2005 SATURN RELAY seats

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 1-80.
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 retailer 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.
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Child Restraints
Older Children
Older children who have outgrown booster seats should
wear the vehicle’s safety belts.
Q:What is the proper way to wear safety belts?
A:If possible, an older child should wear a
lap-shoulder belt and get the additional restraint a
shoulder belt can provide. The shoulder belt
should not cross the face or neck. The lap belt
should t snugly below the hips, just touching the
top of the thighs. It should never be worn over
the abdomen, which could cause severe or even
fatal internal injuries in a crash.
Accident statistics show that children are safer if they
are restrained in the rear seat.
In a crash, children who are not buckled up can strike
other people who are buckled up, or can be thrown
out of the vehicle. Older children need to use safety
belts properly.
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A booster seat (F-G) is a child restraint designed to
improve the t of the vehicle’s safety belt system. Some
booster seats have a shoulder belt positioner, and
some high-back booster seats have a ve-point harness.
A booster seat can also help a child to see out the
window.
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.
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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 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.Q:When securing an aftermarket child seat in a
bucket seat, I am unable to get the seat
fastened in snugly enough. What should I do?
A:With some child seats, it may be difficult to tighten
the vehicle belts so that there is less side-to-side or
front-to-back movement of the child seat. A
replacement buckle, which makes it easier to
secure your child seat, is available from your retailer
at no charge to you.
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.
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.
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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.
{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 and seat-mounted side impact airbag
(if equipped) 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 secured in the
rear seat, even if the airbag is off.If you need to secure a forward-facing child restraint in
the right front seat position, move the seat as far
back as it will go before securing the forward-facing
child restraint. SeeManual Seats on page 1-2or
Six-Way Power Seats on page 1-3.
If your child restraint is equipped with the LATCH
system, seeLower Anchorages and Top Tethers for
Children (LATCH System) on page 1-56.
There is no top strap anchor at the right front 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 come with the child
restraint say that the top strap must be anchored. See
Top Strap on page 1-53if your child restraint has one.
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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. Your vehicle has a right front passenger’s airbags.
SeePassenger Sensing System on page 1-74.
General Motors recommends that rear-facing child
restraints be secured in a rear seat, even if the
airbag or airbags are off. If your child restraint is
forward-facing, move the seat as far back as it will
go before securing the child restraint in this
seat. SeeManual Seats on page 1-2orSix-Way
Power Seats on page 1-3.
When the passenger sensing system has turned off
the right front passenger’s airbag or airbags, the
off indicator in the passenger airbag status indicator
should light and stay lit when you turn the ignition
to RUN or START. SeePassenger Airbag
Status Indicator on page 3-33.
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.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.
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Q:Because I have a disability, I have to get my
vehicle modied. How can I nd out whether
this will affect my airbag system?
A:Changing or moving any parts of the front seats,
safety belts, the airbag sensing and diagnostic
module (located under the driver’s seat), or
the instrument panel can affect the operation of the
airbag system. If you have questions, call
Customer Assistance. The phone numbers and
addresses for Customer Assistance are in Step Two
of the Customer Satisfaction Procedure in this
manual. SeeCustomer Satisfaction Procedure on
page 7-2.
Restraint System Check
Checking the Restraint Systems
Now and then, make sure the safety belt reminder light
and all your belts, buckles, latch plates, retractors
and anchorages are working properly. Look for any other
loose or damaged safety belt system parts. If you see
anything that might keep a safety belt system from doing
its job, have it repaired.
Torn or frayed safety belts may not protect you in a
crash. They can rip apart under impact forces. If a belt
is torn or frayed, get a new one right away.
Also look for any opened or broken airbag covers, and
have them repaired or replaced. (The airbag system
does not need regular maintenance.)
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Storage Areas
Your vehicle’s large carrying capacity can store many
items. If the vehicle has an extended wheelbase, it can
carry even larger items. The oor pins that are used
to attach the seats, can be used to secure larger loads.
There may be additional storage areas behind the
seats. Pull the lid towards you to open the storage.
Glove Box
If the glove box has a lock, put your key into the lock
and turn the key counterclockwise. To open the
glove box, pull the latch release.
The glove box door has a detent to prevent the door
from lowering too far. Open the glove box until the door
is partway open, then pull the door down if you need
it fully opened.
To close the glove box, the door must be pushed up
past the detent. To lock the glove box, put your key into
the lock and turn the key clockwise.
Cupholder(s)
There are cupholders located below the center
instrument panel switchbank. The cupholders have a
rubber liner that can be removed, so that larger cups can
t into the cupholders. You can also remove the liner
to clean it.
To use the cupholders, pull the tray out. Push the tray
back when not in use.
Overhead Console (With Rail)
If your vehicle is equipped with an overhead console, it
may contain the following:
Reading lamps. SeeFront Reading Lamps on
page 3-18orRear Reading Lamps on page 3-18.
Switchbank. SeeOverhead Console Switchbank on
page 3-19.
OnStar®System buttons. SeeOnStar®System on
page 2-43.
HomeLink®Transmitter buttons. SeeHomeLink®
Wireless Control System on page 2-44.
See your retailer to purchase additional items for the rail
system.
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