2008 CADILLAC CTS Owners Manual

Some child restraints with top tethers are designed for
use with or without the top tether being attached. Others
require the top tether always to be attached. In Canada,
the law requires that forward-facing child restraints have
a top tether, and that the tether be attached. Be sure to
read and follow the instructions for your child restraint.
If the child restraint does not have a top tether, one can
be obtained, in kit form, for many child restraints. Ask
the child restraint manufacturer whether or not a kit
is available.
Lower Anchor and Top Tether Anchor
Locations
i(Top Tether Anchor):
Seating positions with top
tether anchors.
j(Lower Anchor): Seating
positions with two lower
anchors.To assist you in locating
the lower anchors, each
seating position with lower
anchors has two labels,
near the crease between
the seatback and the
seat cushion.
To assist you in locating
the top tether anchors, the
top tether anchor symbol
is located on the cover.
Rear Seat
1-45

The top tether anchors are located under the covers on
the rear seatback ller panel. Be sure to use an anchor
located on the same side of the vehicle as the seating
position where the child restraint will be placed.
Do not secure a child restraint in a position without a
top tether anchor if a national or local law requires that
the top tether be attached, or if the instructions that
come with the child restraint say that the top tether
must be attached.Accident statistics show that children are safer if they
are restrained in the rear rather than the front seat. See
Where to Put the Restraint on page 1-42for additional
information.
Securing a Child Restraint Designed for
the LATCH System
{CAUTION:
If a LATCH-type child restraint is not attached
to anchors, the child restraint will not be able
to protect the child correctly. In a crash, the
child could be seriously injured or killed.
Install a LATCH-type child restraint properly
using the anchors, or use the vehicle’s safety
belts to secure the restraint, following the
instructions that came with the child restraint
and the instructions in this manual.
1-46

{CAUTION:
Do not attach more than one child restraint to
a single anchor. Attaching more than one child
restraint to a single anchor could cause the
anchor or attachment to come loose or even
break during a crash. A child or others could
be injured. To reduce the risk of serious or
fatal injuries during a crash, attach only one
child restraint per anchor.
{CAUTION:
Children can be seriously injured or strangled
if a shoulder belt is wrapped around their neck
and the safety belt continues to tighten. Buckle
any unused safety belts behind the child
restraint so children cannot reach them.
Pull the shoulder belt all the way out of the
retractor to set the lock, if your vehicle has
one, after the child restraint has been installed.Notice:Do not let the LATCH attachments rub
against the vehicle’s safety belts. This may damage
these parts. If necessary, move buckled safety
belts to avoid rubbing the LATCH attachments.
Do not fold the empty rear seat with a safety belt
buckled. This could damage the safety belt or
the seat. Unbuckle and return the safety belt to
its stowed position.
1. Attach and tighten the lower attachments to the
lower anchors. If the child restraint does not have
lower attachments or the desired seating position
does not have lower anchors, secure the child
restraint with the top tether and the safety belts.
Refer to your child restraint manufacturer
instructions and the instructions in this manual.
1.1. Find the lower anchors for the desired
seating position.
1.2. Put the child restraint on the seat.
1.3. Attach and tighten the lower attachments on
the child restraint to the lower anchors.
1-47

2. If the child restraint manufacturer recommends that
the top tether be attached, attach and tighten the
top tether to the top tether anchor, if equipped.
Refer to the child restraint instructions and
the following steps:
2.1. Find the top tether anchor.
2.2. Press the ribbed area of the cover to open
the cover and expose the anchor.
2.3. If you have an adjustable head restraint,
raise the head restraint.
2.4. Route, attach and tighten the top tether
according to your child restraint instructions
and the following instructions:
If the position you are
using does not have a
head restraint and you
are using a single tether,
route the tether over
the seatback.If the position you are
using does not have a
head restraint and you
are using a dual tether,
route the tether over
the seatback.
If the position you are
using has a xed head
restraint and you are using
a dual tether, route the
tether around the head
restraint.
1-48

If the position you are
using has a xed head
restraint and you are using
a single tether, route the
tether over the head
restraint.
3. Push and pull the child restraint in different
directions to be sure it is secure.Securing a Child Restraint in a Rear
Seat Position
When securing a child restraint in a rear seating
position, study the instructions that came with the
child restraint to make sure it is compatible with this
vehicle.
If the child restraint has the LATCH system, seeLower
Anchors and Tethers for Children (LATCH) on page 1-43
for how and where to install the child restraint using
LATCH. If a child restraint is secured in the vehicle using
a safety belt and it uses a top tether, seeLower Anchors
and Tethers for Children (LATCH) on page 1-43for top
tether anchor locations.
Do not secure a child seat in a position without a top
tether anchor 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 strap must be
anchored.
1-49

In Canada, the law requires that forward-facing child
restraints have a top tether, and that the tether be
attached.
If the child restraint does not have the LATCH system,
you will be using the safety 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.
If more than one child restraint needs to be installed
in the rear seat, be sure to readWhere to Put the
Restraint on page 1-42.
1. Put the child restraint on the seat.
2. Pick up the latch plate, and run the lap and
shoulder portions of the vehicle’s safety belt
through or around the restraint. The child restraint
instructions will show you how.3. Push the latch plate into the buckle until it clicks.
Position the release button on the buckle so that
the safety belt could be quickly unbuckled if
necessary.
1-50

4. Pull the rest of the shoulder belt all the way out of
the retractor to set the lock.5. To tighten the belt, push down on the child restraint,
pull the shoulder portion of the belt to tighten the
lap portion of the belt and feed the shoulder
belt back into the retractor. When installing a
forward-facing child restraint, it may be helpful to
use your knee to push down on the child restraint
as you tighten the belt.
1-51

6. If the child restraint has a top tether, follow the child
restraint manufacturer’s instructions regarding the
use of the top tether. SeeLower Anchors and
Tethers for Children (LATCH) on page 1-43for
more information.
7. Push and pull the child restraint in different
directions to be sure it is secure.
To remove the child restraint, unbuckle the vehicle
safety belt and let it return to the stowed position. If the
top tether is attached to a top tether anchor, disconnect it.
Securing a Child Restraint in the
Right Front Seat Position
Your vehicle has airbags. A rear seat is a safer place to
secure a forward-facing child restraint. SeeWhere to
Put the Restraint on page 1-42.
In addition, your vehicle has a passenger sensing
system which is designed to turn off the right front
passenger’s frontal airbag and seat-mounted side impact
airbag under certain conditions. SeePassenger Sensing
System on page 1-65andPassenger Airbag Status
Indicator on page 3-35for more information on this,
including important safety information.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 airbag inates. This is because the
back of the rear-facing child restraint would be
very close to the inating airbag. A child in a
forward-facing child restraint can be seriously
injured or killed if the right front passenger
airbag inates and the passenger seat is in a
forward position.
Even if the passenger sensing system has
turned off the right front passenger frontal
airbag, no system is fail-safe. No one can
guarantee that an airbag will not deploy under
some unusual circumstance, even though it is
turned off.
CAUTION: (Continued)
1-52