If your vehicle has the passenger sensing system, your rearview mirror will have a passenger airbag status indicator.

When the ignition key is turned to RUN or START, the passenger airbag status indicator will light ON and OFF, or the symbol for on and off, for several seconds as a system check. Then, after several more seconds, the status indicator will light either ON or OFF, or either the on or off symbol to let you know the status of the right front passenger's frontal airbag.

A label on your sun visor 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.

If the word ON or the on symbol 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.

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 the word OFF or the off symbol is lit on the passenger airbag status indicator, it means that the passenger sensing system has turned off the right front passenger's airbag. See Passenger Sensing System or Airbag Off Switch for more on this, including important safety information.

Caution: If the right front passenger's airbag is turned off for a person who is not in a risk group identified by the national government, that person will not have the extra protection of an airbag. In a crash, the airbag will not be able to inflate and help protect the person sitting there. Do not turn off the passenger's airbag unless the person sitting there is in a risk group. See Airbag Off Switch 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 airbag 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 airbag. See Airbag Readiness Light .