2011 BUICK REGAL warning

Black plate (10,1)Buick Regal Owner Manual - 2011
3-10 Seats and Restraints
Raising the Seatback
{WARNING
If either seatback is not locked, it
could move forward in a sudden
stop or crash. That could cause
injury to the person sitting there.
Always push and pull on the
seatbacks to be sure they are
locked.
{WARNING
A safety belt that is improperly
routed, not properly attached,
or twisted will not provide the
protection needed in a crash. The
person wearing the belt could be
seriously injured. After raising the
rear seatback, always check to
be sure that the safety belts are
properly routed and attached, and
are not twisted.To raise a seatback:
1. Lift the seatback up and push
it rearward to lock it in place.
Make sure the safety belt is in
the retainer clip and is not
twisted or caught in the
seatback.
A tab near the seatback lever
retracts when the seatback is
locked in place.
2. Push and pull the top of the seatback to be sure it is locked
into position.
3. Repeat Steps 1 and 2 for the other seatback, if necessary.
When the seat is not in use, it
should be kept in the upright, locked
position.
Rear Seat
Pass-Through Door
The vehicle may have a door in the
rear seat that provides access to the
trunk.
Lower the rear seat armrest to
access the pass-through door. Pull
the release handle to open the door.
To close, push and latch the door.
The vehicle may have a lock knob
on the pass-through door. Turn the
lock knob from the trunk side of the
door to lock or unlock the door.

Black plate (11,1)Buick Regal Owner Manual - 2011
Seats and Restraints 3-11
Safety Belts
This section of the manual
describes how to use safety belts
properly. It also describes some
things not to do with safety belts.
{WARNING
Do not let anyone ride where a
safety belt cannot be worn
properly. In a crash, if you or your
passenger(s) are not wearing
safety belts, the injuries can be
much worse. You can hit things
inside the vehicle harder or be
ejected from the vehicle. You
and your passenger(s) can be
seriously injured or killed. In the
same crash, you might not be,
if you are buckled up. Always
fasten your safety belt, and check
that your passenger(s) are
restrained properly too.
{WARNING
It is extremely dangerous to ride
in a cargo area, inside or outside
of a vehicle. In a collision, people
riding in these areas are more
likely to be seriously injured or
killed. Do not allow people to ride
in any area of your vehicle that is
not equipped with seats and
safety belts. Be sure everyone in
the vehicle is in a seat and using
a safety belt properly.
This vehicle has indicators as a
reminder to buckle the safety belts.
See Safety Belt Reminders on
page 5‑11 for additional information. In most states and in all Canadian
provinces, the law requires wearing
safety belts. Here is why:
You never know if you will be in a
crash. If you do have a crash, you
do not know if it will be a
serious one.
A few crashes are mild, and some
crashes can be so serious that even
buckled up, a person would not
survive. But most crashes are in
between. In many of them, people
who buckle up can survive and
sometimes walk away. Without
safety belts they could have been
badly hurt or killed.
After more than 40 years of safety
belts in vehicles, the facts are clear.
In most crashes buckling up does
matter ... a lot!

Black plate (15,1)Buick Regal Owner Manual - 2011
Seats and Restraints 3-15
bones and you would be less likely
to slide under the lap belt. If you slid
under it, the belt would apply force
on your abdomen. This could cause
serious or even fatal injuries. The
shoulder belt should go over the
shoulder and across the chest.
These parts of the body are best
able to take belt restraining forces.
The shoulder belt locks if there is a
sudden stop or crash.
Q: What is wrong with this?A:The shoulder belt is too loose.
It will not give as much
protection this way.
{WARNING
You can be seriously hurt if the
shoulder belt is too loose. In a
crash, you would move forward
too much, which could increase
injury. The shoulder belt should fit
snugly against your body.
Q: What is wrong with this?
A: The lap belt is too loose. It will
not give nearly as much
protection this way.
{WARNING
You can be seriously hurt if the
lap belt is too loose. In a crash,
you could slide under the lap
belt and apply force on your
abdomen. This could cause
serious or even fatal injuries. The
lap belt should be worn low and
snug on the hips, just touching
the thighs.

Black plate (16,1)Buick Regal Owner Manual - 2011
3-16 Seats and Restraints
Q: What is wrong with this?
A:The belt is buckled in the wrong
buckle.
{WARNING
You can be seriously injured if the
belt is buckled in the wrong place
like this. In a crash, the belt would
go up over your abdomen. The
belt forces would be there, not on
(Continued)
WARNING (Continued)
the pelvic bones. This could
cause serious internal injuries.
Always buckle the belt into the
buckle nearest you.
Q: What is wrong with this?
A: The belt is over an armrest.
{WARNING
You can be seriously injured if the
belt goes over an armrest like
this. The belt would be much too
high. In a crash, you can slide
under the belt. The belt force
would then be applied on the
abdomen, not on the pelvic
bones, and that could cause
serious or fatal injuries. Be sure
the belt goes under the armrests.

Black plate (17,1)Buick Regal Owner Manual - 2011
Seats and Restraints 3-17
Q: What is wrong with this?
A:The shoulder belt is worn under
the arm. It should be worn over
the shoulder at all times.
{WARNING
You can be seriously injured if
you wear the shoulder belt under
your arm. In a crash, your body
would move too far forward,
which would increase the chance
of head and neck injury. Also, the
(Continued)
WARNING (Continued)
belt would apply too much force
to the ribs, which are not as
strong as shoulder bones. You
could also severely injure internal
organs like your liver or spleen.
The shoulder belt should go over
the shoulder and across the
chest.
Q: What is wrong with this?
A: The belt is behind the body.
{WARNING
You can be seriously injured by
not wearing the lap-shoulder belt
properly. In a crash, you would
not be restrained by the shoulder
belt. Your body could move too
far forward increasing the chance
of head and neck injury. You
might also slide under the lap
belt. The belt force would then be
applied right on the abdomen.
That could cause serious or fatal
injuries. The shoulder belt should
go over the shoulder and across
the chest.

Black plate (18,1)Buick Regal Owner Manual - 2011
3-18 Seats and Restraints
Q: What is wrong with this?
A:The belt is twisted across
the body.
{WARNING
You can be seriously injured by a
twisted belt. In a crash, you would
not have the full width of the belt
to spread impact forces. If a belt
is twisted, make it straight so it
can work properly, or ask your
dealer to fix it.
Lap-Shoulder Belt
All seating positions in the vehicle
have a lap-shoulder belt.
The following instructions explain
how to wear a lap-shoulder belt
properly.
1. Adjust the seat, if the seat is
adjustable, so you can sit up
straight. To see how, see “Seats”
in the Index.
2. Pick up the latch plate and pull the belt across you. Do not let it
get twisted. The lap-shoulder belt may lock if
you pull the belt across you very
quickly. If this happens, let the
belt go back slightly to unlock it.
Then pull the belt across you
more slowly.
If the shoulder portion of a
passenger belt is pulled out all
the way, the child restraint
locking feature may be engaged.
If this happens, let the belt go
back all the way and start again.3. Push the latch plate into the
buckle until it clicks.

Black plate (23,1)Buick Regal Owner Manual - 2011
Seats and Restraints 3-23
6. Adjust the guide so the shoulderportion of the belt is on the
shoulder and not falling off of it.
The belt should be close to, but
not contacting, the neck.
Improper comfort guide
adjustment could reduce the
effectiveness of the safety belt in
a crash.
{WARNING
A safety belt that is not properly
worn may not provide the
protection needed in a crash. The
person wearing the belt could be
seriously injured. The shoulder
belt should go over the shoulder
and across the chest. These parts
of the body are best able to take
belt restraining forces.7. Buckle, position, and release
the safety belt as described
previously in this section. Make
sure that the shoulder belt
crosses the shoulder.
To remove and store the comfort
guide, squeeze the belt edges
together so that the safety belt
can be removed from the guide.
Un-hook the guide from the loop
on the seat. Store the guide in a
convenient place like the glove box
for the next time it is needed. Sewn‐in Safety Belt Comfort
Guide
On vehicles with the sewn‐in
comfort guide, there is one guide for
each outboard passenger position in
the rear seat.

Black plate (24,1)Buick Regal Owner Manual - 2011
3-24 Seats and Restraints
To install a comfort guide to the
safety belt:
1. Remove the guide from itsstorage pocket on the side of
the seat.
2. Place the guide over the belt,and insert the two edges of the
belt into the slots of the guide.
3. Be sure that the belt is nottwisted and it lies flat. The
elastic cord must be under the
belt and the guide on top.
{WARNING
A safety belt that is not properly
worn may not provide the
protection needed in a crash. The
person wearing the belt could be
seriously injured. The shoulder
belt should go over the shoulder
(Continued)
WARNING (Continued)
and across the chest. These parts
of the body are best able to take
belt restraining forces.
4. Buckle, position, and releasethe safety belt as described
previously in this section. Make
sure the shoulder portion of the
belt is on the shoulder and not
falling off of it. The belt should
be close to, but not contacting,
the neck.