2003 CHEVROLET MALIBU Owners Manual

Tilt the latch plate to adjust the belt if needed.
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.4. To tighten the belt, pull up on the shoulder belt
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.
5. 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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Securing a Child Restraint in a
Center Rear Seat Position
If your child restraint is equipped with the LATCH
system, seeLower Anchorages and Top Tethers
for Children (LATCH System) on page 1-40. SeeTop Strap on page 1-38if the child restraint has one.
If your child restraint does not have the LATCH system,
you will be using the lap belt to secure the child
restraint. 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. See
Top Strap on page 1-38if the child restraint has one.1. Make the belt as long as possible by tilting the latch
plate and pulling it along the belt.
2. Put the restraint on the seat.
3. Run the vehicle's safety belt through or around the
restraint. The child restraint instructions will show
you how.
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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. To tighten the belt, pull its free end 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.
To remove the child restraint, just unbuckle the vehicle's
safety belt. It will be ready to work for an adult or
larger child passenger.
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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 1-40. SeeTop Strap on page 1-38if the child restraint has one.
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
CAUTION: (Continued)
CAUTION: (Continued)
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.
If your child restraint does not have the LATCH system,
you will be using the lap-shoulder belt to secure the
child restraint. 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.
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.
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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.
Supplemental Restraint
System (SRS)
This part explains the Supplemental Restraint System
(SRS) or air bag system.
Your vehicle has air bags Ð one air bag for the driver
and another air bag for the right front passenger.
Frontal air bags are designed to help reduce the risk of
injury from the force of an in¯ating air bag. But these
air bags must in¯ate very quickly to do their job
and comply with federal regulations.
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Here are the most important things to know about the
air bag system:
{CAUTION:
You can be severely injured or killed in a crash
if you aren't wearing your safety belt Ð even if
you have air bags. Wearing your safety belt
during a crash helps reduce your chance of
hitting things inside the vehicle or being
ejected from it. Air bags are designed to work
with safety belts, but don't replace them. Air
bags are designed to deploy only in moderate
to severe frontal and near frontal crashes.
They aren't designed to in¯ate at all in rollover,
rear or low-speed frontal crashes, or in many
side crashes. And, for some unrestrained
occupants, air bags may provide less
protection in frontal crashes than more
forceful air bags have provided in the past.
Everyone in your vehicle should wear a safety
belt properly Ð whether or not there's an air
bag for that person.
{CAUTION:
Air bags in¯ate with great force, faster than the
blink of an eye. If you're too close to an
in¯ating 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.
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{CAUTION:
Anyone who is up against, or very close to,
any air bag when it in¯ates 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
Older Children on page 1-28 and Infants
and Young Children on page 1-31.
There is a air bag
readiness light on the
instrument panel, which
shows the air bag symbol.The system checks the air bag electrical system for
malfunctions. The light tells you if there is an electrical
problem. See
Air Bag Readiness Light on page 3-26.
Where Are the Air Bags?
The driver's air bag is in the middle of the steering
wheel.
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