Page 54 of 424
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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.
Page 55 of 424
Black plate (7,1)GMC Savana Owner Manual - 2012 - 2nd - 11/15/11
Seats and Restraints 3-7
Reinstalling the Rear Seats
{WARNING
A seat that is not locked into
place properly can move around
in a collision or sudden stop.
People in the vehicle could be
injured. Be sure to lock the seat
into place properly when
installing it.
{WARNING
A safety belt that is improperly
routed, not properly attached,
or twisted will not provide the
protection needed in a crash. The
person wearing the belt could be
seriously injured. After raising the
rear seatback, always check to be
sure that the safety belts are
properly routed and attached, and
are not twisted.
1. Position the seat into the open slots in both rails. Push the seat
forward in the rail, hooking both
seat bases onto the pins inside
of the rails.
2. Locate the hole in the rail to install the locking pins at the rear
of the seat base. If the vehicle
has floor mats, pull the flap that
has been cut into the mat. 3. Insert the locking pins into the
seat base and push the seat to
line up the pins with the base.
On a three-passenger seat,
the pin with the black cap
marked “R”must be installed on
the right side and the pin with
the gray cap marked “L”on the
left side.
On a four-passenger seat, the
pins marked “R”must be
installed on the half of the seat
on the right side. The pins
marked “L”must be installed on
the half of the seat on the
left side.
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3-8 Seats and Restraints
Three-Passenger Seat Shown
4. Push the pin(s) marked “R”down
until they are in the
retaining clip.Three-Passenger Seat Shown
5. Push the pin(s) marked “L”down
until they are in the
retaining clip.
6. If the vehicle has a floor mat, put the flap back to its original
position. 7. Repeat this procedure for the
other seat base.
8. Connect the mini-latch plates for the lap-shoulder belts by
inserting the latch plates into the
mini-buckles attached at the
outboard positions of the bench
seat. Do not twist the belts.
9. Check that all locking pins are locked into place before
operating the vehicle.
Page 57 of 424
Black plate (9,1)GMC Savana Owner Manual - 2012 - 2nd - 11/15/11
Seats and Restraints 3-9
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 5‑16.
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!
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3-10 Seats and Restraints
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
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 3‑38 orInfants
and Young Children on page 3‑40.
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.
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Seats and Restraints 3-11
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.
.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.
Page 60 of 424
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3-12 Seats and Restraints
Lap-Shoulder Belt
All seating positions in the vehicle
have a lap-shoulder belt. If you are
using a rear seating position with a
detachable safety belt and the
safety belt is not attached, see
“Reinstalling the Rear Seats”under
Rear Seats on page 3‑5 for
instructions on reconnecting the
safety belt to the mini-buckle.
The following instructions explain
how to wear a lap-shoulder belt
properly.
1. Adjust the seat, if the seat is adjustable, 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.
Pull up on the latch plate to
make sure it is secure. If the belt
is not long enough, see Safety
Belt Extender on page 3‑17.
Position the release button on
the buckle so that the safety belt
could be quickly unbuckled if
necessary.
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Seats and Restraints 3-13
4. If equipped with a shoulder beltheight adjuster, move it to the
height that is right for you.
See “Safety Belt Height Adjuster”
later 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. Slide
the latch plate up the safety belt
webbing when the safety belt is not
in use. The latch plate should rest
on the stitching on the safety belt,
near the guide loop on the side wall.
Before a door is closed, be sure the
safety 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.
Safety Belt Height Adjuster
The vehicle has a safety belt height
adjuster for the driver and right front
passenger 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. See How
to Wear Safety Belts Properly on
page 3‑10.
