2006 CHEVROLET OPTRA 5 airbag off

or the safety belts!
With safety belts, you slow down as the vehicle does.
You get more time to stop. You stop over more distance,
and your strongest bones take the forces. That is why
safety belts make such good sense.
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.
1-15

{CAUTION:
People should never hold a baby in their arms
while riding in a vehicle. A baby does not weigh
much — until a crash. During a crash a baby
will become so heavy it is not possible to hold
it. For example, in a crash at only 25 mph
(40 km/h), a 12 lb (5.5 kg) baby will suddenly
become a 240 lb (110 kg) force on a person’s
arms. A baby should be secured in an
appropriate restraint.
{CAUTION:
Children who are up against, or very close to,
any airbag when it inates can be seriously
injured or killed. Airbags plus lap-shoulder belts
offer protection for adults and older children,
but not for young children and infants. Neither
the vehicle’s safety belt system nor its airbag
system is designed for them. Young children
and infants need the protection that a child
restraint system can provide.
1-31

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.
{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.
CAUTION: (Continued)
CAUTION: (Continued)
Even though the passenger sensing system is
designed to turn off the passenger’s frontal
airbag and side airbag (if equipped) 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 or airbags are off.
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.
Wherever you install a child restraint, be sure to secure
the child restraint properly.
Keep in mind that an unsecured child restraint can
move around in a collision or sudden stop and injure
people in the vehicle. Be sure to properly secure
any child restraint in your vehicle — even when no child
is in it.
1-38

To remove the child restraint, if the top tether is attached
to the top tether anchor, disconnect it. Unbuckle the
vehicle’s safety belt and let it go back all the way. The
safety belt will move freely again and be ready to
work for an adult or larger child passenger.
Securing a Child Restraint in the
Right Front Seat Position
Your vehicle has a right front passenger’s airbag. A rear
seat is a safer place to secure a forward-facing child
restraint. SeeWhere to Put the Restraint on page 1-38.
In addition, your vehicle has a passenger sensing
system. The passenger sensing system is designed to
turn off the right front passenger’s frontal airbag and
side airbag (if equipped) 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 1-60andPassenger Airbag
Status Indicator on page 3-31for more information
on this including important safety information.
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 side airbag (if equipped), if the
system detects a rear-facing child restraint, no
system is fail-safe, and no one can guarantee
that an airbag or airbags 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 or airbags are off.
1-48

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 (Without Sliding
Storage Tray) on page 1-2orManual Seats (With
Sliding Storage Tray) on page 1-3.
If your child restraint is equipped with the LATCH
system, seeLower Anchors and Tethers for Children
(LATCH) on page 1-39.
There is no top tether anchor in the right front
passenger’s position. Do not secure a child seat in this
position if a national or local law requires that the
top tether be anchored, or if the instructions that come
with the child restraint say that the top tether must
be anchored. SeeLower Anchors and Tethers
for Children (LATCH) on page 1-39if your child restraint
has a top tether.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 airbags. SeePassenger Sensing
System on page 1-60. General Motors recommends
that rear-facing child restraints be secured in a
rear seat, even if the right front passenger’s frontal
airbag and side airbag (if equipped) is 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 (Without
Sliding Storage Tray) on page 1-2orManual Seats
(With Sliding Storage Tray) on page 1-3.
When the passenger sensing system has turned off
the right front passenger’s frontal airbag and side
airbag (if equipped), the off symbol in the passenger
airbag status indicator should light and stay lit
when you turn the ignition to ON or START. See
Passenger Airbag Status Indicator on page 3-31.
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.
1-49

6. To tighten the belt, push down on the child restraint,
pull the shoulder portion of the belt to tighten the lap
portion of the belt and feed the shoulder belt back
into the retractor. If you are using a forward-facing
child restraint, you may find it helpful to use your
knee to push down on the child restraint as you
tighten the belt. You should not be able to pull
more of the belt from the retractor once the lock
has been set.
7. Push and pull the child restraint in different
directions to be sure it is secure.
8. If the airbag or airbags are off, the off symbol on
the instrument panel near the clock will be lit and
stay lit when the key is turned to ON or START.If a child restraint has been installed and the off symbol is
not lit, turn the vehicle off. Remove the child restraint from
the vehicle and reinstall the child restraint.
If after reinstalling the child restraint and restarting the
vehicle, the off symbol is still not 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.
A thick layer of additional material such as a blanket, or
aftermarket equipment such as seat covers heaters
or massagers, located between the seat cushion and the
child restraint or small occupant, can affect how the
passenger sensing system operates. Remove any
additional material from the seat cushion before
reinstalling/securing the child restraint or small occupant.
If the off symbol is still not lit, secure the child in the
child restraint in a rear seat position in the vehicle and
check with your dealer.
To remove the child restraint, just unbuckle the vehicle’s
safety belt and let it go back all the way. The safety
belt will move freely again and be ready to work for an
adult or larger child passenger.
1-51

{CAUTION:
Anyone who is up against, or very close to,
any airbag when it inates can be seriously
injured or killed. Airbags plus lap-shoulder
belts offer the best protection for adults, but
not for young children and infants. Neither the
vehicle’s safety belt system nor its airbag
system is designed for them. Young children
and infants need the protection that a child
restraint system can provide. Always secure
children properly in your vehicle. To read how,
seeOlder Children on page 1-28orInfants and
Young Children on page 1-30.There is an airbag
readiness light on the
instrument panel cluster,
which shows the airbag
symbol.
The system checks the airbag electrical system for
malfunctions. The light tells you if there is an electrical
problem. SeeAirbag Readiness Light on page 3-30
for more information.
1-54

Passenger Sensing System
Your vehicle has a passenger sensing system for the
right front passenger position. The passenger airbag
status indicator will be visible when you turn your ignition
key to ON or START. The airbag off symbol will be
visible near the clock, located in the center of the
instrument panel during the system check. When the
system check is complete, the airbag off symbol will be
visible under certain conditions. SeePassenger
Airbag Status Indicator on page 3-31.
The passenger sensing
system will turn off the
right front passenger’s
frontal airbag and
side airbag (if equipped)
under certain conditions.
The driver’s frontal airbag and side airbag (if equipped)
are not part of the passenger sensing system.The passenger sensing system works with a sensor that
is part of the right front passenger’s seat cushion.
The sensor is designed to detect the presence of a
properly-seated occupant and determine if the
passenger’s frontal airbag and side impact airbag (if
equipped) should be enabled (may inflate) 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.
1-60