
For some children, including children 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 the vehicle who has
outgrown child restraints should wear a safety belt
properly — whether or not there is an airbag for that
person.
{WARNING:
If the airbag readiness light ever comes on and
stays on, it means that something may be wrong
with the airbag system. To help avoid injury to
yourself or others, have the vehicle serviced right
away. SeeAirbag Readiness Light on page 4-23
for more information, including important safety
information.
If the On Indicator is Lit for a Child
Restraint
If a child restraint has been installed and the on
indicator is lit:
1. Turn the vehicle off.
2. Remove the child restraint from the vehicle. 3. Remove any additional items from the seat such as
blankets, cushions, seat covers, seat heaters, or
seat massagers.
4. Reinstall the child restraint following the directions provided by the child restraint manufacturer and
refer to Securing a Child Restraint in the Right Front
Seat Position on page 2-52 .
5. If, after reinstalling the child restraint and restarting the vehicle, the on indicator is still lit, turn the
vehicle off. Then slightly recline the vehicle seatback
and adjust the seat cushion, if adjustable, to
make sure that the vehicle seatback is not pushing
the child restraint into the seat cushion.
Also make sure the child restraint is not trapped
under the vehicle head restraint. If this happens,
adjust the head restraint. See Head Restraints
on page 2-7.
6. Restart the vehicle. The passenger sensing system may or may not turn
off the airbag for a child in a child restraint
depending upon the child’s seating posture and
body build. It is better to secure the child restraint in
a rear seat.
2-66

Additional Factors Affecting System
Operation
Safety belts help keep the passenger in position on the
seat during vehicle maneuvers and braking, which
helps the passenger sensing system maintain the
passenger airbag status. See “Safety Belts” and “Child
Restraints” in the Index for additional information
about the importance of proper restraint use.
A thick layer of additional material, such as a blanket or
cushion, or aftermarket equipment such as seat
covers, seat heaters, and seat massagers can affect
how well the passenger sensing system operates.
We recommend that you not use seat covers or other
aftermarket equipment except when approved by GM for
your specific vehicle. SeeAdding Equipment to Your
Airbag-Equipped Vehicle on page 2-70 for more
information about modifications that can affect how the
system operates.
A wet seat can affect the performance of the passenger
sensing system. Here is how:
•The passenger sensing system may turn off the
passenger airbag when liquid is soaked into the
seat. If this happens, the off indicator will be lit, and
the airbag readiness light on the instrument
panel will also be lit.
•Liquid pooled on the seat that has not soaked in
may make it more likely that the passenger
sensing system will enable (turn on) the passenger
airbag while a child restraint or child occupant is
on the seat. If the passenger airbag is turned on, the
on indicator will be lit.
If the passenger seat gets wet, dry the seat immediately.
If the airbag readiness light is lit, do not install a child
restraint or allow anyone to occupy the seat. See Airbag
Readiness Light on page 4-23 for important safety
information.
The on indicator may be lit if an object, such as a
briefcase, handbag, grocery bag, laptop or other
electronic device, is put on an unoccupied seat. If this is
not desired, remove the object from the seat.
{WARNING:
Stowing of articles under the passenger seat or
between the passenger seat cushion and seatback
may interfere with the proper operation of the
passenger sensing system.
2-68

Restraint System Check
Checking the Restraint Systems
Safety Belts
Now and then, check that the safety belt reminder light,
safety belts, buckles, latch plates, retractors, and
anchorages are all working properly.
Look for any other loose or damaged safety belt system
parts that might keep a safety belt system from doing
its job. See your dealer/retailer to have it repaired. Torn
or frayed safety belts may not protect you in a crash.
They can rip apart under impact forces. If a belt is torn
or frayed, get a new one right away.
Make sure the safety belt reminder light is working. See
Safety Belt Reminders on page 4-22for more
information.
Keep safety belts clean and dry. See Care of Safety
Belts on page 6-96.
Airbags
The airbag system does not need regularly scheduled
maintenance or replacement. Make sure the airbag
readiness light is working. See Airbag Readiness Light
on page 4-23 for more information.
Notice: If an airbag covering is damaged, opened,
or broken, the airbag may not work properly. Do
not open or break the airbag coverings. If there are
any opened or broken airbag covers, have the
airbag covering and/or airbag module replaced. For
the location of the airbag modules, see What
Makes an Airbag Inflate? on page 2-61 . See your
dealer/retailer for service.
2-71

Replacing Restraint System Parts
After a Crash
{WARNING:
A crash can damage the restraint systems in your
vehicle. A damaged restraint system may not
properly protect the person using it, resulting in
serious injury or even death in a crash. To help
make sure your restraint systems are working
properly after a crash, have them inspected and
any necessary replacements made as soon as
possible.
If the vehicle has been in a crash, do you need new
safety belts or LATCH system (if equipped) parts?
After a very minor crash, nothing may be necessary.
But the safety belt assemblies that were used during any
crash may have been stressed or damaged. See your
dealer/retailer to have the safety belt assemblies
inspected or replaced. If the vehicle has the LATCH system and it was being
used during a crash, you may need new LATCH system
parts.
New parts and repairs may be necessary even if the
safety belt or LATCH system (if equipped), was
not being used at the time of the crash.
If an airbag inflates, you will need to replace airbag
system parts. See the part on the airbag system earlier
in this section.
Have the safety belt pretensioners checked if the
vehicle has been in a crash, if the airbag readiness light
stays on after the vehicle is started, or while you are
driving. See
Airbag Readiness Light on page 4-23 .
2-72

Q(Lock):Press to lock all the doors. The interior
lamps turn off after all of the doors are closed. If enabled
through the Driver Information Center (DIC), the
remote lock feedback can be programmed to have the
horn chirp and/or the turn signals flash to confirm
locking. See “LOCK HORN” and “LIGHT FLASH” under
DIC Vehicle Personalization on page 4-43 .
Pressing
Qmay also arm the content theft-deterrent
system. See Content Theft-Deterrent on page 3-15 .
K(Unlock):Press to unlock the driver door. IfKis
pressed again within five seconds, all remaining
doors unlock. The interior lamps turn on and stay on for
20 seconds or until the ignition is turned on. If enabled
through the DIC, the remote unlock feedback can
be programmed to have the horn chirp and/or the turn
signals flash to confirm unlocking. See “UNLOCK
HORN” and “LIGHT FLASH” under DIC Vehicle
Personalization on page 4-43 .
The high-beam headlamps, parking lamps, and back-up
lamps may turn on when
Kis pressed. See “EXT
(Exterior) LIGHTS” under DIC Vehicle Personalization
on page 4-43. Pressing
Kon the RKE transmitter disarms the content
theft-deterrent system. See Content Theft-Deterrent
on page 3-15.
V(Remote Trunk Release): Press and hold for
approximately one second to open the trunk. The trunk
will open using the transmitter when the vehicle
speed is less than 3 km/h (2 mph), when the ignition is
off, or when the vehicle shift lever is in P (Park).
L(Vehicle Locator/Panic Alarm): Press to locate
the vehicle. The horn sounds three times and the
headlamps and turn signals flash three times.
Press and hold
Lfor approximately three seconds to
sound the panic alarm. The horn sounds and the
headlamps and turn signals flash for 30 seconds. Press
Lagain to cancel the panic alarm.
3-4

The engine will shut off automatically after 10 minutes,
unless a time extension has been done or the
vehicle’s key is inserted into the ignition switch and
turned to ON/RUN.
To manually shut off a remote start, do any of the
following. The parking lamps will turn off to indicate the
engine is off.
•Aim the RKE transmitter at the vehicle and press
and release the remote start button.
•Turn on the hazard warning flashers.
•Turn the ignition switch to ON/RUN and then
LOCK/OFF.
Your vehicle’s engine can be started two times, per
ignition cycle, using the transmitter’s remote start
feature.
If the remote start procedure is used again before the
first 10 minute time frame has ended, the first
10 minutes will immediately expire and the second
10 minute time frame will start. The remote vehicle start feature will not operate if any
of the follow occur:
•The remote start system is disabled through the DIC.
•The vehicle’s key is in the ignition.
•The vehicle’s hood is open.
•The hazard warning flashers are on.
•The check engine light is on. See
Malfunction
Indicator Lamp on page 4-30 .
•The engine coolant temperature is too high.
•The oil pressure is low.
•Two remote vehicle starts have already been
provided for that ignition cycle.
Vehicles that have the remote vehicle start feature are
shipped from the factory with the remote start system
enabled. The system may be enabled or disabled
through the DIC. See “REMOTE START” under DIC
Vehicle Personalization on page 4-43 for additional
information.
3-7

Remote Trunk Release
To open the trunk from
inside the vehicle, press
the remote trunk release
button. It is located
inside the driver storage
compartment on the lower
left side of the instrument
panel.
On a manual transmission equipped vehicle, the remote
trunk release works when the ignition is either off or
in ACC/ACCESSORY, or the vehicle speed is less than
2 mph (3 km/h).
On an automatic transmission equipped vehicle, the
remote trunk release works when the shifter is in
P (Park).
Emergency Trunk Release Handle
Notice: Do not use the emergency trunk release
handle as a tie-down or anchor point when securing
items in the trunk as it could damage the handle.
The emergency trunk release handle is only
intended to aid a person trapped in a latched trunk,
enabling them to open the trunk from the inside.
There is a glow-in-the-dark emergency trunk release
handle located on the inside of the trunk lid of the
vehicle. This handle will glow following exposure to light.
Pull the release handle and push the trunk lid open
from the inside to open the trunk.
3-12

If you press the lock button on the transmitter a
second time while all the doors are closed, the system
will arm immediately. The system will still arm in
60 seconds if a door is open. When the open door is
closed, it will also become armed.
The security light, located on the instrument panel
cluster, will turn on to indicate that arming has been
initiated. Once the system is armed, the security light will
flash once every three seconds.
If the security light is flashing twice per second, this
means that a door is open.
If you do not want to arm the system, you may lock the
car with the manual lock knobs, or the power door
lock switch, if equipped, on the doors.
Disarming the System
You can disarm the system by doing any one of the
following:
•Press the remote keyless entry transmitter unlock
button.
•Turn the ignition on.If the system is armed and the trunk is opened using
the trunk release button on the transmitter, the system
will temporarily disarm itself and re-arm when the
trunk has been closed. This allows you to exit the
vehicle, lock the doors using the transmitter, and open
the trunk using the transmitter without having to
disarm and re-arm the system.
Once the system is disarmed, the security light will stop
flashing.
How the System Alarm is Activated
If the system is armed, it can be activated by either:
•Opening the driver’s door or trunk. This will
cause a ten second pre-alarm chirp followed by a
thirty second full alarm of horn and lights.
•Opening any other door. This will immediately cause
a full alarm of horn and lights for
thirty seconds.
When an alarm event has finished, the system will
re-arm itself automatically.
3-16