2003 GMC SONOMA Owner's Manual

Top Strap Anchor Location
Anchor points for the top strap in a regular or extended
cab are located behind the front seat.The anchor points for the rear seat child restraint
positions in the Crew Cab
®are located on the back
wall behind the rear seat.
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Lower Anchorages and Top Tethers
for Children (LATCH System)
If your vehicle is equipped with the LATCH System, it is
available in the second row outboard seating positions
(Crew Cab
®only) and in the front passenger position
(Crew Cab®and extended cab).
To assist you in locating the anchors for this child
restraint system, place your hand in a palm-up position
and reach up between the seat cushion and the
seatback.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 “Securing a Child Restraint
Designed for the LATCH System”, “Securing a
Child Restraint in a Rear Outside Seat
Position” or “Securing a Child Restraint in the
Right Front Seat Position” in the Index for
information on howto 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. SeeTop 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
Outside Seat Position
CrewCab®
If your child restraint is equipped with the LATCH
system, seeLower Anchorages and Top Tethers for
Children (LATCH System) on page 1-44.
You’ll be using the lap-shoulder belt. SeeTop 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.
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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. Pull the rest of the shoulder belt all the way out of
the retractor to set the lock.
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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 mayfind 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 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.
Extended Cab (Jump Seat)
Don’t use child restraints in these positions.
The restraints won’t work properly.
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Securing a Child Restraint in a
Center Seat Position
Don’t use child restraints in these positions.
The restraints won’t work properly.
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 1-44.
Your vehicle has a passenger air bag. If your vehicle is
a regular cab pickup or an extended cab pickup,
there’s a switch on the instrument panel that you can
use to turn off the right front passenger’s air bag
when you want to secure a rear-facing child restraint at
the right front passenger’s position. SeeAir Bag Off
Switch on page 1-60for more on this, including
important safety information.
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Unless your vehicle has the air bag off switch and the
passenger’s air bag has been turned off, never put a rear
facing child restraint in the right front passenger’s 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 inflates. This is because
the back of the rear-facing child restraint
would be very close to the inflating air bag.
If your vehicle is a crewcab, do not use a
rear-facing child restraint in the right front
passenger’s position. If your vehicle is a
regular cab pickup or an extended cab pickup,
be sure to turn off the air bag before using a
rear-facing child restraint in the right front
seat position.
CAUTION: (Continued)
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