2003 GMC SONOMA child seat

Seats and Restraint Systems........................... 1-1
Front Seats
............................................... 1-3
Rear Seats
............................................... 1-9
Safety Belts
.............................................1-10
Child Restraints
.......................................1-30
Air Bag System
.......................................1-54
Restraint System Check
............................1-64
Features and Controls..................................... 2-1
Keys
........................................................ 2-3
Doors and Locks
....................................... 2-8
Windows
.................................................2-14
Theft-Deterrent Systems
............................2-17
Starting and Operating Your Vehicle
...........2-20
Mirrors
....................................................2-39
Storage Areas
.........................................2-41
Sunroof
..................................................2-52
Vehicle Personalization
.............................2-54
Instrument Panel............................................. 3-1
Instrument Panel Overview
.......................... 3-2
Climate Controls
......................................3-17
Warning Lights, Gages and Indicators
.........3-20
Audio System(s)
.......................................3-36
Driving Your Vehicle....................................... 4-1
Your Driving, the Road, and Your Vehicle
..... 4-2
Towing
...................................................4-42Service and Appearance Care.......................... 5-1
Service
..................................................... 5-3
Fuel
......................................................... 5-4
Checking Things Under the Hood
................. 5-8
Rear Axle
...............................................5-47
Four-Wheel Drive
.....................................5-48
Front Axle
...............................................5-49
Bulb Replacement
....................................5-50
Windshield Wiper Blade Replacement
.........5-56
Tires
......................................................5-58
Appearance Care
.....................................5-79
Vehicle Identification
.................................5-87
Electrical System
......................................5-88
Capacities and Specifications
.....................5-94
Normal Maintenance Replacement Parts
......5-96
Maintenance Schedule..................................... 6-1
Maintenance Schedule
................................ 6-2
Customer Assistance Information.................... 7-1
Customer Assistance Information
.................. 7-2
Reporting Safety Defects
............................ 7-8
Index................................................................ 1
2003 GMC Sonoma Owner ManualM
2003 - Sonoma Owner Manual

Front Seats......................................................1-3
Manual Seats................................................1-3
Power Seats..................................................1-4
Manual Lumbar..............................................1-4
Power Lumbar ...............................................1-5
Heated Seats.................................................1-5
Reclining Seatbacks........................................1-6
Head Restraints.............................................1-7
Seatback Latches...........................................1-8
Rear Seats.......................................................1-9
Rear Seat Operation.......................................1-9
Jump Seat...................................................1-10
Safety Belts...................................................1-10
Safety Belts: They Are for Everyone................1-10
Questions and Answers About Safety Belts......1-15
How to Wear Safety Belts Properly.................1-15
Driver Position..............................................1-16
Safety Belt Use During Pregnancy..................1-22
Right Front Passenger Position.......................1-23
Center Passenger Position.............................1-23
Rear Seat Passengers (Extended Cab
Jump Seat)..............................................1-25
Rear Seat Passengers (Crew Cab
®) ................1-26
Safety Belt Extender.....................................1-29Child Restraints.............................................1-30
Older Children..............................................1-30
Infants and Young Children............................1-32
Child Restraint Systems.................................1-36
Where to Put the Restraint (Regular Cab
and Extended Cab Pickup).........................1-39
Where to Put the Restraint
(Crew Cab
®Pickup)...................................1-40
Top Strap....................................................1-41
Top Strap Anchor Location.............................1-43
Lower Anchorages and Top Tethers for
Children (LATCH System)...........................1-44
Securing a Child Restraint Designed for
the LATCH System....................................1-46
Securing a Child Restraint in a Rear
Outside Seat Position................................1-46
Securing a Child Restraint in a Center
Seat Position............................................1-49
Securing a Child Restraint in the Right
Front Seat Position....................................1-49
Air Bag System..............................................1-54
Where Are the Air Bags?
...............................1-56
When Should an Air Bag Inate?
....................1-57
What Makes an Air Bag Inate?
.....................1-58
Section 1 Seats and Restraint Systems
1-1
2003 - Sonoma OM

The best way to protect the fetus is to protect the
mother. When a safety belt is worn properly, it’s more
likely that the fetus won’t be hurt in a crash. For
pregnant women, as for anyone, the key to making
safety belts effective is wearing them properly.
Right Front Passenger Position
To learn how to wear the right front passenger’s safety
belt properly, seeDriver Position on page 1-16.
The right front passenger’s safety belt works the same
way as the driver’s safety belt—except for one
thing. If you ever pull the shoulder portion of the belt out
all the way, you will engage the child restraint locking
feature. If this happens, just let the belt go back all
the way and start again.
Center Passenger Position
Lap Belt
If your vehicle has a front bench seat, someone can
sit in the center position. If your vehicle is a Crew
Cab
®model, someone can sit in the center rear
position.
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2003 - Sonoma OM

To make it shorter, pull the belt, as shown until it is
snug. Buckle and position it the same way as the lap
part of the driver’s safety belt. SeeDriver Position
on page 1-16. Make sure the release button on the
buckle is positioned so you would be able to unbuckle
the safety belt quickly if you ever had to. To unlatch the
belt, just push the button on the buckle.
Don’t use a child restraint on this seat. It won’t work
properly.
Rear Seat Passengers (CrewCab®)
It’s very important for rear seat passengers to buckle up!
Accident statistics show that unbelted people in the
rear seat are hurt more often in crashes than those who
are wearing safety belts.
Rear passengers who aren’t safety belted can be
thrown out of the vehicle in a crash. And they can strike
others in the vehicle who are wearing safety belts.
Rear Seat Outside Passenger Positions
Lap-Shoulder Belt
The positions next to the windows have lap-shoulder
belts. Here’s how to wear one properly.
1-26
2003 - Sonoma OM

Child Restraints
Older Children
Older children who have outgrown booster seats should
wear the vehicle’s safety belts.If you have a choice, a child should sit next to a window
so that the child can wear a lap-shoulder belt and get
the additional restraint a shoulder belt can provide.
Q:What is the proper way to wear safety belts?
A:If possible, an older child should wear a
lap-shoulder belt and get the additional restraint a
shoulder belt can provide. The shoulder belt
should not cross the face or neck. The lap belt
shouldfit snugly below the hips, just touching the
top of the thighs. It should never be worn over
the abdomen, which could cause severe or even
fatal internal injuries in a crash.
In a crash, children who are not buckled up can strike
other people who are buckled up, or can be thrown
out of the vehicle. Older children need to use safety
belts properly.
1-30
2003 - Sonoma OM

{CAUTION:
Never do this.
Here two children are wearing the same belt.
The belt can’t properly spread the impact
forces. In a crash, the two children can be
crushed together and seriously injured. A belt
must be used by only one person at a time.
Q:What if a child is wearing a lap-shoulder belt,
but the child is so small that the shoulder belt
is very close to the child’s face or neck?
A:Move the child toward the center of the vehicle,
but be sure that the shoulder belt still is on the
child’s shoulder, so that in a crash the child’s upper
body would have the restraint that belts provide.
If the child is so small that the shoulder belt is still
very close to the child’s face or neck, you might
want to place the child in a seat that has a lap belt,
if your vehicle has one.
1-31
2003 - Sonoma OM

{CAUTION:
Never do this.
Here a child is sitting in a seat that has a
lap-shoulder belt, but the shoulder part is
behind the child. If the child wears the belt in
this way, in a crash the child might slide under
the belt. The belt’s force would then be applied
right on the child’s abdomen. That could cause
serious or fatal injuries.
Wherever the child sits, the lap portion of the belt
should be worn low and snug on the hips, just touching
the child’s thighs. This applies belt force to the child’s
pelvic bones in a crash.
Infants and Young Children
Everyone in a vehicle needs protection! This includes
infants and all other children. Neither the distance
traveled nor the age and size of the traveler changes
the need, for everyone, to use safety restraints. In fact,
the law in every state in the United States and in
every Canadian province says children up to some age
must be restrained while in a vehicle.
1-32
2003 - Sonoma OM

For most basic types of child restraints, there are
many different models available. When purchasing a
child restraint, be sure it is designed to be used
in a motor vehicle. If it is, the restraint will have a
label saying that it meets federal motor vehicle
safety standards.
The restraint manufacturer’s instructions that come
with the restraint state the weight and height
limitations for a particular child restraint. In addition,
there are many kinds of restraints available for
children with special needs.
{CAUTION:
Newborn infants need complete support,
including support for the head and neck. This is
necessary because a newborn infant’s neck is
weak and its head weighs so much compared
with the rest of its body. In a crash, an infant in a
rear-facing seat settles into the restraint, so the
crash forces can be distributed across the
strongest part of an infant’s body, the back and
shoulders. Infants always should be secured in
appropriate infant restraints.
{CAUTION:
The body structure of a young child is quite
unlike that of an adult or older child, for whom
the safety belts are designed. A young child’s
hip bones are still so small that the vehicle’s
regular safety belt may not remain lowon the
hip bones, as it should. Instead, it may settle
up around the child’s abdomen. In a crash, the
belt would apply force on a body area that’s
unprotected by any bony structure. This alone
could cause serious or fatal injuries. Young
children always should be secured in
appropriate child restraints.
1-35
2003 - Sonoma OM