Page 39 of 388
Adding Equipment to Your Air
Bag-Equipped Geo
Q.” If I add a push bumper or a bicycle rack to the
front of my vehicle,
will it keep the air bags
from working properly?
A: As long as the push bumper or bicycle rack is
attached to your vehicle
so that the vehicle’s basic
structure isn’t changed, it’s not likely to keep the
air bags from working properly in a crash.
e.’’ Is there anything I might add to the front of the
vehicle that could keep the air bags from
working properly?
A: Yes. If you add things that change your vehicle’s
frame, bumper system, front end sheet metal or
height, they may keep the air bag system
from
working properly. Also, the air bag system may not
work properly
if you relocate any of the air bag
sensors. If you have any questions about this, you
should contact Customer Assistance before you
modify your vehicle. (The phone numbers and
addresses for Customer Assistance are in Step Two of
the Customer Satisfaction Procedure
in this manual.
See “Customer Satisfaction Procedure’’ in the Index.)
Rear Seat Passengers
It’s very important for rear seat passengers to buckle up!
Accident statistics show that unbelted people
in the rear
seat are hurt more often in crashes than those who are
wearing safety belts.
Rear passengers who aren’t safety belted can be thrown
out of the vehicle
in a crash. And they can strike others
in the vehicle who are wearing safety belts.
1-31
ProCarManuals.com
Page 40 of 388
Lap-Shoulder Belt
The rear $&its have lap-shoulder belts. Here’s how to
wear one properly.
1. Pick up the latch plate and pull the belt across you.
Don’t let it get twisted.
The shoulder belt may lock if you pull the belt across
you very quickly.
If this happens, let the belt go back
2. Push the latch plate into the buckle until it clicks.
Pull up on the latch plate to make sure it
is secure.
When the shoulder belt is pulled out
all the way, it will
lock.
If it does, let it go back all the way and start again. 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.
slightly to unlock it. Then pull the belt across you
3. To make the lap part tight, pull down on the buckle
more slowly. end
of the belt as you pull up on the shoulder part.
1-32
ProCarManuals.com
Page 41 of 388
force to the strong pelvic bones. And you’d be less
likely to slide under the lap belt.
If you slid under it, the
belt would apply force at your abdomen. This could
cause serious or even fatal injuries. The shoulder belt
should
go over the shoulder and across the chest.
These parts
of the body are best able to take belt
restraining forces.
The safety belt locks
if there’s a sudden stop or a crash,
or if you pull the belt very quickly out of the retractor.
The lap part
of the belt should be worn low and snug on
the hips, just touching the thighs. In a crash, this applies
You can be seriously hurt if your shoulder belt is
too loose. In a crash, you would move forward
too much, which could increase injury. The
shoulder belt should fit against your body.
1-33
ProCarManuals.com
Page 42 of 388
Children
To unlatch the belt, just push the button on the buckle. 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
A CAUTION:
-
Smaller children and babies should always be
restrained in
a child or infant restraint. The
instructions for the restraint will say whether it is
the right type and size for your child.
A very
young child’s hip bones are
so small that a
regular belt might not stay low on the hips, as it
should. Instead, the belt will likely be over the
child’s abdomen. In a crash, the belt would apply
force right on the child’s abdomen, which could
cause serious or fatal injuries.
So, be sure that
any child small enough for one is always properly
restrained in a child or infant restraint.
1-34
ProCarManuals.com
Page 44 of 388
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:
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 child restraint would be very close to
the inflating air bag. Always secure
a rear-facing
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.
1-36
ProCarManuals.com
Page 45 of 388
Top Strap
If your child restraint has a top strap, it should be
anchored.
If you have a two-door model, don’t use a
restraint like that in your vehicle because the top strap
anchor cannot be installed properly.
You shouldn’t use
this type of restraint without anchoring the top strap.
If your vehicle is a four-door model and you need to
have an anchor installed, you can ask your Geo dealer to
put one in for you. If you want to install an anchor yourself, your dealer can tell you how to do it. Use the
tether hardware kit available from the dealer. The
hardware and installation instructions were specifically designed for this vehicle.
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. ht the restraint on the seat. Follow the instructions
for the child restraint.
2. Secure the child in the child restraint as the
instructions say.
1-37
ProCarManuals.com
Page 46 of 388
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 show you how.
If the shoulder belt goes in front of the child’s face or
neck, put it behind the child restraint.
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. Pull the rest of the shoulder belt all the way out of
the retractor to set the lock.
1-38
ProCarManuals.com
Page 47 of 388
6. To tighten the belt, feed the shoulder belt back into the
retractor 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.
Securing a Child Restraint in the Right
Front Seat Position
Your vehicle has a right front passenger air bag. Never
put a rear-facing child restraint in this seat. Here’s why:
I A CAUTION:
A child in a rearfacing child restraint can be
seriously injured if the right front passenger’s
air bag inflates. This is because the back of a
rearfacing child restraint would be very close to
the inflating air bag. Always secure a rear-facing
child restraint in the rear seat.
1-39
ProCarManuals.com
