2011 BUICK LACROSSE Owner's Manual

Black plate (51,1)Buick LaCrosse Owner Manual - 2011
Seats and Restraints 3-51
Where to Put the
Restraint
According to accident statistics,
children and infants are safer
when properly restrained in a child
restraint system or infant restraint
system secured in a rear seating
position.
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.
{WARNING
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.
(Continued)
WARNING (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 3‑37 for additional
information.
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.
Child restraints and booster seats
vary considerably in size, and some
may fit in certain seating positions
better than others. Always make
sure the child restraint is properly
secured.

Black plate (52,1)Buick LaCrosse Owner Manual - 2011
3-52 Seats and Restraints
Depending on where you place
the child restraint and the size of
the child restraint, you may not
be able to access adjacent safety
belt assemblies or LATCH anchors
for additional passengers or
child restraints. Adjacent seating
positions should not be used if the
child restraint prevents access to
or interferes with the routing of
the safety belt.
Wherever a child restraint is
installed, 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 System)
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 the 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 the vehicle.
Not all vehicle seating positions or
child restraints have lower anchors
and attachments or top tether
anchors and attachments.

Black plate (53,1)Buick LaCrosse Owner Manual - 2011
Seats and Restraints 3-53
Lower Anchors
Lower anchors (A) are metal bars
built into the vehicle. There are
two lower anchors for each
LATCH seating position that will
accommodate a child restraint
with lower attachments (B).
Top Tether Anchor
A top tether (A, C) anchors the
top of the child restraint to the
vehicle. A top tether anchor is
built into the vehicle. The top tether
attachment (B) on the child restraint
connects to the top tether anchor
in the vehicle in order to reduce the
forward movement and rotation of
the child restraint during driving or
in a crash.The child restraint may have
a single tether (A) or a dual
tether (C). Either will have a
single attachment (B) to secure
the top tether to the anchor.
Some child restraints that have
a top tether are designed for use
with or without the top tether being
attached. Others require the top
tether always to be attached.
In Canada, the law requires that
forward-facing child restraints have
a top tether, and that the tether
be attached. Be sure to read and
follow the instructions for the child
restraint.

Black plate (54,1)Buick LaCrosse Owner Manual - 2011
3-54 Seats and Restraints
Lower Anchor and Top Tether
Anchor Locations
Rear Seat
i(Top Tether Anchor):Seating
positions with top tether anchors.
j(Lower Anchor): Seating
positions with two lower anchors.
To assist you in locating the
lower anchors, each rear anchor
position has a label, near the crease
between the seatback and the seat
cushion.
To assist you in locating the top
tether anchors, the top tether anchor
symbol is located on the cover.
The top tether anchors are located
under the covers, behind the rear
seat, on the filler panel. Be sure to
use an anchor located on the same
side of the vehicle as the seating
position where the child restraint
will be placed.

Black plate (55,1)Buick LaCrosse Owner Manual - 2011
Seats and Restraints 3-55
Do not secure a child restraint in a
position without a top tether anchor
if a national or local law requires
that the top tether be attached, or if
the instructions that come with the
child restraint say that the top tether
must be attached.
According to accident statistics,
children and infants are safer
when properly restrained in a child
restraint system or infant restraint
system secured in a rear seating
position. SeeWhere to Put the
Restraint on page 3‑51 for
additional information.Securing a Child Restraint
Designed for the LATCH
System
{WARNING
If a LATCH-type child restraint is
not attached to anchors, the child
restraint will not be able to protect
the child correctly. In a crash, the
child could be seriously injured
or killed. Install a LATCH-type
child restraint properly using the
anchors, or use the vehicle safety
belts to secure the restraint,
following the instructions that
came with the child restraint and
the instructions in this manual.
{WARNING
Do not attach more than one
child restraint to a single anchor.
Attaching more than one child
restraint to a single anchor could
cause the anchor or attachment
to come loose or even break
during a crash. A child or others
could be injured. To reduce the
risk of serious or fatal injuries
during a crash, attach only one
child restraint per anchor.

Black plate (56,1)Buick LaCrosse Owner Manual - 2011
3-56 Seats and Restraints
{WARNING
Children can be seriously injured
or strangled if a shoulder belt
is wrapped around their neck
and the safety belt continues to
tighten. Buckle any unused safety
belts behind the child restraint
so children cannot reach them.
Pull the shoulder belt all the way
out of the retractor to set the lock,
if the vehicle has one, after the
child restraint has been installed.
Notice: Do not let the LATCH
attachments rub against the
vehicle’ s safety belts. This may
damage these parts. If necessary,
move buckled safety belts to
avoid rubbing the LATCH
attachments. Do not fold the empty rear
seat with a safety belt buckled.
This could damage the safety
belt or the seat. Unbuckle and
return the safety belt to its
stowed position, before folding
the seat.
If you need to secure more than
one child restraint in the rear seat,
see
Where to Put the Restraint on
page 3‑51.
You cannot secure three child
restraints using the LATCH anchors
in the rear seat at the same time,
but you can install two of them.
If you want to do this, install
one LATCH child restraint in
the passenger-side position, and
install the other one either in the
driver-side position or in the center
position. If you need to install child
restraints in both the center and
driver‐side position, the one in the
center seating position will need to
be secured using the vehicle safety
belts instead of the LATCH anchors. Refer to the following illustration to
learn which anchors to use.
A. Passenger Side Rear
Seating Position and Lower
Anchors 1 and 2
B. Center Rear Seating Position and Lower Anchors 3 and 4
C. Driver Side Rear Seating Position and Lower
Anchors 4 and 5

Black plate (57,1)Buick LaCrosse Owner Manual - 2011
Seats and Restraints 3-57
There are five lower LATCH anchors
in the rear seat.
.Use anchors 1 and 2 when
installing a child restraint using
LATCH in seating position A.
.Use anchors 3 and 4 when
installing a child restraint using
LATCH in seating position B.
.Use anchors 4 and 5 when
installing a child restraint using
LATCH in seating position C.
Installing child restraints using
LATCH in seating positions B and C
at the same time is prohibited.
Make sure to attach the child
restraint at the proper anchor
location. This system is designed to make
installation of child restraints easier.
When using lower anchors, do
not use the vehicle's safety belts.
Instead use the vehicle's anchors
and child restraint attachments
to secure the restraints. Some
restraints also use another vehicle
anchor to secure a top tether.
1. Attach and tighten the
lower attachments to the
lower anchors. If the child
restraint does not have lower
attachments or the desired
seating position does not have
lower anchors, secure the child
restraint with the top tether and
the safety belts. Refer to the
child restraint manufacturer
instructions and the instructions
in this manual.
1.1. Find the lower anchors for the desired seating
position. 1.2. Put the child restraint on
the seat.
If the head restraint
interferes with the proper
installation of the child
restraint, the head restraint
may be removed. See
“Head Restraint Removal
and Reinstallation” at the
end of this section.
1.3. Attach and tighten the lower attachments on the child
restraint to the lower
anchors.
2. If the child restraint manufacturer recommends that the top tether
be attached, attach and tighten
the top tether to the top tether
anchor, if equipped. Refer to the
child restraint instructions and
the following steps:
2.1. Find the top tether anchor.
Open the cover to expose
the anchor.

Black plate (58,1)Buick LaCrosse Owner Manual - 2011
3-58 Seats and Restraints
2.2. Route, attach, and tightenthe top tether according
to the child restraint
instructions and the
following instructions:
.If the position you are using
does not have a headrest
or head restraint, or the
headrest or head restraint
has been removed, and you
are using a single tether,
route the tether over the
seatback.
.If the position you are using
does not have a headrest
or head restraint, or the
headrest or head restraint
has been removed, and
you are using a dual tether,
route the tether over the
seatback..If the position you are
using has an adjustable
headrest or head restraint
and you are using a single
tether, route the tether
under the headrest or head
restraint and in between the
headrest or head restraint
posts. See Head Restraints
on page 3‑2.