2003 GMC SAFARI Owner's Manual

Bench Seat
Each bench seat can carry up to three passengers.
They can also be removed to increase storage space.
Only the rear bench seat can be adjusted forward
or rearward using the lever at the front of the seat.
Move the seat adjustment
lever located at the front of
the seat toward the
passenger’s side to unlock
it. Slide the seat to where
you want it. Then release
the lever and try to move
the seat with your body, to
make sure the seat is
locked into place.
The center bench seat has a pivoting right armrest.
The optional bench seats come with moveable armrests,
individual reclining seatbacks, adjustable headrests
and a fold-down center armrest console.To adjust your seatback, pull up on the lever located on
the outboard side of the seat cushion.
1-11
2003 - Safari OM

If your vehicle has the
optional touring package,
your vehicle will have a
center console. To raise or
lower the center console,
press the button located
between the beverage
holders. Sit in the center
seating position only when
the console is in an upright
and locked position.
For details about headrests, seeHead Restraints on
page 1-5.Bucket Seats
Your vehicle may have rear bucket seats with an
adjustment release bar located under the front of the
seats. These seats can be adjusted forward or rearward
with the release bar. Pull the release bar up to release
the seat bottom. Slide the seat where you want it
and then let go of the release bar. Then try to move the
seat with your body to make sure the seat is locked
into place.
1-12
2003 - Safari OM

Safety Belts
Safety Belts: They Are for Everyone
This part of the manual tells you how to use safety
belts properly. It also tells you some things you should
not do with safety belts.
{CAUTION:
Don’t let anyone ride where he or she can’t
wear a safety belt properly. If you are in a
crash and you’re not wearing a safety belt,
your injuries can be much worse. You can hit
things inside the vehicle or be ejected from it.
You can be seriously injured or killed. In the
same crash, you might not be, if you are
buckled up. Always fasten your safety belt,
and check that your passengers’ belts are
fastened properly too.
{CAUTION:
It is extremely dangerous to ride in a cargo
area, inside or outside of a vehicle. In a
collision, people riding in these areas are more
likely to be seriously injured or killed. Do not
allowpeople to ride in any area of your vehicle
that is not equipped with seats and safety
belts. Be sure everyone in your vehicle is in a
seat and using a safety belt properly.
Your vehicle has a light
that comes on as a
reminder to buckle up. See
Safety Belt Reminder
Light on page 3-25.
In most states and in all Canadian provinces, the law
says to wear safety belts. Here’s why:They work.
1-13
2003 - Safari OM

You never know if you’ll be in a crash. If you do have a
crash, you don’t know if it will be a bad one.
A few crashes are mild, and some crashes can be so
serious that even buckled up, a person wouldn’t survive.
But most crashes are in between. In many of them,
people who buckle up can survive and sometimes walk
away. Without belts they could have been badly hurt
or killed.
After more than 30 years of safety belts in vehicles, the
facts are clear. In most crashes buckling up does
matter... a lot!Why Safety Belts Work
When you ride in or on anything, you go as fast as
it goes.
Take the simplest vehicle. Suppose it’s just a seat on
wheels.
1-14
2003 - Safari OM

Put someone on it. Get it up to speed. Then stop the vehicle. The rider
doesn’t stop.
1-15
2003 - Safari OM

The person keeps going until stopped by something. In
a real vehicle, it could be the windshield...or the instrument panel...
1-16
2003 - Safari OM

or the safety belts!
With safety belts, you slow down as the vehicle does.
You get more time to stop. You stop over more distance,
and your strongest bones take the forces. That’swhy
safety belts make such good sense.
Questions and Answers About
Safety Belts
Q:Won’t I be trapped in the vehicle after an
accident if I’m wearing a safety belt?
A:Youcouldbe–whether you’re wearing a safety
belt or not. But you can unbuckle a safety belt,
even if you’re upside down. And your chance
of being conscious during and after an accident,
so youcanunbuckle and get out, ismuchgreater if
you are belted.
Q:If my vehicle has air bags, why should I have to
wear safety belts?
A:Air bags are in many vehicles today and will be in
most of them in the future. But they are
supplemental systems only; so they workwith
safety belts–not instead of them. Every air bag
system ever offered for sale has required the use of
safety belts. Even if you’re in a vehicle that has air
bags, you still have to buckle up to get the most
protection. That’s true not only in frontal collisions,
but especially in side and other collisions.
1-17
2003 - Safari 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.
Howto 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 1-35
orInfants and Young Children on page 1-38. 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.
1-18
2003 - Safari OM