1998 PONTIAC FIREBIRD Owners Manual

Child Restraints
Every time infants and young children ride in
vehicles, they should have protection provided by
appropriate restraints.
@ What are the different types of add-on
child restraints?
A: Add-on child restraints are available in four basic
types. When selecting
a child restraint, take into
consideration
not only the child’s weight and size,
but
also whether or not the restraint will be
compatible with the motor vehicle
in which it will
be used.
An infant car bed (A) is a special bed made for use
in a motor vehicle. It’s an infant restraint system
designed to
restrain or position a child on a
continuous flat surface. With an infant car bed,
make sure that the infant’s head rests toward the
center of the vehicle.
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A rear-facing infant restraint (B) positions an infant
to face the rear of the vehicle. Rear-facing infant
restraints are designed for infants
of up to about
20 lbs. (9 kg) and about one year of age. This type
of restraint faces the rear
so that the infant’s head,
neck and body can have the support they need in a
crash. Some infant seats come in
two parts -- the
base stays secured in the vehicle and the seat part
is removable.
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A forward-facing child restraint (C-E) positions a
child upright to face forward in the vehicle. These
forward-facing restraints are designed to help protect
children who are hm 20 to 40 lbs. (9 to 18 kg) and
about 26 to 40 inches (66 to 102 cm) in height, or up
to around four years of age. One type, a convertible
restraint, is designed to be used either as a rear-facing
infant seat or a forward-facing child seat.
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A booster seat (F, G) is designed for children who
are about 40 to 60 lbs. (18 to 27 kg) and about
four to eight years of age. It’s designed to improve
the fit of the vehicle’s safety belt system. Booster
seats with shields use lap-only belts; however,
booster seats without shields
use lap-shoulder
belts. Booster seats can
also help a child to see out
the window.
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When choosing a child restraint, 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. Both the owner’s
manual and the child restraint instructions are important,
so if either one of these is not available, obtain a
replacement copy from the manufacturer.
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
A child in a rearfacing child restraint can be
seriously injured
if the right front passenger’s air
bag inflates, even though your vehicle has
reduced-force frontal air bags. This is because
the back of the rearfacing child restraint would
be very close to the inflating
air bag. Always
secure a rearfacing child restraint in a rear seat.
You may secure a forward-facing child restraint
in the right front seat, but before you
do, always
move the front passenger seat as far back as it
will go. It’s better to secure the child restraint in
a 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.
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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.
If you have a convertible, don’t use a restraint that has a
top strap in your vehicle because the top strap anchor
cannot be installed properly.
The place where the anchor has to go is quite
close to your fuel tank.
If the anchor isn’t
installed correctly, it can make a hole in the fuel
tank
-- either then, or in a later collision.
Gasoline could leak out and be ignited, and
people in the vehicle or outside it could be badly
burned. Don’t install the anchor yourself unless
you know you can
do it correctly.
Canadian law requires that child restraints have a top
strap, and that the strap be anchored.
If your child restraint has a top strap, your dealer can
obtain a kit with anchor hardware and installation
instructions specifically designed for this vehicle. The
dealer can then install the anchor for you.
In Canada,
this work
will be done for you free of charge. Or, you
may install the anchor yourself using the instructions
provided
in the kit.
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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. Be
sure
to follow the instructions that came with the child
restraint. Secure the child in the child restraint when and as the instructions say.
1. Put the restraint on the seat.
2. 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.
3. Tilt the latch plate to adjust the belt if needed.
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. To tighten the belt, pull up on the shoulder belt while
you push down on the child restraint. If you’re using
a forward-facing child restraint, you may find it
helpful to use your knee to push down on the child
restraint as you tighten the belt.
directions to be sure
it is secure.
6. Push and pull the child restraint in different
To remove the child restraint, just unbucMe 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.
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