2007 CHEVROLET KODIAK Owners Manual

Q:What is wrong with this?
A:The shoulder belt is worn under the arm.
It should be worn over the shoulder at all times.
{CAUTION:
You can be seriously injured if you wear
the shoulder belt under your arm. In a
crash, your body would move too far
forward, which would increase the chance
of head and neck injury. Also, the belt
would apply too much force to the ribs,
which are not as strong as shoulder
bones. You could also severely injure
internal organs like your liver or spleen.
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Q:What is wrong with this?
A:The belt is twisted across the body.
{CAUTION:
You can be seriously injured by a twisted
belt. In a crash, you would not have the
full width of the belt to spread impact
forces. If a belt is twisted, make it straight
so it can work properly, or ask your
dealer to x it.
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To unlatch the belt, push the button on the buckle.
The belt should go back out of the way.
Before you close the door, be sure the belt is out
of the way. If you slam the door on it, you can
damage both the belt and your vehicle.
Shoulder Belt Height Adjustment
Before you begin to drive, move the shoulder belt
height adjuster to the height that is right for you.
Adjust the height so that the shoulder portion of
the belt is centered on your shoulder. The
belt should be away from your face and neck, but
not falling off your shoulder. Improper shoulder
belt height adjustment could reduce the
effectiveness of the safety belt in a crash.
To move it down, press
in at the top of the
arrows and move the
height adjuster to
the desired position.
You can move the
height adjuster up just
by pushing up on
the shoulder belt guide.
After you move the height adjuster to where you
want it, try to move it down without pressing
in to make sure it has locked into position.
35

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 26.
The right front passenger’s safety belt works the
same way as the driver’s safety belt. If your vehicle
has a static seat in this position and 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.
36

Center Passenger Position
Lap Belt
If your vehicle has a front bench seat, someone
can sit in the center position. If your vehicle
is a crew cab, someone can also sit in the center
rear position.
When you sit in a center seating position, you
have a lap safety belt, which has no retractor.
To make the belt longer, tilt the latch plate and
pull it along the belt.To make the belt shorter, pull its free end as
shown until the belt is snug.
Buckle, position and release it the same way as
the lap part of a lap-shoulder belt. If the belt is
not long enough, seeSafety Belt Extender
on page 41.
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.
37

Rear Outside Passenger Positions
(Crew Cab)
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.
Lap-Shoulder Belt
The positions next to the windows 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.
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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 41.
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.
39

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.
Each position next to the windows has a shoulder
belt height adjuster. SeeShoulder Belt Height
Adjustment on page 35.
{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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