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Seats & Safety  Belts 
Section 
Here you'll  find information about the seats  in your  vehicle  and how to use 
your  safety  belts  properly . You can also  learn  about some  things you should 
not do with  safety  belts . 
Seats  and Seat  Controls ...................... .......... 1-2 
Frontseats ............................................. 1-2 
Head  Restraints ........................................ 14 
Rearseats .............................................. 1-7 
......... 
....... 
..... 
Safety  Belts:  They're For Everyone ........................... 
Why Safety  Belts  Work ....................... 
Questions  Many People  Ask  About  Safety Belts ...... 
How To Wear Safety  Belts  Properly ................ 
Adults ................................................... 
Driver Position ......................................... 
Safety Belt Use During  Pregnancy .......................... 
Passenger Positions .................................... 
Lap-Shoulder  Belt .................................... 
Children ....................... .................... 
Smaller Children  and Babies .............................. 
Child Restraints ........................................ 
Larger Children ......................................... 
Safety  Belt Extender ....................................... 
Checking  Your Restraint Systems ............................. 
Replacing Safety  Belts  After a Crash .......................... 
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Q: If I’m a good driver,  and I never  drive far from  home, why should I 
wear safety belts? 
A: You may  be  an  excellent  driver,  but if you’re in an accident - even 
one  that 
isn’t your hult - you and  your  passengers  can  be  hurt.  Being 
a  good  driver  doesn’t  protect you from things  beyond your control, 
such 
as bad  drivers. 
Most  accidents occur  within 
25 miles (40 km) of home.  And  the 
greatest  number  of  serious injuries  and  deaths occur 
at speeds  of less 
than 
40 mph (65 kdh). 
Safety  belts are for  everyone. 
Safety Belt Reminder Light 
When  the  key  is 
turned  to “Run”  or 
“Start,”  a light  will 
come  on for  about 
eight seconds  to 
remind  people 
to 
fasten  their  safety 
belts. 
Unless the  driver’s  safety  belt  is  already  buckled, 
a tone  will  also  sound. 
How To Wear Safety  Belts  Properly 
Adults 
This section is only for people of adult size. 
Be aware  that there  are special  things to know  about  safety  belts and 
children.  And  there  are different  rules  for  smaller  children  and  babies. If a 
child  will  be  riding in  your  Vehicle,  see the  section  after this  one,  called 
“Children.”  Follow  those  rules  for everyone’s  protection. 
First, you’ll  want 
to know which  restraint  systems your  vehicle has. 
We’ll start with the driver  position. 
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Children 
i 
Everyone in a vehicle 
needs protection! That 
includes infants and all  children smaller 
than adult size. 
In fact,  the law in every state in the United States and in every Canadian 
province says children 
up to  some  age must be restrained while in a vehicle. 
Smaller  Children  and  Babies 
I Secure  the  baby  in  an  infant  restraint. 
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Child  Restraints 
Be  sure  to follow the instructions  for the restraint. You may  find these 
instructions on  the restraint itself  or in a booklet,  or both.  These  restraints 
use  the belt  system in your vehicle, but the child 
also has to  be secured 
within the restraint to  help reduce the chance  of personal  injury. The 
instructions that  come with the infant  or child restraint  will show  you  how 
to  do  that. 
Where  to Put  the  Restraint 
Accident statistics  show that children  are safer  if they  are restrained in  the 
rear rather than the  front seat. We at General Motors therefore recommend 
that you put your child restraint  in the rear  seat unless the child is  an infant 
and  you’re  the only adult  in the vehicle.  In  that case, you might want  to 
secure the restraint  in the  front  seat where  you can keep an  eye on the  baby. 
Wherever you install  it,  be sure 
to secure the child restraint properly. 
Keep  in mind that  an unsecured child restraint can move around  in a 
collision  or sudden stop and  injure people  in the vehicle.  Be sure to properly 
secure any child restraint  in your vehicle 
- even when no child  is  in  it. 
Top  Strap 
If your child restraint 
has a  top strap,  it 
should  be anchored. 
If you  need to have an anchor installed, you  can ask your  Vehicle dealer to 
put  it  in  for  you. If you  want  to install  an anchor yourself, your dealer  can 
tell  you  how  to do  it. 
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Securing a Child  Restraint  in a Rear  Outside  Position 
You’ll be using  the  lap-shoulder  belt. See the  earlier  section  about the top 
strap 
if the  child  restraint has one. 
I. Put the restraint on the  seat.  Follow  the  instructions  for  the  child 
restraint. 
2. Secure  the child  in  the  child  restraint  as the  instructions  say. 
3. Pull  out the  vehicle’s  safety  belt.  Make the  belt  as 
tilting  the  latch  plate  and  pulling 
it along  the  belt.  long 
as  possible  by 
4. Run  the  lap  and 
shoulder  portions 
through  or around 
the  restraint. 
The 
child  restraint 
instructions  will 
show 
you how. If 
the  shoulder belt 
goes  in  front 
of 
the child’s  face  or 
neck,  put  it 
behind 
the child 
restraint. 
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. .. 
5. Buckle the belt. 
Make sure the 
release button  is 
positioned 
so you 
would  be able 
to 
unbuckle the 
safety belt 
quickly  if you 
ever  had to. 
6. To tighten the 
belt, pull  up on 
the shoulder belt  while  you push 
down on the child 
restraint. 
7. Push and pull the  child restraint  in 
different 
directions to  be 
sure it is secure. 
To remove the child restraint,  just unbuckle the vehicle's  safety belt and let 
it 
go back all  the way.  The safety belt  will move freely again and be  ready to 
work  for an adult  or larger child passenger. 
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Securing  a  Child  Restraint  in  a  Center  Seat  Position 
When you secure  a child restraint in  a center seating position,  you’ll be 
using the  lap belt. 
See the earlier section about the top strap  if the  child restraint has one. 
I 
1. Make the belt as 
long as possible 
by tilting 
the 
latch plate and 
pulling  it along 
the  belt. 
2. 
3. 
4. 
Put the restraint  on the  seat.  Follow the instructions  for the child 
restraint. 
Secure  the child  in  the child restraint  as the instructions  say. 
Run  the vehicle’s  safety belt through  or around the restraint.  The child 
restraint instructions  will show you 
how. 
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5. Buckle the belt. 
Make sure  the 
release  button  is 
positioned 
so you 
would  be  able to 
unbuckle  the 
safety  belt 
quickly  if 
you 
ever had to. 
6. 
7. 
To tighten  the  belt,  pull  its  free end  while  you  push  down on the  child 
restraint. 
Push  and  pull  the child  restraint 
in different  directions to  be sure it is 
secure. 
If the  child  restraint  isn’t secure,  turn  the  latch plate over and 
buckle  it again.  Then see 
if it is secure. If it isn’t,  secure the  restraint  in 
a different place 
in the  vehicle  and contact  the  child  restraint maker for 
their  advice about 
how to attach  the  child  restraint properly. 
To remove the child restraint,  just unbuckle the vehicle’s  safety  belt.  It will 
be  ready 
to work  for an adult  or larger  child  passenger. 
Securing a Child  Restraint in the  Right  Front  Seat 
You’ll be  using the lap-shoulder  belt.  See the earlier  section about the  top 
strap 
if the  child  restraint  has  one. 
1. Put the  restraint on the  seat.  Follow  the instructions for the  child 
restraint. 
2. Secure the  child in the  child restraint as the  instructions  say. 
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