2007 PONTIAC VIBE child seat

Seats and Restraint Systems
....................... 7
Front Seats
.............................................. 8
Rear Seats
............................................. 16
Safety Belts
............................................ 18
Child Restraints
...................................... 37
Airbag System
........................................ 63
Restraint System Check
......................... 82
Features and Controls
................................ 85
Keys
....................................................... 87
Doors and Locks
.................................... 92
Windows
................................................ 98
Theft-Deterrent Systems
....................... 100
Starting and Operating Your Vehicle
..... 102
Mirrors
.................................................. 121
OnStar
®System
................................... 123
Storage Areas
...................................... 127
Sunroof
................................................ 131Instrument Panel
....................................... 133
Instrument Panel Overview
................... 136
Climate Controls
................................... 152
Warning Lights, Gages, and
Indicators
.......................................... 158
Audio System(s)
................................... 177
Driving Your Vehicle
................................. 221
Your Driving, the Road, and
Your Vehicle
..................................... 222
Towing
................................................. 259
Service and Appearance Care
.................. 269
Service
................................................. 272
Fuel
...................................................... 274
Checking Things Under the Hood
......... 280
Bulb Replacement
................................ 315
Windshield Wiper Blade Replacement
... 321
2007 Pontiac Vibe Owner ManualM
1

Front Seats..................................................... 8
Manual Seats................................................ 8
Driver Seat Height Adjuster........................... 9
Reclining Seatbacks.................................... 10
Head Restraints.......................................... 13
Passenger Folding Seatback....................... 14
Rear Seats.................................................... 16
Rear Seat Operation................................... 16
Safety Belts.................................................. 18
Safety Belts: They Are for Everyone........... 18
Questions and Answers About
Safety Belts............................................. 22
How to Wear Safety Belts Properly............. 23
Driver Position............................................. 24
Shoulder Belt Height Adjustment................. 31
Safety Belt Use During Pregnancy.............. 32
Right Front Passenger Position................... 32
Rear Seat Passengers................................ 33
Safety Belt Pretensioners............................ 36
Safety Belt Extender................................... 36
Child Restraints............................................ 37
Older Children............................................. 37
Infants and Young Children......................... 40Child Restraint Systems.............................. 43
Where to Put the Restraint.......................... 47
Lower Anchors and Tethers for
Children (LATCH).................................... 49
Securing a Child Restraint in a Rear
Seat Position........................................... 56
Securing a Child Restraint in the Right
Front Seat Position.................................. 58
Airbag System.............................................. 63
Where Are the Airbags?.............................. 66
When Should an Airbag Inate?.................. 70
What Makes an Airbag Inate?................... 71
How Does an Airbag Restrain?................... 72
What Will You See After an Airbag
Inates?................................................... 72
Passenger Sensing System......................... 74
Servicing Your Airbag-Equipped Vehicle...... 80
Adding Equipment to Your
Airbag-Equipped Vehicle.......................... 81
Restraint System Check............................... 82
Checking the Restraint Systems.................. 82
Replacing Restraint System Parts After
a Crash................................................... 83
Section 1 Seats and Restraint Systems
7

Safety Belt Pretensioners
Your vehicle has safety belt pretensioners.
Although you cannot see them, they are located on
the retractor part of the safety belts for the driver
and right front passenger. They help the safety
belts reduce a person’s forward movement in a
moderate to severe frontal or near frontal crash.
If the passenger sensing system detects that there
is not a passenger in the right front passenger
position, the safety belt pretensioner for that
position will not activate. SeePassenger Sensing
System on page 74.
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 83.
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 orderit, 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 t. 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.
Always disconnect the extender from the safety belt
after you use it so that the airbag will work properly
the next time someone uses that seat.
When you use a safety belt extender in the right
front passenger’s seat, make sure the passenger
airbag status indicator shows “ON.” See
Passenger Airbag Status Indicator on page 163.If
the indicator shows “OFF,” disconnect the
extender’s latch from the buckle then reconnect
the safety belt. Make sure the indicator light shows
“ON”, then reconnect the safety belt extender. If
you use the safety belt extender while the indicator
light shows “OFF,” the right front passenger’s
frontal and seat-mounted side impact airbags
(if equipped) may not activate correctly. See
Airbag System on page 63for important safety
information about your airbags.
36

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 t 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.
37

{CAUTION:
Never do this.
Here two children are wearing the same
belt. The belt cannot properly spread the
impact forces. In a crash, the two children
can be crushed together and seriously
injured. A belt must be used by only
one person at a time.
Q:What if a child is wearing a lap-shoulder
belt, but the child is so small that the
shoulder belt is very close to the child’s
face or neck?
A:If the child is sitting in a seat next to a window,
move the child toward the center of the vehicle.
If the child is sitting in the center rear seat
passenger position, move the child toward the
safety belt buckle. In either case, be sure that
the shoulder belt still is on the child’s shoulder,
so that in a crash the child’s upper body would
have the restraint that belts provide.
38

{CAUTION:
Never do this.
Here a child is sitting in a seat that has a
lap-shoulder belt, but the shoulder part is
behind the child. If the child wears the
belt in this way, in a crash the child might
slide under the belt. The belt’s force
would then be applied right on the child’s
abdomen. That could cause serious or
fatal injuries.
Wherever the child sits, the lap portion of the belt
should be worn low and snug on the hips, just
touching the child’s thighs. This applies belt force
to the child’s pelvic bones in a crash.
39

Q:What are the different types of add-on
child restraints?
A:Add-on child restraints, which are purchased by
the vehicle’s owner, are available in four basic
types. Selection of a particular restraint should
take into consideration not only the child’s
weight, height, and age but also whether or not
the restraint will be compatible with the motor
vehicle in which it will be used.
For most basic types of child restraints, there
are many different models available. When
purchasing a child restraint, be sure it is
designed to be used in a motor vehicle. If it is,
the restraint will have a label saying that it
meets federal motor vehicle safety standards.
The restraint manufacturer’s instructions that
come with the restraint state the weight and
height limitations for a particular child restraint.
In addition, there are many kinds of restraints
available for children with special needs.
{CAUTION:
Newborn infants need complete support,
including support for the head and neck.
This is necessary because a newborn
infant’s neck is weak and its head weighs
so much compared with the rest of its
body. In a crash, an infant in a rear-facing
seat settles into the restraint, so the crash
forces can be distributed across the
strongest part of an infant’s body, the
back and shoulders. Infants always
should be secured in appropriate infant
restraints.
42

A rear-facing infant seat (B) provides restraint
with the seating surface against the back of the
infant. The harness system holds the infant
in place and, in a crash, acts to keep the infant
positioned in the restraint.A forward-facing child seat (C-E) provides restraint
for the child’s body with the harness and also
sometimes with surfaces such as T-shaped
or shelf-like shields.
44