2008 PONTIAC G8 Owners 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

Safety Belt Check
Now and then, make sure the safety
belt reminder light and all your
belts, buckles, latch plates,
retractors and anchorages are
working properly. Look for any other
loose or damaged safety belt
system parts. If you see anything
that might keep a safety belt system
from doing its job, have it repaired.
Torn or frayed safety belts may
not protect you in a crash. They can
rip apart under impact forces. If a
belt is torn or frayed, get a new one
right away.
Make sure the safety belt reminder
light is working. SeeSafety Belt
Reminders on page 4-12for more
information.
Keep safety belts clean and dry.
SeeCare of Safety Belts on
page 1-18.
Care of Safety Belts
Keep belts clean and dry.
{CAUTION
Do not bleach or dye safety
belts. If you do, it may severely
weaken them. In a crash, they
might not be able to provide
adequate protection. Clean
safety belts only with mild soap
and lukewarm water.
Replacing Safety Belt
System Parts After
a Crash
{CAUTION
A crash can damage the safety
belt system in the vehicle.
A damaged safety belt system
may not properly protect the
person using it, resulting in
serious injury or even death in
a crash. To help make sure the
safety belt systems are working
properly after a crash, have
them inspected and any
necessary replacements made
as soon as possible.
1-18 Seats and Restraints
2008 - Pontiac G8 Owner Manual

After a minor crash, replacement of
safety belts may not be necessary.
But the safety belt assemblies
that were used during any crash
may have been stressed or
damaged. See your dealer/retailer
to have the safety belt assemblies
inspected or replaced.
New parts and repairs may be
necessary even if the safety belt
system was not being used at
the time of the crash.
Have the safety belt pretensioners
checked if the vehicle has been in a
crash, or if the airbag readiness
light stays on after you start
the vehicle or while you are driving.
SeeAirbag Readiness Light on
page 4-13.Airbag System
Your vehicle has the following
airbags:
A frontal airbag for the driver.
A frontal airbag for the right front
passenger.
A seat-mounted side impact
airbag for the driver.
A seat-mounted side impact
airbag for the right front
passenger.
A roof-rail airbag for the driver
and the passenger seated
directly behind the driver.
A roof-rail airbag for the right
front passenger and the
passenger seated directly behind
the right front passenger.
All of the airbags in your vehicle will
have the word AIRBAG embossed
in the trim or on an attached
label near the deployment opening.For frontal airbags, the word
AIRBAG will appear on the middle
part of the steering wheel for
the driver and on the instrument
panel for the right front passenger.
With seat-mounted side impact
airbags, the word AIRBAG
will appear on the side of the
seatback closest to the door.
With roof-rail airbags, the word
AIRBAG will appear along the
headliner or trim.
Airbags are designed to supplement
the protection provided by safety
belts. Even though today’s airbags
are also designed to help reduce
the risk of injury from the force of an
inating bag, all airbags must
inate very quickly to do their job.
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2008 - Pontiac G8 Owner Manual

Here are the most important things
to know about the airbag system:
{CAUTION
You can be severely injured or
killed in a crash if you are not
wearing your safety belt — even
if you have airbags. Wearing
your safety belt during a crash
helps reduce your chance of
hitting things inside the vehicle
or being ejected from it. Airbags
are “supplemental restraints” to
the safety belts. All airbags are
designed to work with safety
belts, but do not replace them.
{CAUTION
Frontal airbags are designed to
deploy in moderate to severe
frontal and near frontal crashes.
They are not designed to inate
in rollover, rear crashes, or in
many side crashes.
Seat-mounted side impact
airbags and roof-rail airbags are
designed to inate in moderate
to severe crashes where
something hits the side of your
vehicle. They are not designed
to inate in frontal, in rollover,
or in rear crashes.
Everyone in your vehicle
should wear a safety belt
properly — whether or not
there is an airbag for that
person.
{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 seat-mounted
side impact airbags and/or
roof-rail airbags.
1-20 Seats and Restraints
2008 - Pontiac G8 Owner Manual