2004 CHEVROLET COLORADO Owners Manual

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. If you have an
adjustable head restraint, route the top strap over it.
When using a top strap-equipped child restraint in a rear
outboard seating position of a crew cab model, route
the top strap over the top of the seatback. Then, attach
it to the anchor point for that seating position.
{CAUTION:
Each top tether bracket is designed to anchor
only one child restraint. Attaching more than
one child restraint to a single bracket could
cause the anchor to come loose or even break
during a crash. A child or others could be
injured if this happens. To help prevent injury
to people and damage to your vehicle, attach
only one child restraint per bracket.
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.
1-43

Top Strap Anchor Location
Regular and Extended Cab
A. Top strap routing loops
B. Top strap anchors
C. LATCH anchors. SeeLower Anchorages and Top
Tethers for Children (LATCH System) on page 1-46.Anchor points for the top strap in an extended cab
vehicle are located behind the front seat on the back
wall of the passenger compartment. You must route the
top strap through the loop (A) at the top of the
seatback to attach the strap to the anchor (B) as shown.
Anchor points for the top strap in a regular cab, or
extended cab vehicle without rear seats are located on
the back panel of your vehicle behind the right front
passenger seat. Extended cab anchors shown
Extended cab model shown
1-44

Crew Cab
The anchor points for the top strap on Crew Cab
vehicles are located on the back wall behind the rear
seat. You must pull the seatback forward to access the
anchors. Follow these steps to access the anchors
and attach the top strap to an anchor:
1. Release the rear seatback from its latches (B). See
Rear Seat Operation (Crew Cab) on page 1-9or
Rear Seat Operation (Extended Cab) on page 1-10
for instructions.2. Attach the top strap to the anchor (A).
3. Push rearward on the seatback until it locks into its
upright position.
Push and pull on the seatback to make sure it is
secured properly.
Do not secure a child restraint with a top strap in the
right front passenger’s position if a national or local law
requires that the top strap be anchored, or if the
instructions that come with the child restraint say that
the top strap must be anchored. There is no place
to anchor the top strap in this position.
Crew Cab
1-45

Lower Anchorages and Top Tethers
for Children (LATCH System)
Your vehicle may be equipped with the LATCH System.
If it is you will nd anchors in the second row outboard
seating positions (crew cab and extended cab) and
in the front passenger position (regular cab and
extended cab without rear seats).
This system, designed to make installation of child
restraints easier, does not use the vehicle’s safety belts.
Instead, it uses vehicle anchors and child restraint
attachments to secure the restraints. Some restraints
also use another vehicle anchor to secure a top
tether strap.
A. Lower Anchorage
B. Lower Anchorage
C. Top Tether
1-46

A. Lower Anchorage
B. Lower Anchorage
In order to use the LATCH system in your vehicle, you
need a child restraint designed for that system.
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.
{CAUTION:
If a LATCH-type child restraint is not attached
to its anchorage points, the restraint will not
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, following the
instructions that came with that restraint, and
also the instructions in this manual.
1-47

Securing a Child Restraint Designed
for the LATCH System (Models
with an Air Bag Off Switch)
Regular Cab Models and Extended Cab
Models without Rear Seats
Your vehicle has air bags. Regular cab models and
extended cab models without rear seats have an air bag
off switch on the instrument panel you can use to turn
off the right front passenger’s frontal air bag. See
Air Bag Off Switch on page 1-71for more on this
including important safety information.
Unless the right front passenger’s frontal air bag has
been turned off,neverput a rear-facing child restraint in
this vehicle.Here is why:
{CAUTION:
A child in a rear-facing child restraint can be
seriously injured or killed if the right front
passenger’s frontal air bag inates. This is
because the back of the rear-facing child
restraint would be very close to the inating
air bag. Do not use a rear-facing child restraint
in this vehicle unless the air bag has been
turned off.
Even though the air bag off switch is designed
to turn off the right front passenger’s frontal
air bag, 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. We recommend that rear-facing
child restraints be transported in vehicles with
a rear seat that will accommodate a rear-facing
child restraint, whenever possible.
1-48

{CAUTION:
If the air bag readiness light ever comes on
when you have turned off the air bag, it means
that something may be wrong with the air bag
system. The right front passenger’s frontal air
bag could inate even though the switch is off.
If this ever happens, do not let anyone whom
the national government has identied as a
member of a passenger air bag risk group sit
in the right front passenger’s position (for
example, do not secure a rear-facing child
restraint in your vehicle) until you have your
vehicle serviced. SeeAir Bag Off Switch on
page 1-71.
1. Your vehicle has a right front passenger’s frontal air
bag. SeeAir Bag Off Switch on page 1-71. If your
child restraint is forward-facing, always move the
seat as far back as it will go before securing it in this
seat. SeeManual Seats on page 1-3orPower Seats
on page 1-4. Never use a rear-facing child restraint in
this seat unless the air bag is off.2. Find the LATCH anchorages in the passenger seat.
SeeLower Anchorages and Top Tethers for
Children (LATCH System) on page 1-46.
3. Put the child restraint on the seat.
4. Attach and tighten the LATCH attachments on the
child restraint to the LATCH anchorages in the
vehicle. The child restraint instructions will show
you how.
5. If the child restraint is forward-facing, attach and
tighten the top tether to the top tether anchorage
if your vehicle has one. The child restraint
instructions will show you how. Also seeTop Strap
on page 1-42.
6. Push and pull the child restraint in different
directions to be sure it is secure.
To remove the child restraint, simply unhook the top
tether from the top tether anchorage and then
disconnect the LATCH anchorages.
1-49

Turn on the right front passenger’s frontal air bag when
you remove the child restraint from the vehicle unless
the person who will be sitting there is a member of
a passenger air bag risk group. SeeAir Bag Off Switch
on page 1-71.
{CAUTION:
If the right front passenger’s frontal air bag is
turned off for a person who is not in a risk
group identied by the national government,
that person will not have the extra protection
of an air bag. In a crash, the air bag would not
be able to inate and help protect the person
sitting there. Do not turn off the right front
passenger’s frontal air bag unless the person
sitting there is in a risk group. SeeAir Bag Off
Switch on page 1-71for more on this,
including important safety information.
Securing a Child Restraint Designed
for the LATCH System (Models
without an Air Bag Off Switch)
Crew Cab Models and Extended Cab
Models with Rear Seats
1. Find the LATCH anchorages for the seating
position you want to use, where the bottom of the
seatback meets the back of the seat cushion.
SeeLower Anchorages and Top Tethers for
Children (LATCH System) on page 1-46.
2. Put the child restraint on the seat.
3. Attach and tighten the LATCH attachments on the
child restraint to the LATCH anchorages in the
vehicle. The child restraint instructions will show
you how.
4. If the child restraint is forward-facing, attach and
tighten the top tether to the top tether anchorage.
The child restraint instructions will show you
how. Also seeTop Strap on page 1-42.
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
tether from the top tether anchorage and then
disconnect the LATCH attachments from the
LATCH anchorages.
1-50