2007 GMC YUKON XL Owners Manual

The frontal airbags (driver and right front
passenger) are not intended to inate during
vehicle rollovers, rear impacts, or in many side
impacts.
Your vehicle has a seat position sensor which
enables the sensing system to monitor the
fore and aft position of the driver’s seat. Seat
position sensors provide information that is used
to determine if the airbags should deploy at a
reduced level or at full deployment.
Your vehicle may or may not have a roof-mounted
rollover airbags and a rollover sensor. SeeAirbag
System on page 90. These “rollover capable”
airbags are intended to inate in moderate to
severe side crashes, during a rollover or in a severe
frontal impact. A roof-mounted rollover airbag will
inate if the crash severity is above the system’s
designed “threshold level.” The threshold level can
vary with specic vehicle design. Roof-mounted
airbags are not intended to inate in rear impacts.
Both roof-mounted rollover airbags will deploy when
either side of the vehicle is struck or during a
rollover, or in a severe frontal impact.In any particular crash, no one can say whether
an airbag should have inated simply because
of the damage to a vehicle or because of what the
repair costs were. For frontal airbags, ination is
determined by what the vehicle hits, the angle
of the impact, and how quickly the vehicle slows
down. For roof-mounted rollover airbags,
ination is determined by the location and severity
of the impact or a rollover event.
The airbag system is designed to work properly
under a wide range of conditions, including off-road
usage. Observe safe driving speeds, especially
on rough terrain. As always, wear your safety belt.
SeeOff-Road Driving on page 356for tips on
off-road driving.
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What Makes an Airbag Inate?
In an impact of sufficient severity, the airbag
sensing system detects that the vehicle is
in a crash. In the case of a roof-mounted rollover
airbag, the sensing system detects that the
vehicle is about to roll over or has been in a severe
frontal or side impact. The sensing system
triggers a release of gas from the inator, which
inates the airbag. The inator, airbag, and related
hardware are all part of the airbag modules
inside the steering wheel and in the instrument
panel in front of the right front passenger.
For vehicles with roof-mounted rollover airbags,
the airbag modules are located in the ceiling of the
vehicle, near the side windows.
If your vehicle has a third row seat with
roof-mounted rollover airbags, the airbag modules
are located inside the rear-most pillar trim and
above in the ceiling above the xed rear glass.
How Does an Airbag Restrain?
In moderate to severe frontal or near frontal
collisions, even belted occupants can contact
the steering wheel or the instrument panel.
In moderate to severe side collisions, even belted
occupants can contact the inside of the vehicle.
The airbag supplements the protection provided by
safety belts. Airbags distribute the force of the
impact more evenly over the occupant’s upper
body, stopping the occupant more gradually.
But the frontal airbags would not help you in
many types of collisions, including rollovers, rear
impacts, and many side impacts, primarily because
an occupant’s motion is not toward the airbag.
Roof-mounted rollover airbags would not help you
in many types of collisions, including many
frontal or near frontal collisions, and rear impacts,
primarily because an occupant’s motion is not
toward the airbag. Airbags should never be
regarded as anything more than a supplement
to safety belts, and then only in moderate to
severe frontal or near-frontal collisions for the
driver’s and right front passenger’s frontal airbags,
and only in moderate to severe side impacts
and rollover events.
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What Will You See After an Airbag
Inates?
After a frontal airbag inates, it quickly deates, so
quickly that some people may not even realize the
airbag inated. Roof-mounted rollover airbags
deate more slowly and may still be at least partially
inated minutes after the vehicle comes to rest.
Some components of the airbag module may be hot
for a short time. These components include the
steering wheel hub for the driver’s frontal airbag
and the instrument panel for the right front
passenger’s frontal airbag. For vehicles with
roof-mounted rollover airbags, the ceiling of your
vehicle near the side windows may be hot. The
parts of the bag that come into contact with you
may be warm, but not too hot to touch. There will be
some smoke and dust coming from the vents in the
deated airbags. Airbag ination does not prevent
the driver from seeing out of the windshield or being
able to steer the vehicle, nor does it stop people
from leaving the vehicle.
{CAUTION:
When an airbag inates, there is dust in
the air. This dust could cause breathing
problems for people with a history of
asthma or other breathing trouble. To
avoid this, everyone in the vehicle should
get out as soon as it is safe to do so. If
you have breathing problems but cannot
get out of the vehicle after an airbag
inates, then get fresh air by opening a
window or a door. If you experience
breathing problems following an airbag
deployment, you should seek medical
attention.
Your vehicle has a feature that may automatically
unlock the doors and turn the interior lamps on
when the airbags inate (if battery power is
available). You can lock the doors again and turn
the interior lamps off by using the door lock
and interior lamp controls.
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In many crashes severe enough to inate an airbag,
windshields are broken by vehicle deformation.
Additional windshield breakage may also occur
from the right front passenger airbag.
Airbags are designed to inate only once. After
an airbag inates, you will need some new
parts for your airbag system. If you do not get
them, the airbag system will not be there to help
protect you in another crash. A new system will
include airbag modules and possibly other
parts. The service manual for your vehicle
covers the need to replace other parts.
Your vehicle is equipped with a crash sensing
and diagnostic module which records
information after a crash. SeeVehicle Data
Collection and Event Data Recorders on
page 583.
Let only qualied technicians work on your
airbag system. Improper service can mean that
your airbag system will not work properly. See
your dealer for service.
Passenger Sensing System
Your vehicle has a passenger sensing system.
The passenger airbag status indicator on the
overhead console will be visible when you turn
your ignition key to RUN or START. The words ON
and OFF or the symbol for on and off, will be
visible during the system check. When the system
check is complete, either the word ON or the
word OFF, or the symbol for on or the symbol for
off will be visible. SeePassenger Airbag Status
Indicator on page 228.
The passenger sensing system will turn off the
right front passenger’s frontal airbag under certain
conditions. The driver’s airbags are not part of
the passenger sensing system.
United StatesCanada
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The passenger sensing system works with sensors
that are part of the right front passenger’s seat and
safety belt. The sensors are designed to detect the
presence of a properly-seated occupant and
determine if the passenger’s airbag should be
enabled (may inate) or not.
Accident statistics show that children are safer if
they are restrained in the rear rather than the front
seat. General Motors recommends that child
restraints be secured in a rear seat, including an
infant riding in a rear-facing infant seat, a child
riding in a forward-facing child seat and an older
child riding in a booster seat.
Your vehicle has a rear seat that will accommodate
a rear-facing child restraint. A label on your sun
visor says, “Never put a rear-facing child seat
in the front.” This is because the risk to the
rear-facing child is so great, if the airbag deploys.
{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.
Even though the passenger sensing
system is designed to turn off the
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 unusual circumstance, even
though it is turned off. We recommend
that rear-facing child restraints be secured
in the rear seat, even if the airbag is off.
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.
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The passenger sensing system is designed to turn
off the right front passenger’s airbag if:
the right front passenger seat is unoccupied
the system determines that an infant is present
in a rear-facing infant seat
the system determines that a small child is
present in a forward-facing child restraint
the system determines that a small child is
present in a booster seat
a right front passenger takes his/her weight off
of the seat for a period of time
the right front passenger seat is occupied by a
smaller person, such as a child who has
outgrown child restraints
or if there is a critical problem with the airbag
system or the passenger sensing system.
When the passenger sensing system has turned
off the passenger’s airbag, the off indicator will light
and stay lit to remind you that the airbag is off.
If a child restraint has been installed and the on
indicator is lit, turn the vehicle off. Remove the child
restraint from the vehicle and reinstall the child
restraint following the child restraint manufacturer’s
directions and refer toSecuring a Child Restraint in
the Right Front Seat Position on page 86.If after reinstalling the child restraint and restarting
the vehicle, the on indicator is still lit, check to make
sure that the vehicle’s seatback is not pressing the
child restraint into the seat cushion. If this happens,
slightly recline the vehicle’s seatback and adjust the
seat cushion if possible. Also make sure the child
restraint is not trapped under the vehicle head
restraint. If this happens, adjust the head restraint.
If the on indicator is still lit, secure the child in the
child restraint in a rear seat position in the
vehicle and check with your dealer.
The passenger sensing system is designed to
enable (may inate) the right front passenger’s
airbag anytime the system senses that a person
of adult size is sitting properly in the right front
passenger’s seat. When the passenger sensing
system has allowed the airbag to be enabled, the
on indicator will light and stay lit to remind you
that the airbag is active.
For some children who have outgrown child
restraints and for very small adults, the passenger
sensing system may or may not turn off the right
front passenger’s airbag, depending upon the
person’s seating posture and body build. Everyone
in your vehicle who has outgrown child restraints
should wear a safety belt properly — whether or not
there is an airbag for that person.
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If a person of adult-size is sitting in the right front
passenger’s seat, but the off indicator is lit, it could
be because that person is not sitting properly in the
seat. If this happens, turn the vehicle off and ask
the person to place the seatback in the fully upright
position, then sit upright in the seat, centered on the
seat cushion, with the person’s legs comfortably
extended. Restart the vehicle and have the person
remain in this position for about two minutes. This
will allow the system to detect that person and then
enable the passenger’s airbag.
{CAUTION:
If the airbag readiness light in the
instrument panel cluster ever comes on
and stays on, it means that something
may be wrong with the airbag system.
If this ever happens, have the vehicle
serviced promptly, because an adult-size
person sitting in the right front
passenger’s seat may not have the
protection of the frontal airbag. See
Airbag Readiness Light on page 227for
more on this, including important safety
information.
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Aftermarket equipment, such as seat covers,
can affect how well the passenger sensing system
operates. You may want to consider not using
seat covers or other aftermarket equipment if your
vehicle has the passenger sensing system. See
Adding Equipment to Your Airbag-Equipped
Vehicle on page 105for more information about
modications that can affect how the system
operates.
{CAUTION:
Stowing of articles under the passenger’s
seat or between the passenger’s seat
cushion and seatback may interfere with
the proper operation of the passenger
sensing system.
Servicing Your Airbag-Equipped
Vehicle
Airbags affect how your vehicle should be serviced.
There are parts of the airbag system in several
places around your vehicle.You do not want the system to inate while
someone is working on your vehicle. Your dealer
and the service manual have information about
servicing your vehicle and the airbag system. To
purchase a service manual, seeService
Publications Ordering Information on page 590.
{CAUTION:
For up to 10 seconds after the ignition key
is turned off and the battery is
disconnected, an airbag can still inate
during improper service. You can be
injured if you are close to an airbag when
it inates. Avoid yellow connectors. They
are probably part of the airbag system. Be
sure to follow proper service procedures,
and make sure the person performing
work for you is qualied to do so.
The airbag system does not need regular
maintenance.
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