Page 89 of 498

Black plate (25,1)Cadillac SRX Owner Manual - 2011
Seats and Restraints 3-25
To unlatch the belt, just push the
button on the buckle.
Before a door is closed, be sure
the safety belt is out of the way. If a
door is slammed against a safety
belt, damage can occur to both the
safety belt and the vehicle.
Shoulder Belt Height Adjuster
The vehicle has a shoulder belt
height adjuster for the driver and
right front passenger seating
positions.
Adjust the height so that 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. Improper
shoulder belt height adjustment
could reduce the effectiveness of
the safety belt in a crash. SeeHow
to Wear Safety Belts Properly on
page 3‑18.
Move the height adjuster up to the
desired position by pushing up on
the height adjuster.
After the height adjuster is set to the
desired position, try to move it up or
down without pressing the release
button (A) to make sure it has
locked into position. Press the
release button to lower the height
adjuster.
Page 90 of 498

Black plate (26,1)Cadillac SRX Owner Manual - 2011
3-26 Seats and Restraints
Safety Belt Pretensioners
This vehicle has safety belt
pretensioners for front outboard
occupants. Although the safety
belt pretensioners cannot be seen,
they are part of the safety belt
assembly. They can help tighten the
safety belts during the early stages
of a moderate to severe frontal and
near frontal crash and will deploy in
side, rear and rollover events if the
threshold conditions for pretensioner
activation are met.
Pretensioners work only once.
If the pretensioners activate in a
crash, they will need to be replaced,
and probably other new parts for
the vehicle's safety belt system.
SeeReplacing Safety Belt System
Parts After a Crash on page 3‑29.
Rear Safety Belt Comfort
Guides
This vehicle may have rear
shoulder belt comfort guides for
the outboard passenger positions
in the rear seat. If not, they are
available through your dealer.
The guides may provide added
safety belt comfort for older
children who have outgrown
booster seats and for some adults.
When installed on a shoulder belt,
and properly adjusted, the comfort
guide positions the belt away from
the neck and head.
Here is how to install a comfort
guide to the safety belt:
1. Remove the guide from its storage 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.
Page 91 of 498
Black plate (27,1)Cadillac SRX Owner Manual - 2011
Seats and Restraints 3-27
3. Be sure that the belt isnot twisted 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
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.
Page 92 of 498

Black plate (28,1)Cadillac SRX Owner Manual - 2011
3-28 Seats and Restraints
To remove and store the comfort
guide, squeeze the belt edges
together so that the safety belt
can be removed from the guide.
Slide the guide back into its storage
pocket located on the side of
the seat.
Safety Belt Use During
Pregnancy
Safety belts work for everyone,
including pregnant women. Like all
occupants, they are more likely to
be seriously injured if they do not
wear safety belts.
A pregnant woman should wear
a lap-shoulder belt, and the lap
portion should be worn as low
as possible, below the rounding,
throughout the pregnancy.
The best way to protect the fetus is
to protect the mother. When a safety
belt is worn properly, it is more likely
that the fetus will not be hurt in a
crash. For pregnant women, as for
anyone, the key to making safety
belts effective is wearing them
properly.
Safety Belt Extender
If the vehicle's safety belt will fasten
around you, you should use it.
But if a safety belt is not long
enough, your dealer will order you
an extender. When you go in to
order it, take the heaviest coat you
will wear, so the extender will be
long enough for you. To help avoid
personal injury, do not let someone
else use it, and use it only for the
seat it is made to fit. The extender
has been designed for adults.
Never use it for securing child seats.
To wear it, attach it to the regular
safety belt. For more information,
see the instruction sheet that comes
with the extender.
Page 93 of 498

Black plate (29,1)Cadillac SRX Owner Manual - 2011
Seats and Restraints 3-29
Safety System Check
Now and then, check that the
safety belt reminder light, safety
belts, buckles, latch plates,
retractors, and anchorages are
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 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. SeeSafety Belt
Reminders on page 5‑15 for more
information.
Keep safety belts clean and dry.
See Safety Belt Care on page 3‑29.
Safety Belt Care
Keep belts clean and dry.
{WARNING
Do not bleach or dye safety belts.
It may severely weaken them.
In a crash, they might not be able
to provide adequate protection.
Clean safety belts only with mild
soap and lukewarm water.
Replacing Safety Belt
System Parts After a
Crash
{WARNING
A crash can damage the safety
belt system in the vehicle.
A damaged safety belt system
may not properly protect the
person using it, resulting in
serious injury or even death in
a crash. To help make sure the
safety belt systems are working
properly after a crash, have them
inspected and any necessary
replacements made as soon as
possible.
After a minor crash, replacement of
safety belts may not be necessary.
But the safety belt assemblies that
were used during any crash may
have been stressed or damaged.
Page 94 of 498

Black plate (30,1)Cadillac SRX Owner Manual - 2011
3-30 Seats and Restraints
See your dealer to have the safety
belt assemblies inspected or
replaced.
New parts and repairs may be
necessary even if the safety belt
system was not being used at the
time of the crash.
Have the safety belt pretensioners
checked if the vehicle has been in a
crash, or if the airbag readiness light
stays on after you start the vehicle
or while you are driving. SeeAirbag
Readiness Light on page 5‑17.Airbag System
The vehicle has the following
airbags:
.A frontal airbag for the driver.
.A frontal airbag for the right front
passenger.
.A seat-mounted side impact
airbag for the driver.
.A seat-mounted side impact
airbag for the right front
passenger.
.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 the 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 seat-mounted side impact
airbags, the word AIRBAG will
appear on the side of the seatback
closest to the door.
With roof-rail airbags, the word
AIRBAG will appear along the trim.
Even if you do not have a right front
passenger seat in the vehicle there
is still an active frontal airbag in the
right side of the instrument panel.
Do not place cargo in front of this
airbag.
Page 95 of 498

Black plate (31,1)Cadillac SRX Owner Manual - 2011
Seats and Restraints 3-31
{WARNING
Be sure that cargo is not near an
airbag. In a crash, an inflating
airbag might force that object
toward a person. This could
cause severe injury or even
death. Secure objects away
from the area in which an
airbag would inflate. For more
information, seeWhere Are the
Airbags? on page 3‑33 and
Vehicle Load Limits on page 9‑12.
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
inflating bag, all airbags must inflate
very quickly to do their job. Here are the most important things
to know about the airbag system:{WARNING
You can be severely injured or
killed in a crash if you are not
wearing a safety belt
—even if
the vehicle has airbags. Airbags
are designed to work with safety
belts, but do not replace them.
Also, airbags are not designed to
deploy in every crash. In some
crashes safety belts are the only
restraint. See When Should an
Airbag Inflate? on page 3‑34.
(Continued)
WARNING (Continued)
Wearing a safety belt during a
crash helps reduce your chance
of hitting things inside the vehicle
or being ejected from it. Airbags
are“supplemental restraints” to
the safety belts. Everyone in the
vehicle should wear a safety belt
properly —whether or not there is
an airbag for that person.
Page 96 of 498

Black plate (32,1)Cadillac SRX Owner Manual - 2011
3-32 Seats and Restraints
{WARNING
Airbags inflate with great force,
faster than the blink of an eye.
Anyone who is up against, or
very close to, any airbag when it
inflates can be seriously injured
or killed. Do not sit unnecessarily
close to the airbag, as you would
be if you were sitting on the edge
of the seat or leaning forward.
Safety belts help keep you in
position before and during a
crash. Always wear a safety belt,
even with airbags. The driver
should sit as far back as possible
while still maintaining control of
the vehicle.
Occupants should not lean on or
sleep against the door or side
windows in seating positions with
seat-mounted side impact airbags
and/or roof-rail airbags.
{WARNING
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
the vehicle. To read how, see
Older Children on page 3‑47or
Infants and Young Children on
page 3‑49.
There is an airbag readiness light
on the instrument panel cluster,
which shows the airbag symbol.
The system checks the airbag
electrical system for malfunctions.
The light tells you if there is an
electrical problem. See Airbag
Readiness Light on page 5‑17
for more information.