Questions and Answers About
Safety Belts
Q:Will I be trapped in the vehicle after an accident
if I am wearing a safety belt?
A:Youcouldbe — whether you are wearing a safety
belt or not. But you can unbuckle a safety belt,
even if you are upside down. And your chance of
being conscious during and after an accident,
so youcanunbuckle and get out, ismuchgreater
if you are belted.
Q:If my vehicle has airbags, why should I have to
wear safety belts?
A:Airbags are in many vehicles today and will be
in most of them in the future. But they are
supplemental systems only; so they workwith
safety belts — not instead of them. Every airbag
system ever offered for sale has required the use of
safety belts. Even if you are in a vehicle that has
airbags, you still have to buckle up to get the most
protection. That is true not only in frontal collisions,
but especially in side and other collisions.
Q:If I am a good driver, and I never drive far from
home, why should I wear safety belts?
A:You may be an excellent driver, but if you are in an
accident — even one that is not your fault — you
and your passengers can be hurt. Being a good
driver does not protect you from things beyond your
control, such as bad drivers.
Most accidents occur within 25 miles (40 km) of
home. And the greatest number of serious
injuries and deaths occur at speeds of less than
40 mph (65 km/h).
Safety belts are for everyone.
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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.
In any particular crash, no one can say whether an airbag
should have in ated simply because of the damage to a
vehicle or because of what the repair costs were.
For frontal airbags, in ation is determined by what the
vehicle hits, the angle of the impact, and how quickly the
vehicle slows down. For side impact airbags, in ation 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. SeeOff-Road
Driving on page 4-17for tips on off-road driving.
What Makes an Airbag In ate?
In an impact of sufficient severity, the airbag sensing
system detects that the vehicle is in a crash.
The sensing system triggers a release of gas from the
in ator, which in ates the airbag. The in ator, the airbag
and related hardware are all part of the airbag modules
inside the steering wheel, the instrument panel, and
the side of the front seatbacks closest to the 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 many frontal or
near frontal collisions, and rear impacts, primarily
because an occupant’s motion is not toward those
airbags. 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 frontal airbags, and only in moderate
to severe side collisions for vehicles with a side
impact airbag.
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To replace the battery in the keyless entry transmitter,
do the following:
1. Insert a thin object, such as a coin, in the slot
between the covers of the transmitter housing
near the key ring hole. Remove the bottom
by twisting the coin.
2. Remove and replace the battery with a
three-volt CR2032 or equivalent battery,
positive (+) side up.3. Align the covers and snap them together.
4. Resynchronize the transmitter. See
“Resynchronization” following this information.
5. Check the operation of the transmitter.
Resynchronization
Resynchronization may be necessary due to the
security method used by this system. The transmitter
does not send the same signal twice to the receiver.
The receiver will not respond to a signal that has been
sent previously. This prevents anyone from recording
and playing back the signal from the transmitter.
To resynchronize your transmitter, stand close to your
vehicle and press and hold the lock and unlock
buttons on the transmitter at the same time for
15 seconds. The door locks should cycle to con rm
synchronization. If the locks do not cycle, see your
dealer for service.
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Doors and Locks
Door Locks
{CAUTION:
Unlocked doors can be dangerous.
Passengers — especially children — can
easily open the doors and fall out of a
moving vehicle. When a door is locked,
the handle will not open it. You increase
the chance of being thrown out of the
vehicle in a crash if the doors are not
locked. So, wear safety belts properly and
lock the doors whenever you drive.
Young children who get into unlocked
vehicles may be unable to get out. A child
can be overcome by extreme heat and can
suffer permanent injuries or even death
from heat stroke. Always lock your vehicle
whenever you leave it.
Outsiders can easily enter through an
unlocked door when you slow down or
stop your vehicle. Locking your doors can
help prevent this from happening.There are several ways to lock and unlock your vehicle.
To unlock the door from the outside, use the keyless
entry system or the key.
To unlock or lock the door
from the inside, slide the
manual lever forward
or rearward.
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Windows
{CAUTION:
Leaving children, helpless adults, or pets in a
vehicle with the windows closed is dangerous.
They can be overcome by the extreme heat
and suffer permanent injuries or even death
from heat stroke. Never leave a child, a
helpless adult, or a pet alone in a vehicle,
especially with the windows closed in warm or
hot weather.
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Sun Visors
Sun Visors with Slide Rod
Your vehicle may have this feature.
Pull the sun visor down to block glare. Detach the sun
visor from the center mount and slide it along the
rod from side-to-side to cover the driver or passenger
side of the front window. Swing the sun visor to the side
to cover the side window. It can be moved along the
rod from side-to-side in this position also.
Sun Visors with Fixed Rod and Pull-out
Extension
Your vehicle may have this feature.
Pull the sun visor down to block glare. Pull the sun visor
extender out for additional coverage. Detach the sun
visor from the center mount and swing it to the side to
cover the side window.
Lighted Visor Vanity Mirror
Your vehicle has lighted visor vanity mirrors on both
the driver’s and passenger’s sun visors. Pull the
sun visor down and lift the mirror cover to turn the
lamps on.
Theft-Deterrent Systems
Vehicle theft is big business, especially in some cities.
Although your vehicle has a number of theft-deterrent
features, we know that nothing we put on it can make it
impossible to steal.
Content Theft-Deterrent
Your vehicle has a content theft-deterrent alarm system.
The security light is located
on the instrument panel
cluster. SeeSecurity Light
on page 3-42for additional
information.
To activate the theft-deterrent system, do the following:
1. Close all the doors.
2. Lock the door with the remote keyless entry
transmitter. The security light should come on
and ash.
If the lock button on the remote keyless entry
transmitter is pressed, but a door is open, you may
hear three chimes indicating delayed locking is enabled.
SeeDelayed Locking on page 2-9for additional
information. Close the door and the content
theft-deterrent system will be activated.
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OnStar®Personal Calling
As an OnStar®subscriber, the Personal Calling
capability allows you to make hands-free calls using a
wireless system that is integrated into the vehicle.
Calls can be placed nationwide using simple voice
commands with no additional contracts and no additional
roaming charges. To nd out more about OnStar
®
Personal Calling, refer to the OnStar®User’s Guide
in the vehicle’s glove box, visit www.onstar.com
or www.onstar.ca, or speak to an OnStar
®advisor by
pressing the OnStar®button or calling 1-888-4-ONSTAR
(1-888-466-7827).
OnStar®Virtual Advisor
Your vehicle may have Virtual Advisor. It is a feature of
OnStar®Personal Calling that uses your minutes to
access weather, local traffic reports and sports updates.
By pressing the phone button and giving a few simple
voice commands, you can browse through the
various topics. Customize your information pro le at
www.myonstar.com. See the OnStar
®user’s guide for
more information.
OnStar®Steering Wheel Controls
Your vehicle may be
equipped with a Talk/Mute
button that can be used
to interact with OnStar
®.
SeeAudio Steering Wheel
Controls on page 3-98
for more information.
When calling into voice mail systems or to dial directory
numbers, press the control, wait for the “number
please” response, say the number(s) to be dialed, wait
for the number(s) to be repeated and then say “dial.”
See the OnStar
®User’s Guide for more information.
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Headlamps on Reminder
If a door is open, a reminder chime will sound when your
headlamps or parking lamps are manually turned on and
your key is out of the ignition. To turn off the chime, turn
the headlamp switch to off or AUTO and then back on. In
the AUTO mode, the headlamps turn off once the ignition
is in LOCK or may remain on until the headlamp delay
ends (if enabled in the DIC).
Daytime Running Lamps (DRL)
Daytime Running Lamps (DRL) can make it easier for
others to see the front of your vehicle during the
day. DRL can be helpful in many different driving
conditions, but they can be especially helpful in the short
periods after dawn and before sunset. Fully functional
daytime running lamps are required on all vehicles
rst sold in Canada.
The DRL system will come on when the following
conditions are met:
The ignition is on,
the exterior lamps control is in AUTO,
the transmission is not in PARK (P), and
the light sensor determines it is daytime.When the DRL are on, only your DRL lamps will be on.
The taillamps, sidemarker and other lamps won’t be
on. The instrument panel won’t be lit up either.
When it begins to get dark, the automatic headlamp
system will switch from DRL to the headlamps.
As with any vehicle, you should turn on the regular
headlamp system when you need it.
Automatic Headlamp System
When it is dark enough outside and the headlamp
switch is in AUTO, your automatic headlamp system will
turn on your headlamps at the normal brightness
along with other lamps such as the taillamps,
sidemarker, parking lamps, roof marker lamps and the
instrument panel lights. The radio lights will also be dim.
To turn off the automatic headlamp system, turn the
exterior lamps switch to the off position and then release.
Turning off the automatic headlamp system with the
headlamp switch is not available for vehicles rst sold in
Canada. For vehicles rst sold in Canada, you can turn
off the automatic headlamp system when parked at night
by applying the parking brake before starting your
vehicle. The headlamps will remain off once the vehicle is
started for as long as you are parked. If you release the
parking brake, the lights will turn on. If the parking brake
is not released before you begin to drive, the exterior
lamps will turn on above 2 mph (3.2 km/h).
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