2004 PONTIAC VIBE Owners Manual

4. Pull the rest of the shoulder belt all the way out of
the retractor to set the lock.5. To tighten the belt, feed the shoulder belt back into
the retractor while you push down on the child
restraint. If you're 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.
6. Push and pull the child restraint in different
directions to be sure it is secure.
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.
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Securing a Child Restraint in the
Right Front Seat Position
Your vehicle has a right front passenger air bag.Neverput a rear-facing child restraint in this seat. Here's 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.
Always secure a rear-facing child restraint in a
rear seat.
Although a rear seat is a safer place, you can secure a
forward-facing child restraint in the right front seat.If your child restraint has the LATCH system, see
Lower
Anchorages and Top Tethers for Children (LATCH
System) on page 1-39
. SeeTop Strap on page 1-36if
the child restraint has one.
If your child restraint does not have the LATCH system,
you'll 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. Because your vehicle has a right front passenger
air bag, always move the seat as far back as it will
go before securing a forward-facing child restraint.
See
Manual Seats on page 1-2.
2. Put the 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.
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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.
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6. To tighten the belt, feed the shoulder belt back into
the retractor while you push down on the child
restraint. You may ®nd it helpful to use your knee to
push down on the child restraint as you tighten
the belt.
7. Push and pull the child restraint in different
directions to be sure it is secure.
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.
1-46

Supplemental Restraint System
(SRS)
This part explains the frontal and side impact
Supplemental Restraint Systems (SRS) or air bag
systems.
Your vehicle has air bags ± a frontal air bag for the
driver and another frontal air bag for the right front
passenger. Your vehicle may also have side impact air
bags ± a side impact air bag for the driver and
another side impact air bag for the right front passenger.
If your vehicle has side impact air bags, it will say
SRS-SIDE AIR BAG on a label on the side of the driver's
and right front passenger's seat closest to the door.
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.
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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 aren't 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 don't replace them.
Frontal air bags for the driver and right front
passenger are designed to deploy only in
moderate to severe frontal and near frontal
crashes. They aren't designed to in¯ate at all in
rollover, rear or low-speed frontal crashes, or in
many side crashes. And, for some unrestrained
occupants, frontal air bags may provide less
protection in frontal crashes than more forceful
air bags have provided in the past.
CAUTION: (Continued)
CAUTION: (Continued)
The side impact air bags for the driver and
right front passenger are designed to in¯ate
only in moderate to severe crashes where
something hits the side of your vehicle. They
aren't designed to in¯ate in frontal, in rollover
or in rear crashes.
Everyone in your vehicle should wear a safety
belt properly ± whether or not there's an air
bag for that person.
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{CAUTION:
Both frontal and side impact 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
youin position for air bag in¯ation before and
during a crash. Always wear your safety belt,
even with frontal air bags. The driver should sit
as far back as possible while still maintaining
control of the vehicle. Front occupants should
not lean on or sleep against the door.
{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
CAUTION: (Continued)
CAUTION: (Continued)
belts offer the best protection for adults, but
not for young children and infants. Neither
thevehicle'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,
see the part of this manual called ªOlder
Childrenº or ªInfants and Young Children.º
There is an air bag
readiness light on the
instrument panel, 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. See
Air Bag Readiness Light on page 3-30for more information.
1-49

Where Are the Air Bags?
The driver's frontal air bag is in the middle of the
steering wheel.The right front passenger's frontal air bag is in the
instrument panel on the passenger's side.
If your vehicle has one, the driver's side impact air bag is
in the side of the driver's seatback closest to the door.
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