
Where to Put the Restraint
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.
Never put a child in a rear-facing child restraint in
the right front passenger seat unless your vehicle has
the passenger sensing system or an airbag off
switch and the passenger airbag status indicator or the
airbag off light shows off. Never put a rear facing
child restraint in the right front passenger seat unless
the airbag is off. 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 in ates. This is because
the back of the rear-facing child restraint
CAUTION: (Continued)
CAUTION: (Continued)
would be very close to the in ating airbag. Be
sure the airbag is off before using a rear-facing
child restraint in the right front seat position.
Even though the passenger sensing system or
airbag off switch are designed to turn off the
passenger’s frontal airbag under certain
conditions, 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 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 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.
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Securing a Child Restraint in the
Right Front Seat Position (Regular
and Extended Cab) (With Passenger
Sensing System)
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 1-42.
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 1-76
andPassenger Airbag Status Indicator on page 3-36
for more information on this including important
safety information.
{CAUTION:
A child in a rear-facing child restraint can be
seriously injured or killed if the right front
passenger’s airbag in ates. This is because
the back of the rear facing child restraint
would be very close to the in ating airbag. Be
sure the airbag is off before using a rear-facing
child restraint in the right front seat position.
Even though the passenger sensing system is
designed to turn off the passenger’s frontal
airbag under certain conditions, 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 transported in vehicles with
a rear seat that will accommodate a rear-facing
child restraint, whenever possible.
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The airbag system is designed to work properly under a
wide range of conditions, including off-road usage.
Observe safe driving speeds, especially on rough
terrain. As always, wear your safety belt. SeeOff-Road
Driving with Your Four-Wheel-Drive Vehicle on
page 4-20for more tips on off-road driving.
Single Stage vs. Dual Stage Airbags
Depending on the weight of your vehicle you will have
either “Single Stage Airbags” or “Dual Stage Airbags”.
Vehicles that have a passenger sensing system
also have dual stage airbags. If the rearview mirror in
your vehicle has a passenger airbag status indicator
printed on it, your vehicle has the passenger sensing
system and therefore, it has dual stage airbags. If
the rearview mirror in your vehicle does not have a
passenger airbag status indicator printed on it, then your
vehicle does not have the passenger sensing system
and it has single stage airbags. SeePassenger
Airbag Status Indicator on page 3-36orPassenger
Sensing System on page 1-76.
Dual Stage Airbags
If your vehicle has frontal airbags with dual stage
deployment, the amount of restraint will adjust according
to crash severity. Your vehicle is equipped with electronic
frontal sensors which help the sensing system distinguish
between a moderate and a more severe frontal impact.
For moderate frontal impacts, these airbags in ate at a
level less than full deployment. For more severe frontal
impacts, full deployment occurs. If the front of your
vehicle goes straight into a wall that does not move or
deform, the threshold level for the reduced deployment is
about 10 to 16 mph (16 to 25 km/h), and the threshold
level for a full deployment is about 20 to 25 mph
(32 to 40 km/h). (The threshold level can vary, however,
with speci c vehicle design, so that it can be somewhat
above or below this range.)
Vehicle’s with dual stage airbags are also equipped with
special sensors which enable the sensing system to
monitor the position of both the driver and passenger
front 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.
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