2005 BUICK LACROSSE ECU

Securing a Child Restraint in the
Center Front Seat Position
{CAUTION:
A child in a child restraint in the center front
seat can be badly injured or killed by the right
front passenger’s airbag if it inates. Never
secure a child restraint in the center front seat.
It is always better to secure a child restraint in
the rear seat.
If you need to secure a forward-facing child
restraint in the right front passenger 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.
Do not secure a child restraint in the center front
seat position.
Securing a Child Restraint in the
Right Front Seat Position
Your vehicle has a right front passenger airbag. A rear
seat is a safer place to secure a forward-facing child
restraint. SeeWhere to Put the Restraint on page 1-40.
In addition, your vehicle has the passenger sensing
system. The passenger sensing system is designed to
turn off the right front passenger’s frontal airbag
when an infant in a rear-facing infant seat or a small
child in a forward-facing child restraint or booster seat is
detected. SeePassenger Sensing System on page 1-60
andPassenger Airbag Status Indicator on page 3-34
for more information on this including important
safety information.
A label on your sun visor says, “Never put a rear-facing
child seat in the front.” This is because the risk to the
rear-facing child is so great, if the airbag deploys.
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{CAUTION:
A child in a rear-facing child restraint can be
seriously injured or killed if the right front
passenger’s airbag inates. This is because
the back of the rear-facing child restraint
would be very close to the inating airbag.
Even though the passenger sensing system is
designed to turn off the passenger’s frontal
airbag if the system detects a rear-facing
child restraint, no system is fail-safe, and no
one can guarantee that an airbag 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 airbag
is off.
If you need to secure a forward-facing child restraint in
the right front seat position, move the seat as far
back as it will go before securing the forward-facing
child restraint. SeeManual Seats on page 1-3or
Six-Way Power Seats on page 1-4.If your child restraint is equipped with the LATCH
system, seeLower Anchorages and Top Tethers for
Children (LATCH System) on page 1-43.
You will be using the lap-shoulder belt to secure the
child restraint in this position. SeeTop Strap on
page 1-41if your child restraint has one. 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
airbag. SeePassenger Sensing System on
page 1-60. General Motors recommends that
rear-facing child restraints be secured in a rear seat,
even if the airbag is off. If your child restraint is
forward-facing, move the seat as far back as it will
go before securing the child restraint in this
seat. SeeManual Seats on page 1-3orSix-Way
Power Seats on page 1-4.
When the passenger sensing system has turned off
the right front passenger’s frontal airbag, the off
indicator in the passenger airbag status indicator
should light and stay lit when you turn the ignition to
RUN or START. SeePassenger Airbag Status
Indicator on page 3-34.
2. Put the child restraint on the seat.
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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.
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. To tighten the belt, push down on the child restraint,
pull the shoulder portion of the belt to tighten the
lap portion of the belt 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 from the retractor
once the lock has been set.
6. Push and pull the child restraint in different
directions to be sure it is secure.
7. If the airbag is off, the off indicator on the instrument
panel will be lit and stay lit when the key is turned
to RUN or START.
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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.
If the on indicator is still lit, secure the child in the child
restraint in a rear seat position in the vehicle and
check with your dealer.
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.Airbag System
Your vehicle has a frontal airbag for the driver and
another frontal airbag for the right front passenger. Your
vehicle may also have roof mounted side impact
airbags. Roof mounted side impact airbags are available
for the driver and the passenger seated directly behind
the driver and for the right front passenger and the
passenger seated directly behind that passenger.
If your vehicle has side impact airbags, the word
AIRBAG will appear on the airbag covering on the
ceiling near the side windows.
Frontal airbags are designed to help reduce the risk of
injury from the force of an inating frontal airbag.
But these airbags must inate very quickly to do their
job and comply with federal regulations.
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{CAUTION:
Anyone who is up against, or very close to,
any airbag when it inates can be seriously
injured or killed. Airbags 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 airbag
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 1-31orInfants and
Young Children on page 1-33.
There is an airbag
readiness light on the
instrument panel cluster,
which shows the airbag
symbol.The system checks the airbag electrical system for
malfunctions. The light tells you if there is an electrical
problem. SeeAirbag Readiness Light on page 3-33
for more information.
Where Are the Airbags?
The driver’s airbag is in the middle of the
steering wheel.
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If your vehicle has a side impact airbag for the right
front passenger and the person directly behind
that passenger, it is located in the ceiling above the
side windows.
{CAUTION:
If something is between an occupant and an
airbag, the bag might not inate properly or it
might force the object into that person causing
severe injury or even death. The path of an
inating airbag must be kept clear. Do not put
anything between an occupant and an airbag,
and do not attach or put anything on the
steering wheel hub or on or near any other
airbag covering. And, if your vehicle has
roof-mounted side impact airbags, never secure
anything to the roof of your vehicle by routing
the rope or tiedown through any door or window
opening. If you do, the path of an inating side
impact airbag will be blocked. The path of an
inating airbag must be kept clear.
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Passenger Sensing System
Your vehicle has a passenger sensing system. The
passenger airbag status indicator on the instrument
panel will be visible when you turn your ignition key to
RUN or START. The words ON and OFF will be
visible during the system check. If you use remote start
to start your vehicle from a distance, if equipped,
you may not see the system check. When the system
check is complete, either the word ON or the word OFF,
will be visible. SeePassenger Airbag Status Indicator
on page 3-34.The passenger sensing system will turn off the right
front passenger’s frontal airbag under certain conditions.
The driver’s airbag and the side airbags are not part
of the passenger sensing system.
The passenger sensing system works with sensors that
are part of the right front passenger’s seat. The
sensors are designed to detect the presence of a
properly-seated occupant and determine if the
passenger’s frontal airbag should be enabled (may
inate) or not.
Accident statistics show that children are safer if they are
restrained in the rear rather than the front seat. General
Motors recommends 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.
Passenger Airbag Status Indicator
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Your vehicle has a rear seat that will accommodate a
rear-facing child restraint. A label on your sun visor says,
“Never put a rear-facing child seat in the front.” This
is because the risk to the rear-facing child is so great, if
the airbag deploys.
{CAUTION:
A child in a rear-facing child restraint can be
seriously injured or killed if the right front
passenger’s airbag inates. This is because
the back of the rear-facing child restraint
would be very close to the inating airbag.
Even though the passenger sensing system is
designed to turn off the passenger’s frontal
airbag if the system detects a rear-facing child
restraint, no system is fail-safe, and no one can
guarantee that an airbag 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 airbag is off.The passenger sensing system is designed to turn off
the right front passenger’s frontal airbag if:
the right front passenger seat is unoccupied
the system determines that an infant is present in a
rear-facing infant seat
the system determines that a small child is present
in a forward-facing child restraint
the system determines that a small child is present
in a booster seat
a right front passenger takes his/her weight off of
the seat for a period of time
the right front passenger seat is occupied by a
smaller person, such as a child who has outgrown
child restraints
or if there is a critical problem with the airbag
system or the passenger sensing system.
When the passenger sensing system has turned off the
right front passenger’s frontal airbag, the off indicator
on the instrument panel will light and stay lit to remind
you that the airbag 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
following the child restraint manufacturer’s directions
and refer toSecuring a Child Restraint in the Right Front
Seat Position on page 1-48.
1-61