2006 CHEVROLET MALIBU Owners Manual

Safety Belt Use During Pregnancy
Safety belts work for everyone, including pregnant
women. Like all occupants, they are more likely to be
seriously injured if they do not wear safety belts.
A pregnant woman should wear a lap-shoulder belt,
and the lap portion should be worn as low as possible,
below the rounding, throughout the pregnancy.
The best way to protect the fetus is to protect the
mother. When a safety belt is worn properly, it is more
likely that the fetus will not be hurt in a crash. For
pregnant women, as for anyone, the key to making
safety belts effective is wearing them properly.
Right Front Passenger Position
To learn how to wear the right front passenger’s safety
belt properly, seeDriver Position on page 1-19.
The right front passenger’s safety belt works the
same way as the driver’s safety belt — except for
one thing. If you ever pull the shoulder portion of the
belt out all the way, you will engage the child restraint
locking feature. If this happens, just let the belt go back
all the way and start again.
Rear Seat Passengers
It is very important for rear seat passengers to buckle
up! Accident statistics show that unbelted people in
the rear seat are hurt more often in crashes than those
who are wearing safety belts.
Rear passengers who are not safety belted can be
thrown out of the vehicle in a crash. And they can strike
others in the vehicle who are wearing safety belts.
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Lap-Shoulder Belt
All rear seat positions have lap-shoulder belts.
Here is how to wear one properly.
1. Pick up the latch plate and pull the belt across you.
Do not let it get twisted.
The shoulder belt may lock if you pull the belt
across you very quickly. If this happens, let the
belt go back slightly to unlock it. Then pull the belt
across you more slowly.2. Push the latch plate into the buckle until it clicks.
Pull up on the latch plate to make sure it is secure.
When the shoulder belt is pulled out all the way,
it will lock. If it does, let it go back all the way and
start again.
If the belt is not long enough, seeSafety Belt
Extender on page 1-34.
Make sure the release button on the buckle is
positioned so you would be able to unbuckle the
safety belt quickly if you ever had to.
3. To make the lap part tight, pull up on the
shoulder part.
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The lap part of the belt should be worn low and snug on
the hips, just touching the thighs. In a crash, this applies
force to the strong pelvic bones. And you would be less
likely to slide under the lap belt. If you slid under it, the
belt would apply force at your abdomen. This could cause
serious or even fatal injuries. The shoulder belt should go
over the shoulder and across the chest. These parts of
the body are best able to take belt restraining forces.The safety belt locks if there is a sudden stop or a
crash, or if you pull the belt very quickly out of
the retractor.
{CAUTION:
You can be seriously hurt if your shoulder
belt is too loose. In a crash, you would move
forward too much, which could increase injury.
The shoulder belt should t against your body.
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To unlatch the belt, push the button on the buckle.
Rear Safety Belt Comfort Guides
Rear shoulder belt comfort guides may provide added
safety belt comfort for older children who have outgrown
booster seats and for some adults. When installed on
a shoulder belt, the comfort guide positions the belt
away from the neck and head.
Malibu Sedan
There is one guide for each outside passenger position
in the rear seat. Here is how to install a comfort guide
and use the safety belt:
1. Pull the elastic cord out from between the edge of
the seatback and the interior body to remove the
guide from its storage clip.
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2. Slide the guide under and past the belt. The elastic
cord must be under the belt. Then, place the guide
over the belt, and insert the two edges of the
belt into the slots of the guide.3. Be sure that the belt is not twisted and it lies at.
The elastic cord must be under the belt and the
guide on top.
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‘
{CAUTION:
A safety belt that is not properly worn may not
provide the protection needed in a crash. The
person wearing the belt could be seriously
injured. The shoulder belt should go over the
shoulder and across the chest. These parts of
the body are best able to take belt restraining
forces.4. Buckle, position, and release the safety belt as
described inRear Seat Passengers on page 1-27.
Make sure that the shoulder belt crosses the
shoulder.
To remove and store the comfort guides, squeeze the
belt edges together so that you can take them out of
the guides. Pull the guide upward to expose its storage
clip, and then slide the guide onto the clip. Turn the
guide and clip inward and slide them between the
seatback and the interior body, leaving only the loop
of the elastic cord exposed.
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Malibu MAXX
There is a safety belt routing guide attached to each
outside passenger position in the rear seat of the Malibu
MAXX. Here is how to use the safety belt routing guide:
1. Slide the edge of the safety belt (D) through the
opening at the top of the guide (B).
2. Adjust the safety belt so that it lies at against the
lower level (C) or the upper level (A) of the guide.
Be sure the safety belt lies at against the guide.{CAUTION:
A safety belt that is not properly worn may not
provide the protection needed in a crash. The
person wearing the belt could be seriously
injured. The shoulder belt should go over the
shoulder and across the chest. These parts of
the body are best able to take belt restraining
forces.
3. Buckle, position, and release the safety belt as
described inRear Seat Passengers on page 1-27.
Make sure that the shoulder belt crosses the
shoulder.
To remove the safety belt from the guide, slide the
edge of the safety belt through the opening at the top
of the guide.
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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 1-72.
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 dealer
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.
Child Restraints
Older Children
Older children who have outgrown booster seats should
wear the vehicle’s safety belts.
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