2012 GMC SIERRA 1500 seats

Black plate (16,1)GMC Sierra Owner Manual - 2012 - CRC - 11/15/11
3-16 Seats and Restraints
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
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.
Shoulder Belt Height Adjuster
The vehicle has a shoulder belt
height adjuster for the driver and
right front passenger.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 3‑13.Regular and Crew Cab
To move the adjuster down for
the regular and crew cabs,
squeeze the buttons (A) on the sides of the height adjuster and
move the height adjuster to the
desired position.
Extended Cab
On the extended cab, push down
on the release button (A) and move
the height adjuster to the desired
position.
You can move the adjuster up just
by pushing up on the shoulder belt
guide.

Black plate (17,1)GMC Sierra Owner Manual - 2012 - CRC - 11/15/11
Seats and Restraints 3-17
After you move the adjuster to
where you want it, try to move it
down, without squeezing the buttons
for the regular and crew cabs,
or without pushing the release
button for extended cabs, to make
sure it has locked into position.
Safety Belt Pretensioners
This vehicle has 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, or rear crash if the threshold
conditions for pretensioner
activation are met. And, if your
vehicle has side impact airbags,
safety belt pretensioners can help
tighten the safety belts in a side
crash or a rollover event.Pretensioners work only once. If the
pretensioners activate in a crash,
they will need to be replaced, and
probably other new parts for the
vehicle's safety belt system. See
Replacing Safety Belt System Parts
after a Crash on page 3‑21.
Rear Safety Belt Comfort
Guides
This vehicle may have rear shoulder
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.
Here is how to install a comfort
guide to the shoulder belt:
1. Remove the guide from its
storage clip on the interior body.
2. Place the guide over the beltand insert the two edges of the
belt into the slots of the guide.

Black plate (18,1)GMC Sierra Owner Manual - 2012 - CRC - 11/15/11
3-18 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 onto the storage clip.

Black plate (19,1)GMC Sierra Owner Manual - 2012 - CRC - 11/15/11
Seats and Restraints 3-19
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.
Lap Belt (Crew and
Extended Cab)
This section is only for the lap belt.
To learn how to wear a lap-shoulder
belt, see
Lap-Shoulder Belt on
page 3‑14.
Your vehicle may have a center
seating position. When you sit in the
center front seating position, you
have a lap safety belt, which has no
retractor.To make the belt longer, tilt the latch
plate and pull it along the belt.
Buckle, position, and release it the
same way as the lap part of a
lap-shoulder belt.

Black plate (20,1)GMC Sierra Owner Manual - 2012 - CRC - 11/15/11
3-20 Seats and Restraints
To make the belt shorter, pull its free
end as shown until the belt is snug.
If the belt is not long enough, see
Safety Belt Extender on page 3‑20.
Make sure the release button on the
buckle is positioned so you would
be able to unbuckle the safety belt
quickly if necessary.
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 systemfrom 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 5‑17.
Keep safety belts clean and dry.
See Safety Belt Care on page 3‑20.
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.

Black plate (21,1)GMC Sierra Owner Manual - 2012 - CRC - 11/15/11
Seats and Restraints 3-21
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.
Airbag System
The vehicle has the following
airbags:
.A frontal airbag for the driver.
.A frontal airbag for the right front
passenger.
The vehicle may have the following
airbags:
.A seat‐mounted side impact
airbag for the driver.
.A seat‐mounted side impact
airbag for the right front
passenger.
.A roof-rail airbag for the driver
and the passenger seated
directly behind the driver.
.A roof-rail airbag for the right
front passenger and the person
seated directly behind the right
front passenger.

Black plate (22,1)GMC Sierra Owner Manual - 2012 - CRC - 11/15/11
3-22 Seats and Restraints
All of the airbags in the vehicle will
have the word AIRBAG embossed
in the trim or on an attached label
near the deployment opening.
For frontal airbags, the word
AIRBAG will appear on the middle
part of the steering wheel for the
driver and on the instrument panel
for the right front passenger.
With seat‐mounted side impact
airbags, the word AIRBAG will
appear on the side of the seatback
closest to the door.
With roof-rail airbags, the word
AIRBAG will appear along the
headliner or trim.
Airbags are designed to supplement
the protection provided by safety
belts. Even though today's airbags
are also designed to help reduce
the risk of injury from the force of an
inflating bag, all airbags must inflate
very quickly to do their job.Here are the most important things
to know about the airbag system:
{WARNING
You can be severely injured or
killed in a crash if you are not
wearing your safety belt
—even if
you have airbags. Airbags are
designed to work with safety
belts, but do not replace them.
Also, airbags are not designed to
deploy in every crash. In some
crashes safety belts are your only
restraint. See When Should an
Airbag Inflate? on page 3‑25.
Wearing your safety belt during a
crash helps reduce your chance
of hitting things inside the vehicle
or being ejected from it. Airbags
are “supplemental restraints” to
the safety belts. Everyone in your
vehicle should wear a safety belt
properly —whether or not there is
an airbag for that person.
{WARNING
Because airbags inflate with great
force and faster than the blink
of an eye, anyone who is up
against, or very close to any
airbag when it inflates can be
seriously injured or killed. Do not
sit unnecessarily close to any
airbag, as you would be if sitting
on the edge of the seat or leaning
forward. Safety belts help keep
you in position before and during
a crash. Always wear a safety
belt, even with airbags. The driver
should sit as far back as possible
while still maintaining control of
the vehicle.
Occupants should not lean on or
sleep against the door or side
windows in seating positions with
seat-mounted side impact airbags
and/or roof-rail airbags.

Black plate (23,1)GMC Sierra Owner Manual - 2012 - CRC - 11/15/11
Seats and Restraints 3-23
{WARNING
Children who are up against,
or very close to, any airbag
when it inflates can be seriously
injured or killed. Airbags plus
lap-shoulder belts offer protection
for adults and older children, but
not for young children and infants.
Neither the vehicle safety belt
system nor its airbag system
is designed for them. Young
children and infants need the
protection that a child restraint
system can provide. Always
secure children properly in the
vehicle. To read how, seeOlder
Children on page 3‑39 orInfants
and Young Children on
page 3‑41.
There is an airbag readiness light
on the instrument panel cluster,
which shows the airbag symbol.
The system checks the airbag
electrical system for malfunctions.
The light tells you if there is an
electrical problem. See Airbag
Readiness Light on page 5‑18 for
more information.
Where Are the Airbags?
The driver airbag is in the middle of
the steering wheel.