1997 OLDSMOBILE SILHOUETTE Owners Manual

t
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
CAUTION: (Continued) heavy
you can’t hold
it. For example, in a crash
at only 25 mph
(40 km/h), a 12-1b. (5.5 kg) baby
will suddenly become a 240-1b.
(110 kg) force on
your arms. The baby would be almost impossible
to hold.
Secure the baby in an infant restraint.
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Built-in Child Restraint (Option) This child restraint system conforms to all applicable
Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards.
.
Each child restraint is designed for use only by children
who weigh between
22 and 40 pounds (10 and 18 kg)
and whose height is between
33.5 and 40 inches
(850 and 1 0 I6 km) and who are capable of sitting
upright alone.
The child should also be at least one year old. It is
important to use a rear-facing infant restraint
until the
child is about a year old.
A rear-facing restraint gives
the infant’s head, neck and body the support they would
need
in a crash. See “Child Restraints” later in this
section for more information.
If your vehicle has this option in a 60/40 bench seat,
there’s a built-in child restraint at each outboard position
of the
60/40 bench seat. This bench seat will only fit in
the second row
of your vehicle.
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Q: What if the top of my child’s shoulders is above
the shoulder belt slots for the five-point child
restraint harness system?
A: A child whose shoulders are above the shoulder
belt slots for the five-point child restraint harness
system shouldn’t use
this child restraint. Instead,
the child should sit on the vehicle’s regular seat
cushion and use the vehicle’s adult safety belts.
BEFORE YOU USE THIS CHILD RESTRAINT,
BE SURE THE TOP OF THE CHILD’S
SHOULDERS IS BELOW THE SLOTS THAT
THE HARNESS GOES THROUGH.
A CHILD
WHOSE SHOULDERS ARE ABOVE THOSE
SLOTS COULD BE INJURED DURING
A
SUDDEN STOP OR CRASH. IF THE TOP OF
THE CHILD’S SHOULDERS IS ABOVE THE
SLOTS, DON’T USE THIS CHILD
RESTRAINT WHILE THE VEHICLE IS
IN MOTION.
Securing a Child in the Built-In
Child Restraint
1. Raise the head restraint until the lower edge of the
head restraint is even with the top of the seatback.
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2. Rotate the head restraint rearward until it touches the 3. Lower the child restraint cushion.
top
of the seatback. Make sure there is no gap
between the lower edge
of the head restraint and the
top
of the seatback.
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You’ll be using the child restraint’s harness (A) to
secure your child. Don’t use the vehicle’s safety belts.
/A CAUTION:
Using the vehicle’s regular safety belts on a child
seated on the child restraint cushion
can cause
serious injury to the child in a sudden stop
or
crash. If a child is the proper size for the built-in
child restraint, secure the child using the child
restraint’s harness. But children who are too
large
for the built-in child restraint should sit on
the vehicle’s regular seat and use the vehicle’s
adult safety belts.
WARNING! FAILURE TO FOLLOW THE
MANUFACTURER’S INSTRUCTIONS ON THE
USE OF THIS CHILD RESTRAINT
SYSTEM
CAN RESULT IN YOUR CHILD STRIKING THE
VEHICLE’S INTERIOR DURING
A SUDDEN
STOP OR CRASH. SNUGLY ADJUST THE
BELTS PROVIDED WITH THIS CHILD
RESTRAINT AROUND YOUR CHILD.
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4. Before placing the child in the child restraint, add
slack to the shoulder harness. Pull the black shoulder
harness release strap firmly. At the same time pull
both shoulder harness straps through the slots in the
seatback as shown.
5. Place the child on the child restraint cushion.
6. Select only one side of the harness. Place the harness
over the child’s shoulder.
7. Push the latch plate (B) into the buckle until it clicks.
Be sure the buckle
is free of any foreign objects that
may prevent you from securing the latch plates.
If
you can’t secure a latch plate, see your Oldsmobile
retailer for service before using the child restraint.
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8. Place the other side of the harness over the
child’s shoulder.
9. Push the latch plate into the buckle until it clicks.
10. Pull up on both latch plates to make sure they
are secure. 11.
Now fasten the left and right halves
of the
shoulder harness clip together. The purpose
of this
clip is to help keep the harness positioned on the
child’s shoulders.
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An unfastened shoulder harness clip won’t help
keep the harness in place on the child’s shoulders.
If the harness isn’t on the child’s shoulders, it
won’t be able to restrain the child’s upper body
in
a sudden stop or crash. The child could be
seriously injured. Make sure the harness clip is
properly fastened.
12. Pull the shoulder harness adjustment strap (C)
firmly until the harness is snugly adjusted around
the child. You should
not be able to put more than
two fingers between the harness and the child’s
chest. Make sure the harness and buckle strap are
not twisted.
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