Page 20 of 386
If the belt stops before it reaches the buckle, tilt the latch
plate and keep pulling until you can buckle the belt.
Pull up on the latch plate to make sure it is secure.
If the
belt isn’t long enough, see “Safety Belt Extender” at the
end
of this section.
Make sure the release button on the buckle is positioned
so you would be able to unbuckle the safety belt quickly
if you ever had to.
5. To make the lap part tight, pull down on the buckle
end
of the belt as you pull up on the shoulder belt.
1-13
ProCarManuals.com
Page 27 of 386

Mere are the most important things to know about the air
bag system:
You can be severely injured or killed in a crash if
you aren’t wearing your safety belt -- even if you
have an air bag. Wearing your safety belt during a
crash helps reduce your chance of hitting things
inside the vehicle
or being ejected from it. The air
bag is only a %upplemental restraint,’’ That is, it
works with safety belts but doesn’t replace them,
Air ,bags are designed to work only in moderate to
severe crashes where the front of your vehicle hits
something. They aren’t designed to inflate at dl in
rollover, rear, side or low-speed frontal crashes.
Everyone
in your vehicle, including the driver,
should wear
a safety belt properly - whether or
not there’s
an air bag for that person.
I
Air bags inflate with great force, faster than the
blink
of an eye. If you’re too close to an inflating
air bag,,it could seriously injure you. Safety belts
help keep you in position for an
air bag inflation
in a crash. Always wear your safety belt, even
with
an air bag. The driver should sit as far
back as possible while still maintaining control
of the vehicle.
I /II CAUTION:
An inflating air bag can seriously injure small
children. Always secure children properly in your
vehicle.
To read how, see the part of this manual
called “Children” and the caution label
on the
right front passenger’s safety belt.
1-20
ProCarManuals.com
Page 35 of 386
If the belt stops before it reaches the buckle, tilt the latch
plate and keep pulling until
you can buckle it.
Pull .up on the latch plate
to make sure it is secure.
If the belt is not long enough, see “Safety Belt
Extender” at the end of this section. Make sure the
release button on the buckle is positioned
so you would
be able to unbuckle the safety belt quickly if
you ever
had to.
3. To make the lap part tight, pull down on the buckle
end of the belt as you pull up on the shoulder part.
1-28
ProCarManuals.com
Page 38 of 386
-
Never hold a baby in your arms while riding in a
vehicle. A baby doesn’t weigh much --. until a
crash. During a crash a baby will become
so
heavy you can’t hold it. For example, in a crash
CAUTION: (Continued)
CAUTION: (Continued) I
at only 25 mph (40 km/h), a 124b. (5.5 kg) baby
will suddenly become a 240-lb. (110 kg) force on
your arms. The baby would be almost impossible
to hold.
Secure the baby in an infant restraint.
1-31
ProCarManuals.com
Page 39 of 386

Child Restraints
Be sure the child restraint is designed to be used in a
vehicle. If it is, it will have a label saying that it meets
Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards.
Then 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.
Never put a rear-facing
child restraint
in the front passenger seat. Here’s why:
I i
1
L
I
A child in a rear-facing child restraint can be
seriously injured if the right front passenger’s air
bag inflates.
This is because the back of a
reapfacing child restraint would be very close to
the inflating
air bag. Always secure a rearfacing
child restraint in the rear seat.
You may, however, secure a forward-facing child
restraint in the right front seat. Before you secure
a forward-facing child restraint, always move the
front passenger seat
as far back as it will go. Or,
secure the child restraint
in the rear seat.
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.
1-32
ProCarManuals.com
Page 41 of 386
Securing a Child Restraint in a
Rear Seat Position
You’ll be using the lap-shoulder belt: See the earlier part
about the top strap if the child restraint has, one.
1. Put the restraint on the seat. Follow the instructions
hr the child restraint.
2. Secure the child in the child restraint as the
instructions say.
3. Pick up the latch plate, and run the lap and shoulder
portions
of the vehicle’s safety belt through or
around the restraint. The child restraint instructions
.will shw you how.
Tilt’the latch plate to adjust the belt if needed.
If the shoulder b’elt goes in front of the child’s face or
neck, put it behind the child restraint.
1-34
ProCarManuals.com
Page 42 of 386
4. 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.
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.
1-35
ProCarManuals.com
Page 43 of 386

Securing a Child Restraint in me
Right Front Seat Position
Your vehicle has a right front passenger air bag. Never
put a rear-facing child restraint in this seat. 1 :e’s why:
A
child in a rear-facing child restraint can be
seriously injured if the right
front passenger’s air
bag inflates, This is because the back of a
rear-facing chiId
restraint would be very close to
the inflating air
bag. Always secure a rearfacing
child restraint in the rear seat.
You’ll be using the lap-shoulder belt. See the earlier part
about the top strap if the child restraint has one.
1. Because your vehicle has a right front passenger air
bag, always move the seat as far back as it will go
before securing a forward-facing child restraint.
(See “Seats”
in the Index.)
2. Put the restraint on the seat. Follow the instmctions
for
the child restraint.
3. Secure the child in the child restraint as the
instructions sqy.
4. Pick up the latch plate, and run the lap and shoulder
portions of the vehicle’s safety belt through or
around the restraint. The child restraint instructions
will show you how.
ProCarManuals.com