2005 CHEVROLET ASTRO Owners Manual

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.
If you have an adjustable head restraint, route the
top strap under it.
{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 will be
ready to secure the child restraint itself. Tighten the
top strap when and as the child restraint manufacturer’s
instructions say.
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Top Strap Anchor Location
Cargo Van
If your vehicle is a cargo van, the anchoring point for
a top strap is located at the rear of the seat cushion
on the right front passenger’s seat spacer bar. Anchor
the top strap through the two slots.
{CAUTION:
A child in a rear-facing child restraint can be
seriously injured or killed if the passenger’s
airbag inates. This is because the back of the
rear-facing child restraint would be very close
to the inating airbag. Do not use a rear-facing
child restraint in this vehicle.
If you need to secure a forward-facing child
restraint in the front passenger position,
always move the front passenger seat as far
back as it will go.
Cargo Van
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Passenger Van
Bucket Seats:An anchoring point is located below
the rear of the seat cushion on the spacer bar. Anchor
the top strap through the two slots on the bar.Passenger Van Bucket Seats
Passenger Van Bench Seat (Second Row)
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Bench Seats:An anchor bracket is located at the
rear of the seat cushion near the top rear of the seat
leg for each outboard seating position of the second row.
For the third row, an anchor bracket is located at the
rear of the seat cushion of the center seating position.
If you have adjustable head restraints, raise the
head restraint and route the top strap under it.Do not secure a child restraint with a top strap in the
right front passenger’s position, the second row
center position, or the third row outside positions if a
national or local law requires that the top strap be
anchored, or if the instructions that come with the child
restraint say that the top strap must be anchored.
There is no place to anchor the top strap in these
positions.
Lower Anchorages and Top Tethers
for Children (LATCH System)
If you have a passenger van it has the LATCH system.
It has two sets of anchors in the second row of seats.
In a seven passenger van, the anchors are located
in each of the bucket seats in the second row. In an
eight passenger van, the anchors are located in
the driver and passenger side seating positions of the
second row bench seat.
This system, designed to make installation of child
restraints easier, does not use the vehicle’s safety belts.
Instead, it uses vehicle anchors and child restraint
attachments to secure the restraints. Some restraints
also use another vehicle anchor to secure a top
tether strap. Passenger Van Bench Seat (Third Row)
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A. Lower Anchorage
B. Lower Anchorage
C. Top TetherA. Lower Anchorage
B. Lower Anchorage
In order to use the LATCH system in your vehicle,
you need a child restraint designed for that system.
With this system, use the LATCH system instead of
the vehicle’s safety belts to secure a child restraint.
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To assist you in locating the lower anchors for this
child restraint system, each seating position with the
LATCH system has a visible metal anchorage point in
the seat where the seatback meets the seat cushion.
{CAUTION:
If a LATCH-type child restraint is not attached
to its anchorage points, the restraint will not
be able to protect the child correctly. In a
crash, the child could be seriously injured or
killed. Make sure that a LATCH-type child
restraint is properly installed using the
anchorage points, or use the vehicle’s safety
belts to secure the restraint following the
instructions that came with that restraint, and
also the instructions in this manual.
Securing a Child Restraint Designed
for the LATCH System
1. Find the LATCH anchorages for the seating
position you want to use, where the bottom of
the seatback meets the back of the seat cushion.
SeeLower Anchorages and Top Tethers for
Children (LATCH System) on page 1-54.
2. Put the child restraint on the seat.
3. Attach and tighten the LATCH attachments on
the child restraint to the LATCH anchorages in
the vehicle. The child restraint instructions will
show you how.
4. If the child restraint is forward-facing, attach and
tighten the top tether to the top tether anchorage.
The child restraint instructions will show you
how. Also seeTop Strap on page 1-50.
5. Push and pull the child restraint in different
directions to be sure it is secure.
To remove the child restraint, simply unhook the
top tether from the top tether anchorage and then
disconnect the LATCH attachments from the LATCH
anchorages.
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Securing a Child Restraint in a
Rear Outside Seat Position
If your child restraint is equipped with the LATCH
system, seeLower Anchorages and Top Tethers for
Children (LATCH System) on page 1-54in the Index.
SeeTop Strap on page 1-50if the child restraint
has one.
There are no top strap anchors at the third row outside
seating positions. Do not secure a child seat in these
positions if a national or local law requires that the
top strap be anchored, or if the instructions that came
with the child restraint say that the top strap must
be anchored.
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. Put the child restraint on the seat.
2. 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.3. 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.
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4. 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.
5. 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.
Securing a Child Restraint in
a Center Rear Seat Position
(Bench Seat)
If your child restraint is equipped with the LATCH
system, seeLower Anchorages and Top Tethers for
Children (LATCH System) on page 1-54. SeeTop Strap
on page 1-50if the child restraint has one.
There is no top strap anchor at the second row center
seating position. Do not secure a child seat in this
position if a national or local law requires that the top
strap be anchored, or if the instructions that came
with the child restraint say that the top strap must be
anchored.
If your child restraint does not have the LATCH
system, you will be using the lap 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.
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