1999 CHEVROLET TAHOE belt

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CAUTION:
Air bags inflate with great force, faster than the
blink of an eye. If you're too close to an inflating
air bag, it could seriously injure you. This is true
even with Next Generation frontal air bags.
Safety belts help keep you in position before and
during a crash. Always wear your safety belt,
even with Next Generation air bags. The driver
should sit as far back as possible while still
maintaining control of the vehicle.
CAUTION:
Children who are up against, or very close to, any
air bag when it inflates can be seriously injured
or killed. This is true even though your vehicle
has Next Generation frontal air bags. Air bags
plus lap
-shoulder belts offer the best protection
for adults, but not for young children and
infants. Neither the vehicle's safety belt system
nor its air bag system is designed for them.
Young children and infants need the protection
that a child restraint system can provide. Always
secure children properly in your vehicle. To read
how, see the part of this manual called
ªChildrenº and see the caution labels on the
sunvisors and the right front passenger's
safety belt.

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In any particular crash, no one can say whether an air
bag should have inflated simply because of the damage
to a vehicle or because of what the repair costs were.
Inflation is determined by the angle of the impact and
how quickly the vehicle slows down in frontal or
near
-frontal impacts.
The air bag system is designed to work properly under a
wide range of conditions, including off
-road usage.
Observe safe driving speeds, especially on rough terrain.
As always, wear your safety belt. See ªOff
-Road
Drivingº in the Index for more tips on off
-road driving.
What makes an air bag inflate?
In an impact of sufficient severity, the air bag sensing
system detects that the vehicle is in a crash. The sensing
system triggers a release of gas from the inflator, which
inflates the air bag. The inflator, air bag and related
hardware are all part of the air bag modules inside the
steering wheel and in the instrument panel in front of the
right front passenger.
How does an air bag restrain?
In moderate to severe frontal or near
-frontal collisions,
even belted occupants can contact the steering wheel or
the instrument panel. Air bags supplement the protection
provided by safety belts. Air bags distribute the force
of the impact more evenly over the occupant's upperbody, stopping the occupant more gradually. But
air bags would not help you in many types of
collisions, including rollovers, rear impacts and
side impacts, primarily because an occupant's motion
is not toward those air bags. Air bags should never be
regarded as anything more than a supplement to safety
belts, and then only in moderate to severe frontal or
near
-frontal collisions.
What will you see after an air bag inflates?
After an air bag inflates, it quickly deflates, so quickly
that some people may not even realize the air bag
inflated. Some components of the air bag module
-- the
steering wheel hub for the driver's air bag, or the
instrument panel for the right front passenger's
bag
-- will be hot for a short time. The parts of the
bag that come into contact with you may be warm, but
not too hot to touch. There will be some smoke and
dust coming from vents in the deflated air bags. Air bag
inflation doesn't prevent the driver from seeing or from
being able to steer the vehicle, nor does it stop people
from leaving the vehicle.

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CAUTION:
When an air bag inflates, there is dust in the air.
This dust could cause breathing problems for
people with a history of asthma or other
breathing trouble. To avoid this, everyone in the
vehicle should get out as soon as it is safe to do so.
If you have breathing problems but can't get out
of the vehicle after an air bag inflates, then get
fresh air by opening a window or door.
In many crashes severe enough to inflate an air bag,
windshields are broken by vehicle deformation.
Additional windshield breakage may also occur from the
right front passenger air bag.

Air bags are designed to inflate only once. After they
inflate, you'll need some new parts for your air bag
system. If you don't get them, the air bag system
won't be there to help protect you in another crash.
A new system will include air bag modules and
possibly other parts. The service manual for your
vehicle covers the need to replace other parts.
Your vehicle is equipped with a crash sensing and
diagnostic module, which records information about
the air bag system. The module records information
about the readiness of the system, when the
sensors are activated and driver's safety belt usage
at deployment.

Let only qualified technicians work on your air
bag system. Improper service can mean that your
air bag system won't work properly. See your dealer
for service.
NOTICE:
If you damage the covering for the driver's or the
right front passenger's air bag, the bag may not
work properly. You may have to replace the air
bag module in the steering wheel or both the air
bag module and the instrument panel for the
right front passenger's air bag. Do not open or
break the air bag coverings.

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Bag-Equipped Vehicle
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.
Q: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 ªCustomer Satisfaction Procedureº in the Index.)
Center Passenger Position
Lap Belt
If your vehicle has front and rear bench seats, someone
can sit in the center positions.

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When you sit in a center seating position, you have a lap
safety belt, which has no retractor. To make the belt
longer, tilt the latch plate and pull it along the belt.To make the belt shorter, pull its free end as shown until
the belt is snug.
Buckle, position and release it the same way as the lap
part of a lap
-shoulder belt. If the belt isn't long enough,
see ªSafety Belt Extenderº 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.

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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.
Rear Seat Outside Passenger Positions
Lap-Shoulder Belt
The positions next to the windows 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.
2. Push the latch plate into the buckle until it clicks.
Pull up on the latch plate to make sure it is secure.

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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 ªSafety Belt
Extenderº 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.
3. To make the lap part tight, pull down on the buckle
end of the belt as you pull up on the shoulder part.
The lap part of the belt should be worn low and snug on
the hips, just touching the thighs. In a crash, this applies
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.

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Four-door utility models and the second seat of
Suburbans have shoulder belt height adjusters. Move the
shoulder belt height adjuster to the height that is right
for you.To move the height adjuster down, push in at the word
PRESS and move the height adjuster to the desired
position. You can move the adjuster up just by
pushing up on the shoulder belt guide. After you
move the adjuster to where you want it, try to move
it down without pushing in to make sure it has locked
into position.
Adjust the height so that the shoulder portion of the
belt is centered on your shoulder. The belt should be
away from your face and neck, but not falling off
your shoulder.
CAUTION:
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.