2012 CHEVROLET SONIC seats

Black plate (10,1)Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual - 2012
3-10 Seats and Restraints
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, injuries can be much
worse than if you are wearing
safety belts. You can be seriously
injured or killed by hitting things
inside the vehicle harder or by
being ejected from the vehicle. In
addition, anyone who is not
buckled up can strike other
passengers in the vehicle.(Continued)
WARNING (Continued)
It is extremely dangerous to ride
in a cargo area, inside or outside
of a vehicle. In a collision,
passengers riding in these areas
are more likely to be seriously
injured or killed. Do not allow
passengers to ride in any area of
the vehicle that is not equipped
with seats and safety belts.
Always wear a safety belt, and
check that all passenger(s) are
restrained properly too.
This vehicle has indicators as a
reminder to buckle the safety belts.
See Safety Belt Reminders on
page 5‑10 for additional information.
Why Safety Belts Work
When riding in a vehicle, you travel
as fast as the vehicle does. If the
vehicle stops suddenly, you keep
going until something stops you.
It could be the windshield, the
instrument panel, or the safety belts!
When you wear a safety belt, you
and the vehicle slow down together.
There is more time to stop because
you stop over a longer distance and,
when worn properly, your strongest
bones take the forces from the

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Seats and Restraints 3-11
safety belts. That is why wearing
safety belts makes such good
sense.
Questions and Answers About
Safety Belts
Q: Will I be trapped in the vehicleafter a crash if I am wearing a
safety belt?
A: You could be—whether you are
wearing a safety belt or not.
Your chance of being conscious
during and after a crash, so you
can unbuckle and get out, is
much greater if you are belted.
Q: If my vehicle has airbags, why should I have to wear safety
belts?
A: Airbags are supplemental
systems only; so they work with
safety belts —not instead of
them. Whether or not an airbag
is provided, all occupants still
have to buckle up to get the
most protection. Also, in nearly all states and in
all Canadian provinces, the law
requires wearing safety belts.
How to Wear Safety Belts
Properly
This section is only for people of
adult size.
There are special things to know
about safety belts and children. And
there are different rules for smaller
children and infants. If a child will be
riding in the vehicle, see
Older
Children on page 3‑33 orInfants
and Young Children on page 3‑35.
Follow those rules for everyone's
protection.
It is very important for all occupants
to buckle up. Statistics show that
unbelted people are hurt more often
in crashes than those who are
wearing safety belts.
There are important things to know
about wearing a safety belt properly.
.Sit up straight and always keep
your feet on the floor in front
of you.
.Always use the correct buckle
for your seating position.
.Wear the lap part of the belt low
and snug on the hips, just
touching the thighs. In a crash,
this applies force to the strong
pelvic 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.

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3-12 Seats and Restraints
.Wear the shoulder belt 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.
{WARNING
You can be seriously injured,
or even killed, by not wearing
your safety belt properly.
.Never allow the lap or
shoulder belt to become
loose or twisted.
.Never wear the shoulder belt
under both arms or behind
your back.
.Never route the lap or
shoulder belt over an
armrest.
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 isadjustable, 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.

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Seats and Restraints 3-13
If the latch plate will not go fully
into the buckle, check if the
correct buckle is being used.
Pull up on the latch plate to
make sure it is secure. If the belt
is not long enough, seeSafety
Belt Extender on page 3‑17.
Position the release button on
the buckle so that the safety belt
could be quickly unbuckled if
necessary.
4. If equipped with a shoulder belt height adjuster, move it to the
height that is right for you. See
“Shoulder Belt Height Adjuster”
in this section for instructions on
use and important safety
information.
5. To make the lap part tight, pull
up on the shoulder belt.
It may be necessary to pull
stitching on the safety belt
through the latch plate to fully
tighten the lap belt on smaller
occupants.To unlatch the belt, push the button
on the buckle. The belt should
return to its stowed position.
Before a door is closed, be sure the
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.

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3-14 Seats and Restraints
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 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 3‑11.
To move it down, press the release
button (A) and move the height
adjuster to the desired position.
After the adjuster is set to the
desired position, try to move it down
without pressing the release button
to make sure it has locked into
position.
Safety Belt Pretensioners
This vehicle may have 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, near
frontal, side, or rear crash if the
threshold conditions for pretensioner
activation are met.
Pretensioners, if equipped, work
only once. If the pretensioners
activate in a crash, the
pretensioners and probably other
new parts of the vehicle's safety belt
system will need to be replaced.
See Replacing Safety Belt System
Parts after a Crash on page 3‑18.

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Seats and Restraints 3-15
Rear Safety Belt Comfort
Guides
Rear safety belt comfort 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, the comfort guide
positions the shoulder belt away
from the neck and head.
Safety belt comfort guides are
available through your dealer.
To install the adjustable comfort
guide to the seatback and the
safety belt:
1. Locate the anchorage loop onthe rear outboard seatback, near
the top.
2. Attach the adjustable comfort guide to the anchor loop by
threading the hook through
the loop.
3. Place the guide over the belt,
and insert the two edges of the
belt into the slots of the guide.

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3-16 Seats and Restraints
4. Be sure that the belt is nottwisted and it lies flat. The
elastic cord must be under the
belt and the guide on top.
5. The elastic cord on the comfort guide is adjustable. You can
make it longer or shorter by
squeezing both ends of the
plastic adjuster and pulling on
the elastic cord or the guide. 6. Adjust the guide so 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 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 and position 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.

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Seats and Restraints 3-17
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.
Safety System Check
Now and then, check that the safety
belt reminder light, safety belts,
buckles, latch plates, retractors,
and anchorages are all 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. See
Safety Belt
Reminders on page 5‑10 for more
information.
Keep safety belts clean and dry.
See Safety Belt Care on page 3‑18.