2009 GMC ACADIA belt

Securing a Child
Restraint in a Rear
Seat Position
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.
If the child restraint has the LATCH
system, seeLower Anchors and
Tethers for Children (LATCH)
on page 1-37for how and where to
install the child restraint using
LATCH. If a child restraint is secured
in the vehicle using a safety belt
and it uses a top tether, seeLower
Anchors and Tethers for Children
(LATCH) on page 1-37for top tether
anchor locations.
Do not secure a child seat in a
position without a top tether anchor
if a national or local law requires
that the top tether be anchored, or if
the instructions that come with
the child restraint say that the top
strap must be anchored.In Canada, the law requires that
forward-facing child restraints have
a top tether, and that the tether
be attached.
If the child restraint does not have
the LATCH system, you will be using
the safety belt to secure the child
restraint in this position. 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.
If more than one child restraint
needs to be installed in the
rear seat, be sure to readWhere to
Put the Restraint on page 1-35.
1. Put the child 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. Push the latch plate into the
buckle until it clicks.
Position the release button on
the buckle so that the safety belt
could be quickly unbuckled if
necessary.
Seats and Restraint System 1-43

4. Pull the rest of the shoulder belt
all the way out of the retractor to
set the lock.5. To tighten the belt, push down on
the child restraint, pull the
shoulder portion of the belt to
tighten the lap portion of the belt
and feed the shoulder belt back
into the retractor. When installing
a forward-facing child restraint, it
may be helpful to use your knee
to push down on the child
restraint as you tighten the belt.6. If the child restraint has a top
tether, follow the child restraint
manufacturer’s instructions
regarding the use of the top
tether. SeeLower Anchors and
Tethers for Children (LATCH)
on page 1-37for more
information.
7. Push and pull the child restraint
in different directions to be sure
it is secure.
To remove the child restraint,
unbuckle the vehicle safety belt and
let it return to the stowed position.
If the top tether is attached to a top
tether anchor, disconnect it.
1-44 Seats and Restraint System

Securing a Child
Restraint in the Right
Front Seat Position
The vehicle has airbags. A rear
seat is a safer place to secure
a forward-facing child restraint.
SeeWhere to Put the Restraint
on page 1-35.
In addition, the vehicle has a
passenger sensing system which is
designed to turn off the right
front passenger frontal airbag and
seat-mounted side impact airbag
under certain conditions. See
Passenger Sensing System on
page 1-55andPassenger Airbag
Status Indicator on page 3-36
for more information, including
important safety information.
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.
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.
(Continued)
CAUTION (Continued)
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 1-55for additional
information.
If the child restraint has the LATCH
system, seeLower Anchors and
Tethers for Children (LATCH) on
page 1-37for how and where to
install the child restraint using
LATCH. If a child restraint is secured
using a safety belt and it uses a top
tether, seeLower Anchors and
Tethers for Children (LATCH) on
page 1-37for top tether anchor
locations.
Seats and Restraint System 1-45

Do not secure a child seat in a
position without a top tether anchor
if a national or local law requires
that the top tether be anchored, or if
the instructions that come with
the child restraint say that the top
strap must be anchored.
In Canada, the law requires that
forward-facing child restraints have
a top tether, and that the tether
be attached.You will be using the lap-shoulder
belt to secure the child restraint
in this position. Follow the
instructions that came with
the child restraint.
1. Move the seat as far back as it
will go before securing the
forward-facing child restraint.
When the passenger sensing
system has turned off the
right front passenger frontal
airbag and seat-mounted side
impact airbag, the off indicator on
the passenger airbag status
indicator should light and stay lit
when the vehicle is started.
SeePassenger Airbag Status
Indicator on page 3-36.
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.
4. Push the latch plate into the
buckle until it clicks.
Position the release button on
the buckle so that the safety belt
could be quickly unbuckled if
necessary.
1-46 Seats and Restraint System

5. Pull the rest of the shoulder belt
all the way out of the retractor to
set the lock.6. To tighten the belt, push down
on the child restraint, pull the
shoulder portion of the belt
to tighten the lap portion of the
belt and feed the shoulder
belt back into the retractor. When
installing a forward-facing child
restraint, it may be 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 different directions to be sure
it is secure.If the airbags are off, the off
indicator in the passenger airbag
status indicator will come on
and stay on when the vehicle is
started.
If a child restraint has been installed
and the on indicator is lit, see “If
the On Indicator is Lit for a
Child Restraint” underPassenger
Sensing System on page 1-55
for more information.
To remove the child restraint,
unbuckle the vehicle safety belt and
let it return to the stowed position.
Seats and Restraint System 1-47

Airbag System
The 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,
passenger seated directly
behind the driver, and the third
row outboard passenger position.
A roof-rail airbag for the right
front passenger, passenger
seated directly behind the right
front passenger, and the third row
outboard passenger position.
All of the airbags in the vehicle will
have the word AIRBAG embossed
in the trim or on an attached
label near the deployment opening.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
inating bag, all airbags must
inate 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. Airbags are
designed to work with safety
belts, but do not replace them.
Also, airbags are not designed to
deploy in every crash. In some
crashes safety belts are your only
restraint. SeeWhen Should an
Airbag Inflate? on page 1-51.
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. Everyone in your
vehicle should wear a safety belt
properly — whether or not there is
an airbag for that person.
1-48 Seats and Restraint System

{CAUTION
Airbags inate with great force,
faster than the blink of an eye.
Anyone who is up against, or very
close to, any airbag when it
inates can be seriously injured or
killed. Do not sit unnecessarily
close to the airbag, as you would
be if you were sitting on the edge
of your seat or leaning forward.
Safety belts help keep you in
position before and during a
crash. Always wear your safety
belt, even with airbags. The driver
should sit as far back as possible
while still maintaining control of
the vehicle.
Occupants should not lean on or
sleep against the door or side
windows in seating positions with
seat-mounted side impact airbags
and/or roof-rail airbags.
{CAUTION
Children who are up against, or
very close to, any airbag when it
inates can be seriously injured or
killed. Airbags plus lap-shoulder
belts offer protection for adults
and older children, 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, seeOlder Children on
page 1-29orInfants and Young
Children on page 1-31.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 3-36for
more information.
Seats and Restraint System 1-49

Roof-rail airbags are not intended
to inate in rear impacts. A
seat-mounted side impact airbag
is intended to deploy on the side
of the vehicle that is struck. Both
roof-rail airbags will deploy when
either side of the vehicle is struck, or
if the sensing system predicts that
the vehicle is about to roll over, or in
a severe frontal impact.
In any particular crash, no one can
say whether an airbag should
have inated simply because of the
damage to a vehicle or because
of what the repair costs were.
For frontal airbags, ination is
determined by what the vehicle hits,
the angle of the impact, and how
quickly the vehicle slows down. For
seat-mounted side impact and
roof-rail airbags, deployment
is determined by the location and
severity of the side impact. In
a rollover event, roof-rail airbag
deployment is determined by
the direction of the roll.What Makes an Airbag
Inate?
In a deployment event, the sensing
system sends an electrical signal
triggering a release of gas from the
inator. Gas from the inator lls
the airbag causing the bag to break
out of the cover and deploy. The
inator, the airbag, and related
hardware are all part of the airbag
module.
Frontal airbag modules are located
inside the steering wheel and
instrument panel. For vehicles with
seat-mounted side impact airbags,
there are airbag modules in the side
of the front seatbacks closest to
the door. For vehicles with roof-rail
airbags, there are airbag modules
in the ceiling of the vehicle, near the
side windows that have occupant
seating positions.
How Does an Airbag
Restrain?
In moderate to severe frontal or
near frontal collisions, even belted
occupants can contact the steering
wheel or the instrument panel.
In moderate to severe side
collisions, even belted occupants
can contact the inside of the vehicle.
Airbags supplement the protection
provided by safety belts.
Frontal airbags distribute the force
of the impact more evenly over
the occupant’s upper body, stopping
the occupant more gradually.
Seat-mounted side impact and
roof-rail airbags distribute the force
of the impact more evenly over
the occupant’s upper body.
Seats and Restraint System 1-53