Your vehicle has the passenger sensing system. Your instrument panel has a passenger airbag status indicator.
United States
When the ignition key is turned to ON or START, the passenger airbag status indicator will light ON and OFF for several seconds as a system check. Then, after several more seconds, the status indicator will light either ON or OFF to let you know the status of the right front passenger's frontal airbag.
If your vehicle has a rear seat that will accommodate a rear-facing child restraint, there is a label on your sun visor that says, "Never put a rear-facing child seat in the front." This is because the risk to the rear-facing child is so great if the airbag deploys.
Caution: Even though the passenger sensing system is designed to turn off the right front passenger's frontal airbag if the system detects a rear-facing child restraint, no system is fail-safe, and no one can guarantee that an airbag will not deploy under some unusual circumstance, even though it is turned off. We recommend that rear-facing child restraints be secured in the rear seat, even if the airbag is off.
If your vehicle does not have a rear seat that will accommodate a rear-facing child restraint, never put a child in a rear-facing child restraint in the right front passenger seat the unless passenger airbag status indicator shows off. Never put a rear facing child restraint in the right front passenger seat unless the airbag is off. Here is why:
Caution: Even though the passenger sensing system is designed to turn off the passenger's frontal airbag if the system detects a rear-facing child restraint, no system is fail-safe, and no one can guarantee that an airbag will not deploy under some unusual circumstance, even though it is turned off. We recommend that rear-facing child restraints be transported in vehicles with a rear seat that will accommodate a rear-facing child restraint, whenever possible.
If the word ON is lit on the passenger airbag status indicator, it means that the right front passenger's frontal airbag is enabled (may inflate).
Caution: If the on indicator comes on when you have a rear-facing child restraint installed in the right front passenger's seat, it means that the passenger sensing system has not turned off the passenger's frontal airbag. A child in a rear-facing child restraint can be seriously injured or killed if the right front passenger's airbag inflates. This is because the back of the rear-facing child restraint would be very close to the inflating airbag. Do not use a rear-facing child restraint in the right front passenger's seat if the airbag is turned on.
If the word OFF is lit on the airbag status indicator, it means that the passenger sensing system has turned off the right front passenger's frontal airbag. See Passenger Sensing System for more on this, including important safety information.
If, after several seconds, all status indicator lights remain on, or if there are no lights at all, there may be a problem with the lights or the passenger sensing system. See your dealer for service.
Caution:
If the off indicator and the airbag readiness light ever come on together, it means that something may be wrong with the airbag system. If this ever happens, have the vehicle serviced promptly, because an adult-size person sitting in the right front passenger seat may not have the protection of the frontal airbag. See Airbag Readiness Light .