2007 CHEVROLET OPTRA 5 seats

Rear Seats
Rear Seat Operation
Your vehicle has rear seatbacks that can be
folded down to provide an extended cargo area.
To fold down the seatback, do the following:
Notice:Folding a rear seat with the safety
belts still fastened may cause damage to
the seat or the safety belts. Always unbuckle
the safety belts and return them to their normal
stowed position before folding a rear seat.
1. Push the rear head restraints down
completely.
2. Detach the safety belt in the rear center seat
position. Press the button in the buckle to
release the latch plate from the buckle.3. Press the release
button located on
top of the rear
seatback.
4. Fold the rear seatback forward and down.
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Safety Belts
Safety Belts: They Are for Everyone
This part of the manual tells you how to use
safety belts properly. It also tells you some things
you should not do with safety belts.
{CAUTION:
Do not let anyone ride where he or she
cannot wear a safety belt properly. If you
are in a crash and you are not wearing a
safety belt, your injuries can be much
worse. You can hit things inside the
vehicle or be ejected from it. You can be
seriously injured or killed. In the same
crash, you might not be, if you are
buckled up. Always fasten your safety
belt, and check that your passengers’
belts are fastened properly too.
{CAUTION:
It is extremely dangerous to ride in a
cargo area, inside or outside of a vehicle.
In a collision, people riding in these areas
are more likely to be seriously injured or
killed. Do not allow people to ride in any
area of your vehicle that is not equipped
with seats and safety belts. Be sure
everyone in your vehicle is in a seat and
using a safety belt properly.
Your vehicle has a light
that comes on as a
reminder to buckle up.
SeeSafety Belt
Reminder Light on
page 164.
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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.
How to Wear Safety Belts Properly
This part is only for people of adult size.
Be aware that there are special things to know
about safety belts and children. And there
are different rules for smaller children and babies.
If a child will be riding in your vehicle, see
Older Children on page 38orInfants and Young
Children on page 41. Follow those rules for
everyone’s protection.
First, you will want to know which restraint
systems your vehicle has.
We will start with the driver position.
Driver Position
Lap-Shoulder Belt
The driver has a lap-shoulder belt. Here is how to
wear it properly.
1. Close and lock the door.
2. Adjust the seat so you can sit up straight.
To see how, see “Seats” in the Index.
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4. Push the latch plate into the red buckle
marked CENTER.
If the belt stops before it reaches the buckle,
tilt the latch plate and keep pulling until
you can buckle it.
Pull up on the latch plate to make sure it is
secure.
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.
5. To make the lap part tight, pull down the
buckle end of the belt as you pull up on
the shoulder part.
Safety Belt Pretensioners
Your vehicle has safety belt pretensioners for the
driver and right front passenger. Although you
cannot see them, they are part of the safety belt
assembly. They help tighten the safety belts during
the early stages of a moderate to severe frontal
or near frontal crash if the threshold conditions for
pretensioner activation are met.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 85.
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. 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 fit.
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.
37

Child Restraints
Older Children
Older children who have outgrown booster seats
should wear the vehicle’s safety belts.
Q:What is the proper way to wear
safety belts?
A:If possible, an older child should wear a
lap-shoulder belt and get the additional
restraint a shoulder belt can provide.
The shoulder belt should not cross the face
or neck. The lap belt should fit snugly
below the hips, just touching the top of the
thighs. It should never be worn over the
abdomen, which could cause severe or even
fatal internal injuries in a crash.
According to accident statistics, children are safer
when properly restrained in the rear seating
positions than in the front seating positions.
In a crash, children who are not buckled up can
strike other people who are buckled up, or can be
thrown out of the vehicle. Older children need
to use safety belts properly.
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A booster seat (F-G) is a child restraint designed
to improve the fit of the vehicle’s safety belt
system. Some booster seats have a shoulder belt
positioner, and some high-back booster seats
have a five-point harness. A booster seat can also
help a child to see out the window.
Q:How Should I Use a Child Restraint?
A:A child restraint system is any device designed
for use in a motor vehicle to restrain, seat, or
position children. A built-in child restraint
system is a permanent part of the motor
vehicle. An add-on child restraint system is a
portable one, which is purchased by the
vehicle’s owner. To help reduce injuries, an
add-on child restraint must be secured in
the vehicle. With built-in or add-on child
restraints, the child has to be secured within
the child restraint.
When choosing an add-on child restraint, be
sure the child restraint is designed to be
used in a vehicle. If it is, it will have a label
saying that it meets federal motor vehicle
safety standards. Then follow the instructions
for the restraint. You may find these
instructions on the restraint itself or in a
booklet, or both.
47

Securing an Add-on Child Restraint in
the Vehicle
{CAUTION:
A child can be seriously injured or killed
in a crash if the child restraint is not
properly secured in the vehicle. Make sure
the child restraint is properly installed in
the vehicle using the vehicle’s safety belt
or LATCH system, following the
instructions that came with that restraint,
and also the instructions in this manual.
To help reduce the chance of injury, the child
restraint must be secured in the vehicle. Child
restraint systems must be secured in vehicle seats
by lap belts or the lap belt portion of a lap-shoulder
belt, or by the LATCH system.SeeLower Anchors and Tethers for Children
(LATCH) on page 51for more information. A child
can be endangered in a crash if the child
restraint is not properly secured in the vehicle.
When securing an add-on child restraint, refer to
the instructions that come with the restraint
which may be on the restraint itself or in a booklet,
or both, and to this manual. The child restraint
instructions are important, so if they are not
available, obtain a replacement copy from the
manufacturer.
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.
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 (With Sliding Storage Tray) on page 9or
Manual Seats (Without Sliding Storage Tray)
on page 10.
If your child restraint has the LATCH system, see
Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children (LATCH)
on page 51.
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 51if 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 76. We recommend
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 (With Sliding
Storage Tray) on page 9orManual Seats
(Without Sliding Storage Tray) on page 10.
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. SeePassenger
Airbag Status Indicator on page 165.
2. Put the child restraint on the seat.
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