2009 GMC CANYON airbag off

Infants and Young Children
Everyone in a vehicle needs protection! This includes
infants and all other children. Neither the distance
traveled nor the age and size of the traveler changes
the need, for everyone, to use safety restraints. In fact,
the law in every state in the United States and in every
Canadian province says children up to some age must be
restrained while in a vehicle.
{CAUTION:
Children can be seriously injured or strangled if a
shoulder belt is wrapped around their neck and
the safety belt continues to tighten. Never leave
children unattended in a vehicle and never allow
children to play with the safety belts.
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 systemnor its airbag system is designed for them. Every time
infants and young children ride in vehicles, they
should have the protection provided by appropriate
child restraints.
Children who are not restrained properly can strike
other people, or can be thrown out of the vehicle.
{CAUTION:
Never do this.
Never hold an infant or a child while riding in a
vehicle. Due to crash forces, an infant or a child
will become so heavy it is not possible to hold it
during a crash. For example, in a crash at only
25 mph (40 km/h), a 12 lb (5.5 kg) infant will
suddenly become a 240 lb (110 kg) force on a
person’s arms. An infant should be secured in an
appropriate restraint.
1-38

Where to Put the Restraint
Accident statistics show that children are safer if they
are restrained in the rear rather than the front seat.
We recommend that children and child restraints 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 your 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
CAUTION: (Continued)
CAUTION: (Continued)
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.
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 1-70for
additional information.
1-44

{CAUTION:
A child in a child restraint in the center front seat
can be badly injured or killed by the frontal airbags if
they inate. Never secure a child restraint in the
center front seat. Secure a child restraint in a
rear seat.
Do not use child restraints in the center front seat
position.
When securing a child restraint in a rear seating
position, study the instructions that came with your child
restraint to make sure it is compatible with this vehicle.
If your vehicle does not have a rear seat that will
accommodate a rear-facing child restraint, we
recommend that rear-facing child restraints not be
transported in your vehicle, even if the airbag is off.
Wherever you install a child restraint, be sure to secure
the child restraint properly.
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.
Lower Anchors and Tethers for
Children (LATCH)
The LATCH system holds a child restraint during driving
or in a crash. This system is designed to make installation
of a child restraint easier. The LATCH system uses
anchors in the vehicle and attachments on the child
restraint that are made for use with the LATCH system.
Make sure that a LATCH-compatible child restraint is
properly installed using the anchors, or 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. When installing a child
restraint with a top tether, you must also use either the
lower anchors or the safety belts to properly secure the
child restraint. A child restraint must never be installed
using only the top tether and anchor.
In order to use the LATCH system in your vehicle, you
need a child restraint that has LATCH attachments.
The child restraint manufacturer will provide you
with instructions on how to use the child restraint and
its attachments. The following explains how to attach a
child restraint with these attachments in your vehicle.
Not all vehicle seating positions or child restraints have
lower anchors and attachments or top tether anchors
and attachments.
1-45

1.3. Attach the lower attachments on the child
restraint to the lower anchors (D) in the
vehicle. The child restraint instructions will
show you how.
2. If the child restraint manufacturer recommends that
the top tether be attached, attach and tighten the top
tether to the top tether anchor (C). Refer to the child
restraint instructions and the following steps:
2.1. Pull on the nger access tab to remove the
cover to access the top tether anchors (C).
2.2. Route the top tether (A) through the loop (B)
at the top of the seatback to attach the top
tether to the nearest top tether anchor (C).3. Tighten the lower anchor attachments and the top
tether. The child restraint instructions will show
you how.
4. Push and pull the child restraint in different
directions to be sure it is secure.
Front Seat — Regular/Extended Cab
without Rear Seats
Your vehicle has a right front passenger’s airbag and a
passenger sensing system. The passenger sensing
system is designed to turn off the right front passenger’s
frontal airbag when an infant in a rear-facing infant seat or
a small child in a forward-facing child restraint or booster
seat is detected. SeeSecuring a Child Restraint in the
Right Front Seat Position on page 1-58andPassenger
Sensing System on page 1-70for important safety
information and additional information on installing
a child restraint in the right front seat position.
1. SeeSecuring a Child Restraint in the Right Front
Seat Position on page 1-58for instructions on
installing the child restraint using the safety belts.
1-54

Securing a Child Restraint in the
Center Front Seat Position
{CAUTION:
A child in a child restraint in the center front
seat can be badly injured or killed by the frontal
airbags if they inate. Never secure a child
restraint in the center front seat. Secure a child
restraint in a rear seat.
Do not use child restraints in the center front seat
position.
Securing a Child Restraint in the
Right Front Seat Position
This vehicle has airbags. A rear seat is a safer place to
secure a forward-facing child restraint. SeeWhere to
Put the Restraint on page 1-44.
In addition, the vehicle has a passenger sensing system
which is designed to turn off the right front passenger’s
frontal airbag under certain conditions. SeePassenger
Sensing System on page 1-70andPassenger Airbag
Status Indicator on page 3-25for more information
on this, 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.
1-58

{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.
CAUTION: (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 1-70for
additional information.
If the vehicle does not have a rear seat that will
accommodate a rear-facing child restraint, a child
restraint should not be installed in your vehicle, even if
the airbag is off.
If your child restraint has the LATCH system, seeLower
Anchors and Tethers for Children (LATCH) on page 1-45
for how and where to install your 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 1-45for top tether anchor
locations.
1-59

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, the off
indicator on the passenger airbag status indicator
should light and stay lit when you start the vehicle.
SeePassenger Airbag Status Indicator on
page 3-25.
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.
1-60

If the airbag is 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 on indicator is
lit, see “If the On Indicator is Lit for a Child Restraint”
underPassenger Sensing System on page 1-70
for more information.
To remove the child restraint, unbuckle the vehicle
safety belt and let it return to the stowed position.
Airbag System
The vehicle has the following airbags:
A frontal airbag for the driver.
A frontal airbag for the right front passenger
Your vehicle may also have the following airbags:
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.
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 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.
1-62