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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 seat, including an infant riding in a rear-facing
infant seat, a child riding in a forward-facing child
seat and an older child riding in a booster seat.
If you need to secure a child restraint in the right front
passenger’s seat, there is a switch on the instrument
panel that you can use to turn off the passenger’s
air bag. SeeAir Bag Off Switch on page 1-68and
Securing a Child Restraint in the Right Front Seat
Position on page 1-55, for more on this including
important safety information.
Neverput a rear-facing child restraint in the right front
passenger seat unless the air bag is off. Here is why:{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 to turn off the air bag before using a
rear-facing child restraint in the right front seat
position.
Even though the air bag off switch is designed
to turn off the passenger’s 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.
General Motors recommends that rear-facing
child restraints be secured in the rear seat,
even if the air bag is off.
If you secure a forward-facing child restraint in
the right front seat, always move the front
passenger seat as far back as it will go. It is
better to secure the child restraint in a rear seat.
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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.
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.
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.
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{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.
Top Strap Anchor Location
A child restraint with a top strap should only be used in
the second or third row. Don’t use a child restraint
with a top strap in the front seat because there’s no
place to anchor the top strap.
An anchor loop bracket for a top strap is located at the
bottom rear of the seat cushion for each seating
position in the second row and in the outboard
passenger position in the third row.
Second Row Seats
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