2008 CHEVROLET TRAIL BLAZER Owners Manual

Q:What is wrong with this?
A:The belt is over an armrest.
{CAUTION:
You can be seriously injured if your belt goes
over an armrest like this. The belt would be
much too high. In a crash, you can slide under
the belt. The belt force would then be applied
on the abdomen, not on the pelvic bones, and
that could cause serious or fatal injuries.
Be sure the belt goes under the armrests.
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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. The shoulder
belt should go over the shoulder and across
the chest.
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Q:What is wrong with this?
A:The belt is behind the body.
{CAUTION:
You can be seriously injured by not wearing
the lap-shoulder belt properly. In a crash,
you would not be restrained by the shoulder
belt. Your body could move too far forward
increasing the chance of head and neck injury.
You might also slide under the lap belt.
The belt force would then be applied right on
the abdomen. That could cause serious or
fatal injuries. The shoulder belt should go over
the shoulder and across the chest.
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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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Lap-Shoulder Belt
All seating positions in your vehicle have a
lap-shoulder belt.
Here is how to wear a lap-shoulder belt properly.
1. Adjust the seat, if the seat is adjustable, so you
can sit up straight. To see how, see “Seats”
in the Index.
2. Pick up the latch plate and pull the belt across you.
Do not let it get twisted.
The lap-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.
If you ever pull the shoulder portion of a passenger
belt out all the way, you may engage the child
restraint locking feature. If this happens, just let
the belt go back all the way and start again.
Engaging the child restraint locking feature
may affect the passenger sensing system.
SeePassenger Sensing System on page 1-60.3. Push the latch plate into the buckle until it clicks.
Pull up on the latch plate to make sure it is secure.
If the belt is not long enough, seeSafety Belt
Extender on page 1-29.
Make sure the release button on the buckle is
positioned so you would be able to unbuckle the
safety belt quickly if necessary.
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4. To make the lap part tight, pull up on the
shoulder belt.
It may be necessary to pull stitching on the safety
belt through the latch plate to fully tighten the
lap belt on smaller occupants.To unlatch the belt, push the button on the buckle.
The belt should go back out of the way.
Before you close a 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.
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Safety Belt Pretensioners
Your vehicle has safety belt pretensioners for the front
outboard occupants. Although you cannot see them,
they are part of the safety belt assembly. They can help
tighten the safety belts during the early stages of a
moderate to severe frontal or near frontal crash if the
threshold conditions for pretensioner activation are met.
And, if your vehicle has side impact airbags, safety
belt pretensioners can help tighten the safety belts in a
side crash or a rollover event.
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 1-67.
Rear Safety Belt Comfort Guides
Rear shoulder belt comfort guides may provide added
safety belt comfort for older children who have outgrown
booster seats and for some adults. When installed on
a shoulder belt, the comfort guide positions the belt
away from the neck and head.There is one guide for each outside passenger position
in the rear seat. Here is how to install the comfort
guide to the shoulder belt:
1. Slide the guide off of its storage clip located
between the interior body and the seatback.
2. Place the guide over the belt and insert the
two edges of the belt into the slots of the guide.
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3. Be sure that the belt is not twisted and it lies at.
The elastic cord must be under the belt and the
guide on top.
{CAUTION:
A safety belt that is not properly worn may not
provide the protection needed in a crash.
The person wearing the belt could be seriously
injured. 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.
4. Buckle, position, and release the safety belt as
described previously in this section. Make sure
that the shoulder belt crosses the shoulder.
To remove and store the comfort guide, squeeze the
belt edges together so that you can take them out of the
guide. Slide the guide back onto its storage clip
located between the interior body and the seatback.
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