Black plate (11,1)Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-7707487) -
2015 - crc - 10/31/14
Seats and Restraints 3-11
Lap-Shoulder Belt
All seating positions in the vehicle
have a lap-shoulder belt.
The following instructions explain
how to wear a lap-shoulder belt
properly.
1. Adjust the seat, if the seat isadjustable, 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.
For the driver and front outboard
passenger belts, if the webbing
locks in the latch plate before it
reaches the buckle, tilt the latch
plate to flat to unlock.
Black plate (13,1)Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-7707487) -
2015 - crc - 10/31/14
Seats and Restraints 3-13
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. SeeHow
to Wear Safety Belts Properly on
page 3-10.
The adjuster can be moved up by
pushing the slide/trim up. To move
the adjuster down, press the release
button and move it down. After the adjuster is set to the
desired position, try to move it down
without pressing the release button
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. Safety belt
pretensioners can also help tighten
the safety belts in a side crash or a
rollover event.
Pretensioners work only once. If the
pretensioners activate in a crash,
the pretensioners and probably
other new parts of the vehicle's
safety belt system will need to be
replaced. See
Replacing Safety Belt
System Parts after a Crash on
page 3-16.
Rear Safety Belt Comfort
Guides
This vehicle may have rear safety
belt comfort guides. If not, they are
available through your dealer.
Rear safety belt comfort guides may
provide added safety belt comfort
for older children who have
outgrown booster seats and for
some adults. When installed on a
shoulder belt, the comfort guide
positions the shoulder belt away
from the neck and head.
Black plate (20,1)Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-7707487) -
2015 - crc - 10/31/14
3-20 Seats and Restraints
Driver Side Shown, PassengerSide Similar
The seat-mounted side impact
airbags for the driver and front
outboard passenger are in the side
of the seatbacks closest to the door.
The roof-rail airbags for the driver,
front outboard passenger, and
second row outboard passengers
are in the ceiling above the side
windows.Rear Seat Driver Side Shown, Passenger Side Similar
On vehicles with second row
seat-mounted side impact airbags,
they are in the sides of the rear
seatback closest to the door.
{Warning
If something is between an
occupant and an airbag, the
airbag might not inflate properly
or it might force the object into
that person causing severe injury (Continued)
Warning (Continued)
or even death. The path of an
inflating airbag must be kept
clear. Do not put anything
between an occupant and an
airbag, and do not attach or put
anything on the steering wheel
hub or on or near any other
airbag covering.
Do not use seat accessories that
block the inflation path of a
seat-mounted side impact airbag.
Never secure anything to the roof
of a vehicle with roof-rail airbags
by routing a rope or tie‐down
through any door or window
opening. If you do, the path of an
inflating roof-rail airbag will be
blocked.
Black plate (23,1)Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-7707487) -
2015 - crc - 10/31/14
Seats and Restraints 3-23
{Warning
When an airbag inflates, there
may be dust in the air. This dust
could cause breathing problems
for people with a history of
asthma or other breathing trouble.
To avoid this, everyone in the
vehicle should get out as soon as
it is safe to do so. If you have
breathing problems but cannot
get out of the vehicle after an
airbag inflates, then get fresh air
by opening a window or a door.
If you experience breathing
problems following an airbag
deployment, you should seek
medical attention.
The vehicle has a feature that may
automatically unlock the doors, turn
on the interior lamps and hazard
warning flashers, and shut off the
fuel system after the airbags inflate.
The feature may also activate,
without airbag inflation, after an
event that exceeds a predetermined threshold. You can lock the doors,
and turn off the interior lamps, and
turn off the hazard warning flashers
by using the controls for those
features.
{Warning
A crash severe enough to inflate
the airbags may have also
damaged important functions in
the vehicle, such as the fuel
system, brake and steering
systems, etc. Even if the vehicle
appears to be drivable after a
moderate crash, there may be
concealed damage that could
make it difficult to safely operate
the vehicle.
Use caution if you should attempt
to restart the engine after a crash
has occurred.
In many crashes severe enough to
inflate the airbag, windshields are
broken by vehicle deformation. Additional windshield breakage may
also occur from the front outboard
passenger airbag.
.Airbags are designed to inflate
only once. After an airbag
inflates, you will need some new
parts for the airbag system.
If you do not get them, the
airbag system will not be there
to help protect you in another
crash. A new system will include
airbag modules and possibly
other parts. The service manual
for the vehicle covers the need
to replace other parts.
.The vehicle has a crash sensing
and diagnostic module which
records information after a
crash. See
Vehicle Data
Recording and Privacy on
page 13-14 andEvent Data
Recorders on page 13-14.
Black plate (32,1)Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-7707487) -
2015 - crc - 10/31/14
3-32 Seats and Restraints
{Warning
Never allow a child to wear the
safety belt with the shoulder belt
behind their back. A child can be
seriously injured by not wearing
the lap-shoulder belt properly. In a
crash, the child would not be
restrained by the shoulder belt.
The child could move too far
forward increasing the chance of
head and neck injury. The child
might also slide under the lap(Continued)
Warning (Continued)
belt. The belt force would then be
applied right on the abdomen.
That could cause serious or fatal
injuries. The shoulder belt should
go over the shoulder and across
the chest.
Infants and Young
Children
Everyone in a vehicle needs
protection! This includes infants and
all other children. Neither the
distance traveled nor the age and
size of the traveler changes the
need, for everyone, to use safety
restraints. In fact, the law in every
state in the United States and in
every Canadian province says
children up to some age must be
restrained while in a vehicle.
{Warning
Children can be seriously injured
or strangled if a shoulder belt is
wrapped around their neck. The
shoulder belt can tighten but
cannot be loosened if it is locked.
The shoulder belt locks when it is
pulled all the way out of the
retractor. It unlocks when the
shoulder belt is allowed to go all(Continued)
Black plate (33,1)Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-7707487) -
2015 - crc - 10/31/14
Seats and Restraints 3-33
Warning (Continued)
the way back into the retractor,
but it cannot do this if it is
wrapped around a child’s neck.
If the shoulder belt is locked and
tightened around a child’s neck,
the only way to loosen the belt is
to cut it.
Never leave children unattended
in a vehicle and never allow
children to play with the safety
belts.
Every time infants and young
children ride in vehicles, they should
have the protection provided by
appropriate child restraints. Neither
the vehicle's safety belt system nor
its airbag system is designed
for them.
Children who are not restrained
properly can strike other people,
or can be thrown out of the vehicle.
{Warning
Never hold an infant or a child
while riding in a vehicle. Due to
crash forces, an infant or a child
will become so heavy it is not
possible to hold it during a crash.
For example, in a crash at only
40 km/h (25 mph), a 5.5 kg (12 lb)
infant will suddenly become a
110 kg (240 lb) force on a person's
arms. An infant should be
secured in an appropriate
restraint.
{Warning
Children who are up against,
or very close to, any airbag when
it inflates can be seriously injured
or killed. Never put a rear-facing
child restraint in the front
outboard seat. Secure a
rear-facing child restraint in a rear
seat. It is also better to secure a
forward-facing child restraint in a
rear seat. If you must secure a
forward-facing child restraint in (Continued)
Black plate (42,1)Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-7707487) -
2015 - crc - 10/31/14
3-42 Seats and Restraints
{Warning
Children can be seriously injured
or strangled if a shoulder belt is
wrapped around their neck. The
shoulder belt can tighten but
cannot be loosened if it is locked.
The shoulder belt locks when it is
pulled all the way out of the
retractor. It unlocks when the
shoulder belt is allowed to go all
the way back into the retractor,
but it cannot do this if it is
wrapped around a child’s neck.
If the shoulder belt is locked and
tightened around a child’s neck,
the only way to loosen the belt is
to cut it.
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,
and tighten the belt behind the
child restraint after the child
restraint has been installed.
{Caution
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 3-37.
This system is designed to make
the 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.
1.3. Attach and tighten the lower attachments on the child
restraint to the lower
anchors.
Black plate (46,1)Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-7707487) -
2015 - crc - 10/31/14
3-46 Seats and Restraints
3. Push the latch plate into thebuckle until it clicks.
Position the release button on
the buckle so that the safety belt
could be quickly unbuckled if
necessary.4. Pull the shoulder belt all the wayout of the retractor to set the
lock. When the retractor lock is
set, the belt can be tightened but
not pulled out of the retractor.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.