2002 GMC SONOMA 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, as you would be if you were leaning
forward, it could seriously injure you. Safety
belts help keep you in position before and during
a crash. Always wear your safety belt, even with
air bags. The driver should sit as far back as
possible while still maintaining control of the
vehicle.
CAUTION:
Anyone who is up against, or very close to, any
air bag when it inflates can be seriously injured
or killed. 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 ªChildren.º

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When should an air bag inflate?
An air bag is designed to inflate in a moderate to severe
frontal or near
-frontal crash. The air bag will inflate
only if the impact speed is above the system's designed
ªthreshold level.º If your vehicle goes straight into a
wall that doesn't move or deform, the threshold level is
about 9 to 16 mph (14 to 26 km/h). The threshold level
can vary, however, with specific vehicle design, so that
it can be somewhat above or below this range. If your
vehicle strikes something that will move or deform, such
as a parked car, the threshold level will be higher. The
air bag is not designed to inflate in rollovers, rear
impacts, or in many side impacts because inflation
would not help the occupant.
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 upper body,
stopping the occupant more gradually. But air bags
would not help you in many types of collisions,
including rollovers, rear impacts and many 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.

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Your vehicle is equipped with a diagnostic module,
which records information about the air bag system.
The module records information about the readiness
of the system, when the system commands air bag
inflation 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.
Air Bag Off Switch (Regular Cab and
Extended Cab Models)
If your vehicle is a regular cab model or an extended cab
model, it has a switch on the instrument panel that you
can use to turn off the right front passenger's air bag.
This switch should only be turned to AIR BAG OFF if
the person in the right front passenger's position is a
member of a passenger risk group identified by the
national government as follows:

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Infant. An infant (less than 1 year old) must ride in the
front seat because:

my vehicle has no rear seat;

my vehicle has a rear seat too small to accommodate
a rear
-facing infant seat; or

the infant has a medical condition which, according
to the infant's physician, makes it necessary for the
infant to ride in the front seat so that the driver can
constantly monitor the child's condition.
Child age 1 to 12.A child age 1 to 12 must ride in the
front seat because:

my vehicle has no rear seat;

although children ages 1 to 12 ride in the rear
seat(s) whenever possible, children ages 1 to 12
sometimes must ride in the front because no space is
available in the rear seat(s) of my vehicle; or

the child has a medical condition which, according
to the child's physician, makes it necessary for the
child to ride in the front seat so that the driver can
constantly monitor the child's condition.Medical Condition. A passenger has a medical
condition which, according to his or her physician:

causes the passenger air bag to pose a special risk
for the passenger; and

makes the potential harm from the passenger air bag
in a crash greater than the potential harm from
turning off the air bag and allowing the passenger,
even if belted, to hit the dashboard or windshield in
a crash.
CAUTION:
If the right front passenger's air bag is turned off
for a person who isn't in a risk group identified
by the national government, that person won't
have the extra protection of an air bag. In a
crash, the air bag wouldn't be able to inflate and
help protect the person sitting there. Don't turn
off the passenger's air bag unless the person
sitting there is in a risk group.

1-34 Adding Equipment to Your Air
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 is a regular cab or an extended cab with a
bench seat, someone can sit in the center position. If
your vehicle is a Crew Cab model, someone can sit in
the center rear position.

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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
(Extended Cab Jump Seats)
Lap Belt
These are reserve seating positions equipped with lap
belts only. (If your extended cab pickup has the optional
side access panel, there's only one reserve seating
position.)
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.
Each jump seat has a lap belt with no retractor. To make
the belt longer, tilt the latch plate and pull it along the belt.

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To make it shorter, pull the belt as shown until it is snug.
Buckle and position it the same way as the lap part of
the driver's safety belt. See ªDriver Positionº in the
Index. 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. To unlatch the belt, just
push the button on the buckle.
Don't use child restraints on these seats. They won't
work properly.
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
(Crew Cab)