2006 GMC SAVANA Owner's Manual

If your vehicle does not have a rear seat that will
accommodate a rear-facing child restraint, never put a
child in a rear-facing child restraint in the right front
passenger seat the unless passenger airbag status
indicator shows off. Never put a rear facing child
restraint in the right front passenger seat unless the
airbag is off. Here is why:
{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. Be
sure the airbag is off before using a rear-facing
child restraint in the right front seat position.
Even though the passenger sensing system or
the airbag off switch is designed to turn off the
right front 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
CAUTION: (Continued)
CAUTION: (Continued)
unusual circumstance, even though it is turned
off. We recommend that rear-facing child
restraints be transported in vehicles with a
rear seat that will accommodate a rear-facing
child restraint, whenever possible.
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.
If your vehicle has the passenger sensing system or the
airbag off switch and you need to secure a rear-facing
child restraint in the right front passenger’s seat,
the passenger’s frontal airbag must be off. See
Passenger Sensing System on page 1-74,Airbag Off
Switch on page 1-71,Securing a Child Restraint in
the Right Front Seat Position (With Passenger Sensing
System) on page 1-56orSecuring a Child Restraint
in the Right Front Seat Position (With Airbag Off Switch)
on page 1-60for more on this including important
safety information.
1-43

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.
Lower Anchors and Tethers for
Children (LATCH)
Your vehicle has the LATCH system. The LATCH
system holds a child restraint during driving or in a
crash. This system is designed to make installation of a
child restraint easier. The LATCH system uses
anchors in the vehicle and attachments on the child
restraint that are made for use with the LATCH system
Make sure that a LATCH-compatible child restraint
is properly installed using the anchors, or use
the vehicle’s safety belts to secure the restraint,
following the instructions that came with that
restraint, and also the instructions in this manual.When installing a child restraint with a top tether, you
must also use either the lower anchors or the safety
belts to properly secure the child restraint. A child
restraint must never be installed using only the top tether
strap and anchor.
In order to use the LATCH system in your vehicle, you
need a child restraint equipped with LATCH
attachments. The child restraint manufacturer will
provide you with instructions on how to use the child
restraint and its attachments. The following explains how
to attach a child restraint with these attachments in
your vehicle.
Your vehicle has lower anchors and top tether anchors.
Your child restraint may have lower attachments and
a top tether.
Not all vehicle seating positions or child restraints have
lower anchors and attachments or top tether anchors
and attachments.
1-44

Lower Anchors
Lower anchors (A) are metal bars built into the vehicle.
There are two lower anchors for each LATCH seating
position that will accommodate a child restraint with
lower attachments (B).
Top Tether Anchor
A top tether (A, C) anchors the top of the child restraint
to the vehicle. A top tether anchor is built into the
vehicle. The top tether attachment (B) on the child
restraint connects to the top tether anchor in the vehicle
in order to reduce the forward movement and rotation
of the child restraint during driving or in a crash.
Your child restraint may have a single tether (A) or a
dual tether (C). Either will have a single attachment (B)
to secure the top tether to the anchor.
Some top tether-equipped child restraints are designed
for use with or without the top tether being attached.
Others require the top tether always to be attached.
1-45

In Canada, the law requires that forward-facing child
restraints have a top tether, and that the tether be
attached. In the United States, some child restraints also
have a top tether. Be sure to read and follow the
instructions for your child restraint.
If the child restraint does not have a top tether, one can
be obtained, in kit form, for many child restraints. Ask
the child restraint manufacturer whether or not a kit
is available.
Lower Anchor and Top Tether Anchor
Locations
i(Top Tether Anchor):
Seating positions with top
tether anchors.
j(Lower Anchor):
Seating positions with
two lower anchors.See the information following for installing a child
restraint with a top tether in the second row center
position.
Do not install three child restraints in the rear seat and
never install two top tethers using the same top
tether anchor.
i(Top Tether Anchor):
Seating positions with top
tether anchors.
Second Row
Third and Fourth Row
with Three Passenger
Bench Seat
1-46

i(Top Tether Anchor):
Seating positions with top
tether anchors.
To assist you in locating the
lower anchors, each
seating position with lower
anchors has two labels,
near the crease between
the seatback and the seat
cushion, showing where
the anchors are located.There are two top tether anchors in the second row.
To install a child restraint in the left outboard seating
position, use anchor point (A). To install a child restraint
in the right outboard seating position, use anchor
point (B). To install a child restraint in the center seating
position, use either anchor point (A) or (B). Never
install two top tethers using the same top tether anchor.
There is a top tether anchor for the center seating
positions in the third and fourth rows, if equipped with a
three-passenger bench seat. The anchor is located
at the bottom rear of the seat cushion. Front Passenger
Position
Second Row — Passenger Van
1-47

There is a top tether anchor for the front passenger
position with a front passenger seat. The anchor
is located at the rear of the seat cushion on the right
front passenger’s seat.There are no top tether anchors or lower anchors in a
four passenger fourth or fifth row seat.
Do not secure a child restraint in the outside seating
positions of the third and fourth rows if the vehicle has a
three-passenger bench seat, or in any four-passenger
rear bench seat, if a national or local law requires
that the top tether be attached, or if the instructions that
come with the child restraint say that the top tether
must be attached. There is no place to attach the top
tether in these positions. Third or Fourth Row — Three Passenger Bench Seat
Front Passenger Position
1-48

Accident statistics show that children are safer if they
are restrained in the rear rather than the front seat. See
Where to Put the Restraint on page 1-42for additional
information.
Securing a Child Restraint Designed for
the LATCH System
{CAUTION:
If a LATCH-type child restraint is not attached
to anchors, the restraint will not be able to
protect the child correctly. In a crash, the child
could be seriously injured or killed. Make sure
that a LATCH-type child restraint is properly
installed using the anchors, or use the
vehicle’s safety belts to secure the restraint,
following the instructions that came with that
restraint, and also the instructions in this
manual.
{CAUTION:
Each top tether anchor and lower anchor in the
vehicle is designed to hold only one child
restraint. Attaching more than one child
restraint to a single anchor could cause the
anchor or attachment to come loose or even
break during a crash. A child or others could
be injured if this happens. To help prevent
injury to people and damage to your vehicle,
attach only one child restraint per anchor.
1. Attach and tighten the lower attachments to the
lower anchors. If the child restraint does not have
lower attachments or the desired seating position
does not have lower anchors, secure the child
restraint with the top tether and the safety belts.
Refer to your child restraint manufacturer
instructions and the instructions in this manual.
1.1. Find the lower anchors for the desired
seating position.
1.2. Put the child restraint on the seat.
1.3. Attach and tighten the lower attachments on
the child restraint to the lower anchors.
1-49

2. If the child restraint manufacturer recommends that
the top tether be attached, attach and tighten the
top tether to the top tether anchor, if equipped.
Refer to the child restraint instructions and
the following steps:
2.1. Find the top tether anchor.
2.2. For the second row only, in the left outboard
seating position, use anchor point (A). For
the right outboard seating position, use
anchor point (B). For the center seating
position, use either anchor point (A) or (B).
Never install two top tethers using the
same top tether anchor.
2.3. Route and tighten the top tether according to
your child restraint instructions and the
following instructions:
If the position you are
using does not have a
head restraint and you are
using a single tether,
route the tether over the
seatback.If the position you are
using does not have a
head restraint and you are
using a dual tether,
route the tether over the
seatback.
If the position you are
using has an integrated
headrest and you are using
a dual tether, route the
tether around the
headrest.
1-50