2005 GMC SAVANA child seat

Securing a Child Restraint in a
Center Seat Position
(3rd, 4th and 5th Row)
If your child restraint is equipped with the LATCH system,
seeLower Anchorages and Top Tethers for Children
(LATCH System) on page 1-50. SeeTop Strap on
page 1-47if the child restraint has one.
There are no top strap anchors in any four-passenger
bench seat positions (if equipped). Do not secure a
child seat in these positions if a national or local
law requires 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.1. Make the belt as long as possible by tilting the latch
plate and pulling it along the belt.
2. Put the child restraint on the seat.
3. Run the vehicle’s safety belt through or around the
restraint. The child restraint instructions will show
you how.
1-55

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, pull its free end while you push
down on the child restraint. 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.
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. It will be ready to work for an adult or
larger child passenger.
Securing a Child Restraint in the
Right Front Seat Position
If your child restraint has the LATCH system,
seeLower Anchorages and Top Tethers for Children
(LATCH System) on page 1-50.
If your vehicle is a passenger van, there is no top strap
anchor in the right front passenger’s 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 come with the child restraint say that
the top strap must be anchored. SeeTop Strap on
page 1-47if the child restraint has one.
1-56

Unless your vehicle has an airbag off switch and you
have used it to turn the passenger’s airbag off, never put
a rear-facing child restraint in the right front passenger’s
seat. Here is why:
{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.
If your vehicle is a passenger van, always
secure a rear-facing child restraint in a rear
seat. If your vehicle is a cargo van with a right
front passenger airbag and an airbag off
switch, be sure to turn off the airbag before
using a rear-facing child restraint in the right
front seat position. If your vehicle is a cargo
van with a right front passenger airbag but
does not have an airbag off switch, do not use
a rear-facing child restraint in this vehicle.
CAUTION: (Continued)
CAUTION: (Continued)
Even though the airbag off switch is designed
to turn off the passenger’s frontal airbag, 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. GM recommends that rear-facing child
restraints be transported in vehicles with a
rear seat that will accommodate a rear-facing
child restraint whenever possible.
If you need to secure a forward-facing child
restraint in the right front passenger position,
always move the passenger seat as far back
as it will go.
A rear seat is a safer place to secure a forward-facing
child restraint. SeeWhere to Put the Restraint on
page 1-43.
1-57

{CAUTION:
If the airbag readiness light ever comes on
when you have turned off the airbag, it means
that something may be wrong with the airbag
system. The right front passenger’s airbag
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 right front 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 1-69.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. If your vehicle has a passenger airbag and an
airbag off switch, and you are using a rear-facing
child restraint in this seat, make sure the airbag is
turned off. SeeAirbag Off Switch on page 1-69.
If your child restraint is forward-facing, always move
the seat as far back as it will go before securing
it in this seat. SeePower Seat on page 1-4or
Manual Seats on page 1-3.
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.
1-58

This switch should only be turned to airbag OFF if the
person in the right front passenger’s position is a
member of a passenger risk group identied by the
national government as follows:
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 right front passenger’s airbag is 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 an
airbag. In a crash, the airbag will not be able to
inate and help protect the person sitting
there. Do not turn off the passenger’s airbag
unless the person sitting there is in a risk
group. SeeAirbag Off Switch on page 1-69.
1-70

The Certication/Tire label also tells you the maximum
weights for the front and rear axles, called Gross
Axle Weight Rating (GAWR). To nd out the actual loads
on your front and rear axles, you need to go to a
weigh station and weigh your vehicle. Your dealer can
help you with this. Be sure to spread out your load
equally on both sides of the centerline.
Never exceed the GVWR for your vehicle, or the GAWR
for either the front or rear axle.
And, if you do have a heavy load, you should spread
it out.
{CAUTION:
Do not load your vehicle any heavier than the
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR), or either
the maximum front or rear Gross Axle Weight
Rating (GAWR). If you do, parts on your
vehicle can break, and it can change the way
your vehicle handles. These could cause you
to lose control and crash. Also, overloading
can shorten the life of your vehicle.
{CAUTION:
Things you put inside your vehicle can strike
and injure people in a sudden stop or turn, or
in a crash.
Put things in the cargo area of your
vehicle. Try to spread the weight evenly.
Never stack heavier things, like suitcases,
inside the vehicle so that some of them
are above the tops of the seats.
Do not leave an unsecured child restraint
in your vehicle.
When you carry something inside the
vehicle, secure it whenever you can.
Do not leave a seat folded down unless
you need to.
Add-On Equipment
When you carry removable items, you may need to put
a limit on how many people you carry inside your
vehicle. Be sure to weigh your vehicle before you buy
and install the new equipment.
4-35

C
California Fuel.................................................. 5-6
Canadian Owners................................................ ii
Capacities and Specications............................5-98
Carbon Monoxide...........................2-28, 4-26, 4-36
Care of
Safety Belts................................................5-87
Your Cassette Tape Player............................3-73
Your CD Player...........................................3-74
Your CDs ...................................................3-74
Cargo Door Relocking....................................... 2-8
Center High-Mounted Stoplamp (CHMSL)...........5-49
Center Passenger Position, Safety Belts.....1-23, 1-24
Chains, Tire...................................................5-67
Charging System Light....................................3-28
Check
Engine Light...............................................3-33
Gages Warning Light...................................3-39
Checking Things Under the Hood......................5-10
Chemical Paint Spotting...................................5-90
Child Restraints
Child Restraint Systems...............................1-40
Infants and Young Children...........................1-34
Lower Anchorages and Top Tethers for
Children (LATCH System)..........................1-50
Older Children.............................................1-31
Securing a Child Restraint Designed for the
LATCH System........................................1-52Child Restraints (cont.)
Securing a Child Restraint in a Center
Seat Position...................................1-54, 1-55
Securing a Child Restraint in a Rear
Outside Seat Position...............................1-52
Securing a Child Restraint in the Right Front
Seat Position...........................................1-56
Top Strap...................................................1-47
Top Strap Anchor Location............................1-48
Where to Put the Restraint...........................1-43
Chime Level Adjustment..................................3-74
Cigarette Lighter.............................................3-17
Cleaning
Aluminum Wheels........................................5-89
Exterior Lamps/Lenses.................................5-88
Fabric/Carpet..............................................5-85
Finish Care.................................................5-88
Glass Surfaces............................................5-86
Instrument Panel.........................................5-86
Interior Plastic Components...........................5-86
Tires..........................................................5-90
Underbody Maintenance...............................5-90
Vinyl..........................................................5-86
Washing Your Vehicle...................................5-87
Weatherstrips..............................................5-87
Windshield and Wiper Blades........................5-89
Climate Control System...................................3-18
Outlet Adjustment........................................3-20
3

N
New Vehicle Break-In......................................2-19
Noise Control System, Tampering......................5-45
Normal Maintenance Replacement Parts............6-15
O
Odometer......................................................3-25
Odometer, Trip...............................................3-25
Off-Road Recovery..........................................4-13
Oil
Change Engine Oil Light...............................3-36
Engine.......................................................5-13
Pressure Gage............................................3-35
Older Children, Restraints................................1-31
Online Owner Center........................................ 7-4
OnStar
®System.............................................2-33
Other Warning Devices...................................... 3-6
Outlet Adjustment............................................3-20
Outside
Camper-Type Mirrors....................................2-30
Convex Mirror.............................................2-32
Heated Mirrors............................................2-32
Manual Mirror.............................................2-30
Power Mirrors.............................................2-31
Owner Checks and Services.............................6-10
Owners, Canadian............................................... ii
P
Park (P)
Shifting Into................................................2-26
Shifting Out of............................................2-27
Parking
Brake........................................................2-25
Over Things That Burn.................................2-28
Passing.........................................................4-14
Passlock
®......................................................2-19
Power
Accessory Outlets........................................3-16
Door Locks.................................................. 2-8
Reduced Engine Light..................................3-38
Retained Accessory (RAP)............................2-20
Seat............................................................ 1-4
Steering Fluid.............................................5-33
Windows....................................................2-17
Pretensioners, Safety Belt................................1-30
Q
Questions and Answers About Safety Belts.........1-14
9