Black plate (5,1)GMC Savana Owner Manual - 2012 - 2nd - 11/15/11
Seats and Restraints 3-5
Rear Seats
Removing the Rear Seat
Disconnect the mini-latch plates for
the lap‐shoulder belts on the bench
seat to be removed.
1. To do this, press the tip of a keyinto the release hole of the
safety belt buckle while pulling
up on the safety belt.
2. Locate the pins. On a three-passenger seat there
are two pins on the inboard sides
of the rear seats.
Three-Passenger Seat Shown
The left side pin has a gray cap
with a black “L”marked on it.Three-Passenger Seat Shown
The right side pin has a
black cap with a white “R”
marked on it.
On a four-passenger seat, each
half of the seat has a set of pins.
The left side has a set
marked “L,”and the right side
has a set marked “R”.
If the vehicle has floor mats, the
pins are under a flap that has
been cut into the mat.
Black plate (6,1)GMC Savana Owner Manual - 2012 - 2nd - 11/15/11
3-6 Seats and Restraints
3. Pull the pin handle up todisengage the pin from the
retaining clip, and then pull the
pin out.
4. Repeat this procedure for the other pins.
5. Pull the seat rearward about 5 cm (2 in), and then lift the seat
from the floor rails.
6. Remove the seat from the vehicle.
7. For the second- and third-rowseats, stow the safety belt latch
by attaching the clip on the
safety belt latch to the trim just
inside the side door.For the last row of seats, stow
the safety belt latch plate on the
clip at the window trim. Roll the
mini-latch into the safety belt
webbing and then hook the
safety belt latch plate on the clip.
Black plate (16,1)GMC Savana Owner Manual - 2012 - 2nd - 11/15/11
3-16 Seats and Restraints
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
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.
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 into its storage pocket on
the side of the seatback.
Black plate (33,1)GMC Savana Owner Manual - 2012 - 2nd - 11/15/11
Seats and Restraints 3-33
When the passenger sensing
system has turned off the right front
passenger frontal airbag, the off
indicator will light and stay lit to
remind you that the airbag is off.
SeePassenger Airbag Status
Indicator on page 5‑19.
The passenger sensing system is
designed to turn on (may inflate) the
right front passenger frontal airbag
anytime the system senses that a
person of adult size is sitting
properly in the right front
passenger seat.
When the passenger sensing
system has allowed the airbag to be
enabled, the on indicator will light
and stay lit to remind you that the
airbag is active. For some children who have
outgrown child restraints and for
very small adults, the passenger
sensing system may or may not turn
off the right front passenger frontal
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 5‑16 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
(Front Seat-Airbag On/Off
Switch) on page 3‑60 or
Securing Child Restraints
(Front Seat-Passenger Sensing
System) on page 3‑56 or
Securing Child Restraints
(Rear Seat) on page 3‑54.
Black plate (34,1)GMC Savana Owner Manual - 2012 - 2nd - 11/15/11
3-34 Seats and Restraints
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.
6. Restart the vehicle. If the on indicator is still lit,
secure the child in the child
restraint in a rear seat position in
the vehicle, and check with your
dealer.
If no rear seat is available, do
not install a child restraint in this
vehicle.If the Off Indicator is Lit for an
Adult-Size Occupant
If a person of adult-size is sitting in
the right front passenger seat, but
the off indicator is lit, it could be
because that person is not sitting
properly in the seat. If this happens, use the following steps to allow the
system to detect that person and
enable the right front passenger
frontal 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.
This allows the system to detect that
person and then enable the right
front passenger frontal airbag.
Black plate (35,1)GMC Savana Owner Manual - 2012 - 2nd - 11/15/11
Seats and Restraints 3-35
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 3‑36 for more information
about modifications that can affect
how the system operates. 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.
Servicing the
Airbag-Equipped Vehicle
Airbags affect how the vehicle
should be serviced. There are parts
of the airbag system in several
places around the vehicle. Your
dealer and the service manual have
information about servicing the
vehicle and the airbag system.
To purchase a service manual, see
Service Publications Ordering
Information on page 13‑12.
{WARNING
For up to 10 seconds after the
vehicle is turned off and the
battery is disconnected, an airbag
can still inflate during improper
service. You can be injured if you
are close to an airbag when it
inflates. Avoid yellow connectors.
They are probably part of the
airbag system. Be sure to follow
proper service procedures, and
make sure the person performing
work for you is qualified to do so.
Black plate (56,1)GMC Savana Owner Manual - 2012 - 2nd - 11/15/11
3-56 Seats and Restraints
5. To tighten the belt, push downon the child restraint, pull the
shoulder portion of the belt to
tighten the lap portion of the belt,
and feed the shoulder belt back
into the retractor. When installing
a forward-facing child restraint, it
may be helpful to use your knee
to push down on the child
restraint as you tighten the belt.
Try to pull the belt out of the
retractor to make sure the
retractor is locked. If the
retractor is not locked, repeat
Steps 4 and 5. 6. If the child restraint has a top
tether, follow the child restraint
manufacturer's instructions
regarding the use of the top
tether. See Lower Anchors and
Tethers for Children (LATCH
System) on page 3‑47 for more
information.
7. Before placing a child in the child restraint, make sure it is
securely held in place. To check,
grasp the child restraint at the
safety belt path and attempt to
move it side to side and back
and forth. When the child
restraint is properly installed,
there should be no more than
2.5 cm (1 in) of movement.
To remove the child restraint,
unbuckle the vehicle safety belt and
let it return to the stowed position.
If the top tether is attached to a top
tether anchor, disconnect it.
Securing Child Restraints
(Front Seat-Passenger
Sensing System)
This vehicle has airbags. A rear seat
is a safer place to secure a
forward-facing child restraint. See
Where to Put the Restraint on
page 3‑45.
On vehicles with a passenger
sensing system, the system is
designed to turn off the right front
passenger frontal airbag under
certain conditions. See Passenger
Sensing System on page 3‑30 and
Passenger Airbag Status Indicator
on page 5‑19 for more information,
including important safety
information.
Black plate (59,1)GMC Savana Owner Manual - 2012 - 2nd - 11/15/11
Seats and Restraints 3-59
6. To tighten the belt, push downon the child restraint, pull the
shoulder portion of the belt to
tighten the lap portion of the belt,
and feed the shoulder belt back
into the retractor. When installing
a forward-facing child restraint, it
may be helpful to use your knee
to push down on the child
restraint as you tighten the belt.
Try to pull the belt out of the
retractor to make sure the
retractor is locked. If the
retractor is not locked, repeat
Steps 5 and 6. 7. If the vehicle does not have a
rear seat and the child restraint
has a top tether, follow the
child restraint manufacturer's
instructions regarding the use of
the top tether. See Lower
Anchors and Tethers for
Children (LATCH System) on
page 3‑47 for more information.
8. Before placing a child in the child restraint, make sure it is
securely held in place. To check,
grasp the child restraint at the
safety belt path and attempt to
move it side to side and back
and forth. When the child
restraint is properly installed,
there should be no more than
2.5 cm (1 in) of movement. If the airbag is off, the off indicator
in the passenger airbag status
indicator will come on and stay on
when the vehicle is started.
If the child restraint has been
installed and the on indicator is lit,
see
“If the On Indicator is Lit for a
Child Restraint” underPassenger
Sensing System on page 3‑30 for
more information.
To remove the child restraint,
unbuckle the vehicle safety belt and
let it return to the stowed position.
If the top tether is attached to a top
tether anchor, disconnect it.