2011 GMC YUKON XL warning

Black plate (21,1)GMC Yukon/Yukon XL Owner Manual - 2011
Seats and Restraints 3-21
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 5‑17 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 (26,1)GMC Yukon/Yukon XL Owner Manual - 2011
3-26 Seats and Restraints
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.

Black plate (27,1)GMC Yukon/Yukon XL Owner Manual - 2011
Seats and Restraints 3-27
{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.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 the pelvic bones. This could
cause serious internal injuries.
Always buckle the belt into the
buckle nearest you.

Black plate (28,1)GMC Yukon/Yukon XL Owner Manual - 2011
3-28 Seats and Restraints
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. 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.

Black plate (29,1)GMC Yukon/Yukon XL Owner Manual - 2011
Seats and Restraints 3-29
{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
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 (30,1)GMC Yukon/Yukon XL Owner Manual - 2011
3-30 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 except for
the center front passenger position,
if equipped, which has a lap belt.
See Lap Belt on page 3‑36 for more
information.
The lap‐shoulder belts for the first
and second row seating positions
are equipped with free‐falling latch
plates. If the vehicle has a third row,
the lap‐shoulder belts have either
free‐falling or cinching latch plates.

Black plate (35,1)GMC Yukon/Yukon XL Owner Manual - 2011
Seats and Restraints 3-35
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.

Black plate (38,1)GMC Yukon/Yukon XL Owner Manual - 2011
3-38 Seats and Restraints
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.
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. See
Airbag
Readiness Light on page 5‑18.