2007 GMC SIERRA Owner's 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/retailer 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
Shoulder belt height adjusters are available for the
driver and right front passenger seating positions.
Before you begin to drive, move the shoulder
belt 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 the adjuster
down for the regular
and crew cabs, squeeze
the buttons (A) on the
sides of the height
adjuster and move the
height adjuster to
the desired position.
Regular and Crew Cab
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On the extended cabs,
push down on the
release button (A) and
move the height
adjuster to the desired
position.
You can move the adjuster up just by pushing up
on the shoulder belt guide.
After you move the adjuster to where you want it,
try to move it down, without squeezing the
buttons for the regular and crew cabs, or without
pushing the release button for extended cabs,
to make sure it has locked into position.
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.
Extended Cab
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Right Front Passenger Position
To learn how to wear the right front passenger’s
safety belt properly, seeDriver Position on
page 28.
The right front passenger’s safety belt works the
same way as the driver’s safety belt — except
for one thing. If you ever pull the shoulder portion
of the belt out all the way, you will engage the
child restraint locking feature which may turn off
the passenger’s frontal airbag. If this happens, just
let the belt go back all the way and start again.
Center Front Passenger Position
(Regular Cab)
To learn how to wear the center front passenger’s
safety belt properly, seeDriver Position on
page 28.
The center front passenger’s safety belt works the
same way as the driver’s safety belt — except
for one thing. 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.
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Center Front Passenger Position
(Crew and Extended Cab)
Lap Belt
Your vehicle may have a center front seating
position.
When you sit in a center front 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 44.
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.
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Rear Seat Passengers
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
All rear seat positions 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.
2. Push the latch plate into the buckle until it
clicks.
Pull up on the latch plate to make sure it is
secure.
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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 44.
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.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.
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