2003 BUICK RANDEZVOUS child seat

Seats and Restraint Systems........................... 1-1
Front Seats
............................................... 1-2
Rear Seats
............................................... 1-7
Safety Belts
.............................................1-19
Child Restraints
.......................................1-45
Air Bag Systems
......................................1-67
Restraint System Check
............................1-76
Features and Controls..................................... 2-1
Keys
........................................................ 2-3
Doors and Locks
....................................... 2-8
Windows
.................................................2-13
Theft-Deterrent Systems
............................2-15
Starting and Operating Your Vehicle
...........2-18
Mirrors
....................................................2-31
OnStar
®System
......................................2-32
HomeLink®Transmitter
.............................2-34
Storage Areas
.........................................2-37
Sunroof
..................................................2-45
Vehicle Personalization
.............................2-46
Instrument Panel............................................. 3-1
Instrument Panel Overview
.......................... 3-4
Climate Controls
......................................3-24
Warning Lights, Gages and Indicators
.........3-33
Message Center
.......................................3-44
Driver Information
Center (DIC)
........................................3-53
Audio System(s)
.......................................3-64Driving Your Vehicle....................................... 4-1
Your Driving, the Road, and Your Vehicle
..... 4-2
Towing
...................................................4-31
Service and Appearance Care.......................... 5-1
Service
..................................................... 5-3
Fuel
......................................................... 5-4
Checking Things Under
the Hood
............................................... 5-9
All-Wheel Drive
........................................5-41
Bulb Replacement
....................................5-42
Windshield Wiper Blade Replacement
.........5-47
Tires
......................................................5-48
Appearance Care
.....................................5-77
Vehicle Identication
.................................5-85
Electrical System
......................................5-85
Capacities and Specications
.....................5-92
Normal Maintenance Replacement Parts
......5-93
Maintenance Schedule..................................... 6-1
Maintenance Schedule
................................ 6-2
Customer Assistance Information.................... 7-1
Customer Assistance Information
.................. 7-2
Reporting Safety Defects
............................ 7-8
Index................................................................ 1
2003 Buick Rendezvous Owner ManualM
2003 - Rendezvous Owner Manual

Front Seats......................................................1-2
Manual Passenger Seat..................................1-2
Four-Way Manual Driver Seat..........................1-2
Six-Way Power Seats.....................................1-3
Manual Lumbar..............................................1-4
Heated Seats.................................................1-4
Reclining Seatbacks........................................1-5
Head Restraints.............................................1-6
Rear Seats.......................................................1-7
Rear Seat Operation.......................................1-7
Split Bench Seats...........................................1-7
Captain Chairs.............................................1-12
Stowable Seat..............................................1-16
Safety Belts...................................................1-19
Safety Belts: They Are for Everyone................1-19
Questions and Answers About Safety Belts......1-23
How to Wear Safety Belts Properly.................1-24
Driver Position..............................................1-24
Safety Belt Use During Pregnancy..................1-32
Right Front Passenger Position.......................1-33
Rear Seat Passengers..................................1-34
Center Rear Passenger Position.....................1-38
Rear Safety Belt Comfort Guides for Children
and Small Adults.......................................1-40
Safety Belt Extender.....................................1-44
Child Restraints.............................................1-45
Older Children..............................................1-45Infants and Young Children............................1-47
Child Restraint Systems.................................1-51
Where to Put the Restraint.............................1-54
Top Strap....................................................1-54
Top Strap Anchor Location.............................1-56
Lower Anchorages and Top Tethers for
Children (LATCH System)...........................1-59
Securing a Child Restraint Designed for
the LATCH System....................................1-61
Securing a Child Restraint in a Rear
Outside Seat Position
................................1-61
Securing a Child Restraint in a Center
Rear Seat Position
....................................1-63
Securing a Child Restraint in the Right
Front Seat Position
....................................1-65
Air Bag Systems
............................................1-67
Where Are the Air Bags?
...............................1-70
When Should an Air Bag Inflate?
....................1-72
What Makes an Air Bag Inflate?
.....................1-73
How Does an Air Bag Restrain?
.....................1-73
What Will You See After an Air Bag Inflates?
.......1-74
Servicing Your Air Bag-Equipped Vehicle
.........1-76
Restraint System Check
..................................1-76
Checking Your Restraint Systems
...................1-76
Replacing Restraint System Parts After a Crash
. . .1-77
Section 1 Seats and Restraint Systems
1-1
2003 - Rendezvous OM

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
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, seeOlder Children on page 1-45
orInfants and Young Children on page 1-47. 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“Seats”in the Index.
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2003 - Rendezvous OM

To make the belt shorter, pull its free end as shown
until the belt is snug
4. Buckle, position and release the lap-shoulder belt
the same way as the other lap-shoulder belts. If
the belt isn’t long enough, seeSafety Belt Extender
on page 1-44.
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.
Rear Safety Belt Comfort Guides for
Children and Small Adults
Your vehicle may have this feature already. If it doesn’t,
you can get it from any GM Dealer.
This feature will provide added safety belt comfort for
older children who have outgrown booster seats and for
small adults. When installed on a shoulder belt, the
comfort guide better positions the belt away from
the neck and head.
There is one guide available for each passenger
position in the second row rear seat. To provide added
safety belt comfort for children who have outgrown
child restraints and booster seats and for smaller adults,
the comfort guides may be installed on the shoulder
belts. Here’s how to install a comfort guide and use the
safety belt:
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2003 - Rendezvous OM

Child Restraints
Older Children
Older children who have outgrown booster seats should
wear the vehicle’s safety belts.
Q:What is the proper way to wear safety belts?
A:If possible, an older child should wear a
lap-shoulder belt and get the additional restraint a
shoulder belt can provide. The shoulder belt
should not cross the face or neck. The lap belt
shouldfit snugly below the hips, just touching the
top of the thighs. It should never be worn over
the abdomen, which could cause severe or even
fatal internal injuries in a crash.
Accident statistics show that children are safer if they
are restrained in the rear seat.
In a crash, children who are not buckled up can strike
other people who are buckled up, or can be thrown
out of the vehicle. Older children need to use safety
belts properly.
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{CAUTION:
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.
Q: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:If the child is sitting in a seat next to a window,
move the child toward the center of the vehicle.
If the child is sitting in the center rear seat
passenger position, move the child toward the
safety belt buckle. In either case, 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, see“Rear Safety
Belt Comfort Guides”in the Index.
1-46
2003 - Rendezvous OM

{CAUTION:
Never do this.
Here a child is sitting in a seat that has a
lap-shoulder belt, but the shoulder part is
behind the child. If the child wears the belt in
this way, in a crash the child might slide under
the belt. The belt’s force would then be applied
right on the child’s abdomen. That could cause
serious or fatal injuries.
The lap portion of the belt should be worn low and snug
on the hips, just touching the child’s thighs. This
applies belt force to the child’s pelvic bones in a crash.
Infants and Young Children
Everyone in a vehicle needs protection! This includes
infants and all other children. Neither the distance
traveled nor the age and size of the traveler changes
the need, for everyone, to use safety restraints. In fact,
the law in every state in the United States and in
every Canadian province says children up to some age
must be restrained while in a vehicle.
1-47
2003 - Rendezvous OM

For most basic types of child restraints, there are
many different models available. When purchasing a
child restraint, be sure it is designed to be used
in a motor vehicle. If it is, the restraint will have a
label saying that it meets federal motor vehicle
safety standards.
The restraint manufacturer’s instructions that come
with the restraint state the weight and height
limitations for a particular child restraint. In addition,
there are many kinds of restraints available for
children with special needs.
{CAUTION:
Newborn infants need complete support,
including support for the head and neck. This
is necessary because a newborn infant’s neck
is weak and its head weighs so much
compared with the rest of its body. In a crash,
an infant in a rear-facing seat settles into the
restraint, so the crash forces can be
distributed across the strongest part of an
infant’s body, the back and shoulders. Infants
always should be secured in appropriate infant
restraints.
{CAUTION:
The body structure of a young child is quite
unlike that of an adult or older child, for whom
the safety belts are designed. A young child’s
hip bones are still so small that the vehicle’s
regular safety belt may not remain low on the
hip bones, as it should. Instead, it may settle
up around the child’s abdomen. In a crash, the
belt would apply force on a body area that’s
unprotected by any bony structure. This alone
could cause serious or fatal injuries. Young
children always should be secured in
appropriate child restraints.
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2003 - Rendezvous OM