2005 GMC YUKON XL Owners Manual

If your vehicle has one, the right front passenger’s side
impact airbag is in the side of the passenger’s
seatback closest to the door.
{CAUTION:
If something is between an occupant and an
airbag, the airbag might not inate properly or
it might force the object into that person
causing severe injury or even death. The path
of an inating airbag must be kept clear. Do
not put anything between an occupant and an
airbag, and do not attach or put anything on
the steering wheel hub or on or near any other
airbag covering. Do not let seat covers block
the ination path of a side impact airbag.
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When Should an Airbag Inate?
The driver’s and right front passenger’s frontal airbags
are designed to inate in moderate to severe frontal or
near-frontal crashes. But they are designed to inate only
if the impact exceeds a predetermined deployment
threshold. Deployment thresholds take into account a
variety of desired deployment and non-deployment
events and are used to predict how severe a crash is
likely to be in time for the airbags to inate and help
restrain the occupants. Whether your frontal airbags will
or should deploy is not based on how fast your vehicle is
traveling. It depends largely on what you hit, the direction
of the impact and how quickly your vehicle slows down.
In addition, your vehicle has “dual stage” frontal airbags,
which adjust the restraint 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 inate 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 30 mph
(32 to 48 km/h). (The threshold level can vary, however,
with specic vehicle design, so that it can be somewhat
above or below this range.)Airbags may inate at different crash speeds. For
example:If the vehicle hits a stationary object, the airbag
could inate at a different crash speed than if
the object were moving.
If the object deforms, the airbag could inate at a
different crash speed than if the object does not
deform.
If the vehicle hits a narrow object (like a pole) the
airbag could inate at a different crash speed
than if the vehicle hits a wide object (like a wall).
If the vehicle goes into an object at an angle the
airbag could inate at a different crash speed
than if the vehicle goes straight into the object.
The frontal airbags (driver and right front passenger) are
not intended to inate during vehicle rollovers, rear
impacts, or in many side impacts because ination
would not likely help the occupants.
Vehicles 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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Your vehicle may or may not have a side impact airbag.
SeeAirbag System on page 1-70. Side impact airbags
are designed to inate in moderate to severe side
crashes. A side impact airbag will inate if the crash
severity is above the system’s designed “threshold
level.” The threshold level can vary with specic vehicle
design. Side impact airbags are not designed to
inate in frontal or near-frontal impacts, rollovers or rear
impacts, because ination would not likely help the
occupant. A side impact airbag will only deploy on the
side of the vehicle that is struck.
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.
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. SeeOperating
Your All-Wheel-Drive Vehicle Off Paved Roads on
page 4-16for tips on off-road driving.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. Frontal airbag modules
are located inside the steering wheel and instrument
panel. For vehicles with side impact airbags, the airbag
modules are located in the seatback closest to the
driver’s and/or right front passenger’s 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.
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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 right front passenger’s frontal airbags, and only in
moderate to severe side collisions for vehicles with a
driver’s and right front passenger’s side impact airbag.
What Will You See After an Airbag
Inates?
After the airbag inates, it quickly deates, so quickly
that some people may not even realize the airbag
inated. Some components of the airbag module will be
hot for a short time. These components include the
steering wheel hub for the driver’s frontal airbag and the
instrument panel for the right front passenger’s frontal
airbag. For vehicles with side impact airbags, the side of
the seatback closest to the driver’s and/or right front
passenger’s door will be hot. The parts of the bag that
come into contact with you may be warm, but not
too hot to touch. There will be some smoke and dust
coming from the vents in the deated airbags.
Airbag ination does not prevent the driver from seeing
or being able to steer the vehicle, nor does it stop
people from leaving the vehicle.
{CAUTION:
When an airbag inates, there is dust in the
air. This dust could cause breathing problems
for people with a history of asthma or other
breathing trouble. To avoid this, everyone in
the vehicle should get out as soon as it is safe
to do so. If you have breathing problems but
can not get out of the vehicle after an airbag
inates, then get fresh air by opening a
window or a door. If you experience breathing
problems following an airbag deployment, you
should seek medical attention.
In many crashes severe enough to inate an airbag,
windshields are broken by vehicle deformation.
Additional windshield breakage may also occur from the
right front passenger airbag.
Airbags are designed to inate only once. After an
airbag inates, you will need some new parts for your
airbag system. If you do not get them, the air bag
system will not be there to help protect you in another
crash. A new system will include airbag modules and
possibly other parts. The service manual for your
vehicle covers the need to replace other parts.
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Your vehicle is equipped with a crash sensing and
diagnostic module which records information after a
crash. SeeVehicle Data Collection and Event Data
Recorders on page 7-10.
Let only qualied technicians work on your airbag
system. Improper service can mean that an airbag
system will not work properly. See your dealer for
service.
Notice:If you damage the covering for the driver’s
or the right front passenger’s airbag, or the airbag
covering on the driver’s and right front passenger’s
seatback, the airbag may not work properly. You
may have to replace the airbag module in the
steering wheel, both the airbag module and the
instrument panel for the right front passenger’s
airbag, or both the airbag module and seatback for
the driver’s and right front passenger’s side
impact airbag. Do not open or break the airbag
coverings.
Passenger Sensing System
If your rearview mirror has one of the indicators pictured
in the following illustrations, your vehicle has a passenger
sensing system. The indicator will be visible when you
turn your ignition key to START or RUN. The words ON
and OFF or the symbol for on and off, will be visible on
the rearview mirror during the system check. When the
system check is complete, either the word ON or the word
OFF, or the symbol for on or the symbol for off will be
visible. SeePassenger Airbag Status Indicator on
page 3-32. If your rearview mirror does not have either of
the indicators pictured, then your vehicle does not have
the passenger sensing system.
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The passenger sensing system will turn off the right
front passenger’s frontal airbag under certain conditions.
The driver’s airbag and the side airbags are not part
of the passenger sensing system.The passenger sensing system works with sensors that
are part of the right front passenger’s seat and safety
belt. The sensors are designed to detect the presence of
a properly-seated occupant and determine if the
passenger’s frontal airbag should be enabled (may
inate) or not.
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.
Your vehicle has a rear seat that will accommodate
a rear-facing child restraint. A label on your sun visor
says, “Never put a rear-facing child seat in the
front.” This is because the risk to the rear-facing child is
so great, if the airbag deploys. Passenger Airbag Status Indicator – United States
Passenger Airbag Status Indicator – Canada
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{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.
Even though the passenger sensing system is
designed to turn off the passenger’s frontal
airbag if the system detects a rear-facing child
restraint, 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 secured in the rear seat, even if the airbag
is off.
The passenger sensing system is designed to turn off
the right front passenger’s frontal airbag if:
the right front passenger seat is unoccupied
the system determines that an infant is present in a
rear-facing infant seat
the system determines that a small child is present
in a forward-facing child restraint
the system determines that a small child is present
in a booster seat
a right front passenger takes his/her weight off of
the seat for a period of time
the right front passenger seat is occupied by a
smaller person, such as a child who has outgrown
child restraints
or if there is a critical problem with the airbag
system or the passenger sensing system.
When the passenger sensing system has turned off the
passenger’s frontal air bag, the off indicator will light
and stay lit to remind you that the airbag is off.
If a child restraint has been installed and the on indicator
is lit, turn the vehicle off. Remove the child restraint
from the vehicle and reinstall the child restraint following
the child restraint manufacturer’s directions and refer
toSecuring a Child Restraint in the Right Front
Seat Position on page 1-67.
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If after reinstalling the child restraint and restarting the
vehicle, the on indicator is still lit, check to make
sure that the vehicle’s seatback is not pressing the child
restraint into the seat cushion. If this happens, slightly
recline the vehicle’s seatback and adjust the seat
cushion if possible. Also make sure the child restraint is
not trapped under the vehicle head restraint. If this
happens, adjust the head restraint.
If the on indicator is still lit, secure the child in the child
restraint in a rear seat position in the vehicle and
check with your dealer.
The passenger sensing system is designed to enable
(may inate) the right front passenger’s frontal
airbag anytime the system senses that a person of adult
size is sitting properly in the right front passenger’s
seat. When the passenger sensing system has allowed
the airbag to be enabled, the on indicator will light
and stay lit to remind you that the airbag is active.
For some children who have outgrown child restraints
and for very small adults, the passenger sensing system
may or may not turn off the right front passenger’s
frontal airbag, depending upon the person’s seating
posture and body build. Everyone in your vehicle who
has outgrown child restraints should wear a safety
belt properly — whether or not there is an airbag for
that person.If a person of adult-size is sitting in the right front
passenger’s seat, but the off indicator is lit, it could be
because that person is not sitting properly in the seat. If
this happens, turn the vehicle off and ask the person to
place the seatback in the fully upright position, then sit
upright in the seat, centered on the seat cushion, with the
person’s legs comfortably extended. Restart the vehicle
and have the person remain in this position for about two
minutes. This will allow the system to detect that person
and then enable the passenger’s airbag.
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