2009 GMC SAVANA child restraint

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. If the vehicle does not have a rear seat and 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 1-41for
more information.
8. Push and pull the child restraint in different
directions to be sure it is secure.
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.
To remove the child restraint, unbuckle the vehicle
safety belt and let it return to the stowed position.
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Securing a Child Restraint in the
Right Front Seat Position
(With Airbag On-Off Switch)
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 1-39.
There is a switch on the instrument panel that you can
use to turn off the right front passenger’s frontal
airbag. SeeAirbag Off Switch on page 1-68for 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 inflates. This is because the back of the
rear-facing child restraint would be very close to the
inflating airbag. A child in a forward-facing child
restraint can be seriously injured or killed if the right
front passenger airbag inflates and the passenger
seat is in a forward position.
Even if the airbag switch 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.
1-54

{CAUTION:
If the airbag readiness light ever comes on and
stays on, it means that something may be wrong
with the airbag system. For example, the right
front passenger airbag could inflate even though
the airbag on-off switch is turned off.
To help avoid injury to yourself or others, have the
vehicle serviced right away. SeeAirbag Readiness
Light on page 3-27for more information, including
important safety information.
If the vehicle does not have a rear seat that will
accommodate a rear-facing child restraint, a rear-facing
child restraint should not be installed in the vehicle,
even if the airbag is off.
If the child restraint has the LATCH system, seeLower
Anchors and Tethers for Children (LATCH) on page 1-41
for 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 1-41for 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.
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.
If you have no other choice but to install a
rear-facing child restraint in this seat, make sure the
airbag is off once the child restraint has been
installed.
When the airbag off switch has turned off the right
front passenger frontal airbag, the off indicator
in the airbag off light should light and stay lit when
the vehicle is started. SeeAirbag Off Light on
page 3-28.
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.
1-55

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. If the vehicle does not have a rear seat and 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 1-41for
more information.
8. 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 you turned the airbag off with the switch, turn on the
right front passenger airbag when you remove the
child restraint from the vehicle unless the person who
will be sitting there is a member of a passenger
airbag risk group. SeeAirbag Off Switch on page 1-68
for more information, including important safety
information.
1-57

{CAUTION:
Children who are up against, or very close to,
any airbag when it inflates 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 1-30orInfants and Young Children on
page 1-33.There is an airbag
readiness light on the
instrument panel, 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 3-27
for more information.
1-60

Passenger Sensing System
If the instrument panel has one of the indicators
pictured in the following illustrations, the vehicle has a
passenger sensing system unless there is an airbag
off switch located on the instrument panel. If there is
an airbag off switch, the vehicle does not have a
passenger sensing system. SeeAirbag Off Switch on
page 1-68for more information.
The passenger airbag status indicator will be visible on
the instrument panel when the vehicle is started.The words ON and OFF, or the symbol for on and off,
will be visible during the system check. When the
system check is complete, either the word ON or the
word OFF, or the symbol for on or the symbol for off, will
be visible. SeePassenger Airbag Status Indicator on
page 3-30.
The passenger sensing system will turn off the right
front passenger frontal airbag under certain conditions.
The driver airbag and roof-rail airbags, if equipped,
are not part of the passenger sensing system.
The passenger sensing system works with sensors that
are part of the right front passenger seat. The sensors
are designed to detect the presence of a properly-seated
occupant and determine if the right front passenger
frontal airbag should be enabled (may inflate) or not.
Accident statistics show that children are safer if
they are restrained in the rear rather than the front seat.
We recommend that children 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. United States
Canada
1-71

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 inflates. This is because the back of the
rear-facing child restraint would be very close to the
inflating airbag. A child in a forward-facing child
restraint can be seriously injured or killed if the right
front passenger airbag inflates 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.If the vehicle does not have a rear seat that will
accommodate a rear-facing child restraint, a rear-facing
child restraint should not be installed in the vehicle,
even if the airbag is off.
The passenger sensing system is designed to turn off
the right front passenger frontal airbag if:•The right front passenger seat is unoccupied.
•The system determines that an infant is present in
a rear-facing infant seat.
•The system determines that a small child is present
in a child restraint.
•The system determines that a small child is present
in a booster seat.
•A right front passenger takes his/her weight off of
the seat for a period of time.
•The right front passenger seat is occupied by a
smaller person, such as a child who has outgrown
child restraints.
•Or, if there is a critical problem with the airbag
system or the passenger sensing system.
1-72

When the passenger sensing system has turned off the
right front passenger frontal airbag, the off indicator
will light and stay lit to remind you that the airbag is off.
SeePassenger Airbag Status Indicator on page 3-30.
The passenger sensing system is designed to turn
on (may inflate) the right front passenger frontal airbag
anytime the system senses that a person of adult
size is sitting properly in the right front passenger seat.
When the passenger sensing system has allowed the
airbag to be enabled, the on indicator will light and stay lit
to remind you that the airbag is active.
For some children, including those in child restraints,
and for very small adults, the passenger sensing system
may or may not turn off the right front passenger
frontal airbag, depending upon the person’s seating
posture and body build. Everyone in your vehicle who
has outgrown child restraints should wear a safety
belt properly — whether or not there is an airbag for
that person.
{CAUTION:
If the airbag readiness light in the instrument panel
cluster ever comes on and stays on, it means that
something may be wrong with the airbag system.
If this ever happens, have the vehicle serviced
promptly, because an adult-size person sitting in
the right front passenger’s seat may not have the
protection of the airbag(s). SeeAirbag Readiness
Light on page 3-27for more on this, including
important safety information.
1-73