1998 PONTIAC GRAND PRIX child restraint

A child in a child restraint in the center front seat
can be badly injured or killed by the right front
passenger air bag if it inflates, even though your
vehicle has reduced-force frontal air bags. Never
secure a child restraint in the center front seat.
It’s always better to secure a child restraint in the
rear seat.
You may secure a forward-facing child
restraint in the right front passenger 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.
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See the earlier part about the top strap if the child
restraint has one. 1. Make the belt as long as possible by tilting the latch
plate and pulling it along the belt.
2. Put the restraint on the seat.
3. Run the vehicle’s safety belt through or around the
restraint. The child restraint instructions will
show
you how.
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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 its free end 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.
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. It will 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: \
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A child in a rearfacing child restraint can be
seriously injured or killed if the right front
passenger’s
air bag inflates, even though your
vehicle has reducedlforce 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 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. 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. 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.
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.
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5. Pull the rest of the shoulder belt all the way out of
the retractor to set the lock.
6. To tighten the belt, feed the shoulder belt back into the
retractor while you push down on the 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.
7. Push and pull the child restraint in different
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.
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Larger Children Children who have outgrown child restraints should
wear the vehicle’s safety belts.
If you have the choice, a child should sit next to a
window so the child can wear a lap-shoulder belt and
get the additional restraint
a shoulder belt can provide.
Accident statistics show that children are safer if they
are restrained in the rear seat. But they need to use the
safety belts properly.
0 Children who aren’t buckled up can be thrown out
0 Children who aren’t buckled up can strike other
in
a crash.
people
who are.
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Never do this.
Here two children are wearing the same belt. The
belt can’t properly spread the impact forces.
In a
crash, the two children can be crushed together
and seriously injured.
A belt must be used by
only one person at a time.
&: What if a child is wearing a lap-shoulder belt,
but the child is
so small that the shoulder belt is
very close to the child’s face
or neck?
A: Move the child toward the center of the vehicle, but
be sure that the shoulder belt still is on the child’s
shoulder,
so that in a crash the child’s upper body
would have the restraint that belts provide.
If the
child is sitting in a rear seat outside position, see
“Rear Safety Belt
Comfort Guides’’ in the Index. If
the child is
so small that the shoulder belt is still
very close to the child’s face or neck, you might
want to place the child in the center seat position,
the one that has only
a lap belt.
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But if a safety belt isn’t long enough to fasten, your
dealer will order you
an extender. It’s free. When you go
in to order it, take the heaviest coat you will wear, so the
extender will be long enough for you. The extender will
be just for you, and just for the seat in your vehicle that
you choose. Don’t let someone else use it, and use it
only for
the seat it is made to fit. To wear it, just attach it
to the regular safety belt.
Checking Your Restraint Systems
Now and then, make sure the safety belt reminder light
and all your belts, buckles, latch plates, retractors
and
anchorages are working properly. If your vehicle has a
built-in child restraint, also periodically make sure the
harness straps, latch plates, buckle, clip, retractors and
anchorages are working properly. Look for
any other
loose or damaged safety belt and built-in child restraint
system parts. If you see anything that might keep a
safety belt
or built-in child restraint system from doing
its job, have it repaired.
Torn or frayed safety belts may not protect you in a
crash. They can rip apart under impact forces. If
a belt is
torn or frayed, get a new one right away.
If your vehicle has the built-in child restraint, torn or
frayed harness straps can rip apart under impact forces
just like tom or frayed safety belts can. They may not protect
a child in a crash. If a harness
strap is tom or
frayed, get a new harness right away.
Also look
for any opened or broken air bag covers, and
have them repaired
or replaced. (The air bag system
does not need regular maintenance.)
Replacing Restraint System Parts
After
a Crash
If you’ve had a crash, do you need new safety belts or
built-in child restraint parts?
After
a very minor collision, nothing may be necessary.
But if the safety belts or built-in child restraint harness
straps were stretched,
as they would be if worn during a
more severe crash, then
you need new safety belts or
harness straps.
If safety belts or built-in child restraint harness straps
are cut or damaged, replace them. Collision damage also
may mean you will need to have safety belt, built-in
child restraint or seat
parts repaired or replaced. New
parts and repairs may be necessary even if the safety belt
or built-in child
restraint wasn’t being used at the time
of the collision.
If an air bag inflates, you’ll need to replace air bag
system
parts. See the part on the air bag system earlier
in this section.
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If you put things inside your vehicle -- like suitcases,
tools, packages or anything else
-- they will go as fast as
the vehicle goes. If you have to stop or turn quickly, or
if there is a crash, they’ll keep going.
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Things you put inside your vehicle can strike
and injure people in a sudden stop or turn, or in
a crash.
Put things in the trunk of your vehicle. In a
trunk, put them as far forward as you can.
’Iky to spread the weight evenly.
Never stack heavier things, like suitcases,
inside the vehicle
so that some of them are
above
the tops of the seats.
Don’t leave an unsecured child restraint in
your vehicle.
When you carry something inside the
vehicle, secure
it whenever you can.
Towing a Trailer
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If you don’t use the correct equipment and drive
properly, you can lose control when you pull
a
trailer. For example, if the trailer is too heavy, the
brakes may not work well
-- or even at all. You
and your passengers could be seriously injured.
You may
also damage your vehicle; the resulting
repairs would not be covered by your warranty.
Pull
a trailer only if you have followed all the
steps in
this section. Ask your dealer for advice
and information about towing
a trailer with
your vehicle.
Do not tow a trailer if your vehicle is equipped with
3800 (L67) supercharged engine.
Your vehicle can tow a trailer if it is equipped with the
proper trailer towing equipment.
To identify what the
vehicle trailering capacity
is for your vehicle, you
should read the information in “Weight of the Trailer”
that appears later in this section. But trailering is
different than just driving your vehicle by itself.