Page 66 of 584
5. Pull the rest of the shoulder belt all the way out of
the retractor to set the lock.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 nd 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.
1-60
Page 67 of 584
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.
Securing a Child Restraint in the
Right Front Seat Position (Regular
and Extended Cab)
Your vehicle has a right front passenger air bag. There
is a switch on the instrument panel that you can use
to turn off the right front passenger’s frontal air bag. See
the following illustration. Your switch may vary slightly.
SeeAir Bag Off Switch on page 1-73for more on
this, including important safety information and
illustrations of alternate switch designs.
{CAUTION:
A child in a rear-facing child restraint can be
seriously injured or killed if the right front
passenger’s air bag in ates. This is because
the back of the rear facing child restraint
would be very close to the in ating 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
and/or air bag off switch are designed to turn
off the passenger’s frontal air bag under
certain conditions, 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
recommends that rear-facing child restraints
be transported in vehicles with a rear seat that
will accommodate a rear-facing child restraint,
whenever possible.
1-61
Page 69 of 584
{CAUTION:
If the air bag readiness light in the instrument
panel cluster 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 air bag could in ate
even though the switch is off. If this ever
happens, have the vehicle serviced promptly.
Until you have the vehicle serviced, do not let
anyone whom the national government has
identi ed 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 the right front
passenger’s seat). See″Air Bag Off Switch″in
the Index.
If your child restraint is equipped with the LATCH
system, seeLower Anchorages and Top Tethers for
Children (LATCH System) on page 1-47. SeeTop Strap
on page 1-42if your child restraint has one.If your child restraint does not have the LATCH system,
you will be using the lap-shoulder belt to secure the
child restraint in this position. 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. Your vehicle has a right front passenger’s frontal air
bag. SeeAir Bag Off Switch on page 1-73and
Passenger Sensing System on page 1-78. If your
child restraint is forward-facing, move the seat as far
back as it will go before securing the restraint in
this seat. SeeManual Seats on page 1-3orPower
Seats on page 1-4. If you need to use a rear-facing
child restraint in this seat, make sure the air bag
is off once the child restraint has been installed.
When the passenger sensing system or the air bag
off switch has turned off the right front passenger’s
frontal air bag, the off indicator in the passenger
air bag status indicator should light and stay lit when
you turn the ignition to RUN or START. See
Passenger Air Bag Status Indicator on page 3-40.
2. Put the child 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.
1-63
Page 70 of 584
4. 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.5. Pull the rest of the shoulder belt all the way out of
the retractor to set the lock.
1-64
Page 71 of 584
6. To tighten the belt, push down on the child restraint,
pull the shoulder belt to tighten the lap belt portion
and feed the shoulder belt back into the retractor.
If you are using a forward-facing child restraint, you
may nd 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 the air bag is off, the off indicator will be lit and
stay lit in the inside rearview mirror when the key
is turned to RUN or START. Never put a rear-facing
child restraint in the right front passenger seat
unless the air bag is off.
If a 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 child restraint.
If after reinstalling the child restraint and restarting
the vehicle, the on indicator is still lit, check to make
sure that the vehicle’s seatback is not pressing the child
restraint into the seat cushion. If this happens, slightly
recline the vehicle’s seatback and adjust the seat
cushion if possible. Also make sure the child restraint is
not trapped under the vehicle head restraint. If this
happens, adjust the head restraint.
1-65
Page 72 of 584
If the on indicator is still lit, use the air bag off switch to
turn off the air bag or secure the child in the child
restraint in a rear seat position in the vehicle if one is
available and check with your dealer. SeeAir Bag
Off Switch on page 1-73for more on this, including
important safety information.
For heavy duty pickups without the passenger sensing
system, use the air bag off switch to turn the air bag off or
install the infant restraint in a rear seat position.
{CAUTION:
If the air bag ON indicator comes on when you
have a rear-facing child restraint installed in
the right front passenger’s seat, it means that
the passenger sensing system has not turned
off the passenger’s frontal air bag. A child in a
rear-facing child restraint can be seriously
injured or killed if the right front passenger’s
air bag in ates. This is because the back of
the rear-facing child restraint would be very
close to the in ating air bag. Don’t use a
rear-facing child restraint in the right front
passenger’s seat unless the air bag is off.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.
If you had turned the air bag off with the switch,
remember to be sure to use the air bag off switch to
turn on the right front passenger’s 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 1-73.{CAUTION:
If the right front passenger’s air bag is turned
off for a person who isn’t in a risk group
identi ed by the national government, that
person won’t have the extra protection of an
air bag. In a crash, the air bag wouldn’t be able
to in ate and help protect the person sitting
there. Don’t turn off the passenger’s air bag
unless the person sitting there is in a risk
group. See″Air Bag Off Switch″in the Index
for more on this, including important safety
information.
1-66
Page 73 of 584
Air Bag Systems
This part explains the air bag system.
Your vehicle has air bags – one air bag for the driver
and another air bag for the right front passenger.
Frontal air bags are designed to help reduce the risk of
injury from the force of an in ating frontal air bag.
But these air bags must in ate very quickly to do their
job and comply with federal regulations.
Here are the most important things to know about the
air bag systems:
{CAUTION:
You can be severely injured or killed in a crash
if you are not wearing your safety belt — even
if you have air bags. Wearing your safety belt
during a crash helps reduce your chance of
hitting things inside the vehicle or being
ejected from it. Air bags are designed to work
with safety belts, but do not replace them. Air
bags are designed to deploy only in moderate
to severe frontal and near frontal crashes.
CAUTION: (Continued)
CAUTION: (Continued)
They are not designed to in ate in rollover,
rear or low-speed frontal crashes, or in many
side crashes. And, for some unrestrained
occupants, air bags may provide less
protection in frontal crashes than more
forceful air bags have provided in the past.
Everyone in your vehicle should wear a safety
belt properly — whether or not there is an air
bag for that person.
{CAUTION:
Air bags in ate with great force, faster than the
blink of an eye. If you’re too close to an
in ating air bag, as you would be if you were
leaning forward, it could seriously injure you.
Safety belts help keep you in position before
and during a crash. Always wear your safety
belt, even with air bags. The driver should sit
as far back as possible while still maintaining
control of the vehicle.
1-67
Page 74 of 584
{CAUTION:
Anyone who is up against, or very close to,
any air bag when it in ates 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,
seeOlder Children on page 1-32andInfants
and Young Children on page 1-34.
There is an 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. SeeAir Bag Readiness Light on page 3-36
for more information.
Where Are the Air Bags?
The driver’s air bag is in the middle of the
steering wheel.
1-68
