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Seats and Restraints 71
Safety Belt Pretensioners
This vehicle has safety beltpretensioners for front outboardoccupants. Although the safety beltpretensioners cannot be seen, theyare part of the safety belt assembly.They can help tighten the safetybelts during the early stages of amoderate to severe frontal, nearfrontal, or rear crash if the thresholdconditions for pretensioneractivation are met. And, if yourvehicle has side impact airbags,safety belt pretensioners can helptighten the safety belts in a sidecrash. If the vehicle has rolloverroof-rail airbags, safety beltpretensioners can help tighten thesafety belts in a rollover event.
Pretensioners work only once. If thepretensioners activate in a crash,they will need to be replaced, andthe vehicle's safety belt system willprobably need other new parts. SeeReplacing Safety Belt System Partsafter a Crash073.
Do not sit on the outboard safetybelt while entering or exiting thevehicle or at any time while sitting in
the seat. Sitting on the safety beltcan damage the webbing andhardware.
Rear Safety Belt Comfort
Guides
Rear safety belt comfort guides mayprovide added safety belt comfortfor older children who haveoutgrown booster seats and forsome adults. When installed on ashoulder belt, the comfort guidepositions the belt away from theneck and head.
Comfort guides are availablethrough your dealer for the rearoutboard seating positions.Instructions are included with theguide.
Safety Belt Use During
Pregnancy
Safety belts work for everyone,including pregnant women. Like alloccupants, they are more likely tobe seriously injured if they do notwear safety belts.
Apregnantwomanshouldwearalap-shoulder belt, and the lapportion should be worn as low aspossible, below the rounding,throughout the pregnancy.
The best way to protect the fetus isto protect the mother. When a safetybelt is worn properly, it is more likelythat the fetus will not be hurt in acrash. For pregnant women, as foranyone, the key to making safetybelts effective is wearing themproperly.
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72 Seats and Restraints
Lap Belt
This section is only for the lap belt.To l e a r n h o w t o w e a r a l a p - s h o u l d e rbelt, seeLap-Shoulder Belt068.
The vehicle may have a centerseating position with a lap safetybelt. The lap safety belt does nothave a retractor.
To m a k e t h e b e l t l o n g e r, t i l t t h e l a t c hplate and pull it along the belt.
Buckle, position, and release it thesame way as the lap part of alap-shoulder belt.
To m a k e t h e b e l t s h o r t e r , p u l l i t s f r e eend as shown until the belt is snug.
If the belt is not long enough, seeSafety Belt Extender072.
Make sure the release button on thebuckle is positioned so you wouldbe able to unbuckle the safety beltquickly if necessary.
Safety Belt Extender
If the vehicle's safety belt will fastenaround you, you should use it.
But if a safety belt is not longenough, your dealer will order youan extender. When you go in toorder it, take the heaviest coat you
will wear, so the extender will belong enough for you. To help avoidpersonal injury, do not let someoneelse use it, and use it only for theseat it is made to fit. The extenderhas been designed for adults. Neveruse it for securing child restraints.To w e a r i t , a t t a c h i t t o t h e r e g u l a rsafety belt. For more information,see the instruction sheet that comeswith the extender.
Safety System Check
Check that the safety belt reminder,safety belts, buckles, latch plates,and retractors, are all workingproperly. Look for any other loose ordamaged safety belt system partsthat might keep a safety belt systemfrom performing properly. See yourdealer to have it repaired. Torn orfrayed safety belts may not protectyou in a crash. They can rip apartunder impact forces. If a belt is tornor frayed, have it replacedimmediately.
Make sure the safety belt reminderlight is working. SeeSafety BeltReminders0134.
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Seats and Restraints 75
Warning (Continued)
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
acrash.Alwayswearasafety
belt, even with airbags. The driver
should sit as far back as possible
while still maintaining control of
the vehicle. The safety belts and
the front outboard passenger
airbags are most effective when
you are sitting well back and
upright in the seat with both feet
on the floor.
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.
{Warning
Children who are up against,
or very close to, any airbag when
it inflates can be seriously injured
or killed. Always secure children
properly in the vehicle. To read
how, seeOlder Children088or
Infants and Young Children090.
There is an airbag readiness lighton the instrument cluster, whichshows the airbag symbol.
The system checks the airbagelectrical system for malfunctions.The light tells you if there is anelectrical problem. SeeAirbagReadiness Light0135for moreinformation.
Where Are the Airbags?
The driver frontal airbag is in thecenter of the steering wheel.
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Seats and Restraints 81
.My vehicle has a rear seat toosmall to accommodate arear-facing infant seat; or
.The infant has a medicalcondition which, according to theinfant's physician, makes itnecessary for the infant to ride inthe front seat so that the drivercan constantly monitor thechild's condition.
Child age 1 to 12. A childage 1 to 12 must ride in the frontseat because:
.My vehicle has no rear seat;
.Although children ages 1 to 12ride in the rear seat(s) wheneverpossible, children ages 1 to 12sometimes must ride in the frontbecause no space is available inthe rear seat(s) of my vehicle; or
.The child has a medicalcondition which, according to thechild's physician, makes itnecessary for the child to ride inthe front seat so that the drivercan constantly monitor thechild's condition.
Medical Condition. A passengerhas a medical condition which,according to his or her physician:
.Causes the passenger airbag topose a special risk for thepassenger; and
.Makes the potential harm fromthe passenger airbag in a crashgreater than the potential harmfrom turning off the airbag andallowing the passenger, even ifbelted, to hit the instrumentpanel or windshield in a crash.
{Warning
If the front outboard passenger
frontal airbag is turned off for a
person who is not in a risk group
identified by the national
government, that person will not
have the extra protection of an
airbag. In a crash, the airbag will
not be able to inflate and help
protect the person sitting there.
Do not turn off the front outboard
(Continued)
Warning (Continued)
passenger frontal airbag unless
the person sitting there is in a risk
group.
To t u r n o f f t h e f r o n t o u t b o a r dpassenger frontal airbag, insert theignition key into the switch, push in,and move the switch to the offposition.
The word OFF or the off symbol willcome on in the passenger airbagstatus indicator located in theoverhead console to let you knowthat the front outboard passengerfrontal airbag is off, after the systemcheck is completed. The airbag offlight will come on and stay on to let
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Seats and Restraints 83
The passenger sensing systemturns off the front outboardpassenger frontal airbag undercertain conditions. No other airbagis affected by the passengersensing system.
The passenger sensing systemworks with sensors that are part ofthe front outboard passenger seatand safety belt. The sensors aredesigned to detect the presence ofaproperlyseatedoccupantanddetermine if the front outboardpassenger frontal airbag should beallowed to inflate or not.
According to accident statistics,children are safer when properlysecured in a rear seat in the correctchild restraint for their weightand size.
Whenever possible, children aged12 and under should be secured inarearseatingposition.
Never put a rear-facing child seat inthe front. This is because the risk tothe rear-facing child is so great,if the airbag deploys.
{Warning
Achildinarear-facingchild
restraint can be seriously injured
or killed if the passenger frontal
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
passenger frontal airbag inflates
and the passenger seat is in a
forward position.
Even if the passenger sensing
system has turned off the
passenger frontal airbag, no
system is fail-safe. No one can
guarantee that an airbag will not
deploy under some unusual
circumstance, even though the
airbag is turned off.
Never put a rear-facing child
restraint in the front seat, even if
the airbag is off. If securing a
forward-facing child restraint in
(Continued)
Warning (Continued)
the front outboard passenger
seat, always move the seat as far
back as it will go. It is better to
secure child restraints in the rear
seat. Consider using another
vehicle to transport the child
when a rear seat is not available.
If the vehicle does not have a rearseat that will accommodate arear-facing child restraint, arear-facing child restraint should notbe installed in the vehicle, even ifthe airbag is off.
The passenger sensing system isdesigned to turn off the frontoutboard passenger frontal airbag if:
.The front outboard passengerseat is unoccupied.
.The system determines an infantis present in a child restraint.
.Afrontoutboardpassengertakes his/her weight off of theseat for a period of time.
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84 Seats and Restraints
.There is a critical problem withthe airbag system or thepassenger sensing system.
When the passenger sensingsystem has turned off the frontoutboard passenger frontal airbag,the off indicator will light and stay litas a reminder that the airbag is off.SeePassenger Airbag StatusIndicator0137.
The passenger sensing system isdesigned to turn on the frontoutboard passenger frontal airbaganytime the system senses that aperson of adult size is sittingproperly in the front outboardpassenger seat.
When the passenger sensingsystem has allowed the airbag to beenabled, the on indicator will lightand stay lit as a reminder that theairbag is active.
For some children, includingchildren in child restraints, and forvery small adults, the passengersensing system may or may not turnoff the front outboard passenger
frontal airbag, depending upon theperson's seating posture and bodybuild. Everyone in the vehicle whohas outgrown child restraints shouldwear a safety beltproperly—whether or not there isan airbag for that person.
{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. SeeAirbag Readiness
Light0135for more information,
including important safety
information.
If the On Indicator Is Lit for a
Child Restraint
The passenger sensing system isdesigned to turn off the frontoutboard passenger frontal airbag ifthe system determines that an infant
is present in a child restraint. If achild restraint has been installedand the on indicator is lit:
1. Turn the vehicle off.
2. Remove the child restraint fromthe vehicle.
3. Remove any additional itemsfrom the seat such as blankets,cushions, seat covers, seatheaters, or seat massagers.
4. Reinstall the child restraintfollowing the directionsprovided by the child restraintmanufacturer and refer toSecuring Child Restraints (Withthe Safety Belt in the CenterFront Seat)0106orSecuringChild Restraints (With theSafety Belt in the Rear Seat)0102orSecuring ChildRestraints (With the Safety Beltin the Front PassengerSeat)0106.
Make sure the safety beltretractor is locked by pullingthe shoulder belt all the wayout of the retractor wheninstalling the child restraint,
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Seats and Restraints 85
even if the child restraint isequipped with a safety beltlock-off. When the retractorlock is set, the belt can betightened but not pulled out ofthe retractor.
5. If, after reinstalling the childrestraint and restarting thevehicle, the on indicator is stilllit, turn the vehicle off. Thenslightly recline the vehicleseatback and adjust the seatcushion, if adjustable, to makesure that the vehicle seatbackis not pushing the childrestraint into the seat cushion.
Also make sure the childrestraint is not trapped underthe vehicle head restraint.If this happens, adjust the headrestraint. SeeHeadRestraints057.
6. Restart the vehicle.
The passenger sensing system mayor may not turn off the airbag for achild in a child restraint dependingupon the child’ssize.Itisbettertosecure child restraints in the rearseat. Consider using another
vehicle to transport the child when arear seat is not available. Never putarear-facingchildrestraintinthefront seat, even if the on indicator isnot lit.
If the Off Indicator Is Lit for an
Adult-Sized Occupant
If a person of adult size is sitting inthe front outboard passenger seat,but the off indicator is lit, it could bebecause that person is not sittingproperly in the seat or that the childrestraint locking feature is engaged.If this happens, use the following
steps to allow the system to detectthat person and enable the frontoutboard passenger frontal airbag:
1. Turn the vehicle off.
2. Remove any additional materialfrom the seat, such asblankets, cushions, seatcovers, seat heaters, or seatmassagers.
3. Place the seatback in the fullyupright position.
4. Have the person sit upright inthe seat, centered on the seatcushion, with legs comfortablyextended.
5. If the shoulder portion of thebelt is pulled out all the way,the child restraint lockingfeature will be engaged. Thismay unintentionally cause thepassenger sensing system toturn the airbag off for someadult-sized occupants. If thishappens, unbuckle the belt, letthe belt go back all the way,and then buckle the belt againwithout pulling the belt out allthe way.
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86 Seats and Restraints
6. Restart the vehicle and havethe person remain in thisposition for two to three minutesafter the on indicator is lit.
{Warning
If the front outboard passenger
airbag is turned off for an
adult-sized occupant, the airbag
will not be able to inflate and help
protect that person in a crash,
resulting in an increased risk of
serious injury or even death. An
adult-sized occupant should not
ride in the front outboard
passenger seat, if the passenger
airbag off indicator is lit.
Additional Factors Affecting
System Operation
Safety belts help keep thepassenger in position on the seatduring vehicle maneuvers andbraking, which helps the passengersensing system maintain thepassenger airbag status. See“Safety Belts”and“Child Restraints”
in the Index for additionalinformation about the importance ofproper restraint use.
Athicklayerofadditionalmaterial,such as a blanket or cushion,or aftermarket equipment such asseat covers, seat heaters, and seatmassagers can affect how well thepassenger sensing systemoperates. We recommend that younot use seat covers or otheraftermarket equipment except whenapproved by GM for your specificvehicle. SeeAdding Equipment tothe Airbag-Equipped Vehicle087for more information aboutmodifications that can affect howthe system operates.
The on indicator may be lit if anobject, such as a briefcase,handbag, grocery bag, laptop,or other electronic device, is put onan unoccupied seat. If this is notdesired, remove the object fromthe seat.
{Warning
Stowing of articles under the
passenger seat or between the
passenger seat cushion and
seatback may interfere with the
proper operation of the passenger
sensing system.
Servicing the
Airbag-Equipped Vehicle
Airbags affect how the vehicleshould be serviced. There are partsof the airbag system in severalplaces around the vehicle. Yourdealer and the service manual haveinformation about servicing thevehicle and the airbag system. Topurchase a service manual, seeService Publications OrderingInformation0481.