2008 PONTIAC G8 seats

Replacing Airbag System
Parts After a Crash
{CAUTION
A crash can damage the airbag
systems in your vehicle.
A damaged airbag system
may not work properly and
may not protect you and your
passenger(s) in a crash,
resulting in serious injury or
even death. To help make sure
your airbag systems are
working properly after a crash,
have them inspected and any
necessary replacements made
as soon as possible.If an airbag inates, you will need to
replace airbag system parts. See
your dealer/retailer for service.
If the airbag readiness light stays on
after the vehicle is started or comes
on when you are driving, the
airbag system may not work
properly. Have the vehicle serviced
right away. SeeAirbag Readiness
Light on page 4-13for more
information.
Child Restraints
Older Children
Older children who have outgrown
booster seats should wear the
vehicle’s safety belts.
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The manufacturer’s instructions that
come with the booster seat, state
the weight and height limitations for
that booster. Use a booster seat
with a lap-shoulder belt until
the child passes the below t test:
Sit all the way back on the
seat. Do the knees bend at the
seat edge? If yes, continue.
If no, return to the booster seat.
Buckle the lap-shoulder
belt. Does the shoulder belt rest
on the shoulder? If yes,
continue. If no, then return to the
booster seat.
Does the lap belt t low and
snug on the hips, touching
the thighs? If yes, continue.
If no, return to the booster seat.
Can proper safety belt t
be maintained for the length of
the trip? If yes, continue. If
no, return to the booster seat.
Q:What is the proper way to
wear safety belts?
A:An older child should wear a
lap-shoulder belt and get the
additional restraint a shoulder
belt can provide. The shoulder
belt should not cross the face or
neck. The lap belt should t
snugly below the hips, just
touching the top of the thighs.
This applies belt force to
the child’s pelvic bones in a
crash. It should never be worn
over the abdomen, which
could cause severe or even fatal
internal injuries in a crash.
According to accident statistics,
children and infants are safer when
properly restrained in a child restraint
system or infant restraint system
secured in a rear seating position.
In a crash, children who are not
buckled up can strike other people
who are buckled up, or can bethrown out of the vehicle. Older
children need to use safety belts
properly.
{CAUTION
Never do this.
Never allow two children to wear
the same safety belt. The safety
belt can not properly spread the
impact forces. In a crash, the
two children can be crushed
together and seriously injured.
A safety belt must be used by
only one person at a time.
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2008 - Pontiac G8 Owner Manual

{CAUTION
Never do this.
Never allow a child to wear the
safety belt with the shoulder
belt behind their back. A child
can be seriously injured by not
wearing the lap-shoulder belt
properly. In a crash, the child
would not be restrained by the
shoulder belt. The child could
move too far forward increasing
the chance of head and neck
injury. The child 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.
Infants and Young
Children
Everyone in a vehicle needs
protection! This includes infants and
all other children. Neither the
distance traveled nor the age and
size of the traveler changes the
need, for everyone, to use safety
restraints. In fact, the law in
every state in the United States and
in every Canadian province says
children up to some age must
be restrained while in a vehicle.
{CAUTION
Children can be seriously
injured or strangled if a
shoulder belt is wrapped
around their neck and the
safety belt continues to tighten.
Never leave children
unattended in a vehicle and
never allow children to play
with the safety belts.
Every time infants and young
children ride in vehicles, they should
have the protection provided by
appropriate restraints. Children who
are not restrained properly can
strike other people, or can be thrown
out of the vehicle. In addition,
young children should not use the
vehicle’s adult safety belts alone;
they need to use a child restraint.
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{CAUTION
Never do this.
Never hold an infant or a child
while riding in a vehicle. Due to
crash forces, an infant or a
child will become so heavy it is
not possible to hold it during a
crash. For example, in a crash
at only 25 mph (40 km/h), a
12 lb (5.5 kg) infant will
suddenly become a 240 lb
(110 kg) force on a person’s
arms. An infant should be
secured in an appropriate
restraint.
{CAUTION
Never do this.
Children who are up against, or
very close to, any airbag when it
inates can be seriously injured
or killed. Never put a rear-facing
child restraint in the right front
seat. Secure a rear-facing child
restraint in a rear seat. It is also
(Continued)
CAUTION (Continued)
better to secure a
forward-facing child restraint in
a rear seat. If you must secure
a forward-facing child restraint
in the right front seat, always
move the front passenger seat
as far back as it will go.
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Q:What are the different types of
add-on child restraints?
A:Add-on child restraints, which are
purchased by the vehicle’s
owner, are available in four basic
types. Selection of a particular
restraint should take into
consideration not only the child’s
weight, height, and age but also
whether or not the restraint will be
compatible with the motor vehicle
in which it will be used.
For most basic types of child
restraints, there are many
different models available. When
purchasing a child restraint,
be sure it is designed to be used
in a motor vehicle. If it is, the
restraint will have a label saying
that it meets federal motor
vehicle safety standards.
The restraint manufacturer’s
instructions that come with the
restraint state the weight
and height limitations for a
particular child restraint. Inaddition, there are many kinds of
restraints available for children
with special needs.
{CAUTION
To reduce the risk of neck and
head injury during a crash,
infants need complete support.
This is because an infant’s
neck is not fully developed and
its head weighs so much
compared with the rest of its
body. In a crash, an infant in a
rear-facing child restraint
settles into the restraint, so the
crash forces can be distributed
across the strongest part of an
infant’s body, the back and
shoulders. Infants should
always be secured in
rear-facing child restraints.
{CAUTION
A young child’s hip bones are
still so small that the vehicle’s
regular safety belt may not
remain low on the hip bones,
as it should. Instead, it may
settle up around the child’s
abdomen. In a crash, the belt
would apply force on a body
area that is unprotected by any
bony structure. This alone
could cause serious or fatal
injuries. To reduce the risk of
serious or fatal injuries during
a crash, young children should
always be secured in
appropriate child restraints.
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Child Restraint Systems
A rear-facing infant seat (A) provides
restraint with the seating surface
against the back of the infant.
The harness system holds the infant
in place and, in a crash, acts to
keep the infant positioned in
the restraint.A forward-facing child seat (B)
provides restraint for the child’s body
with the harness.A booster seat (C) is a child
restraint designed to improve the t
of the vehicle’s safety belt system.
A booster seat can also help a child
to see out the window. (A) Rear-Facing Infant Seat
(B) Forward-Facing Child Seat(C) Booster Seats
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Securing an Add-On Child
Restraint in the Vehicle
{CAUTION
A child can be seriously injured
or killed in a crash if the child
restraint is not properly secured
in the vehicle. Secure the child
restraint properly in the vehicle
using the vehicle’s safety belt or
LATCH system, following the
instructions that came with that
child restraint and the
instructions in this manual.
To help reduce the chance of injury,
the child restraint must be secured in
the vehicle. Child restraint systems
must be secured in vehicle seats by
lap belts or the lap belt portion of a
lap-shoulder belt, or by the LATCH
system. SeeLower Anchors andTethers for Children (LATCH) on
page 1-40for more information. A
child can be endangered in a crash if
the child restraint is not properly
secured in the vehicle.
When securing an add-on child
restraint, refer to the instructions that
come with the restraint which may
be on the restraint itself or in a
booklet, or both, and to this manual.
The child restraint instructions are
important, so if they are not
available, obtain a replacement
copy from the manufacturer.
Keep in mind that an unsecured
child restraint can move around in a
collision or sudden stop and
injure people in the vehicle. Be sure
to properly secure any child
restraint in the vehicle — even
when no child is in it.
Securing the Child Within the
Child Restraint
{CAUTION
A child can be seriously injured
or killed in a crash if the child
is not properly secured in the
child restraint. Secure the child
properly following the
instructions that came with that
child restraint.
Where to Put the
Restraint
According to accident statistics,
children and infants are safer when
properly restrained in a child restraint
system or infant restraint system
secured in a rear seating position.
We recommend that children and
child restraints be secured in a rear
seat, including: an infant or a
child riding in a rear-facing child
restraint; a child riding in a
forward-facing child seat;
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an older child riding in a booster
seat; and children, who are
large enough, using safety belts.
A label on the 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.
(Continued)
CAUTION (Continued)
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.
Secure rear-facing child
restraints in a 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.
SeePassenger Sensing System
on page 1-26for additional
information.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.
Wherever a child restraint is
installed, be sure to secure the child
restraint properly.
Keep in mind that an unsecured
child restraint can move around in a
collision or sudden stop and
injure people in the vehicle. Be sure
to properly secure any child
restraint in the vehicle — even
when no child is in it.
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2008 - Pontiac G8 Owner Manual