2003 Oldsmobile Bravada Owner's Manuals

A booster seat (F-G) is a child restraint designed to
improve the fit of the vehicle’s safety belt system. Some
booster seats have a shoulder belt positioner, and
some high-back booster seats have a five-point harness.
A booster seat can also help a child to see out the window.
Q: How do child restraints work?
A: A child restraint system is any device designed for
use in a motor vehicle to restrain, seat, or position
children. A built-in child restraint system is a
permanent part of the motor vehicle. An add-on
child restraint system is a portable one, which
is purchased by the vehicle’s owner.
For many years, add-on child restraints have used
the adult belt system in the vehicle. To help
reduce the chance of injury, the child also has
to be
secured within the restraint. The vehicle’s belt
system secures the add-on child restraint in the
vehicle, and the add-on child restraint’s harness
system holds the child in place within the restraint.
One system, the three-point harness, has straps that
come down over each of the infant’s shoulders and
buckle together at the crotch. The five-point harness
system has two shoulder straps, two hip straps and a
crotch strap. A shield may take the place of hip
straps. A T-shaped shield has shoulder straps that
are attached
to a flat pad which rests low against the
child’s body. A shelf- or armrest-type shield has
straps that are attached
to a wide, shelf-like shield
that swings up or
to the side.
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When choosing a child restraint, be sure the child
restraint is designed
to be used in a vehicle. If it is, it
will have a label saying that it meets federal motor
vehicle safety standards.
Then follow the instructions for the restraint.
You may
find these instructions on the restraint itself or in a
booklet, or both. These restraints use the belt system in
your vehicle, but the child also has
to be secured
within the restraint
to help reduce the chance of personal
injury. When securing an add-on child restraint, refer
to the instructions that come with the restraint which may
be on the restraint itself or in a booklet, or both, and
to this manual. The child restraint instructions are
important,
so if they are not available, obtain a
replacement copy from the manufacturer.
Where to Put the Restraint
Accident statistics show that children are safer if they
are restrained in the rear rather than the front seat. We,
therefore, recommend that child restraints be secured
in a rear outside seat position including an infant
riding in a rear-facing infant seat, a child riding in a
fonvard-facing child seat and an older child riding in a
booster seat.
Never put a rear-facing child restraint
in the front passenger seat. Here's why:
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.
Always secure a rear-facing child restraint in
a
rear seat outside position.
You may secure a forward-facing child restraint in the right front seat, but before you
do, always move the front passenger seat as
far back as
it will go. It's better to secure the
child restraint
in a rear seat outside position.
Wherever you install it, be sure
to secure the child
restraint properly.
Keep in mind that an unsecured child restraint can move
around in a collision or sudden stop and injure people in
the vehicle. Be sure
to properly secure any child restraint
in your vehicle
- even when no child is in it.
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Top Strap
Some child restraints have a top strap, or "top tether." It
can help restrain the child restraint during a collision.
For
it to work, a top strap must be properly anchored to
the vehicle. Some top strap-equipped child restraints
are designed for use with or without the top strap being
anchored. Others require the top strap always
to be
anchored. Be sure to read and follow the instructions for
your child restraint. If yours requires that the top strap
be anchored, don't use the restraint unless it is anchored
properly.
If the child restraint does not have a top strap, one can
be obtained, in kit form, for many child restraints.
Ask the child restraint manufacturer whether or not a kit
is available.
In Canada, the law requires that forward-facing child
restraints have a top strap, and that the strap be
anchored. In the United States, some child restraints
also have a top strap. If your child restraint has a
top strap, it should be anchored.
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Anchor the top strap to one of the following anchor
points. Be sure
to use an anchor point located on the
same side of the vehicle
as the seating position
where the child restraint will be placed.
Raise the head restraint and route the top strap under
it. See
Head Restraints on page 1-5.
Top Strap Anchor Location
Once you have the top strap anchored, you’ll be ready
to secure the child restraint itself. Tighten the top
strap when and as the child restraint manufacturer’s
instructions say.
Anchor brackets for the rear seat positions are located
on the
floor in the cargo area of your vehicle. Do
not use the rear tie-down brackets near the liftgate for
top strap tethers.
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Lower Anchorages and Top Tethers
for Children (LATCH System)
Your vehicle may have the LATCH system. If it does,
you’ll find anchors (A)
in the rear outside seat positions.
To assist you in locating the lower anchors for this
child restraint system, each seating position with the
LATCH system will have two metal tabs where the seat
cushion meets 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. See
Securing a Child Restraint in a Rear Outside Seat
Position on page
1-40.
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’’ or “Securing
a Child Restraint in a Rear Outside Seat
Position” in the Index for information on how
to 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. See
Top Strap on
page
1-36. Tighten the top strap according to
the child restraint instructions.
directions to be sure it is secure.
5. Push and pull the child restraint in different
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
If your child restraint is equipped with the LATCH
system, see
Lower Anchorages and Top Tethers for
Children (LATCH System)
on page 1-38.
You’ll be using the lap-shoulder belt. See Top Strap on
page
1-36 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. 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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