Black plate (55,1)GMC Yukon/Yukon XL Owner Manual - 2011
Seats and Restraints 3-55
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.
In a crash, children who are not
buckled up can strike other people
who are buckled up, or can be
thrown out of the vehicle. Older
children need to use safety belts
properly.
{WARNING
Never do this.
Never allow two children to wear
the same safety belt. The safety
belt can not properly spread the
impact forces. In a crash, the
two children can be crushed
together and seriously injured.
A safety belt must be used by
only one person at a time.
{WARNING
Never do this.
Never allow a child to wear the
safety belt with the shoulder belt
behind their back. A child can be
seriously injured by not wearing
the lap-shoulder belt properly. In
a crash, the child would not be
restrained by the shoulder belt.
The child could move too far
forward increasing the chance of
head and neck injury. The child(Continued)
WARNING (Continued)
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 (56,1)GMC Yukon/Yukon XL Owner Manual - 2011
3-56 Seats and Restraints
Infants and Young
Children
Everyone in a vehicle needs
protection! This includes infants
and all other children. Neither the
distance traveled nor the age and
size of the traveler changes the
need, for everyone, to use safety
restraints. In fact, the law in every
state in the United States and in
every Canadian province says
children up to some age must be
restrained while in a vehicle.
{WARNING
Children can be seriously injured
or strangled if a shoulder belt is
wrapped around their neck and
the safety belt continues to
tighten. Never leave children
unattended in a vehicle and never
allow children to play with the
safety belts.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. Every
time infants and young children ride
in vehicles, they should have the
protection provided by appropriate
child restraints.
Children who are not restrained
properly can strike other people,
or can be thrown out of the vehicle.
{WARNING
Never do this.
Never hold an infant or a child
while riding in a vehicle. Due to
crash forces, an infant or a child
will become so heavy it is not
possible to hold it during a crash.
For example, in a crash at only
40 km/h (25 mph), a 5.5 kg (12 lb)
infant will suddenly become a
(Continued)
WARNING (Continued)
110 kg (240 lb) force on a
person's arms. An infant should
be secured in an appropriate
restraint.
Black plate (57,1)GMC Yukon/Yukon XL Owner Manual - 2011
Seats and Restraints 3-57
{WARNING
Never do this.
Children who are up against,
or very close to, any airbag when
it inflates can be seriously injured
or killed. Never put a rear-facing
child restraint in the right front
seat. Secure a rear-facing child
restraint in a rear seat. It is also
better to secure a forward-facing
child restraint in a rear seat. If you
must secure a forward-facing
child restraint in the right front
seat, always move the front
passenger seat as far back as it
will go.
Q: What are the different types ofadd-on child restraints?
A: Add-on child restraints, which
are purchased by the vehicle
owner, are available in four basic
types. Selection of a particular restraint should take into
consideration not only the
child's weight, height, and age
but also whether or not the
restraint will be compatible with
the motor vehicle in which it will
be used.
For most basic types of child
restraints, there are many
different models available. When
purchasing a child restraint, be
sure it is designed to be used
in a motor vehicle. If it is, the
restraint will have a label saying
that it meets federal motor
vehicle safety standards.
Black plate (58,1)GMC Yukon/Yukon XL Owner Manual - 2011
3-58 Seats and Restraints
The restraint manufacturer's
instructions that come with the
restraint state the weight and
height limitations for a particular
child restraint. In addition, there
are many kinds of restraints
available for children with
special needs.
{WARNING
To reduce the risk of neck and
head injury during a crash, infants
need complete support. This is
because an infant's neck is not
fully developed and its head
weighs so much compared with
the rest of its body. In a crash,
an infant in a rear-facing child
restraint settles into the restraint,
so the crash forces can be
distributed across the strongest
part of an infant's body, the back
and shoulders. Infants should
always be secured in rear-facing
child restraints.
{WARNING
A young child's hip bones are still
so small that the vehicle's regular
safety belt may not remain low
on the hip bones, as it should.
Instead, it may settle up around
the child's abdomen. In a crash,
the belt would apply force on a
body area that is unprotected by
any bony structure. This alone
could cause serious or fatal
injuries. To reduce the risk of
serious or fatal injuries during a
crash, young children should
always be secured in appropriate
child restraints.
Child Restraint Systems
(A) Rear‐Facing Infant Seat
A rear-facing infant seat (A)
provides restraint with the seating
surface against the back of the
infant.
The harness system holds the infant
in place and, in a crash, acts to
keep the infant positioned in the
restraint.
Black plate (59,1)GMC Yukon/Yukon XL Owner Manual - 2011
Seats and Restraints 3-59
(B) Forward-Facing Child Seat
A forward-facing child seat (B)
provides restraint for the child's
body with the harness.(C) Booster Seats
A booster seat (C) is a child
restraint designed to improve
the fit of the vehicle's safety belt
system. A booster seat can also
help a child to see out the window.
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.
Black plate (60,1)GMC Yukon/Yukon XL Owner Manual - 2011
3-60 Seats and Restraints
SeeLower Anchors and Tethers
for Children (LATCH System) on
page 3‑62 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, 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.
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.
Black plate (61,1)GMC Yukon/Yukon XL Owner Manual - 2011
Seats and Restraints 3-61
{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.
The vehicle may have a
passenger sensing system
which is designed to turn off the
right front passenger frontal
airbag under certain conditions.
Even if the passenger sensing
system, if equipped, has
turned off the right front
passenger frontal airbag, no(Continued)
WARNING (Continued)
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.
SeePassenger Sensing System
on page 3‑47 for additional
information.
{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.
Black plate (66,1)GMC Yukon/Yukon XL Owner Manual - 2011
3-66 Seats and Restraints
Third Row Seat
For vehicles with a third row seat,
there is one top tether anchor
located at the bottom rear of the
seat cushion that can be used for
either the third row center or driver
side seating position. Never install
two top tethers using the same top
tether anchor. 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. See
Where to Put the
Restraint on page 3‑60 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.