2007 GMC SAVANA Owner's Manual

Center Passenger Position
(3rd, 4th and 5th Row)
Lap Belt
If your vehicle has third, fourth or fifth row bench
seats, someone can sit in the center positions.
When you sit in a center seating position in the
third, fourth or fifth row, 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
isn’t long enough, seeSafety Belt Extender
on page 40.
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.
33

Center Passenger Position
(2nd Row)
If your vehicle has a second row bench seat,
someone can sit in the center position. When you
sit in the center position in the second row
bench seat, you have a lap-shoulder belt which
works the same way as the rear seat outside
passengers’ belts.
To learn how to wear a lap-shoulder belt see,
“Lap-Shoulder Belt” underRear Outside
Passenger Positions on page 34.
Rear Outside Passenger Positions
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 a lap-shoulder belt
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.
34

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 the belt go back
all the way and start again.
If the belt is not long enough, seeSafety Belt
Extender on page 40.
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.
35

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.
{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.
36

To unlatch the belt, push the button on the buckle.
For outboard seating positions, when the safety
belt is not in use, slide the latch plate up the safety
belt webbing. The latch plate should rest on the
stitching on the safety belt, near the guide loop
on the side wall.
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.
There is one guide for each outside passenger
position in the rear seats. Here is how to install a
comfort guide to the safety belt:
1. Locate the guide in a pocket on the side of
the seatback.
37

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
flat. The elastic cord must be under the belt
and the guide on top.
38

{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 Outside Passenger
Positions on page 34. Make sure that
the shoulder belt crosses the shoulder.
To remove and store the comfort guide, squeeze
the belt edges together so that you can take
them out of the guide. Slide the guide into
its storage pocket on the side of the seatback.
39

Safety Belt Pretensioners
Your vehicle may 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 99.
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.
40