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82 Seats and Restraints
operate properly if the original seat
trim is replaced with non-GM
covers, upholstery, or trim, or; with
GM covers, upholstery, or trim
designed for a different vehicle. Any
object, such as an aftermarket seat
heater or a comfort-enhancing pad
or device, installed under or on top
of the seat fabric, could also
interfere with the operation of the
passenger sensing system. This
could either prevent proper
deployment of the passenger
airbag(s) or prevent the passenger
sensing system from properly
turning off the passenger airbag(s).
SeePassenger Sensing System
0 77
ii.
If the vehicle has rollover roof-rail
airbags, see Different Size Tires
and Wheels 0312
iifor additional
information.
If you have to modify your vehicle
because you have a disability and
you have questions about whether
the modifications will affect the
vehicle's airbag system, or if you
have questions about whether the
airbag system will be affected if the
vehicle is modified for any other reason, call Customer Assistance.
See
Customer Assistance Offices
0 359
ii.
Airbag System Check
The airbag system does not need
regularly scheduled maintenance or
replacement. Make sure the airbag
readiness light is working. See
Airbag Readiness Light 0121
ii.
Caution
If an airbag covering is damaged,
opened, or broken, the airbag
may not work properly. Do not
open or break the airbag
coverings. If there are any
opened or broken airbag
coverings, have the airbag
covering and/or airbag module
replaced. For the location of the
airbags, see Where Are the
Airbags? 072
ii. See your dealer
for service.
Replacing Airbag System
Parts after a Crash
{Warning
A crash can damage the airbag
systems in the vehicle.
A damaged airbag system may
not work properly and may not
protect you and your
passenger(s) in a crash, resulting
in serious injury or even death. To
help make sure the airbag
systems are working properly
after a crash, have them
inspected and any necessary
replacements made as soon as
possible.
If an airbag inflates, you will need to
replace airbag system parts. See
your dealer for service.
If the airbag readiness light stays on
after the vehicle is started or comes
on when you are driving, the airbag
system may not work properly. Have
the vehicle serviced right away. See
Airbag Readiness Light 0121
ii.
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88 Seats and Restraints
Warning (Continued)
restraint properly in the vehicle
using the vehicle safety belt or
LATCH system, following the
instructions that came with that
child restraint and the instructions
in this manual.
To help reduce the chance of injury,
the child restraint must be secured
in the vehicle. Child restraint
systems must be secured in vehicle
seats by lap belts or the lap belt
portion of a lap-shoulder belt, or by
the LATCH system. See Lower
Anchors and Tethers for Children
(LATCH System) 090
ii. Children can
be endangered in a crash if the child
restraint is not properly secured in
the vehicle.
When securing an add-on child
restraint, refer to the instructions
that come with the restraint which
may be on the restraint itself or in a
booklet, or both, and to this manual.
The child restraint instructions are important, so if they are not
available, obtain a replacement
copy from the manufacturer.
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
the vehicle
—even when no child is
in it.
In some areas of the United States
and Canada, Certified Child
Passenger Safety Technicians
(CPSTs) are available to inspect
and demonstrate how to correctly
use and install child restraints. In
the U.S., refer to the National
Highway Traffic Safety
Administration (NHTSA) website to
locate the nearest child safety seat
inspection station. For CPST
availability in Canada, check with
Transport Canada or the Provincial
Ministry of Transportation office.
Securing the Child Within the
Child Restraint
{Warning
A child can be seriously injured or
killed in a crash if the child is not
properly secured in the child
restraint. Secure the child
properly following the instructions
that came with that child restraint.
Where to Put the
Restraint
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.
Whenever possible, children age
12 and under should be secured in
a rear seating position.
The vehicle may be equipped with a
front center airbag in the inboard
side of the driver seat. Even with a
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Seats and Restraints 89
front center airbag, a child restraint
can be installed in any second row
seating position.
Never put a rear-facing child seat in
the front. This is because the risk to
the rear-facing child is so great if the
airbag deploys.
{Warning
A child in a rear-facing child
restraint can be seriously injured
or killed if the right front
passenger airbag inflates. This is
because the back of the
rear-facing child restraint would
be very close to the inflating
airbag. A child in a forward-facing
child restraint can be seriously
injured or killed if the right front
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(Continued)
Warning (Continued)
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 front passenger frontal
airbag is off.
It is also better to secure a
forward-facing child restraint in a
rear seat. If a forward-facing child
restraint must be secured in the
right front seat, always move the
front passenger seat as far back
as it will go.
SeePassenger Sensing System
0 77
iifor additional information.
If a child restraint is installed in a
second row center seat, move the
second row seat to the rearward
position, whenever possible, to
minimize contact with the front
center airbag, if equipped. When securing a child restraint in a
rear seating position, study the
instructions that came with the 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.
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
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98 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) 090
iifor 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 Passenger Seat)
The vehicle has airbags. A rear seat
is a safer place to secure a
forward-facing child restraint. See
Where to Put the Restraint 088
ii.
In addition, the vehicle has a
passenger sensing system which is
designed to turn off the front
outboard passenger frontal airbag
under certain conditions. See
Passenger Sensing System 077
iiand Passenger Airbag Status
Indicator 0121iifor more
information, including important
safety information.
Never put a rear-facing child seat in
the front. This is because the risk to
the rear-facing child is so great,
if the airbag deploys.
{Warning
A child in a rear-facing child
restraint can be seriously injured
or killed if the front outboard
passenger frontal airbag inflates.
(Continued)
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Seats and Restraints 99
Warning (Continued)
This is because the back of the
rear-facing child restraint would
be very close to the inflating
airbag. A child in a forward-facing
child restraint can be seriously
injured or killed if the front
outboard passenger frontal airbag
inflates and the passenger seat is
in a forward position.
Even if the passenger sensing
system has turned off the front
outboard 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 front seat, always move the(Continued)
Warning (Continued)
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
0 77
iifor additional information.
If the child restraint uses a top
tether, see Lower Anchors and
Tethers for Children (LATCH
System) 090
iifor top tether anchor
locations.
Do not secure a child seat in a
position without a top tether anchor
if a national or local law requires
that the top tether be anchored, or if
the instructions that come with the
child restraint say that the top strap
must be anchored.
In Canada, the law requires that
forward-facing child restraints have
a top tether, and that the tether be
attached. When using the lap-shoulder belt to
secure the child restraint in this
position, follow the instructions that
came with the child restraint and the
following instructions:
1. Move the seat as far back as it will go before securing the
forward-facing child restraint.
When the passenger sensing
system has turned off the front
outboard passenger frontal
airbag, the off indicator on the
passenger airbag status
indicator should light and stay
lit when the vehicle is started.
See Passenger Airbag Status
Indicator 0121
ii.
2. Put the child restraint on the seat.
3. Pick up the latch plate, and run the lap and shoulder portions
of the vehicle's safety belt
through or around the restraint.
The child restraint instructions
will show you how.
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Seats and Restraints 101
7. Before placing a child in thechild 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 a 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 077
iifor more information.
To remove the child restraint,
unbuckle the vehicle safety belt and
let it return to the stowed position.
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Instruments and Controls 121
When the vehicle is started, this
light flashes and a chime may come
on to remind passengers to fasten
their safety belt. Then the light stays
on solid until the belt is buckled.
This cycle continues several times if
the passenger remains or becomes
unbuckled while the vehicle is
moving.
If the passenger safety belt is
buckled, neither the chime nor the
light comes on.
The front passenger safety belt
reminder light and chime may turn
on if an object is put on the seat
such as a briefcase, handbag,
grocery bag, laptop, or other
electronic device. To turn off the
reminder light and/or chime, remove
the object from the seat or buckle
the safety belt.
Airbag Readiness Light
This light shows if there is an
electrical problem with the airbag
system. The system check includes
the airbag sensor(s), the passenger
sensing system, the pretensioners,
the airbag modules, the wiring, and
the crash sensing and diagnostic
module. For more information on the
airbag system, seeAirbag System
0 71
ii.
The airbag readiness light comes on
for several seconds when the
vehicle is started. If the light does
not come on then, have it fixed
immediately.
{Warning
If the airbag readiness light stays
on after the vehicle is started or
comes on while driving, it means
the airbag system might not be
working properly. The airbags in
the vehicle might not inflate in a
crash, or they could even inflate
without a crash. To help avoid
injury, have the vehicle serviced
right away.
If there is a problem with the airbag
system, a Driver Information Center
(DIC) message may also come on.
See Airbag System Messages
0 142
ii.
Passenger Airbag Status
Indicator
The vehicle has a passenger
sensing system. See Passenger
Sensing System 077
iifor important
safety information. The instrument
panel has a passenger airbag status
indicator.
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122 Instruments and Controls
United States
Canada and Mexico
When the vehicle is started, the
passenger airbag status indicator
will light ON and OFF, or the symbol
for on and off, for several seconds
as a system check. Then, after
several more seconds, the status
indicator will light either ON or OFF,
or either the on or off symbol to let
you know the status of the front
outboard passenger frontal airbag. If the word ON or the on symbol is
lit on the passenger airbag status
indicator, it means that the front
outboard passenger frontal airbag is
allowed to inflate.
If the word OFF or the off symbol is
lit on the passenger airbag status
indicator, it means that the
passenger sensing system has
turned off the front outboard
passenger frontal airbag.
If, after several seconds, both status
indicator lights remain on, or if there
are no lights at all, there may be a
problem with the lights or the
passenger sensing system. See
your dealer for service.
{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
(Continued)
Warning (Continued)
Light0121iifor more information,
including important safety
information.
Charging System Light
The charging system light comes on
briefly when the ignition is turned
on, but the engine is not running, as
a check to show the light is working.
It should go out when the engine is
started.
If the light stays on, or comes on
while driving, there may be a
problem with the electrical charging
system. Have it checked by your
dealer. Driving while this light is on
could drain the battery.