2008 SUZUKI RENO Owners Manual

1-21SEATS AND RESTRAINT SYSTEMS
85Z14-03E
In Canada, the law requires that forward-
facing child restraints have a top strap, and
that the strap be anchored. In the United
States, some child restraints also have a
top strap. If your child restraint has a top
strap, it should be anchored.
Anchor the top strap to an anchor point
specified in “Top Strap Anchor Location” in
this section. Be sure to use an anchor
point located on the same side of the vehi-
cle as the seating position where the child
restraint will be placed.Once you have the top strap anchored,
you’ll be ready to secure the child restraint
itself. Tighten the top strap when and as
the child restraint manufacturer’s instruc-
tions say.
Top Strap Anchor LocationTop strap anchors are already installed in
your vehicle for the three rear seating posi-
tions.
Do not use a child restraint with a top strap
in the right front passenger’s position
because there is no place to anchor the
top strap.Top strap anchors are located at both sides
and at the center of the lower rear tail
member in the rear cargo area.
Pull the front part of the plastic cover
downward to access the top strap anchors.
Securing a Child Restraint with Top
StrapInstall the child restraint system as follows:
1) Remove the luggage compartment
cover (if equipped).
2) Secure the child restraint on the rear
seat using the procedure described in
“Securing a Child Restraint in a Rear
Seat Position” of this section.
3) Pull the front part of the plastic cover
downward to access the top strap
anchors.
4) Hook the top strap to the anchor
bracket and tighten the top strap
S4U1010A
WARNING
Each top tether bracket is designed
to anchor only one child restraint.
Attaching more than one child
restraint to a single bracket could
cause the anchor to come loose or
even break during a crash. A child or
others could be injured if this hap-
pens. To help prevent injury to people
and damage to your vehicle, attach
only one child restraint per bracket.
N4U1011A
Child Restraints:

1-22
SEATS AND RESTRAINT SYSTEMS
85Z14-03E
according to the instructions provided
by the child restraint system manufac-
turer. Be sure to attach the top strap to
the corresponding anchor located
directly behind the child restraint.
5) When routing the top strap, be sure to
pass it between the head restraint and
the rear seatback as shown. (Refer to
“Head Restraints” in this section for
details on how to raise or lower the
head restraint.)
6) Make sure that cargo does not interfere
with routing of the top strap.
Lower Anchorages and Top Teth-
ers for Children (LATCH System)Your vehicle has a LATCH system. You’ll
find anchors (A) in the rear outside seat
positions.
To assist you in locating the lower anchors,
each seating position with the LATCH sys-
tem has a circular disk on the seatback at
each lower anchor position.The disks are located near the base of the
two rear outside seating positions.
Canada only
86Z004
WARNING
Each top tether bracket is designed
to anchor only one child restraint.
Attaching more than one child
restraint to a single bracket could
cause the anchor to come loose or
even break during a crash. A child or
others could be injured if this hap-
pens. To help prevent injury to people
and damage to your vehicle, attach
only one child restraint per bracket.
N5U1003A
N4U1009A
This symbol indicates the
presence of a lower connector
system on a child restraint
system or booster cushion.
Child Restraints:

1-23SEATS AND RESTRAINT SYSTEMS
85Z14-03E
In order to use the system, you need either
a forward-facing child restraint that has
attaching points (B) at its base and a top
tether anchor (C), or a rear-facing child
restraint that has attaching points (B), as
shown here.With this type of child restraint, use the
LATCH system instead of the vehicle’s
safety belts to secure the child restraint.
Securing a Child Restraint
Designed for the LATCH System
(Rear)1) Find the anchors for the seating posi-
tion you want to use, where the bottom
of the seatback meets the back of the
seat cushion.
2) Put the child restraint on the seat.
3) Attach the anchor points on the child
restraint to the anchors in the vehicle.
The child restraint instructions will show
you how.
4) If the child restraint is forward-facing,
attach the top strap to the top strap
anchor. See “Top Strap” in this section.
Tighten the top strap according to the
child restraint instructions.
5) Push and pull the child restraint in dif-
ferent directions to be sure it is secure.
To remove the child restraint, simply
unhook the top strap from the top tether
anchor and then disconnect the lower
anchor points.
L3U1047A
AB C
L3U1049A
WARNING
If a LATCH-type child restraint isn’t
attached to its anchorage points, the
restraint won’t be able to protect the
child correctly. In a crash, the child
could be severely injured or killed.
Make sure that a LATCH-type child
restraint is properly installed using
the anchorage points. If your child
restraint is not designed for the
LATCH system, use the vehicle’s
safety belts to secure the restraint,
following the instructions that came
with that restraint, and also the
instructions in this manual.AB
L3U1050A
Child Restraints:

1-24
SEATS AND RESTRAINT SYSTEMS
85Z14-03E
Securing a Child Restraint in a Rear
Seat PositionIf your child restraint is equipped with the
LATCH system, see “Lower Anchorages
and Top Tethers for Children (LATCH Sys-
tem)” in this section. See “Top Strap” in this
section if the child restraint has one.
If your child restraint does not have the
LATCH system, you will be using the lap-
shoulder belt to secure the child restraint in
this position. Be sure to follow the instruc-
tions that came with the child restraint.
Secure the child in the child restraint when
and as the instructions say.
1) Put the restraint on the seat.
2) Pick up the latch plate, and run the lap
and shoulder portions of the vehicle’s
safety belt through or around the
restraint. The child restraint instructions
will show you how. 3) Buckle the belt. Make sure the release
button is positioned so you would be
able to unbuckle the safety belt quickly
if you ever had to.
4) Pull the rest of the shoulder belt all the
way out of the retractor to set the lock.5) To tighten the belt, feed the shoulder
belt back into the retractor while you
push down on the child restraint. If
you’re using a forward-facing child
restraint, you may find it helpful to use
your knee to push down on the child
restraint as you tighten the belt.
6) Push and pull the child restraint in dif-
ferent directions to be sure it is secure.
To remove the child restraint, just unbuckle
the vehicle’s safety belt and let it go back
all the way. The safety belt will move freely
again and be ready to work for an adult or
larger child passenger.
L3U1031A
L3U1052AL3U1053A
L3U1054A
Child Restraints:

1-25SEATS AND RESTRAINT SYSTEMS
85Z14-03E
Securing a Child Restraint in the
Right Front Seat PositionYour vehicle has a right front passenger air
bag. A rear seat is a safer place to secure
a child restraint. See “Where to Put the
Restraint” in this section.
In addition, your vehicle has a passenger
sensing system. The passenger sensing
system is designed to turn off the right
front passenger’s frontal and side air bag
when an infant or a small child is detected.
See “Passenger Sensing System” and
“Manual Seats” in this section for more
information on this including important
safety information.If you need to secure a forward-facing child
restraint in the right front seat position,
move the seat as far back as it will go
before securing the forward-facing child
restraint. See “Manual Seats” in this sec-
tion.
If you need to secure a forward-facing child
restraint in the right front seat, you will be
using the lap-shoulder belt to secure the
child restraint, even if the child restraint is
equipped with the LATCH system. Be sure
to follow the instructions that came with the
child restraint. Secure the child in the child
restraint when and as the instructions say.1) Your vehicle has a right front passen-
ger’s frontal air bag. See “Passenger
Sensing System” in this section. Always
secure a rear-facing child restraint in
the rear seat, even if the air bag is off. If
your child restraint is forward-facing,
move the seat as far back as it will go
before securing the child restraint in this
seat. See “Manual Seats” in this sec-
tion.
When the passenger sensing system
has turned off the right front passen-
ger’s frontal and side air bag, the pas-
senger air bag off indicator should light.
See “Passenger Sensing System” in
this section.
A thick layer of additional material such
as a blanket, or aftermarket equipment
such as seat covers heaters or mas-
sagers, located between the seat cush-
ion and the child restraint or small
occupant, can affect how the passenger
sensing system operates. Remove any
additional material from the seat cush-
ion before installing/securing the child
restraint or small occupant.
2) Put the child restraint on the seat.
3) Pick up the latch plate, and run the lap
and shoulder portions of the vehicle’s
safety belt through or around the
restraint. The child restraint instructions
will show you how.
L3U1068A
WARNING
A child in a rear-facing child restraint
can be severely injured or killed if the
right front passenger’s frontal air bag
inflates. This is because the back of
the rear-facing child restraint would
be very close to the inflating air bag.
Even though the passenger sensing
system is designed to turn off the
passenger’s frontal air bag under cer-
tain conditions, no system is fail-
safe, and no one can guarantee that
an air bag will not deploy under some
unusual circumstance, even though it
is turned off. Always secure a rear-
facing child restraint in the rear seat,
even if the air bag is off.
Child Restraints:

1-26
SEATS AND RESTRAINT SYSTEMS
85Z14-03E
4) Buckle the belt. Make sure the release
button is positioned so you would be
able to unbuckle the safety belt quickly
if you ever had to.
5) Pull the rest of the shoulder belt all the
way out of the retractor to set the lock.6) To tighten the belt, feed the shoulder
belt back into the retractor while you
push down on the child restraint. You
may find it helpful to use your knee to
push down on the child restraint as you
tighten the belt.
7) Push and pull the child restraint in dif-
ferent directions to be sure it is secure.
8) If the air bag is off, the passenger air
bag off indicator located in the clock
display in center of the instrument panel
will be lit.
To remove the child restraint, just unbuckle
the vehicle’s safety belt and let it go back
all the way. The safety belt will move freely
again and be ready to work for an adult or
larger child passenger.
Supplemental Restraint
System (air bags)This section explains the frontal and side
impact air bag systems.
Your vehicle has an advanced frontal air
bag for the driver and an advanced frontal
air bag for the right front passenger. Your
vehicle also has side impact air bags for
the driver and right front passenger.
Your vehicle is equipped with a Supple-
mental Restraint System consisting of the
following components in addition to a lap-
shoulder belt at each front seating position.
L3U1069AL3U1059A
L3U1061AL3U1060A
WARNING
This section of the owner’s manual
describes the protection provided by
your vehicle’s SUPPLEMENTAL
RESTRAINT SYSTEM (advanced air
bags). Please read and follow ALL
these instructions carefully to mini-
mize your risk of severe injury or
death in the event of a collision.
Child Restraints:
Supplemental Restraint System:

1-27SEATS AND RESTRAINT SYSTEMS
85Z14-03E
85Z008
8
6
1010 2 1
7
9
5
4
3
3
9
1. Driver’s air bag
2. Front passenger’s air bag
3. Safety belt pretensioner
4. Air bag controller (SDM)
5. Occupant classification module
6. “PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF”
indicator
7. Air bag readiness light
8. Early crash sensor
9. Side air bag
10. Side air bag sensor
The words AIR BAG will appear on the
side of the front seatback closest to the
door, to indicate the presence of a side
impact air bag.
Frontal air bags are designed to help
reduce the risk of injury from the force of a
frontal crash. Side impact air bags are
designed to help reduce the risk of injury
from the force of a side impact crash. But
S4U1014A
Supplemental Restraint System:

1-28
SEATS AND RESTRAINT SYSTEMS
85Z14-03E
these air bags must inflate very quickly to
do their job. Here are the most important
things to know about the air bag systems.
WARNING
You can be severely injured or killed
in a crash if you aren’t wearing your
safety belt – even if you have air
bags. Wearing your safety belt during
a crash helps reduce your chance of
hitting things inside the vehicle or
being ejected from it. Air bags are
designed to work with safety belts
but don’t replace them.
Frontal air bags for the driver and
right front passenger are designed to
deploy only in moderate to severe
frontal and near frontal crashes. They
aren’t designed to inflate at all in roll-
over, rear or low-speed frontal
crashes, or in many side crashes.
And, for some unrestrained occu-
pants, frontal air bags may provide
less protection in frontal crashes
than more forceful air bags have pro-
vided in the past.
(Continued)
WARNING
(Continued)
The side impact air bags are
designed to inflate only in moderate
to severe crashes where something
hits the side of your vehicle. They
aren’t designed to inflate in frontal, in
rollover or in rear crashes.
Everyone in your vehicle should wear
a safety belt properly – whether or
not there’s an air bag for that person.
WARNING
Air bags inflate with great force,
faster than the blink of an eye. If
you’re too close to an inflating air
bag, as you would be if you were
leaning forward, it could severely
injure you. Safety belts help keep you
in position for air bag inflation before
and during a crash. Always wear your
safety belt, even with frontal air bags.
The driver should sit as far back as
possible while still maintaining con-
trol of the vehicle. Front occupants
should not lean on or sleep against
the door.
WARNING
Do not attach any objects to, or place
any objects over, the steering wheel
or dashboard. Do not place any
objects between the air bag and the
driver or front passenger. These
objects may interfere with air bag
operation or may be propelled by the
air bag in the event of a crash. Either
of these conditions may cause
severe injury.
WARNING
Anyone who is up against, or very
close to, any air bag when it inflates
can be severely injured or killed. Air
bags 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 air bag 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 vehi-
cle. To read how, see the part of this
manual called “Older Children” or
“Infants and Young Children.”
Supplemental Restraint System: