2008 PONTIAC G8 belt

Q:What is wrong with this?
A:The lap belt is too loose. It will
not give nearly as much
protection this way.
{CAUTION
You can be seriously hurt if
your lap belt is too loose. In a
crash, you could slide under
the lap belt and apply force on
your abdomen. This could
cause serious or even fatal
injuries. The lap belt should be
worn low and snug on the hips,
just touching the thighs.
Q:What is wrong with this?
A:The belt is buckled in the wrong
buckle.
1-10 Seats and Restraints
2008 - Pontiac G8 Owner Manual

{CAUTION
You can be seriously injured if
your belt is buckled in the
wrong place like this. In a
crash, the belt would go up
over your abdomen. The belt
forces would be there, not on
the pelvic bones. This could
cause serious internal injuries.
Always buckle your belt into
the buckle nearest you.
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.
Seats and Restraints 1-11
2008 - Pontiac G8 Owner Manual

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.
Q:What is wrong with this?
A:The belt is behind the body.
1-12 Seats and Restraints
2008 - Pontiac G8 Owner Manual

{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.
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.
Seats and Restraints 1-13
2008 - Pontiac G8 Owner Manual

Lap-Shoulder Belt
All seating positions in the vehicle
have a lap-shoulder belt.
Here is how to wear a lap-shoulder
belt properly.
1. Adjust the seat 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.
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 1-17.
Make sure the release button on
the buckle is positioned so
you would be able to unbuckle
the safety belt quickly if
necessary.
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.
1-14 Seats and Restraints
2008 - Pontiac G8 Owner Manual

To unlatch the belt, push the button
on the buckle. The belt should
go back out of the way. When the
safety belt is not in use, slide
the latch plate up the safety belt
webbing. The latch plate should rest
on the stitching on the safety belt,
near the guide loop on the side wall.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 the vehicle.
Safety Belt Pretensioners
The 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 and
near frontal crash if the threshold
conditions for pretensioner activation
are met. And, if the vehicle has
side impact airbags, safety belt
pretensioners can help tighten the
safety belts in a side crash.Pretensioners work only once.
If they activate in a crash, you will
need to get new ones, and probably
other new parts for the safety belt
system. SeeReplacing Safety
Belt System Parts After a Crash
on page 1-18.
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.
Seats and Restraints 1-15
2008 - Pontiac G8 Owner Manual

There is one guide for each
outboard passenger position in the
rear seat. Here is how to install
a comfort guide to the safety belt:
1. Pull the elastic cord out from the
side of the seatback to remove
the guide from its storage pocket.
2. Place the guide over the belt and
insert the two edges of the belt
into the slots of the guide.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.
1-16 Seats and Restraints
2008 - Pontiac G8 Owner Manual

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. Push the guide
into the pocket on the side of
seatback.
Properly secure the guide loop
before folding the seatback.
The comfort guide and vehicle can
be damaged while closing a
door if it is not properly secured in
its storage location.Safety Belt Use During
Pregnancy
Safety belts work for everyone,
including pregnant women. Like all
occupants, they are more likely
to be seriously injured if they do not
wear safety belts.
A pregnant woman should wear a
lap-shoulder belt, and the lap portion
should be worn as low as possible,
below the rounding, throughout
the pregnancy.The best way to protect the fetus is
to protect the mother. When a
safety belt is worn properly,
it is more likely that the fetus will not
be hurt in a crash. For pregnant
women, as for anyone, the key to
making safety belts effective is
wearing them properly.
Safety Belt Extender
If the safety belt will fasten around
you, you should use it.
But if a safety belt is not long
enough, your dealer/retailer will
order you an extender. When you go
in to order it, 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, attach it to
the regular safety belt. For more
information, see the instruction
sheet that comes with the extender.
Seats and Restraints 1-17
2008 - Pontiac G8 Owner Manual