2003 CHEVROLET ASTRO ECU

Q: How do child restraints work?
A: A child restraint system is any device designed for
use
in a motor vehicle to restrain, seat, or position
children.
A built-in child restraint system is a
permanent part of the motor vehicle. An add-on
child restraint system is a portable one, which
is purchased by the vehicle’s owner.
For many years, add-on child restraints have used
the adult belt system in the vehicle.
To help
reduce the chance of injury, the child also has to
be secured within the restraint. The vehicle’s
belt system secures the add-on child restraint in the
vehicle, and the add-on child restraint’s harness
system holds the child in place within the restraint.
One system, the three-point harness, has straps that
come down over each of the infant’s shoulders and
buckle together at the crotch. The five-point harness
system has two shoulder straps, two hip straps and
a crotch strap. A shield may take the place of hip
straps. A T-shaped shield has shoulder straps that
are attached to a flat pad which rests low against the
child’s body.
A shelf- or armrest-type shield has
straps that are attached to a wide, shelf-like shield
that swings up or to the side. When
choosing a child restraint, be sure the child
restraint is designed to be used in a vehicle.
If it is,
it will have a label saying that it meets federal motor
vehicle safety standards.
Then follow the instructions for the restraint. You may
find these instructions on the restraint itself or in a
booklet, or both. These restraints use the belt system
in your vehicle, but the child also has to be secured
within the restraint to help reduce the chance of personal
injury. When securing an add-on child restraint, refer
to the instructions that come with the restraint which may
be on the restraint itself or in a booklet, or both, and
to this manual. The child restraint instructions are
important,
so if they are not available, obtain a
replacement copy from the manufacturer.
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Where to Put the Restraint
Except Cargo Vans
Accident statistics show that children are safer if they
are restrained in the rear rather than the front seat.
General Motors, therefore, recommends that child
restraints be secured in a rear seat including an infant
riding in a rear-facing infant seat, a child riding in a
forward-facing child seat and an older child riding in a
booster seat.
Never put a rear-facing child restraint
in the fro
’ passenger seat. Here’s why:
A child in a rear-facing child restraint can be
seriously injured or killed if the right front passenger’s air bag inflates. This
is because
the back of the rear-facing child restraint
would be very close to the inflating air bag. Always secure a rear-facing child restraint
in
a rear seat.
CAUTION: (Continued)
You may secure a forward-facing child restraint
in the right front 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.
Wherever you install it, be sure
to secure the child
restraint properly.
Keep in mind that an unsecured child restraint can
move around in a collision or sudden stop and injure
people in the vehicle. Be sure to properly secure
any child restraint in your vehicle
- even when no
child is in it.
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Cargo Vans Top Strap
The child restraint must be secured properly in the
passenger seat.
Never put a rear-facing child restraint
in this vehicle. Here’s why:
A child in a r- r-fa 1g child restraint can be
seriously injured or killed if the passenger’s
air bag inflates. This
is because the back of
the rear-facing child restraint would be very close to the inflating air bag.
Do not use a
rear-facing child restraint
in this vehicle.
If a forward-facing child restraint is suitable for
your child, always move the front passenger
seat as far back as
it will go.
Keep
in mind that an unsecured child restraint can
move around in a collision or sudden stop and injure
people
in the vehicle. Be sure to properly secure
any child restraint in your vehicle
- even when no
child is in it. Some
child restraints have a top strap, or “top tether.”
It can help restrain the child restraint during a collision.
For it to work, a top strap must be properly anchored
to the vehicle. Some top strap-equipped child restraints
are designed for use with or without the top strap
being anchored. Others require the top strap always
to be anchored. Be sure to read and follow the
instructions for your child restraint.
If yours requires
that the top strap be anchored, don’t use the restraint
unless it is anchored properly.
If the child restraint does not have a top strap, one can
be obtained, in kit form, for many child restraints.
Ask the child restraint manufacturer whether or not a kit
is available.
I -48

In Canada, the law requires that forward-facing child
restraints have a top strap, and that the strap be
anchored. In the United States, some child restraints
also have a top strap.
If your child restraint has a
top strap, it should be anchored.
Anchor the top strap to one of the following anchor
points. Be sure to use an anchor point located on the
same side
of the vehicle as the seating position
where the child restraint will be placed.
If you have an adjustable head restraint, route the top
strap under it.
Once you have the top strap anchored, you’ll be ready
to secure the child restraint itself. Tighten the top
strap when and as the child restraint manufacturer’s
instructions say.
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Top Strap Anchor Location
If your vehicle is a cargo van, the anchoring point for
a top strap is located at the rear
of the seat cushion
on the right front passsenger's seat spacer bar.
Anchor the top strap through the two slots.
If your vehicle is a passenger van with rear seats, it is
recommended that you secure a child restraint with a top
strap only in the outboard positions of the second row.
Bucket Seats: An anchoring point is located below
the rear of the seat cushion on the spacer bar.
Anchor the top strap through the two slots on the bar.
Cargo Van Models
Passenger Van Bucket Seats
1 -50

With this system, use the LATCH system instead of the
vehicle’s safety belts to secure a child restraint. If a LATCH-type
child restraint isn’t attached t~
its anchorage points, the restraint won’t be
able to protect the child correctly.
In a crash,
the child could be seriously injured or killed.
Make sure that a LATCH-type child restraint
is
properly installed using the anchorage points,
or use the vehicle’s safety belts to secure
the restraint. See “Securing a Child Restraint
Designed for the LATCH System”, “Securing
a Child Restraint
in a Rear Outside Seat
Position”, “Securing a Child Restraint
in a
Center Seat Position”, or “Securing a Child
Restraint
in a Right Front Seat Position” in the
Index for information on how
to secure a child
restraint
in your vehicle.
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Securing a Child Restraint Designed Securing a Child Restraint in a Rear
for the
LATCH System
Outside Seat Position
1. Find the anchors for the seating position you want
to use, where the bottom of the seatback meets the
back
of the seat cushion.
2. Put the child restraint on the seat.
3. Attach the anchor points on the child restraint to the
anchors in the vehicle. The child restraint
instructions will show you how.
4. If the child restraint is forward-facing, attach the top
strap to the top strap anchor. See
Top Strap on
page
7-48. Tighten the top strap according to
the child restraint instructions.
directions to be sure it is secure.
5.
Push and pull the child restraint in different
To remove the child restraint, simply unhook the top
strap from the top tether anchor and then disconnect the
anchor points.
If your child restraint is equipped with the LATCH
system, see Lower Anchorages and Top Tethers for
Children (LATCH System) on page
1-52.
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You’ll be using the lap-shoulder belt. See Top Strap on
page 1-48 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. Put the restraint on the seat.
2. 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.
3. Tilt the latch plate to adjust the belt if needed.
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