2005 CHEVROLET EQUINOX ECU

Front Seats......................................................1-2
Manual Seats................................................1-2
Driver Seat Height Adjuster..............................1-2
Power Seats..................................................1-3
Manual Lumbar..............................................1-3
Heated Seats.................................................1-4
Reclining Seatbacks........................................1-4
Head Restraints.............................................1-6
Passenger Folding Seatback............................1-7
Rear Seats.......................................................1-9
Split Folding Rear Seat...................................1-9
Safety Belts...................................................1-11
Safety Belts: They Are for Everyone................1-11
Questions and Answers About Safety Belts......1-15
How to Wear Safety Belts Properly.................1-16
Driver Position..............................................1-17
Shoulder Belt Height Adjustment.....................1-23
Safety Belt Use During Pregnancy..................1-24
Right Front Passenger Position.......................1-25
Rear Seat Passengers..................................1-25
Rear Safety Belt Comfort Guides....................1-27
Safety Belt Pretensioners...............................1-29
Safety Belt Extender.....................................1-29Child Restraints.............................................1-30
Older Children..............................................1-30
Infants and Young Children............................1-32
Child Restraint Systems.................................1-36
Where to Put the Restraint.............................1-39
Top Strap....................................................1-41
Top Strap Anchor Location.............................1-42
Lower Anchors and Tethers for
Children (LATCH)......................................1-43
Securing a Child Restraint Designed for the
LATCH System.........................................1-45
Securing a Child Restraint in a Rear Seat
Position...................................................1-45
Securing a Child Restraint in the Right Front
Seat Position............................................1-48
Airbag System...............................................1-50
Where Are the Airbags?................................1-53
When Should an Airbag Inate?.....................1-55
What Makes an Airbag Inate?.......................1-57
How Does an Airbag Restrain?.......................1-57
What Will You See After an Airbag Inates?.....1-58
Servicing Your Airbag-Equipped Vehicle...........1-60
Restraint System Check..................................1-60
Checking the Restraint Systems......................1-60
Replacing Restraint System Parts After
a Crash...................................................1-61
Section 1 Seats and Restraint Systems
1-1

To return the seatback to an upright position, do the
following:
1. Lift the recliner lever up fully and lift the seatback to
an upright position.
{CAUTION:
If the seatback is not locked, it could move
forward in a sudden stop or crash. That could
cause injury to the person sitting there. Always
press rearward on the seatback to be sure it is
locked.
2. Push and pull on the seatback to make sure it is
locked into place.
{CAUTION:
If you fold the seatback forward to carry longer
objects, such as skis, be sure any such cargo
is not near an airbag. In a crash, an inating
airbag might force that object toward a person.
This could cause severe injury or even death.
Secure objects away from the area in which an
airbag would inate. For more information, see
“Where Are the airbags?” and “Loading Your
Vehicle,” in the Index.
{CAUTION:
Things you put on this seatback can strike and
injure people in a sudden stop or turn, or in a
crash. Remove or secure all items before
driving.
1-8

Driver Position
Lap-Shoulder Belt
The driver has a lap-shoulder belt. Here is how to wear
it properly.
1. Close and lock the door.
2. Adjust the seat so you can sit up straight. To see
how, see “Seats” in the Index.3. Pick up the latch plate and pull the belt across you.
Do not let it get twisted.
The shoulder belt may lock if you pull the belt
across you very quickly. If this happens, let the belt
go back slightly to unlock it. Then pull the belt
across you more slowly.
4. Push the latch plate into the buckle until it clicks.
Pull up on the latch plate to make sure it is secure.
If the belt is not long enough, seeSafety Belt
Extender on page 1-29.
Make sure the release button on the buckle is
positioned so you would be able to unbuckle the
safety belt quickly if you ever had to.
5. Move the shoulder belt height adjuster to the height
that is right for you. SeeShoulder Belt Height
Adjustment on page 1-23.
1-17

2. Push the latch plate into the buckle until it clicks.
If the belt stops before it reaches the buckle, tilt the
latch plate and keep pulling until you can buckle it.
When the shoulder belt is pulled out all the way, it
will lock. If it does, let it go back all the way and
start again.
Pull up on the latch plate to make sure it is secure.
If the belt is not long enough, seeSafety Belt
Extender on page 1-29.
Make sure the release button on the buckle is
positioned so you would be able to unbuckle the
safety belt quickly if you ever had to.3. To make the lap part tight, pull down on the buckle
end of the belt as you pull up on the shoulder part.
The lap part of the belt should be worn low and snug on
the hips, just touching the thighs. In a crash, this
applies force to the strong pelvic bones. And you would
be less likely to slide under the lap belt. If you slid
under it, the belt would apply force at your abdomen.
This could cause serious or even fatal injuries. The
shoulder belt should go over the shoulder and across
the chest. These parts of the body are best able to take
belt restraining forces.
1-26

4. Buckle, position, and release the safety belt as
described inRear Seat Passengers on page 1-25.
Make sure that the shoulder belt crosses the
shoulder.
To remove and store the comfort guides, squeeze the
belt edges together so that you can take them out of the
guides. Pull the guide upward to expose its storage
clip, and then slide the guide onto the clip. Turn
the guide and clip inward and slide them in between the
seatback and the interior body, leaving only the loop
of elastic cord exposed.
Safety Belt Pretensioners
Your vehicle has safety belt pretensioners for the driver
and right front passenger. Although you cannot see
them, they are located on the retractor part of the safety
belts. They help the safety belts reduce a person’s
forward movement in a moderate to severe frontal or
near frontal crash.
Pretensioners work only once. If they activate in a
crash, you will need to get new ones, and probably other
new parts for your safety belt system. SeeReplacing
Restraint System Parts After a Crash on page 1-61.
Safety Belt Extender
If the vehicle’s safety belt will fasten around you, you
should use it.
But if a safety belt is not long enough, your dealer will
order you an extender. It is free. When you go in to
order it, take the heaviest coat you will wear, so
the extender will be long enough for you. To help avoid
personal injury, do not let someone else use it, and
use it only for the seat it is made to t. The extender has
been designed for adults. Never use it for securing
child seats. To wear it, just attach it to the regular safety
belt. For more information, see the instruction sheet
that comes with the extender.
1-29

{CAUTION:
People should never hold a baby in their arms
while riding in a vehicle. A baby does not
weigh much — until a crash. During a crash a
baby will become so heavy it is not possible to
hold it. For example, in a crash at only 25 mph
(40 km/h), a 12 lb (5.5 kg) baby will suddenly
become a 240 lb (110 kg) force on a person’s
arms. A baby should be secured in an
appropriate restraint.
1-33

The restraint manufacturer’s instructions that come
with the restraint state the weight and height
limitations for a particular child restraint. In addition,
there are many kinds of restraints available for
children with special needs.
{CAUTION:
Newborn infants need complete support,
including support for the head and neck. This
is necessary because a newborn infant’s neck
is weak and its head weighs so much
compared with the rest of its body. In a crash,
an infant in a rear-facing seat settles into the
restraint, so the crash forces can be
distributed across the strongest part of an
infant’s body, the back and shoulders. Infants
always should be secured in appropriate infant
restraints.
{CAUTION:
The body structure of a young child is quite
unlike that of an adult or older child, for whom
the safety belts are designed. A young child’s
hip bones are still so small that the vehicle’s
regular safety belt may not remain low on the
hip bones, as it should. Instead, it may settle
up around the child’s abdomen. In a crash, the
belt would apply force on a body area that is
unprotected by any bony structure. This alone
could cause serious or fatal injuries. Young
children always should be secured in
appropriate child restraints.
1-35

Q:How do child restraints work?
A:A child restraint system is any device designed for
use in a motor vehicle to restrain, seat, or position
children. A built-in child restraint system is a
permanent part of the motor vehicle. An add-on
child restraint system is a portable one, which
is purchased by the vehicle’s owner.
For many years, add-on child restraints have used
the adult belt system in the vehicle. To help
reduce the chance of injury, the child also has to be
secured within the restraint. The vehicle’s belt
system secures the add-on child restraint in the
vehicle, and the add-on child restraint’s harness
system holds the child in place within the restraint.
One system, the three-point harness, has straps that
come down over each of the infant’s shoulders and
buckle together at the crotch. The ve-point harness
system has two shoulder straps, two hip straps and a
crotch strap. A shield may take the place of hip
straps. A T-shaped shield has shoulder straps that
are attached to a at pad which rests low against the
child’s body. A shelf- or armrest-type shield has
straps that are attached to a wide, shelf-like shield
that swings up or to the side.When choosing a child restraint, be sure the child
restraint is designed to be used in a vehicle. If it is, it
will have a label saying that it meets federal motor
vehicle safety standards.
Then follow the instructions for the restraint. You may
nd these instructions on the restraint itself or in a
booklet, or both. These restraints use the belt system or
the LATCH (Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children)
system in your vehicle, but the child also has to be
secured within the restraint to help reduce the chance of
personal injury. When securing an add-on child
restraint, refer to the instructions that come with the
restraint which may be on the restraint itself or in
a booklet, or both, and to this manual. The child restraint
instructions are important, so if they are not available,
obtain a replacement copy from the manufacturer.
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.
1-38