Black plate (3,1)Chevrolet Volt Owner Manual - 2012
Seats and Restraints 3-3
Pull and push on the head restraint
after the button is released to make
sure that it is locked in place.
The front seat outboard head
restraints are not designed to be
removed.
Rear Seats
The vehicle's rear seats have
adjustable head restraints in the
outboard seating positions.
The height of the head restraint can
be adjusted. Pull the head restraint
up to raise it. Try to move the head
restraint to make sure that it is
locked in place.To lower the head restraint, press
the button, located on the top of the
seatback, and push the head
restraint down. Try to move the
head restraint after the button is
released to make sure that it is
locked in place.
If you are installing a child restraint
in the rear seat, see
“Securing a
Child Restraint Designed for the
LATCH System” underLower
Anchors and Tethers for Children
(LATCH System) on page 3‑42.
Black plate (9,1)Chevrolet Volt Owner Manual - 2012
Seats and Restraints 3-9
A. Safety Belt Guide
B. Safety Belt Storage Clip
1. Remove the safety belt from thesafety belt guide (A) and place it
in the storage clip (B).
The safety belt should remain in
the storage clip while the
seatback is in the folded
position. 2. Pull the seatback release lever
to unlock the seatback.
A tab near the lever raises when
the seatback is unlocked.
3. Fold the seatback forward.
Raising the Seatback
Notice: Damage to the safety belt
or seatback locking mechanism
can occur if the safety belt is
caught between the rear seatback
and the seatback locking
mechanism. The safety belt must
be out of the way when the rear
seat is raised to the upright,
locked position. If the safety belt
is damaged, see your dealer and
have it replaced. To raise the seatback:
A. Seatback Locking Mechanism
B. Safety Belt Storage Clip
1. Make sure the safety belt is in
the storage clip (B) before
raising the seatback.
The safety belt should not
cross the seatback locking
mechanism (A) when raising the
seatback.
Black plate (15,1)Chevrolet Volt Owner Manual - 2012
Seats and Restraints 3-15
Rear Safety Belt Comfort
Guides
This vehicle may have rear safety
belt comfort guides. 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 and
properly adjusted, the comfort guide
positions the belt away from the
neck and head.There is one guide, if equipped, for
each outside passenger position in
the rear seat. When using a comfort
guide, remove the safety belt from
the seat‐mounted guide before
using the comfort guide. To install a
comfort guide to the safety belt:
1. Remove the guide from its
storage clip on the interior body
trim next to the rear seat.
2. Place the guide over the belt,and insert the two edges of the
belt into the slots of the guide.
Black plate (16,1)Chevrolet Volt Owner Manual - 2012
3-16 Seats and Restraints
3. The belt should not be twistedand it should lie 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 and position the safetybelt 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. Slide
the guide back into its storage clip
located on the interior body trim
next to the side of the seatback.
Black plate (28,1)Chevrolet Volt Owner Manual - 2012
3-28 Seats and Restraints
When the passenger sensing
system has allowed the airbags to
be enabled, the on indicator will light
and stay lit as a reminder that the
airbags are active.
For some children, including
children in child restraints, and for
very small adults, the passenger
sensing system may or may not turn
off the front outboard passenger
frontal airbag and knee airbag,
depending upon the person’s
seating posture and body build.
Everyone in the vehicle who
has outgrown child restraints
should wear a safety belt
properly—whether or not there is
an airbag for that person.{WARNING
If the airbag readiness light ever
comes on and stays on, it means
that something may be wrong
with the airbag system. To help
avoid injury to yourself or others,
have the vehicle serviced right
away. See Airbag Readiness
Light on page 5‑17 for more
information, including important
safety information.
If the On Indicator Is Lit for a
Child Restraint
If a child restraint has been installed
and the on indicator is lit:
1. Turn the vehicle off.
2. Remove the child restraint from the vehicle.
3. Remove any additional items from the seat such as blankets,
cushions, seat covers, seat
heaters, or seat massagers.
4. Reinstall the child restraint following the directions provided
by the child restraint
manufacturer and refer to
Securing Child Restraints (Rear
Seat) on page 3‑50 orSecuring
Child Restraints (Front
Passenger Seat) on page 3‑53.
Black plate (29,1)Chevrolet Volt Owner Manual - 2012
Seats and Restraints 3-29
5. If, after reinstalling the childrestraint and restarting the
vehicle, the on indicator is still lit,
turn the vehicle off. Then slightly
recline the vehicle seatback and
adjust the seat cushion,
if adjustable, to make sure that
the vehicle seatback is not
pushing the child restraint into
the seat cushion.
Also make sure the child
restraint is not trapped under the
vehicle head restraint. If this
happens, adjust the head
restraint. See Head Restraints
on page 3‑2.
6. Restart the vehicle.
The passenger sensing system
may or may not turn off the
airbags for a child in a child
restraint depending upon the
child's seating posture and body
build. It is better to secure a
child restraint in a rear seat.If the Off Indicator Is Lit for an
Adult-Size Occupant
If a person of adult size is sitting in
the front outboard passenger seat,
but the off indicator is lit, it could be
because that person is not sitting
properly in the seat. Use the
following steps to allow the system to detect that person and enable the
front outboard passenger frontal
airbag and knee airbag:
1. Turn the vehicle off.
2. Remove any additional material
from the seat, such as blankets,
cushions, seat covers, seat
heaters, or seat massagers.
3. Place the seatback in the fully upright position.
4. Have the person sit upright in the seat, centered on the seat
cushion, with legs comfortably
extended.
5. Restart the vehicle and have the person remain in this position for
two to three minutes after the on
indicator is lit.
Black plate (30,1)Chevrolet Volt Owner Manual - 2012
3-30 Seats and Restraints
Additional Factors Affecting
System Operation
Safety belts help keep the
passenger in position on the seat
during vehicle maneuvers and
braking, which helps the passenger
sensing system maintain the
passenger airbag status. See
“Safety Belts”and“Child Restraints”
in the Index for additional
information about the importance of
proper restraint use.
A thick layer of additional material,
such as a blanket or cushion,
or aftermarket equipment such as
seat covers, seat heaters, and seat
massagers can affect how well the
passenger sensing system
operates. We recommend that you
not use seat covers or other
aftermarket equipment except when
approved by GM for your specific
vehicle. See Adding Equipment to
the Airbag-Equipped Vehicle on
page 3‑31 for more information
about modifications that can affect
how the system operates. A wet seat can affect the
performance of the passenger
sensing system. Here is how:.The passenger sensing system
may turn off the passenger
frontal airbag and passenger
knee airbag when liquid is
soaked into the seat. If this
happens, the off indicator will be
lit, and the airbag readiness light
on the instrument panel will also
be lit.
.Liquid pooled on the seat that
has not soaked in may make it
more likely that the passenger
sensing system will turn on the
passenger frontal airbag and
passenger knee airbag while a
child restraint or child occupant
is on the seat. If the passenger
frontal airbag and passenger
knee airbag are turned on, the
on indicator will be lit.
If the passenger seat gets wet, dry
the seat immediately. If the airbag
readiness light is lit, do not install a
child restraint or allow anyone to
occupy the seat. See
Airbag
Readiness Light on page 5‑17 for
important safety information.
The on indicator may be lit if an
object, such as a briefcase,
handbag, grocery bag, laptop,
or other electronic device, is put on
an unoccupied seat. If this is not
desired, remove the object from
the seat.
{WARNING
Stowing of articles under the
passenger seat or between the
passenger seat cushion and
seatback may interfere with the
proper operation of the passenger
sensing system.
Black plate (46,1)Chevrolet Volt Owner Manual - 2012
3-46 Seats and Restraints
{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.
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. Make sure to attach the child
restraint at the proper anchor
location.
This system is designed to make
installation of child restraints easier.
When using lower anchors, do not
use the vehicle's safety belts.
Instead use the vehicle's anchors
and child restraint attachments to
secure the restraints. Some
restraints also use another vehicle
anchor to secure a top tether.
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.
If the head restraint
interferes with the proper
installation of the child
restraint, the head restraint
may be removed. See
“Head Restraint Removal
and Reinstallation” at the
end of this section.
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, if equipped. Refer to the
child restraint instructions and
the following steps:
2.1. Find the top tether anchor on the back of the rear
seatback.