1997 GMC SIERRA Owners Manual

Section 1 Seats and Restraint Systems
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
nut do with air bags and safety belts.
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1-9
1-14
1-15
1-15
1-22
1-23
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1-32 Seats
and Seat Controls
Safety Belts: They’re for Everyone
Here Are Questions Many People Ask About
Safety Belts
- - and the Answers
How to Wear Safety Belts Properly
Driver Position
Safety Belt Use During Pregnancy
Right Front Passenger Position
Supplemental Inflatable Restraint System
Center Passenger Position 1-34
1-40 Rear
Seat Passengers
Rear Safety Belt Comfort Guides for Children
and Smaller Adults
1-43 Children
1-45 Child Restraints
1-62 Larger Children
1-65 Safety Belt Extender 1-65 Checking Your Restraint Systems
1-65 Replacing Restraint System Parts After
a Crash
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Seats and Seat Controls
This section tells you about the seats -- how to adjust
them, and fold them
up and down. It also tells you about
reclining front seatbacks and head restraints.
Manual Front Seat
A CAUTION:
-
You can lose control of the vehicle if you try to
adjust a manual driver’s seat while the vehicle
is
moving. The sudden movement could startle and
confuse you, or make you
push a pedal when you
don’t want to. Adjust the driver’s seat only when
the vehicle is not moving.
If your vehicle has a manual
bucket, split bench
or full
bench seat, you can adjust it
with this lever at the front
of the seat.
Slide the lever at the front
of the seat toward the
passenger’s side to unlock it. Using your body, slide the
seat to where
you want it. Then, release the lever and try
to move the seat with your body in order to make sure
the seat is locked into place.
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Power Driver’s Seat (Option) You can use the round center knob to move the seat to
where
you want it. To raise the seat, move the knob up.
To lower the seat, move the knob down. To move the
seat forward, move the knob toward the front
of the
vehicle.
To move the seat rearward, move the knob
toward the rear
of the vehicle.
You can also raise and lower the front and rear of
the seat. To raise the front of the seat, move the front
lever
up. To lower the front of the seat, move the front
lever down.
To raise the rear of the seat, move the rear
lever
up. To lower the rear of the seat, move the rear
lever down.
If your vehicle has a power seat on the driver’s side, you
can adjust it with these controls at the outside edge of
the seat.
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Power Lumbar Control
If you have power lumbar
adjustment, you can
increase or decrease lumbar support in an area of the
lower seatback.
Reclining Seatbacks
To increase support, press and hold the front of the
rocker switch. Let go
of the switch when the lower
seatback reaches the desired level
of support.
To decrease support, press and hold the rear of the
rocker switch. Let
go of the switch when the lower
seatback reaches the desired level of support.
To adjust the front seatback, move the lever rearward.
Release the lever to lock the seatback where you want it.
Move the lever again rearward and the seatback will
go
to an upright position.
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But don’t have a seatback reclined if your vehicle
is moving. Sitting in
a reclined position when your
vehicle is
in motion can be dangerous. Even if you buckle
up,
your safety belts can’t do their job when
you’re reclined like this.
The shoulder belt can’t do its job because it
won’t be against your body. Instead, it will be in
front of you. In
a crash you could go into it,
receiving neck or other injuries.
The lap belt can’t do its job either.
In a crash the
belt could go up over your abdomen. The belt
forces would be there, not at your pelvic bones.
This could cause serious internal injuries.
For proper protection when the vehicle is in
motion, have the seatback upright. Then sit
well back in the seat and wear your safety
belt properly.
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Head Restraints
Slide the head restraint up or down so that the top of the
restraint is closest
to the top of your ears. This position
reduces the chance of a neck injury in a crash.
Seatback Latches
The front seatback of the base level bench seat folds
forward to let you access the rear of the cab. Your
seatback will move back and forth freely, unless you
come to a sudden stop. Then it will lock into place. If
you have
a Crew Cab, your front seatback is designed
not to fold forward. Access to the rear of the cab is
available by using the rear doors.
The front seatback
of split bench seat and bucket seats
fold forward to let you access the rear of the cab.
To fold a front split bench
or bucket seatback forward,
pull this lever forward and
fold the seatback forward.
To return the seatback to the upright position, just push
the seatback rearward until it latches. After returning the
seatback to its upright position, pull
the seatback
forward to make sure
it is locked.
The rear seatback of a rear bench seat without a center
armrest can be folded forward to let you reach the
area behind
it. Your seatback will move back and forth
freely, unless you come to
a sudden stop. Then, it will
lock into place.
The Crew Cab rear seatback
with a center armrest folds
forward to let you access
the area behind it.
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To fold a seatback forward,
pull this lever forward and
fold the seatback forward.
To return the seatback to the upright position, just push
the seatback rearward until it latches. After returning the
seatback to its upright position, pull the seatback
forward to make sure it is locked.
A CAUTION:
If the seatback isn’t locked, it could move
forward in a sudden stop or crash. That could
cause injury to the person sitting there. Always
press rearward
on the seatback to be sure it
is locked.
Easy Entry Seat (Extended Cab Only)
The manual driver and passenger front bucket seat and
the manual
60/40 split bench seat of your vehicle have
an easy entry feature. This makes it easy to get in
and out of the rear seat. On vehicles with
the power
driver’s seat, only the front passenger’s seat has the
easy entry feature.
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To operate the seat, pull
forward on the top
of this
lever and tilt the back
forward toward the front
of the vehicle.
When you do, the seat bottom will release. Just pull or
push the seat forward until it stops.
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To return the seat to its regular position, return the
seatback to its upright position, then push the whole seat
rearward until it latches.
After returning the seat to its regular position, try to
move the seat with your body
in order to make sure the
seat
is locked into place.
If any easy entry seat isn’t locked, it can move. In
a sudden stop or crash, the person sitting there
could be injured. And, even
if there is no crash or
sudden stop, a driver sitting in an unlocked
easy
entry seat could be startled by the sudden
movement and hit the wrong control or pedal,
causing an accident. After you’ve used it, be sure
to push rearward
on any easy entry seat to be
sure it is locked.
Rear Seat (Extended Cab)
Folding the Rear Seat
The extended cab may have a rear folding seat
which can be folded open for more seating space.
To use the seat:
1. Pull the entire seat forward until it is flat.
2. Then pull forward on the
RELEASE lever under
the seat cushion, on the
passenger’s side of the
rear seat. Push the
seatback rearward until
it latches.
3. After pushing the seatback upright into position, pull
the seatback forward to make sure it
is locked.
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