2008 PONTIAC G8 child restraint

Seats and Restraints......... 1-1
Front Seats
.................... 1-2
Rear Seats
.................... 1-5
Safety Belts
................... 1-5
Airbag System
..............1-19
Child Restraints
.............1-32
Keys, Doors and
Windows............................ 2-1
Keys
............................. 2-2
Doors and Locks
............ 2-8
Theft-Deterrent
Systems
...................2-11
Windows
......................2-14
Mirrors
.........................2-16
Sunroof
........................2-18
Storage.............................. 3-1
Storage
......................... 3-1
Instruments and
Controls............................. 4-1
Instrument Panel
Overview
.................... 4-2
Warning Lights, Gages,
and Indicators
............4-10Driver Information
Center (DIC)
.............4-23
OnStar
®System
............4-36
Lighting............................. 5-1
Lighting
......................... 5-1
Infotainment...................... 6-1
Audio System(s)
............. 6-1
Climate Controls............... 7-1
Climate Controls
............. 7-1
Driving and Operating....... 8-1
Starting and Operating Your
Vehicle
....................... 8-2
Driving Your Vehicle
......8-13
Fuel
............................8-32
Vehicle Service
and Care............................ 9-1
Service
.......................... 9-2
Owner Checks
................ 9-5
Headlamp Aiming
..........9-27
Bulb Replacement
.........9-29Electrical System
...........9-32
Tires
...........................9-39
Tire Changing
...............9-62
Jump Starting
...............9-80
Towing
........................9-84
Appearance Care
..........9-91
Technical Data.................10-1
Vehicle Identication
. . . . . . 10-1
Capacities and
Specications
............10-2
Service and
Maintenance.....................11-1
Service and
Maintenance
..............11-1
Customer Information. . . . . . 12-1
Customer Information
. . . . . 12-1
Reporting Safety
Defects
...................12-14
Vehicle Data Recording
and Privacy
.............12-16
Index................................... i-1
2008 Pontiac G8 Owner ManualM
2008 - Pontiac G8 Owner Manual

Seats and
Restraints
Front Seats
Front Seats........................1-2
Manual Seats.....................1-2
Power Seat(s).....................1-2
Lumbar Seat Adjustment. . . .1-2
Reclining Seatbacks...........1-3
Head Restraints..................1-4
Heated Seats.....................1-5
Rear Seats
Rear Seat Operation...........1-5
Safety Belts
Safety Belts........................1-5
How to Wear Safety Belts
Properly............................1-8
Lap-Shoulder Belt.............1-14
Safety Belt Use During
Pregnancy.......................1-17
Safety Belt Extender.........1-17
Safety Belt Check.............1-18
Care of Safety Belts.........1-18
Replacing Safety Belt
System Parts After
a Crash
...........................1-18
Airbag System
Airbag System..................1-19
Where Are the Airbags?. . .1-21
When Should an Airbag
Inate?............................1-22
What Makes an Airbag
Inate?............................1-24
How Does an Airbag
Restrain?........................1-24
What Will You See After
an Airbag Inates?..........1-24
Passenger Sensing
System............................1-26
Servicing Your
Airbag-Equipped
Vehicle
............................1-30
Adding Equipment to
Your Airbag-Equipped
Vehicle
............................1-30
Airbag System Check.......1-31
Replacing Airbag System
Parts After a Crash.........1-32
Child Restraints
Older Children..................1-32
Infants and Young
Children..........................1-34
Child Restraint Systems. . . .1-37
Where to Put the
Restraint.........................1-38
Lower Anchors and
Tethers for Children
(LATCH)
..........................1-40
Replacing LATCH System
Parts After a Crash.........1-45
Securing Child Restraints
(Rear Seat).....................1-46
Securing Child Restraints
(Right Front Seat). . . . . . . . . . .1-48
Seats and Restraints 1-1
2008 - Pontiac G8 Owner Manual

Questions and Answers About
Safety Belts
Q:
Will I be trapped in the vehicle
after a crash if I am wearing a
safety belt?
A:Youcouldbe — whether you are
wearing a safety belt or not. But
your chance of being conscious
during and after an accident, so
youcanunbuckle and get out, is
muchgreater if you are belted.
And you can unbuckle a safety
belt, even if you are upside down.
Q:If my vehicle has airbags,
why should I have to wear
safety belts?
A:Airbags are supplemental
systems only; so they workwith
safety belts — not instead of
them. Whether or not an airbag is
provided, all occupants still have
to buckle up to get the most
protection. That is true not only in
frontal collisions, but especially in
side and other collisions.
Q:If I am a good driver, and I
never drive far from home,
why should I wear safety
belts?
A:You may be an excellent driver,
but if you are in a crash — even
one that is not your fault — you
and your passenger(s) can be
hurt. Being a good driver does not
protect you from things beyond
your control, such as bad drivers.
Most accidents occur within
25 miles (40 km) of home. And
the greatest number of serious
injuries and deaths occur at
speeds of less than 40 mph
(65 km/h).
Safety belts are for everyone.
How to Wear Safety Belts
Properly
This section is only for people of
adult size.
Be aware that there are special
things to know about safety
belts and children. And there are
different rules for smaller children
and infants. If a child will be riding in
the vehicle, seeOlder Children on
page 1-32orInfants and Young
Children on page 1-34. Follow those
rules for everyone’s protection.
It is very important for all occupants
to buckle up. Statistics show that
unbelted people are hurt more often
in crashes than those who are
wearing safety belts.
Occupants who are not buckled up
can be thrown out of the vehicle
in a crash. And they can strike
others in the vehicle who are
wearing safety belts.
1-8 Seats and Restraints
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

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

{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 1-32or
Infants and Young Children on
page 1-34.
There is an airbag readiness light
on the instrument panel cluster,
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 4-13for
more information.
Where Are the Airbags?
The driver’s frontal airbag is in the
middle of the steering wheel.The right front passenger’s frontal
airbag is in the instrument panel on
the passenger’s side.
The seat-mounted side impact
airbags for the driver and right front
passenger are in the side of the
seatbacks closest to the door.
Driver Side shown, Passenger
Side similar
Seats and Restraints 1-21
2008 - Pontiac G8 Owner Manual

Passenger Sensing
System
The vehicle has a passenger
sensing system for the right front
passenger position. The passenger
airbag status indicator will be
visible in the rearview mirror when
you start the vehicle.
The words ON and OFF, or the
symbol for on and off, will be visible
during the system check. If you are
using remote start to start your
vehicle from a distance, if equipped,
you may not see the system check.
When the system check is complete,either the word ON or the word OFF,
or the symbol for on or the symbol for
off, will be visible. SeePassenger
Airbag Status Indicator on
page 4-14.
The passenger sensing system will
turn off the right front passenger
frontal airbag under certain
conditions. The driver airbags are
not part of the passenger sensing
system.
The passenger sensing system
works with sensors that are part of
the right front passenger seat. The
sensors are designed to detect the
presence of a properly-seated
occupant and determine if the right
front passenger frontal airbag should
be enabled (may inate) or not.
Accident statistics show that children
are safer if they are restrained in
the rear rather than the front seat.
We recommend that children
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;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) United States
Canada
1-26 Seats and Restraints
2008 - Pontiac G8 Owner Manual