2008 CHEVROLET MALIBU Owners Manual

The top tether anchors are located under the covers,
behind the rear seat, on the 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 1-40for additional
information.
1-45

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.
{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.
1-46

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.
If you need to secure more than one child restraint in
the rear seat, seeWhere to Put the Restraint on
page 1-40. Depending on where you place the child
restraint, you may not be able to access certain safety
belt assemblies or LATCH anchors for additional
passengers or child restraints.
You cannot secure three child restraints using the
LATCH anchors in the rear seat at the same time,
but you can install two of them. If you want to do this,
install one LATCH child restraint in the passenger-side
position, and install the other one either in the
driver-side position or in the center position. Refer to
the following illustration to learn which anchors to use.A. Passenger Side Rear Seat Lower Anchors
B. Center Rear Seat Lower Anchors
C. Driver Side Rear Seat Lower Anchors
Make sure to attach the child restraint at the proper
anchor location.
1-47

This system is designed to make installation of child
restraints easier. When using lower anchors, do not use
the vehicle’s safety belts. Instead use the vehicle’s
anchors and child restraint attachments to secure the
restraints. Some restraints also use another vehicle
anchor to secure a top tether.
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.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.
Open the cover to expose the anchor.
2.2. If the position you are using has an
adjustable headrest or head restraint, raise it.
SeeHead Restraints on page 1-7.
2.3. Route, attach, and tighten the top tether
according to the child restraint instructions
and the following instructions:
If the position you are
using does not have a
headrest or head restraint
and you are using a
single tether, route the
tether over the seatback.
1-48

If the position you are
using does not have a
headrest or head restraint
and you are using a
dual tether, route the tether
over the seatback.
If the position you are
using has an adjustable
headrest or head restraint
and you are using a single
tether, route the tether
under the headrest or head
restraint and in between the
headrest or head restraint
posts. SeeHead Restraints
on page 1-7.If the position you are
using has an adjustable
headrest or head restraint
and you are using a dual
tether route the tether
under the headrest or head
restraint and in between the
headrest or head restraint
posts. SeeHead Restraints
on page 1-7.
3. Push and pull the child restraint in different
directions to be sure it is secure.
1-49

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, see
Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children (LATCH) on
page 1-42for 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 1-42for 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.
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 1-40.
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 1-42for
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 1-40.
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