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.
Be sure the air bag is
off before using a
rear-facing child restraint
in the right front seat
position.
Even though the passenger sensing system is
designed to turn
off the passenger’s frontal air
bag if the system detects a rear-facing child
restraint, no system is fail-safe, and no one
can guarantee that an air bag will not deploy under some unusual circumstance, even
though
it is turned off. General Motors
therefore recommends that rear-facing child restraints be secured in the rear seat whenever
possible, even
if the air bag is off.
You’ll be using the lap-shoulder belt. See Top Strap on
page
1-57 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 child restraint,
if you need
to secure a forward-facing child restraint in the right
front seat position. See
Power Seats on page 1-3.
If your vehicle has the passenger sensing
system and you are using a rear-facing child
restraint in this seat, make sure the frontal air bag
is
off. See Passenger Sensing System on
page
1-8 1.
When the passenger sensing system has turned off
the right front passenger’s frontal air bag, the off
indicator on the inside rearview mirror will light and
stay lit when you turn the ignition to RUN or
START.
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.
1-69
6. To tighten the belt, feed the shoulder belt back into
the retractor while you push down on the child
restraint. If you are using a forward-facing child
restraint, you may find it helpful to use your knee to
push down on the child restraint as you tighten the
belt. You should not be able to pull more of the belt
out of the retractor once the lock has been set.
7. Push and pull the child restraint in different
directions to be sure it is secure.
8. If your vehicle has the passenger sensing system
and you’re using a rear-facing child restraint in this
seat, check to be sure the right front passenger’s
frontal air bag is off before you begin to drive.
If the
air bag has been turned off the
off indicator will
light and stay lit when the key is turned to RUN or
START.
If the on indicator is lit, the passenger’s frontal air
bag has not been turned
off. If this ever happens,
turn off the vehicle, unbuckle the safety belt
and perform the steps to install the rear-facing
restraint again. After restarting the vehicle,
if the air
bag still doesn’t turn off, install the infant restraint
in
a rear seat position of the vehicle and have your
vehicle serviced as soon as possible.
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.
1-71
An,,ne who is up against, or very close to,
any air bag when
it inflates 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 the part of this manual called “Older
Children” or
“Infants and Young Children”.
There is a air bag readiness light on the
instrument panel cluster,
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 3-31
for more information.
Where Are the Air Bags?
The driver’s frontal air bag is in the middle of the
steering wheel.
1-74
When the passenger sensing system has turned off the
passenger’s frontal air bag, the
off indicator will light
and stay lit to remind you that the air bag is
off.
The passenger sensing system is designed to turn off
the passenger’s frontal air bag when a rear facing infant
seat, a forward-facing child restraint or a booster seat
is detected. If the child restraint has been installed
and the on indicator is lit, turn the vehicle
off, remove
the child restraint from the vehicle and reinstall the
restraint following the child restraint manufacturer’s
directions and refer to Securing
a Child Restraint in the
Right Front Seat Position
on page 7-68 of this manual.
If after reinstalling the child restraint and restarting
the vehicle, the on indicator is still lit, secure the child in
the child restraint in a rear seat position in the vehicle
and check with your dealer.
The passenger sensing system is designed to enable
(may inflate) the right front passenger’s frontal air
bag anytime the system senses that a person of adult
size is sitting properly in the right front passenger’s seat.
When the passenger sensing system has allowed the
air bag to be enabled, the on indicator will light and stay
lit to remind you that the air bag is active. For
some children who have outgrown child restraints
and for very small adults, the passenger sensing system
may or may not turn
off the right front passenger’s
frontal air bag, depending upon the person’s seating
posture and body build. Everyone in your vehicle
who has outgrown child restraints should wear a safety
belt properly
- - whether or not there is an air bag
for that person.
If a person of adult-size is sitting in the right front
passenger’s seat, but the
off indicator is lit, it could be
because that person isn’t sitting properly in the seat. If
this happens, turn the vehicle
off and ask the person to
place the seatback in the full upright position, then sit
upright in the seat, centered on the seat cushion, with the
person’s legs comfortably extended. Restart the vehicle
and have the person remain in this position for about two
minutes. This will allow the system to detect that person
and then enable the passenger’s air bag.
1-83
/r CAUTION:
If the air bag readiness light in the instrument
panel cluster ever comes on and stays on,
it
means that something may be wrong with the
air bag system. If this ever happens, have the
CAUTION: (Continued)
CAUTION:
u icle servicc- prom. y, because an
adult-size person sitting in the right front passenger’s seat may not have the protection
of the frontal air bag. See “Air Bag Readiness
Light”
in the Index for more on this, including
important safety information.
Aftermarket equipment, such as seat covers, can affect
how well the passenger sensing system operates.
You may want to consider not using seat covers or other
aftermarket equipment
if your vehicle has the passenger
sensing system.
Stowing of articles under
th -3assenger’s seat
or between the passenger’s seat cushion and
seatback may interfere with the proper
operation of the passenger sensing system.
1 -84
Restraint System Check
Checking Your Restraint Systems
Now and then, make sure the safety belt reminder light
and all your belts, buckles, latch plates, retractors
and anchorages are working properly. Look for any other
loose or damaged safety belt system parts. If you see
anything that might keep a safety belt system from doing
its job, have it repaired. Torn
or frayed safety belts may not protect you in a
crash. They can rip apart under impact forces. If a belt
is torn or frayed, get a new one right away.
Also look for any opened or broken air bag covers, and
have them repaired or replaced. (The air bag system
does not need regular maintenance.)
1 -86
Power Windows
The controls for the power windows are located on the
armrest on each of the side doors. The switches
operate the windows when the ignition is in
RUN,
ACCESSORY or when Retained Accessory Power
(RAP) is active. See “Retained Accessory Power” under
Ignition Positions
on page 2- 18.
The driver’s door has a switch for each of the
passenger’s windows as well.
Press the top of the switch to lower the window. Pull up
the top of the switch to raise the window.
Express-Down Windows
The driver’s and front passenger’s window switches
have an express-down feature that allows you to lower
the window without continuously pressing the switch.
Press the top of the window switch down briefly to
activate the feature. Lightly tap the switch to open the
window slightly. The express-down feature can be
interrupted at any time by pulling up on the top of the
switch.
Lockout Switch
Press the lockout switch to prevent passengers from
operating the power windows. A small light in the lockout
switch will come on to show that the switch has been
activated. Press the lockout switch again to return
to normal operation.
Sun Visors
To block out glare, you can swing down the visors. You
can also swing them out to help block glare at the
front and side windows.
Illuminated Visor Vanity Mirrors
Pull the sunvisor down and lift the mirror cover to turn
on the lamps.
2-1 5
Theft-Deterrent Systems
Vehicle theft is big business, especially in some cities.
Although your vehicle has a number of theft-deterrent
features, we know that nothing we put on it can make it
impossible
to steal.
Content Theft-Deterrent
Your vehicle is equipped with a content theft-deterrent
alarm system.
With this system, the
security light in the instrument panel cluster
will flash as you open
the door
if your ignition
is
off.
This light reminds you to activate the theft-deterrent
system. Here’s how
to do it:
1. Open the door.
2. Lock the door with the power door lock switch or
the remote keyless entry transmitter. The security
light should come
on and stay on.
3. Close all doors. The security light should go off
after about 30 seconds. The alarm is not armed
until the security light goes
off.
If a locked door is opened without the key or the remote
keyless entry transmitter, the alarm will
go off. The
headlamps and parking lamps will flash for
two minutes,
and the horn will sound for
30 seconds, then will turn
off to save the battery power. You can choose different
feedback options for the alarm. See Driver lnformation
Center
(DIC) on page 3-43.
Remember, the theft-deterrent system won’t activate if
you lock the doors with a key or use the manual
door lock.
It activates only if you use a power door lock
switch with the door open, or with the remote keyless
entry transmitter. You should also remember that
you can start your vehicle with the correct ignition key
if
the alarm has been set off.
Here’s how to avoid setting off the alarm by accident:
If you don’t want to activate the theft-deterrent
system, the vehicle should be locked with the door
key after the doors are closed.
Always unlock a door with a key, or use the remote
keyless entry transmitter. Unlocking a door any
other way will set
off the alarm.
If you set
off the alarm by accident, unlock any door with
the key. You can also turn
off the alarm by pressing
unlock on the remote keyless entry transmitter. The alarm
won’t stop
if you try to unlock a door any other way.
2-1 6