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Safety Belts
Safety Belts: They Are for Everyone
This part of the manual tells you how to use safety
belts properly. It also tells you some things you should
not do with safety belts.
{CAUTION:
Do not let anyone ride where he or she cannot
wear a safety belt properly. If you are in a
crash and you are not wearing a safety belt,
your injuries can be much worse. You can hit
things inside the vehicle harder or be ejected
from it and be seriously injured or killed.
In the same crash, you might not be, if you
are buckled up. Always fasten your safety
belt, and check that your passenger(s) are
restrained properly too.
{CAUTION:
It is extremely dangerous to ride in a cargo
area, inside or outside of a vehicle. In a
collision, people riding in these areas are more
likely to be seriously injured or killed. Do not
allow people to ride in any area of your vehicle
that is not equipped with seats and safety
belts. Be sure everyone in your vehicle is in
a seat and using a safety belt properly.
Your vehicle has indicators as a reminder to buckle your
safety belts. SeeSafety Belt Reminders on page 3-28.
In most states and in all Canadian provinces, the
law requires wearing safety belts. Here is why:
You never know if you will be in a crash. If you do have
a crash, you do not know if it will be a serious one.
A few crashes are mild, and some crashes can be so
serious that even buckled up, a person would not survive.
But most crashes are in between. In many of them, people
who buckle up can survive and sometimes walk away.
Without belts they could have been badly hurt or killed.
After more than 40 years of safety belts in vehicles,
the facts are clear. In most crashes buckling up does
matter... a lot!
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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.
Lap-Shoulder Belt
All seating positions in your vehicle have a
lap-shoulder belt.
Here is how to wear a lap-shoulder belt properly.
1. Adjust the seat, if the seat is adjustable, 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.
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Safety Belt Pretensioners
Your 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 your 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 your safety belt system. SeeReplacing
Restraint System Parts After a Crash on page 1-71.
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 between the edge of
the seatback and the interior body to remove the
guide from its storage clip.
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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 vehicle’s 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.
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Child Restraints
Older Children
Older children who have outgrown booster seats should
wear the vehicle’s safety belts.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,
try using the rear safety belt comfort guide.
See “Rear Safety Belt Comfort Guides” under
Lap-Shoulder Belt on page 1-22for more
information. If the shoulder belt still does not rest
on the shoulder, 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.
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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 and Tethers 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 your 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. Because there are
different systems, it is important to refer to
the instructions that come with the restraint.
Make sure the child is properly secured,
following the instructions that came with
that restraint.
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Servicing Your Airbag-Equipped
Vehicle
Airbags affect how your vehicle should be serviced.
There are parts of the airbag system in several
places around your vehicle. Your dealer/retailer and
the service manual have information about servicing
your vehicle and the airbag system. To purchase
a service manual, seeService Publications Ordering
Information on page 7-15.
{CAUTION:
For up to 10 seconds after the ignition is
turned off and the battery is disconnected,
an airbag can still in ate during improper
service. You can be injured if you are close
to an airbag when it in ates. Avoid yellow
connectors. They are probably part of the
airbag system. Be sure to follow proper
service procedures, and make sure the person
performing work for you is quali ed to do so.
Adding Equipment to Your
Airbag-Equipped Vehicle
Q:Is there anything I might add to or change
about the vehicle that could keep the airbags
from working properly?
A:Yes. If you add things that change your vehicle’s
frame, bumper system, height, front end or side
sheet metal, they may keep the airbag system from
working properly. Changing or moving any parts
of the front seats, safety belts, the airbag sensing
and diagnostic module, steering wheel, instrument
panel, roof-rail airbag modules, ceiling headliner
or pillar garnish trim, overhead console, front
sensors, side impact sensors, or airbag wiring
can affect the operation of the airbag system.
In addition, your vehicle has a passenger
sensing system for the right front passenger’s
position, which includes sensors that are part
of the passenger’s seat. The passenger sensing
system may not operate properly if the original
seat trim is replaced with non-GM covers,
upholstery or trim, or with GM covers,
upholstery or trim designed for a different vehicle.
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Key In the Ignition
Never leave your vehicle with the keys inside, as it is
an easy target for joy riders or thieves. If you leave
the key in the ignition and park your vehicle, a chime
sounds, when the driver’s door is opened. Always
remember to remove the key from the ignition and take
it with you. This locks your ignition and transmission.
Also, always remember to lock the doors.
The battery could be drained if the key is left in the
ignition while your vehicle is parked. You might not be
able to start your vehicle after it has been parked for
an extended period of time.
Retained Accessory Power (RAP)
These vehicle accessories can be used for up to
10 minutes after the engine is turned off:
Audio System
Power Windows
Sunroof (if equipped)These features continue to work up to 10 minutes
after the ignition is turned to LOCK/OFF.
The power windows, heated seats, and sunroof will
work until any door is opened.
The radio continues to work until the driver’s door
is opened.
All these features operate when the key is in the
ON/RUN or ACC/ACCESSORY.
Starting the Engine
(Automatic Engine Start/Stop)
The shift lever must be in PARK (P) or NEUTRAL (N)
for the vehicle to start. To restart when the vehicle
is already moving, use NEUTRAL (N) only.
Notice:Do not try to shift to PARK (P) if your
vehicle is moving. If you do, you could damage
the transmission. Shift to PARK (P) only when your
vehicle is stopped.
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