protection. Inspect the belt
system periodically, checking for cuts, frays, or loose
parts. Damaged parts must be replaced immediately.
Do not disassemble or modify the system. Seat belt
assemblies must be replaced after a collision if they
have been damaged (bent retractor, torn webbing,
etc.).
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Rear Center Lap/Shoulder Belt Retractor Lock-Out
This feature is designed to lock the retractor whenever
the rear seat back is not fully latched. This prevents
someone from wearing the rear center lap/shoulder belt
when the rear seat back is not fully latched.
NOTE:
²If the rear center lap/shoulder belt can not be pulled
out, check that the rear seat back is fully latched.
²If the rear seat back is properly latched and the rear
center lap/shoulder belt still can not be pulled out, the
Automatic-Locking Retractor (ALR) system may be
activated. To reset this feature you must let all of the
belt webbing return into the retractor. You will not be
able to pull out more webbing until all of the webbing
has been returned back into the retractor.
WARNING!
The rear center lap/shoulder belt is equipped with a
lock-out feature to ensure that the rear seat back is in
the fully upright and locked position when occu-
pied. If the rear seat back is not fully upright and
locked and the rear center lap/shoulder belt can be
pulled out of the retractor, the vehicle should imme-
diately be taken to your dealer for service. Failure to
follow this warning could result in serious or fatal
injury.
Adjustable Upper Shoulder Belt Anchorage
In the front seat, the shoulder belt can be adjusted
upward or downward to position the belt away from
your neck. Push up or down on the anchorage button to
release the anchorage, and move it up or down to the
position that serves you best.
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WARNING!
²Do not put anything on or around the airbag covers
or attempt to manually open them. You may dam-
age the airbags and you could be injured because
the airbags are not there to protect you. These
protective covers for the airbag cushions are de-
signed to open only when the airbags are inflating.
²If your vehicle is equipped with side airbags, do
not use accessory seat covers or place objects
between you and the side airbags; the perfor-
mance could be adversely affected and/or objects
could be pushed into you, causing serious injury.
²If your vehicle is equipped with side airbags, do
not attach cup holders or any other objects on or
around the door. The inflating side airbag could
drive the object into occupants, causing serious
injury.
Airbags inflate in moderate to high speed impacts. Along
with seat belts and pretensioners, front airbags work with
the instrument panel knee bolsters to provide improved
protection for the driver and front passenger. Side airbags
also work with seat belts to improve occupant protection.
The seat belts are designed to protect you in many types
of collisions. The front airbags deploy in moderate to
severe frontal collisions. If your vehicle is equipped, the
side airbag on the crash side of the vehicle is triggered in
moderate to severe side collisions. In certain types of
collisions, both the front and side airbags may be trig-
gered. But even in collisions where the airbags work, you
need the seat belts to keep you in the right position for
the airbags to protect you properly.
Here are some simple steps you can take to minimize the
risk of harm from a deploying airbag.
1.Children 12 years old and under should always ride
buckled up in a rear seat.
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WARNING!
²Relying on the airbags alone could lead to more
severe injuries in a collision. The airbags work
with your seat belt to restrain you properly. In
some collisions the airbags won't deploy at all.
Always wear your seat belts even though you
have airbags.
²Being too close to the steering wheel or instru-
ment panel during front airbag deployment could
cause serious injury. Airbags need room to inflate.
Sit back, comfortably extending your arms to
reach the steering wheel or instrument panel.
²If the vehicle has side airbags, they also need
room to inflate. Do not lean against the door. Sit
upright in the center of the seat.
The front airbag system consists of the following:
²Front Airbag Control Module (ACM)
²AIRBAG Readiness Light
²Driver and Passenger Front Airbag/Inflator Units
²Unique Steering Wheel and Column
²Unique Instrument Panel
²Interconnecting Wiring
²Seat Belt Pretensioners
²Knee Impact Bolster
The Side Airbag System, on vehicles equipped, consists
of the following:
²AIRBAG Readiness Light (shared with the front airbag
system)
²Side Airbag in the driver's seat
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²Side Airbag in the passenger's seat
²Airbag Control Module (shared with the front airbag
system)
²Side impact sensors
²Interconnecting Wiring
How The Airbag System Works
²
Thefrontairbag control module determines if a frontal
impact is severe enough to require the airbags to
inflate. The front control module will not detect side,
roll over, or rear collisions.
The front airbag control module also monitors the
readiness of the electronic parts of the system when-
ever the ignition switch is in the START or ON
positions. These include all of the items listed above
except the knee bolster, instrument panel and the
steering wheel and column. If the key is in the OFFposition, in the ACC position, or not in the ignition
switch, the airbags are not on and will not inflate.
The front airbag control module also turns on
the AIRBAG light in the instrument panel for 6
to 8 seconds when the ignition switch is first
turned ON, then turns the light off. If the front or side
airbag control modules detect a malfunction in any
part of the system, the airbag light will turn on either
momentarily or continuously.
WARNING!
Ignoring the AIRBAG light in your instrument panel
could mean you won't have the airbags to protect
you in a collision. If the light does not come on, stays
on after you start the vehicle, or if it comes on as you
drive, have the airbag system checked right away.
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