1994 PONTIAC GRAND-AM Owners Manual

Seats & Restraint Systems
Children
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
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1 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 Pontiac dealer to put it
in for you. If you want to install an anchor
yourself, your dealer can tell
you how to
do it.
For cars first sold in Canada, child
restraints
with a top strap must be
anchored according to Canadian Law.
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Seats & Restraint Systems
Top Strap (CONI)
Your dealer can obtain the hardware kit
and install it for you, or you may install it
yourself using the instructions provided in
the kit.
Use the tether hardware kit available from
the dealer. The hardware and installation
instructions were specifically designed for
this vehicle.
Securing a Child Restrainl
in
a Rear Outside Position
fou’ll be using the lap-shoulder belt. See
he earlier section about
the top strap if
he child restraint has one.
3.
Put the restraint on the seat. Follow
the instructions for the child restraint.
Secure the child
in the child restraint
as
the instructions say.
Pick up the latch plate, and run the la1
and shoulder portions of the vehicle’s
safety belt through or around the
restraint. The child restraint
instructions
will show you how. Tilt
the latch plate to adjust the belt
if
needed.
4.
If the shoulder belt goes in front of the
child’s face or neck,
put it behind the
child restraint.
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.
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5. To tighten the belt, pull up on the
shoulder belt while you push down on
the child restraint.
6. 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.
Securing a Child Restraint
in
the Center Rear Seat
Position
When you secure a child restraint in a
center seating position, you’ll be using tht
lap belt.
See the earlier section about the top strap
if the child restraint has one.
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Seats & Restraint Systems
Securing a Child Restraint
in the Center Rear Seat
Position
(CONT.)
1. Make the belt as long as possible by
tilting the latch plate and pulling it
along the belt.
2. Put the restraint on the seat. Follow
the instructions for the child restraint.
3. Secure the child in the child restraint
as the instructions say.
4. Run the vehicle’s safety belt through
or around the restraint. The child
restraint instructions will show you
how.
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 its free end
while you push down on the child
restraint.
f. rusn ana 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.
unbuckle the vehicle’s safety belt. It will
be ready to work for an adult or larger
child passenger.
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iecuring a Child Restraint
n the Right Front Seat
o use a child restraint here, you will
eed a special infant/child seat attaching
elt and the hardware that goes with it.
ee the earlier section about the top strap
' the child restraint has one.
Your dealer can get these and install the
hardware for
you. It's free. The special
belt
is GM Part No. 12340286. Your
dealer can find
the correct hardware in the
accessory section
of the GM Parts
Catalog.
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Seats & Restraint Systems
Securing a Chi/d Restraint
in the Right
Front Seat
(CONK)
Once the special hardware is installed,
please follow
the instructions with it and
these steps:
1. Unbuckle the automatic lap-shoulder
belt by pushing the button
on the
buckle.
It will stay on the door, ready to be
rebuckled
for use by adults or older
children.
II
2. Snap one hook of the infadchild seat
attaching belt near the floor at
the
door side of the seat.
I
I
3. Put the belt’s special latch plate into
the vehicle’s safety belt buckle.
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4. You can make the belt longer by
tilting the buckle and pulling it along
the belt.
5. Put the restraint on the seat. Follow
the instructions for the child restraint.
6. Secure the child in the child restraint
as the instructions say.
7. Run the belt through or around the
child restraint. The child restraint
instructions will show you how.
8. Put the hook on the free end through
the slot in the latch plate.
9. To make it tight, pull the belt while
you push down on the child restraint.
If the belt won't stay tight, switch it
end for end.
1O.Push and pull the child restraint in
different directions to be sure
it is secure.
To Remove the InfantKhild Seat
Restraint:
1. Push the button on the safety belt
buckle and remove the special latch
plate. Leave the latch plate on the
special belt.
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