Black plate (55,1)GMC Sierra Owner Manual - 2011
Seats and Restraints 3-55
Securing an Add-On Child
Restraint in the Vehicle
{WARNING
A child can be seriously injured
or killed in a crash if the child
restraint is not properly secured
in the vehicle. Secure the child
restraint properly in the vehicle
using the vehicle safety belt or
LATCH system, following the
instructions that came with that
child restraint and the instructions
in this manual.
To help reduce the chance of injury,
the child restraint must be secured
in the vehicle. Child restraint
systems must be secured in vehicle
seats by lap belts or the lap belt
portion of a lap-shoulder belt, or by the LATCH system. See
Lower
Anchors and Tethers for Children
(LATCH System) on page 3‑57 for
more information. Children can be
endangered in a crash if the child
restraint is not properly secured in
the vehicle.
When securing an add-on child
restraint, refer to the instructions
that come with the restraint which
may be on the restraint itself or in a
booklet, or both, and to this manual.
The child restraint instructions
are important, so if they are not
available, obtain a replacement
copy from the manufacturer.
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 the vehicle —even when no
child is in it. In some areas of the United States
and Canada, Certified Child
Passenger Safety Technicians
(CPSTs) are available to inspect
and demonstrate how to correctly
use and install child restraints.
In the U.S., refer to the National
Highway Traffic Safety
Administration (NHTSA) website
to locate the nearest child safety
seat inspection station. For CPST
availability in Canada, check with
Transport Canada or the Provincial
Ministry of Transportation office.
Securing the Child Within the
Child Restraint
{WARNING
A child can be seriously injured
or killed in a crash if the child
is not properly secured in the
child restraint. Secure the child
properly following the instructions
that came with that child restraint.
Black plate (56,1)GMC Sierra Owner Manual - 2011
3-56 Seats and Restraints
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.
If a child restraint is secured in the
right front passenger seat, and the
vehicle has a switch in the glove
box to manually turn off the right
front passenger airbag, seeAirbag
On-Off Switch on page 3‑37 and
Securing Child Restraints (Rear
Seat Position) on page 3‑66 or
Securing Child Restraints (Right
Front Seat Position) on page 3‑69
or Securing Child Restraints (Center Front Seat Position) on page 3‑78
for 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.
{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.
(Continued)
WARNING (Continued)
Even if the passenger sensing
system or 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.
Black plate (57,1)GMC Sierra Owner Manual - 2011
Seats and Restraints 3-57
{WARNING
A child in a child restraint in the
center front seat can be badly
injured or killed by the frontal
airbags if they inflate. Never
secure a child restraint in the
center front seat. It is always
better to secure a child restraint
in a rear seat.
Do not use child restraints in the
center front seat position.
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. 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.
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.
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.
Black plate (58,1)GMC Sierra Owner Manual - 2011
3-58 Seats and Restraints
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 your 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 your vehicle.
Not all vehicle seating positions or
child restraints have lower anchors
and attachments or top tether
anchors and attachments.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.
Black plate (62,1)GMC Sierra Owner Manual - 2011
3-62 Seats and Restraints
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,
except for the center top tether
anchors in the crew and extended
cabs. 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.
{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.
Black plate (63,1)GMC Sierra Owner Manual - 2011
Seats and Restraints 3-63
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.
Regular Cab Models
1. If the child restraint manufacturerrecommends that the top tether
be attached, attach and tighten
the top tether to the top tether
anchor, if your vehicle has
one. Refer to the child restraint
instructions and the following
steps:
1.1. Pull the passenger seatback forward by pulling
the recliner handle upward
to access the top tether
anchor. See Reclining
Seatbacks on page 3‑6
for additional information.
1.2. Find the top tether anchor. 1.3. Remove the cover to
expose the anchor.
1.4. Route, attach, and tighten the top tether according
to your child restraint
instructions and the
following instructions:
If the position you are using
has an adjustable headrest
or head restraint and you
are using a dual tether,
route the tether around the
headrest or head restraint.
If the position you are using
has an adjustable headrest
or head restraint and you
are using a single tether,
raise the headrest or head
restraint and route the
tether under the headrest
or head restraint and in
between the headrest or
head restraint posts.
Black plate (64,1)GMC Sierra Owner Manual - 2011
3-64 Seats and Restraints
2. SeeSecuring Child Restraints
(Rear Seat Position) on
page 3‑66 orSecuring Child
Restraints (Right Front Seat
Position) on page 3‑69 or
Securing Child Restraints
(Center Front Seat Position) on
page 3‑78 for instructions on
installing the child restraint
using the safety belts.
3. Before placing a child in the child restraint, make sure
it is securely held in place.
To check, grasp the child
restraint at the LATCH path
and attempt to move it
side‐to‐side and back‐and‐forth.
There should be no more than
2.5 cm (1 in) of movement for
proper installation. Crew and Extended Cab Models
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 your
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.
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 (loop), if your vehicle has
one. Refer to the child restraint
instructions and the following
steps:
Example —Rear Driver Side
Position
Black plate (65,1)GMC Sierra Owner Manual - 2011
Seats and Restraints 3-65
Example—Rear Driver Side
Position
2.1. When using a child restraint with a top tether in the rear
driver side position:
A. Raise the headrest or head restraint.
B. Route the top tether (B) between
the headrest or
head restraint posts,
through the loop (A),
behind the inboard
headrest or head restraint post, and
under the center
shoulder belt (C).
C. Attach the top tether (B) to
the top tether
anchor (loop) (D)
at the center rear
seating position.
2.2. When using a child restraint with a top tether in the rear
center position:
A. Route the top tether (B) through
the center loop (D),
and behind the
inboard passenger
side headrest or
head restraint post.
B. Attach the top tether (B) to the
top tether anchor
(loop) at the rear
passenger side
seating position. 2.3. When using a child restraint
with a top tether in the rear
passenger position:
A. Raise the headrest
or head restraint.
B. Route the top tether (B) between
the headrest or
head restraint posts,
through the loop
on the passenger
side and behind the
inboard headrest or
head restraint post.
C. Attach the top tether (B) to
the top tether
anchor (loop) (D)
at the center rear
seating position.