2003 CHEVROLET IMPALA Owners Manual

Lower Anchorages and Top Tethers
for Children (LATCH System)
Your vehicle has the LATCH system. You'll ®nd
anchors (A) in all three rear seating positions.
To assist you in locating
the lower anchors for this
child restraint system,
each seating position with
the LATCH system will
have a dot on the seatback
directly above the anchor.In order to use the system, you need either a
forward-facing child restraint that has attaching
points (B) at its base and a top tether anchor (C), or a
rear-facing child restraint that has attaching points (B),
as shown here.
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With this system, use the LATCH system instead of the
vehicle's safety belts to secure a child restraint.
{CAUTION:
If a LATCH-type child restraint isn't attached to
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 ªSecuring a Child Restraint
Designed for the LATCH Systemº, ªSecuring a
Child Restraint in a Rear Outside Seat
Positionº or ªSecuring a Child Restraint in a
Center Rear Seat Positionº in the Index for
information on how to secure a child restraint
in your vehicle.
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Securing a Child Restraint Designed
for the LATCH System
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 1-41. Tighten the top strap according to
the child restraint instructions.
5. Push and pull the child restraint in different
directions to be sure it is secure.
To remove the child restraint, simply unhook the top
strap from the top tether anchor and then disconnect the
anchor points.
Securing a Child Restraint in a Rear
Seat Position
If your child restraint is equipped with the LATCH
system, seeLower Anchorages and Top Tethers for
Children (LATCH System) on page 1-43.
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{CAUTION:
A child in a child restraint in the center front
seat can be badly injured or killed by the right
front passenger's air bag if it in¯ates. Never
secure a child restraint in the center front seat.
It's always better to secure a child restraint in
the rear seat. You may secure a forward-facing
child restraint in the right front passenger 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.
You'll be using the lap-shoulder belt. See
Top Strap on
page 1-41if 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. Buckle the belt. Make sure the release button is
positioned so you would be able to unbuckle the
safety belt quickly if you ever had to.
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4. Pull the rest of the shoulder belt all the way out of
the retractor to set the lock.5. To tighten the belt, feed the shoulder belt back into
the retractor while you push down on the child
restraint. If you're using a forward-facing child
restraint, you may ®nd it helpful to use your knee to
push down on the child restraint as you tighten
the belt.
6. Push and pull the child restraint in different
directions to be sure it is secure.
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To remove the child restraint, just unbuckle the vehicle's
safety belt and let it go back all the way. The safety
belt will move freely again and be ready to work for an
adult or larger child passenger.
Securing a Child Restraint in the
Right Front Seat Position
If your child restraint is equipped with the LATCH
system, seeLower Anchorages and Top Tethers for
Children (LATCH System) on page 1-43.
Your vehicle has a right front passenger air bag.
Neverput a rear-facing child restraint in this seat.
Here's why:
{CAUTION:
A child in a rear-facing child restraint can be
seriously injured or killed if the right front
passenger's air bag in¯ates. This is because
the back of the rear-facing child restraint
would be very close to the in¯ating air bag.
Always secure a rear-facing child restraint in a
rear seat.
Although a rear seat is a safer place, you can secure a
forward-facing child restraint in the right front seat.
You'll be using the lap-shoulder belt. See the earlier part
about the
Top Strap on page 1-41, 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. Because your vehicle has a right front passenger
air bag, always move the seat as far back as it will
go before securing a forward-facing child restraint.
See
Manual Seats on page 1-2.
2. Put the restraint on the seat.
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3. 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.
4. Buckle the belt. Make sure the release button is
positioned so you would be able to unbuckle the
safety belt quickly if you ever had to.5. Pull the rest of the shoulder belt all the way out of
the retractor to set the lock.
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6. To tighten the belt, feed the shoulder belt back into
the retractor while you push down on the child
restraint. You may ®nd it helpful to use your knee to
push down on the child restraint as you tighten
the belt.
7. Push and pull the child restraint in different
directions to be sure it is secure.
To remove the child restraint, just unbuckle the vehicle's
safety belt and let it go back all the way. The safety
belt will move freely again and be ready to work for an
adult or larger child passenger.
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