Children who are 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 outstanding protection for adults
and older children, 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.
Q: What are the different types of add-on child
restraints?
A: Add-on child restraints, which are purchased by the
vehicle’s owner, are available in four basic types.
Selection of a particular restraint should take
into consideration not only the child’s weight, height,
and age but also whether or not the restraint will
be compatible with the motor vehicle
in which it will
be used. 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.
Newborn infants need complete sum ort,
~ 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.
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Don’t leave an unsecured child resL,int in
your vehicle.
When you carry something inside the
vehicle, secure it whenever you
can.
Don’t leave a seat folded down unless you
need to.
There’s also important loading information for off-road
driving in this manual.
Electronically Controlled Air
Suspension System
Your vehicle may be equipped with an electronically
controlled air suspension system that automatically
keeps your vehicle level as you load and unload. The
system includes a compressor, two height sensors
and two air springs supporting the rear axle. The system also has an internal clock to prevent
overheating.
If the system overheats, all leveling function
stops until the system cools down. During this time, the
indicator light on the air inflator system will be flashing.
The ignition has
to be on for the system to inflate, in
order
to raise the vehicle to the standard ride height after
loading. The system can lower the vehicle
to the
standard ride height after unloading with the ignition on
and also for up
to 30 minutes after the ignition has
been turned
off.
You may hear the compressor operating when you load
your vehicle, and periodically as the system adjusts
the vehicle
to the standard ride height.
Load leveling will not function normally with the inflator
hose attached
to the inflator outlet. Remove the
inflator hose from the outlet during loading and
unloading.
If the vehicle is parked for an extended period of time,
some bleed down of the suspension is normal. Upon
starting the vehicle, proper height will be achieved.
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Overload Protection Indicator Light
The air suspension system is equipped with overload
protection. Overload protection is designed
to protect the
air suspension system, and
it is an indicator to the
driver that the vehicle
is overloaded. When the overload
protection mode is on,
it will not allow damage to the
air compressor. However, do not overload the vehicle.
See
Loading Your Vehicle on page 4-4 1.
If the suspension remains at a low height, the rear axle
load has exceeded GAWR (Gross Axle Weight
Rating). When the overload protection mode is activated,
the compressor operates for about
30 seconds to one
minute without raising the vehicle depending on the
amount of overload. This will continue each time
the ignition
is turned on until the rear axle load is
reduced below GAWR. The indicator light
on the inflator switch in the rear
passenger compartment also serves as an indicator for
internal system error.
If the indicator light is flashing
without the load leveling function or the inflator being
active, turn
off the ignition. The next day turn on
the ignition and check the indicator light. The vehicle
can be driven with the light flashing, but
if it is you
should have the vehicle serviced as soon as possible.
Adding a Snow Plow or Similar
Equipment
Your vehicle was neither designed nor intended for a
snow plow.
Notice: Adding a snow plow or similar equipment
to your vehicle can damage it, and the repairs
wouldn’t be covered by warranty.
Do not install a
snow plow or similar equipment on your vehicle.
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Brake Pedal Travel
The brake wear warning sound means that
soon your brakes won’t work well. That could
lead to an accident. When you hear the brake
wear warning sound, have your vehicle
serviced.
Notice: Continuing to drive with worn-out brake
pads could result
in costly brake repair.
Some driving conditions or climates may cause a brake
squeal when the brakes are first applied or lightly
applied. This does not mean something is wrong with
your brakes.
Properly torqued wheel nuts are necessary
to help
prevent brake pulsation. When tires are rotated, inspect
brake pads for wear and evenly tighten wheel nuts in
the proper sequence
to GM torque specifications.
Brake linings should always be replaced as complete
axle sets.
See
Brake System Inspection on page 6-16.
See your dealer if the brake pedal does not return to
normal height, or
if there is a rapid increase in
pedal travel. This could be a sign of brake trouble.
Brake Adjustment
Every time you make a brake stop, your disc brakes
adjust for wear.
Replacing Brake System Parts
The braking system on a vehicle is complex. Its many
parts have
to be of top quality and work well together if
the vehicle is to have really good braking. Your
vehicle was designed and tested with top-quality GM
brake parts. When you replace parts
of your braking
system
- for example, when your brake linings
wear down and you need new ones put in
- be sure
you get new approved GM replacement parts.
If
you don’t, your brakes may no longer work properly. For
example,
if someone puts in brake linings that are
wrong for your vehicle, the balance between your front
and rear brakes can change
- for the worse. The
braking performance you’ve come
to expect can change
in many other ways
if someone puts in the wrong
replacement brake parts.
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If you need to replace any of your wheels, wheel bolts
or wheel nuts, replace them only with new
GM
original equipment parts. This way, you will be sure to
have the right wheel, wheel bolts and wheel nuts
for your vehicle.
Lb CAUTION:
Using the wrong replacement wheels, wheel
bolts or wheel nuts on your vehicle can be
dangerous.
It could affect the braking and
handling
of your vehicle, make your tires lose
air and make you lose control. You could have
a collision in which you or others could be injured. Always use the correct wheel, wheel
bolts and wheel nuts for replacement.
Notice: The wrong wheel can also cause problems
with bearing life, brake cooling, speedometer or odometer calibration, headlamp aim, bumper height,
vehicle ground clearance and tire clearance to the body and chassis.
See
Changing a Flat Tire on page 5-62 for more
information.
Used Replacement Wheels
Putting a used wheel on 1 lr vehicle is
dangerous. You can’t know how it’s been used
or how far
it’s been driven. It could fail
suddenly and cause a crash. If you have to replace a wheel, use a new
GM original
equipment wheel.
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