2013 BUICK LACROSSE Owner's Manual

Black plate (39,1)Buick LaCrosse Owner Manual - 2013 - crc - 9/7/12
Seats and Restraints 3-39
WARNING (Continued)
passenger airbag inflates and the
passenger seat is in a forward
position.
Even if the passenger sensing
system has turned off the right
front passenger frontal airbag, no
system is fail-safe. No one can
guarantee that an airbag will not
deploy under some unusual
circumstance, even though it is
turned off.
Secure rear-facing child restraints
in a rear seat, even if the airbag
is off. If you secure a
forward-facing child restraint in
the right front seat, always move
the front passenger seat as far
back as it will go. It is better to
secure the child restraint in a
rear seat.
SeePassenger Sensing System
on page 3‑26 for additional
information. When securing a child restraint in a
rear seating position, study the
instructions that came with your
child restraint to make sure it is
compatible with this vehicle.
Child restraints and booster seats
vary considerably in size, and some
may fit in certain seating positions
better than others. Always make
sure the child restraint is properly
secured.
Depending on where you place the
child restraint and the size of the
child restraint, you may not be able
to access adjacent safety belt
assemblies or LATCH anchors for
additional passengers or child
restraints. Adjacent seating
positions should not be used if the
child restraint prevents access to or
interferes with the routing of the
safety belt.
Wherever a child restraint is
installed, be sure to secure the child
restraint properly.
Keep in mind that an unsecured
child restraint can move around in a
collision or sudden stop and injure
people in the vehicle. Be sure to
properly secure any child restraint in
your vehicle
—even when no child
is in it.
Lower Anchors and
Tethers for Children
(LATCH System)
The LATCH system secures a child
restraint during driving or in a crash.
LATCH attachments on the child
restraint are used to attach the child
restraint to the anchors in the
vehicle. This system is designed to
make installation of a child restraint
easier.
Make sure that a LATCH-compatible
child restraint is properly installed
using the anchors, or use the
vehicle's safety belts to secure the
restraint, following the instructions
that came with that restraint, and
also the instructions in this manual.
When installing a child restraint with

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3-40 Seats and Restraints
a top tether, you must also use
either the lower anchors or the
safety belts to properly secure the
child restraint. A child restraint must
never be installed using only the top
tether and anchor.
In order to use the LATCH system in
the vehicle, you need a child
restraint that has LATCH
attachments. The child restraint
manufacturer will provide you with
instructions on how to use the child
restraint and its attachments. The
following explains how to attach a
child restraint with these
attachments in the vehicle.
Not all vehicle seating positions or
child restraints have lower anchors
and attachments or top tether
anchors and attachments.Lower Anchors
Lower anchors (1) are metal bars
built into the vehicle. There are two
lower anchors for each LATCH
seating position that will
accommodate a child restraint with
lower attachments (2).
Top Tether Anchor
A top tether (3, 4) anchors the top of
the child restraint to the vehicle.
A top tether anchor is built into the
vehicle. The top tether
attachment (2) on the child restraint
connects to the top tether anchor in
the vehicle in order to reduce the
forward movement and rotation of
the child restraint during driving or in
a crash.

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Seats and Restraints 3-41
The child restraint may have a
single tether (3) or a dual tether (4).
Either will have a single
attachment (2) to secure the top
tether to the anchor.
Some child restraints that have a
top tether are designed for use with
or without the top tether being
attached. Others require the top
tether always to be attached. In
Canada, the law requires that
forward-facing child restraints have
a top tether, and that the tether be
attached. Be sure to read and follow
the instructions for the child
restraint.Lower Anchor and Top Tether
Anchor Locations
Rear Seat
I(Top Tether Anchor):Seating
positions with top tether anchors.
H(Lower Anchor): Seating
positions with two lower anchors.
To assist in locating the lower
anchors, each rear anchor position
has a label, near the crease
between the seatback and the seat
cushion.
To assist in locating the top tether
anchors, the top tether anchor
symbol is on the cover.

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3-42 Seats and Restraints
The top tether anchors are under
the covers, behind the rear seat, on
the filler panel. Be sure to use an
anchor on the same side of the
vehicle as the seating position
where the child restraint will be
placed.
Do not secure a child restraint in a
position without a top tether anchor
if a national or local law requires
that the top tether be attached, or if
the instructions that come with the
child restraint say that the top tether
must be attached.According to accident statistics,
children and infants are safer when
properly restrained in a child
restraint system or infant restraint
system secured in a rear seating
position. See
Where to Put the
Restraint on page 3‑38 for
additional information.
Securing a Child Restraint
Designed for the LATCH
System
{WARNING
If a LATCH-type child restraint is
not attached to anchors, the child
restraint will not be able to protect
the child correctly. In a crash, the
child could be seriously injured or
killed. Install a LATCH-type child
restraint properly using the
anchors, or use the vehicle safety
belts to secure the restraint,
following the instructions that
came with the child restraint and
the instructions in this manual.
{WARNING
Do not attach more than one child
restraint to a single anchor.
Attaching more than one child
restraint to a single anchor could
cause the anchor or attachment
to come loose or even break
during a crash. A child or others
could be injured. To reduce the
risk of serious or fatal injuries
during a crash, attach only one
child restraint per anchor.
{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
(Continued)

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Seats and Restraints 3-43
WARNING (Continued)
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.
If you need to secure more than one
child restraint in the rear seat, see
Where to Put the Restraint on
page 3‑38.
You cannot secure three child
restraints using the LATCH anchors
in the rear seat at the same time, but you can install two of them.
If you want to do this, install one
LATCH child restraint in the right
rear seating position, and install the
other one either in the left rear
seating position or in the center
seating position. If you need to
install child restraints in both the
center and left rear seating
positions, the one in the center
seating position will need to be
secured using the vehicle safety
belts instead of the LATCH anchors.
Refer to the following illustration to
learn which anchors to use.
There are five lower LATCH anchors
in the rear seat.
.Use anchors 1 and 2 when
installing a child restraint using
LATCH in the right rear seating
position.
.Use anchors 3 and 4 when
installing a child restraint using
LATCH in the center rear seating
position.
.Use anchors 4 and 5 when
installing a child restraint using
LATCH in the left rear seating
position.
Installing child restraints using
LATCH in the center and left rear
seating positions at the same time is
prohibited.
Make sure to attach the child
restraint at the proper anchor
location.

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3-44 Seats and Restraints
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 lowerattachments 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 the
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.
Open the cover to expose
the anchor. 2.2. Route, attach, and tighten
the top tether according to
the child restraint
instructions and the
following instructions:
If the position you are using
does not have a headrest
or head restraint, or the
headrest or head restraint
has been removed, and you
are using a single tether,
route the tether over the
seatback.

Black plate (45,1)Buick LaCrosse Owner Manual - 2013 - crc - 9/7/12
Seats and Restraints 3-45
If the position you are using
does not have a headrest
or head restraint, or the
headrest or head restraint
has been removed, and you
are using a dual tether,
route the tether over the
seatback.
If the position you are using
has an adjustable headrest
or head restraint and you
are using a single tether,
route the tether under the
headrest or head restraint
and in between the
headrest or head restraint
posts.
If the position you are using
has an adjustable headrest
or head restraint and you
are using a dual tether,
route the tether around the
headrest or head restraint.3. Before placing a child in the
child restraint, make sure it is
securely held in place. To check,
grasp the child restraint at the
LATCH path and attempt to
move it side to side and back
and forth. There should be no
more than 2.5 cm (1 in) of
movement, for proper
installation.
Head Restraint Removal and
Reinstallation
The rear outboard head restraints
can be removed if they interfere with
the proper installation of the child
restraint.
To remove the head restraint:
1. Partially fold the seatback
forward. See Rear Seats on
page 3‑10 for additional
information.

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3-46 Seats and Restraints
2. Press both buttons on the headrestraint posts at the same time,
and pull up on the head
restraint.
3. Store the head restraint in the trunk of the vehicle.
4. When the child restraint is removed, reinstall the head
restraint before the seating
position is used.
{WARNING
With head restraints that are not
installed and adjusted properly,
there is a greater chance that
occupants will suffer a neck/
spinal injury in a crash. Do not
drive until the head restraints for
all occupants are installed and
adjusted properly.
To reinstall the head restraint:
1. Insert the head restraint posts into the holes in the top of the
seatback. The notches on the
posts must face the driver side
of the vehicle.
2. Push the head restraint down.
If necessary, press the height
adjustment release button to
further lower the head restraint.
See Head Restraints on
page 3‑2.
3. Try to move the head restraint to make sure that it is locked in
place.