
Seats and Restraints......... 1-1
Front Seats
.................... 1-2
Rear Seats
.................... 1-7
Safety Belts
................... 1-8
Airbag System
..............1-23
Child Restraints
.............1-37
Keys, Doors and
Windows............................ 2-1
Keys
............................. 2-2
Doors and Locks
............ 2-5
Theft-Deterrent Systems
... 2-7
Windows
......................2-10
Mirrors
.........................2-12
Sunroof
........................2-13
Storage.............................. 3-1
Storage
......................... 3-1
Instruments and
Controls............................. 4-1
Instrument Panel
Overview
.................... 4-2
Warning Lights, Gages,
and Indicators
............4-11Driver Information
Center (DIC)
.............4-26
OnStar
®System
............4-38
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
......8-16
Fuel
............................8-35
Vehicle Service
and Care............................ 9-1
Service
.......................... 9-2
Owner Checks
................ 9-5
Headlamp Aiming
..........9-26
Bulb Replacement
.........9-28
Electrical System
...........9-33
Tires
...........................9-38Tire Changing
...............9-60
Jump Starting
...............9-68
Towing
........................9-72
Appearance Care
..........9-72
Technical Data.................10-1
Vehicle Identi cation
......10-1
Capacities and
Speci cations
............10-2
Customer Information......11-1
Customer Information
.....11-1
Reporting Safety
Defects
...................11-13
Vehicle Data Recording
and Privacy
.............11-15
Index................................... i-1
2008 Saturn Astra Owner ManualM
ProCarManuals.com

Seats and
Restraints
Front Seats
Manual Seats.....................1-2
Seat Height Adjuster...........1-2
Lumbar Seat Adjustment. . . .1-3
Reclining Seatbacks...........1-3
Head Restraints..................1-5
Heated Seats.....................1-6
Rear Seats
Rear Seat Operation...........1-7
Safety Belts
Safety Belts........................1-8
How to Wear Safety Belts
Properly..........................1-12
Lap-Shoulder Belt.............1-17
Safety Belt Use During
Pregnancy.......................1-21
Safety Belt Extender.........1-22
Safety Belt Check.............1-22
Care of Safety Belts.........1-22
Replacing Safety Belt
System Parts After
a Crash
...........................1-23
Airbag System
Airbag System..................1-23
Where Are the Airbags?. . .1-25
When Should an Airbag
In ate?............................1-27
What Makes an Airbag
In ate?............................1-28
How Does an Airbag
Restrain?........................1-28
What Will You See After
an Airbag In ates?..........1-29
Passenger Sensing
System............................1-30
Servicing Your
Airbag-Equipped
Vehicle
............................1-34
Adding Equipment to
Your Airbag-Equipped
Vehicle
............................1-35
Airbag System Check.......1-36
Replacing Airbag System
Parts After a Crash.........1-36
Child Restraints
Older Children..................1-37
Infants and Young
Children..........................1-38
Child Restraint Systems. . . .1-41
Where to Put the
Restraint.........................1-43
Lower Anchors and
Tethers for Children
(LATCH)
..........................1-45
Replacing LATCH
System Parts After
a Crash
...........................1-50
Securing Child
Restraints (Rear Seat).....1-50
Securing Child Restraints
(Right Front Seat)...........1-53
Seats and Restraints 1-1
ProCarManuals.com

or the instrument panel... or the safety belts!
With safety belts, you slow down as
the vehicle does. You get more time
to stop. You stop over more distance,
and your strongest bones take the
forces. That is why safety belts make
such good sense.
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.
Seats and Restraints 1-11
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To move it, push the button on the
front of the height adjuster and
move the height adjuster to
the desired position.
After you move the adjuster to
where you want it, try to move it
down without pushing the button
to make sure it has locked into
position.
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 1-23.
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.
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.
Seats and Restraints 1-19
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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.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 4-14.
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.
Seats and Restraints 1-23
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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 in ating bag, all airbags must
in ate very quickly to do their job.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 in ate
in rollover, rear crashes, or in
many side crashes.
Seat-mounted side impact
airbags and roof-rail airbags are
designed to in ate in moderate
to severe crashes where
something hits the side of your
vehicle. They are not designed
to in ate 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.
1-24 Seats and Restraints
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