2002 GMC SONOMA belt

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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 not do with air bags and safety belts.
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-2 Seats and Seat Controls
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-11 Safety Belts: They're for Everyone
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-15 Here Are Questions Many People Ask About
Safety Belts
-- and the Answers
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-16 How to Wear Safety Belts Properly
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-16 Driver Position
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-23 Safety Belt Use During Pregnancy
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-24 Right Front Passenger Position
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-24 Air Bag System
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-34 Center Passenger Position1
-36 Rear Seat Passengers (Extended Cab
Jump Seats)
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-37 Rear Seat Passengers
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-40 Children
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-44 Restraint Systems for Children
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-59 Older Children
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-62 Safety Belt Extender
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-62 Checking Your Restraint Systems
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-63 Replacing Restraint System Parts
After a Crash

1-6 Heated Front Seats (If Equipped)
If your vehicle has this
feature, the controls are
located on the outboard
side of the front seats.
This feature will quickly heat the seat cushion and lower
back of the driver's and front passenger's seats for
added comfort.
Press the lower part of the control to turn the heater on
low. Press the upper part of the control to turn the heater
on high. Move the control to the center position to turn
the heater off.
The passenger's safety belt must be engaged for the
heated seat feature to work on the passenger's seat.
Reclining Seatbacks
If your vehicle is equipped with power seats, see ªPower
Seatsº earlier in this section for information on reclining
the seatback.
To adjust a manual
front seatback, lift the
lever on the outboard side
of the seat.
Release the lever to lock the seatback where you want it.
Pull up on the lever without pushing on the seatback and
the seat will go to an upright position.

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But don't have a seatback reclined if your vehicle is
moving.
CAUTION:
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.

1-10 Jump Seat (Extended Cab Models)
Your extended cab
pickup has a jump seat in
the rear area.
To fold the jump seat down, pull down on the pull tab
on the bottom of the seat until the seat is in place, then
move the seatback to a vertical position. To store the
seat, fold the seatback down on the cushion, then push
the entire seat up until it is flush with the trim panel.
Don't let the safety belts be damaged by the hinges or
the latches. Safety belts should be folded and stored
between the seat cushion and seatback.
Rear Seat (Crew Cab)
The rear seatback can be tilted forward to let you reach
the area behind it.
To tilt the seatback
forward, lift up on the lever
located at the base of the
seatback on the driver's or
passenger's side. Then tilt
the seatback forward.
To return the seatback to the upright position, push the
seatback rearward until it latches. After returning the
seatback to its upright position, try to pull the seatback
forward to make sure it is locked.

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Safety Belts: They're for Everyone
This part of the manual tells you how to use safety belts
properly. It also tells you some things you should not do
with safety belts.
And it explains the air bag system.
CAUTION:
Don't let anyone ride where he or she can't wear
a safety belt properly. If you are in a crash and
you're not wearing a safety belt, your injuries
can be much worse. You can hit things inside the
vehicle or be ejected from it. You can be seriously
injured or killed. In the same crash, you might
not be if you are buckled up. Always fasten your
safety belt, and check that your passengers' belts
are fastened properly too.
CAUTION:
It is extremely dangerous to ride in a cargo area,
inside or outside of a vehicle. In a collision,
people riding in these areas are more likely to be
seriously injured or killed. Do not allow people to
ride in any area of your vehicle that is not
equipped with seats and safety belts. Be sure
everyone in your vehicle is in a seat and using a
safety belt properly.

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Your vehicle has a light
that comes on as a reminder
to buckle up. See ªSafety
Belt Reminder Lightº in
the Index.
In most states and Canadian provinces, the law says to
wear safety belts. Here's why: They work.
You never know if you'll be in a crash. If you do have a
crash, you don't know if it will be a bad one.
A few crashes are mild, and some crashes can be so
serious that even buckled up a person wouldn't survive.
But most crashes are in between. In many of them,
people who buckle up can survive and sometimes walk
away. Without belts they could have been badly hurt
or killed.
After more than 30 years of safety belts in vehicles,
the facts are clear. In most crashes buckling up does
matter ... a lot!Why Safety Belts Work
When you ride in or on anything, you go as fast as
it goes.
Take the simplest vehicle. Suppose it's just a seat
on wheels.

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or the safety belts!
With safety belts, you slow down as the vehicle does.
You get more time to stop. You stop over more distance,
and your strongest bones take the forces. That's why
safety belts make such good sense.
Here Are Questions Many People Ask
About Safety Belts
-- and the Answers
Q:
Won't I be trapped in the vehicle after an
accident if I'm wearing a safety belt?
A:You could be -- whether you're wearing a safety
belt or not. But you can unbuckle a safety belt,
even if you're upside down. And your chance of
being conscious during and after an accident, so
you can unbuckle and get out, is much greater if
you are belted.
Q:If my vehicle has air bags, why should I have to
wear safety belts?
A:Air bags are in many vehicles today and will be in
most of them in the future. But they are
supplemental systems only; so they work with
safety belts
-- not instead of them. Every air bag
system ever offered for sale has required the use of
safety belts. Even if you're in a vehicle that has air
bags, you still have to buckle up to get the most
protection. That's true not only in frontal collisions,
but especially in side and other collisions.

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Q:If I'm a good driver, and I never drive far from
home, why should I wear safety belts?
A:You may be an excellent driver, but if you're in an
accident
-- even one that isn't your fault -- you and
your passengers can be hurt. Being a good driver
doesn't protect you from things beyond your
control, such as bad drivers.
Most accidents occur within 25 miles (40 km)
of home. And the greatest number of serious
injuries and deaths occur at speeds of less than
40 mph (65 km/h).
Safety belts are for everyone.
How to Wear Safety Belts Properly
Adults
This part is only for people of adult size.
Be aware that there are special things to know about
safety belts and children. And there are different rules
for smaller children and babies. If a child will be riding
in your vehicle, see the part of this manual called
ªChildren.º Follow those rules for everyone's
protection.
First, you'll want to know which restraint systems your
vehicle has.
We'll start with the driver position.
Driver Position
This part describes the driver's restraint system.
Lap-Shoulder Belt
The driver has a lap-shoulder belt. Here's how to wear it
properly.
1. Close and lock the door.
2. Adjust the seat so you can sit up straight. To see
how, see ªSeatsº in the Index.