2008 GMC SAVANA PASSENGER airbag off

{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 airbag off switch is designed
to turn off the right front passenger’s frontal
airbag, 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 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.
{CAUTION:
If the airbag readiness light ever comes on
when you have turned off the airbag, it means
that something may be wrong with the airbag
system. The right front passenger’s airbag
could inate even though the switch is off.
If this ever happens, do not let anyone whom
the national government has identied as a
member of a passenger airbag risk group
sit in the right front passenger’s position
(for example, do not secure a rear-facing
child restraint in the right front passenger’s
seat) until you have your vehicle serviced.
SeeAirbag Off Switch on page 1-66and
Airbag Readiness Light on page 3-27for more
on this, including important safety information.
If your vehicle does not have a rear seat that will
accommodate a rear-facing child restraint, we
recommend that rear-facing child restraints not be
transported in your vehicle, even if the airbag is off.
1-53

If your child restraint has the LATCH system, see
Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children (LATCH)
on page 1-39for how to install your child restraint using
LATCH. If you secure a child restraint using a safety
belt and it uses a top tether, seeLower Anchors
and Tethers for Children (LATCH) on page 1-39for
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.You will be using the lap-shoulder belt to secure the
child restraint in this position. Follow the instructions
that came with the child restraint.
1. Move the seat as far back as it will go before
securing the forward-facing child restraint.
If you have no other choice but to install a
rear-facing child restraint in this seat, make
sure the airbag is off once the child restraint
has been installed.
When the airbag off switch has turned off the
right front passenger’s frontal airbag, the off
indicator in the airbag off light should light and
stay lit when you start the vehicle. SeeAirbag
Off Light on page 3-28.
2. Put the child restraint on the seat.
3. 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.
1-54

6. 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. If you are using a
forward-facing child restraint, you may find it
helpful to use your knee to push down on the
child restraint as you tighten the belt.7. If your vehicle does not have a rear seat and your
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 1-39for
more information.
8. Push and pull the child restraint in different
directions to be sure it is secure.
To remove the child restraint, unbuckle the vehicle’s
safety belt and let it go back all the way. If the top
tether is attached to a top tether anchor, disconnect it.
If you had turned the airbag off with the switch,
remember to be sure to use the airbag off switch
to turn on the right front passenger’s airbag when
you remove the child restraint from the vehicle unless
the person who will be sitting there is a member of
a passenger airbag risk group. SeeAirbag Off Switch
on page 1-66.
1-56

{CAUTION:
If the right front passenger’s airbag is turned
off for a person who is not in a risk group
identied by the national government, that
person will not have the extra protection
of an airbag. In a crash, the airbag will not
be able to inate and help protect the person
sitting there.
Do not turn off the passenger’s airbag unless
the person sitting there is in a risk group
identied by the national government. See
Airbag Off Switch on page 1-66for more on
this, including important safety information.
Airbag System
Your vehicle has the following airbag:
•A frontal airbag for the driver.
Your vehicle may have the following airbags:
•A frontal airbag for the right front passenger.
•A roof-rail airbag for the driver (cargo van).
•A roof-rail airbag for the right front passenger
position (cargo or passenger van equipped
with a sliding door).
If you have a passenger van with a right front
passenger roof-rail airbag and a sliding door,
you will also have a separate roof-rail airbag
for the passenger seated directly behind the
right front passenger and the third row outboard
passenger position.
•A roof-rail airbag for the driver, passenger seated
directly behind the driver, and the third row
outboard passenger position (passenger van
equipped with a sliding or hinged door).
•A roof-rail airbag for the right front passenger,
passenger seated directly behind the right
front passenger, and the third row outboard
passenger position (passenger van equipped
with a hinged door).
1-57

{CAUTION:
Airbags inate with great force, faster than
the blink of an eye. Anyone who is up against,
or very close to, any airbag when it inates
can be seriously injured or killed. Do not sit
unnecessarily close to the airbag, as you
would be if you were sitting on the edge of
your seat or leaning forward. Safety belts
help keep you in position before and during
a crash. Always wear your safety belt, even
with airbags. The driver should sit as far back
as possible while still maintaining control
of the vehicle.
Occupants should not lean on or sleep
against the door or side windows in seating
positions with roof-rail airbags.
{CAUTION:
Airbags plus lap-shoulder belts offer the
best protection for adults, but not for young
children and infants. Neither the vehicle’s
safety belt system nor its airbag system is
designed for them. Young children and infants
need the protection that a child restraint
system can provide. Always secure children
properly in your vehicle. To read how, see
Older Children on page 1-29orInfants and
Young Children on page 1-32.
There is an airbag
readiness light on
the instrument panel,
which shows the
airbag symbol.
The system checks the airbag electrical system for
malfunctions. The light tells you if there is an electrical
problem. SeeAirbag Readiness Light on page 3-27
for more information.
1-59

The parts of the airbag that come into contact with
you may be warm, but not too hot to touch. There may
be some smoke and dust coming from the vents in
the deflated airbags. Airbag inflation does not prevent
the driver from seeing out of the windshield or being
able to steer the vehicle, nor does it prevent people
from leaving the vehicle.
{CAUTION:
When an airbag inates, there may be 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, turn the interior lamps on, and turn
the hazard warning flashers on when the airbags inflate.
You can lock the doors, turn the interior lamps off,
and turn the hazard warning flashers off by using the
controls for those features.
In many crashes severe enough to inflate the airbag,
windshields are broken by vehicle deformation.
Additional windshield breakage may also occur from
the right front passenger airbag.•Airbags are designed to inflate only once. After
an airbag inflates, you will need some new parts
for the 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 has a crash sensing and diagnostic
module which records information after a crash.
SeeVehicle Data Recording and Privacy on
page 7-16andEvent Data Recorders on page 7-17.
•Let only qualified technicians work on the airbag
systems. Improper service can mean that an
airbag system will not work properly. See your
dealer/retailer for service.
1-65

Airbag Off Switch
If your instrument panel has one of the switches
pictured in the following illustrations, your vehicle has
an airbag on-off switch that you can use to manually
turn on or off the right front passenger’s airbag.
If your vehicle does not have an airbag on-off switch,
it may have a passenger sensing system. See
Passenger Sensing System on page 1-69.This switch should only be turned to airbag OFF if
the person in the right front passenger’s position is a
member of a passenger risk group identified by the
national government as follows:
Infant.An infant (less than 1 year old)
must ride in the front seat because:
•
My vehicle has no rear seat;
•My vehicle has a rear seat too small to
accommodate a rear-facing infant seat; or
•The infant has a medical condition which, according
to the infant’s physician, makes it necessary for
the infant to ride in the front seat so that the driver
can constantly monitor the child’s condition.
Child age 1 to 12.A child age 1 to 12 must
ride in the front seat because:
•
My vehicle has no rear seat;
•Although children ages 1 to 12 ride in the rear seat(s)
whenever possible, children ages 1 to 12 sometimes
must ride in the front because no space is available
in the rear seat(s) of my vehicle; or
•The child has a medical condition which, according to
the child’s physician, makes it necessary for the
child to ride in the front seat so that the driver can
constantly monitor the child’s condition. United States
Canada
1-66

Medical Condition.A passenger has a
medical condition which, according to his
or her physician:
•
Causes the passenger airbag to pose a special
risk for the passenger; and
•Makes the potential harm from the passenger
airbag in a crash greater than the potential
harm from turning off the airbag and allowing the
passenger, even if belted, to hit the dashboard
or windshield in a crash.
{CAUTION:
If the right front passenger’s airbag is turned
off for a person who is not in a risk group
identied by the national government, that
person will not have the extra protection of
an airbag. In a crash, the airbag will not be
able to inate and help protect the person
sitting there. Do not turn off the passenger’s
airbag unless the person sitting there is in
a risk group.To turn off the right front passenger’s frontal airbag,
insert your ignition key into the switch, push in,
and move the switch to the off position.United States
Canada
1-67