2005 CADILLAC XLR belt

CAUTION: (Continued)
If you need to secure a forward-facing child
restraint in the passenger seat, always move
the passenger seat as far back as it will go.
{CAUTION:
If the airbag readiness light ever comes on
when you have turned off the airbags, it means
that something may be wrong with the airbag
system. The passenger’s airbags 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 airbag risk group sit in the
passenger’s position (for example, do not
secure a rear-facing child restraint in your
vehicle) until you have your vehicle serviced.
SeeAirbag Off Switch on page 1-44.If your child restraint is equipped with the LATCH
system, seeLower Anchorages and Top Tethers for
Children (LATCH System) on page 1-28.
There are no top strap anchors in this vehicle. Do not
secure a child seat in this vehicle if a national or
local law requires that the top strap be anchored, or if
the instructions that come with the restraint say that the
top strap must be anchored. SeeTop Strap on
page 1-27if the 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 passenger’s airbags. If you need
to use a rear-facing child restraint in this seat, make
sure the airbags are turned off. SeeAirbag Off
Switch on page 1-44. If your child restraint is
forward-facing, always move the seat as far back
as it will go before securing it in this seat. See
Power Seats on page 1-2.
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.
1-33

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.
1-34

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.If you were using a rear-facing child restraint, turn on
the passenger’s airbags when you remove the
rear-facing child restraint from the vehicle unless the
person who will be sitting there is a member of a
passenger airbag risk group. SeeAirbag Off Switch on
page 1-44.
{CAUTION:
If the passenger’s airbags are 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 the airbags. In a
crash, the airbags would not be able to inate
and help protect the person sitting there. Do
not turn off the passenger’s airbags unless the
person sitting there is in a risk group. See
Airbag Off Switch on page 1-44for more on
this, including important safety information.
1-35

Airbag System
Your vehicle has four airbags — a frontal airbag for the
driver, another frontal airbag for the passenger, a
side impact airbag for the driver, and another side
impact airbag for the passenger.
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.
Here are the most important things to know about the
airbag system:
{CAUTION:
You can be severely injured or killed in a crash
if you are not wearing your safety belt — even
if you have airbags. Wearing your safety belt
during a crash helps reduce your chance of
hitting things inside the vehicle or being
ejected from it. Airbags are designed to work
with safety belts but do not replace them.
CAUTION: (Continued)
CAUTION: (Continued)
Frontal airbags for the driver and passenger
are designed to deploy only in moderate to
severe frontal and near frontal crashes. They
are not designed to inate in rollover, rear or
low-speed frontal crashes, or in many side
crashes. And, for some unrestrained
occupants, frontal airbags may provide less
protection in frontal crashes than more
forceful airbags have provided in the past.
The side impact airbags for the driver and
passenger are designed to inate only in
moderate to severe crashes where something
hits the side of your vehicle. They are not
designed to inate in frontal, in rollover or in
rear crashes.
Everyone in your vehicle should wear a safety
belt properly — whether or not there is an
airbag for that person.
1-36

{CAUTION:
Both frontal and side impact airbags inate
with great force, faster than the blink of an
eye. If you are too close to an inating airbag,
as you would be if you were leaning forward, it
could seriously injure you. Safety belts help
keep you in position for airbag ination before
and during a crash. Always wear your safety
belt, even with frontal airbags. 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 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 1-19orInfants and
Young Children on page 1-21.
1-37

Vehicles with dual stage airbags are also equipped with
seat position sensors which enable the sensing
system to monitor the position of the driver’s and
passenger’s seats. The seat position sensor provides
information which is used to determine if the airbags
should deploy at a reduced level or at full deployment.
In any particular crash, no one can say whether an
airbag should have inated simply because of the
damage to a vehicle or because of what the repair costs
were. For frontal airbags, ination is determined by
the angle of the impact and how quickly the vehicle
slows down in frontal and near-frontal impacts. For side
impact airbags, ination is determined by the location
and severity of the impact.
What Makes an Airbag Inate?
In an impact of sufficient severity, the airbag sensing
system detects that the vehicle is in a crash. For both
frontal and side impact airbags, the sensing system
triggers a release of gas from the inator, which inates
the airbag. The inator, the airbag and related hardware
are all part of the airbag modules inside the steering
wheel, the instrument panel, and the side of the front
seatbacks closest to the door.
How Does an Airbag Restrain?
In moderate to severe frontal or near frontal collisions,
even belted occupants can contact the steering wheel or
the instrument panel. In moderate to severe side
collisions, even belted occupants can contact the inside
of the vehicle. The airbag supplements the protection
provided by safety belts. Airbags distribute the force of
the impact more evenly over the occupant’s upper body,
stopping the occupant more gradually. But the frontal
airbags would not help you in many types of collisions,
including rollovers, rear impacts, and many side impacts,
primarily because an occupant’s motion is not toward the
airbag. Side impact airbags would not help you in many
types of collisions, including frontal or near frontal
collisions, rollovers, and rear impacts, primarily because
an occupant’s motion is not toward those airbags.
Airbags should never be regarded as anything more than
a supplement to safety belts, and then only in moderate
to severe frontal or near-frontal collisions for the driver’s
and passenger’s frontal airbags, and only in moderate to
severe side collisions for the driver’s and passenger’s
side impact airbag.
1-42

Infant.An infant (less than 1 year old) must
ride in the front seat because:

my vehicle has no rear seat;
my vehicle has a rear seat too small to
accommodate a rear-facing infant seat; or
the infant has a medical condition which, according
to the infant’s physician, makes it necessary for the
infant to ride in the front seat so that the driver
can constantly monitor the child’s condition.
Child age 1 to 12.A child age 1 to 12 must
ride in the front seat because:

my vehicle has no rear seat;
although children ages 1 to 12 ride in the rear
seat(s) whenever possible, children ages 1 to 12
sometimes must ride in the front because no space
is available in the rear seat(s) of my vehicle; or
the child has a medical condition which, according
to the child’s physician, makes it necessary for the
child to ride in the front seat so that the driver
can constantly monitor the child’s condition.
Medical Condition.A passenger has a
medical condition which, according to his or
her physician:

causes the passenger airbag to pose a special risk
for the passenger; and
makes the potential harm from the passenger
airbag in a crash greater than the potential
harm from turning off the airbag and allowing the
passenger, even if belted, to hit the dashboard
or windshield in a crash.
{CAUTION:
If the passenger’s airbags are 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 the airbags. In a
crash, the airbags would not be able to inate
and help protect the person sitting there. Do
not turn off the passenger’s airbags unless the
person sitting there is in a risk group.
1-45

Restraint System Check
Checking Your Restraint Systems
Now and then, make sure the safety belt reminder light
and all your belts, buckles, latch plates, retractors
and anchorages are working properly. Look for any other
loose or damaged safety belt system parts. If you see
anything that might keep a safety belt system from doing
its job, have it repaired.
Torn or frayed safety belts may not protect you in a
crash. They can rip apart under impact forces. If a belt
is torn or frayed, get a new one right away.
Also look for any opened or broken airbag covers, and
have them repaired or replaced. (The airbag system
does not need regular maintenance.)
Replacing Restraint System Parts
After a Crash
{CAUTION:
A crash can damage the restraint systems in
your vehicle. A damaged restraint system may
not properly protect the person using it,
resulting in serious injury or even death in a
crash. To help make sure your restraint systems
are working properly after a crash, have them
inspected and any necessary replacements
made as soon as possible.
If you have had a crash, do you need new belts or
LATCH system parts?
After a very minor collision, nothing may be necessary.
But if the belts were stretched, as they would be if
worn during a more severe crash, then you need
new parts.
If the LATCH system was being used during a more
severe crash, you may need new LATCH system parts.
1-48