Page 52 of 342

Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-10122660) -2017 - crc - 5/13/16
Seats and Restraints 51
Seats and
Restraints
Head Restraints
Head Restraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Front Seats
Seat Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53Power Seat Adjustment . . . . . . . . 54Lumbar Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . 54Reclining Seatbacks . . . . . . . . . . . 55Front Seat Armrest . . . . . . . . . . . . 56Heated Front Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Rear Seats
Rear Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Safety Belts
Safety Belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59How to Wear Safety BeltsProperly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60Lap-Shoulder Belt . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61Safety Belt Use DuringPregnancy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63Safety Belt Extender . . . . . . . . . . . 64Safety System Check . . . . . . . . . . 64Safety Belt Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64Replacing Safety Belt SystemParts after a Crash . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Airbag System
Airbag System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65Where Are the Airbags? . . . . . . . 67When Should an AirbagInflate? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68What Makes an AirbagInflate? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69How Does an AirbagRestrain? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70What Will You See after anAirbag Inflates? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70Passenger Sensing System . . . 71Servicing the Airbag-EquippedVehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75Adding Equipment to theAirbag-Equipped Vehicle . . . . . 75Airbag System Check . . . . . . . . . . 76Replacing Airbag System Partsafter a Crash . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Child Restraints
Older Children . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77Infants and Young Children . . . . 79Child Restraint Systems . . . . . . . 81Where to Put the Restraint . . . . . 83Lower Anchors and Tethers forChildren (LATCH System) . . . . 84Replacing LATCH System PartsAfter a Crash . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
Securing Child Restraints (Withthe Safety Belt in theRear Seat) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91Securing Child Restraints (Withthe Safety Belt in theFront Seat) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Page 53 of 342

Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-10122660) -2017 - crc - 5/13/16
52 Seats and Restraints
Head Restraints
{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.
Front Seats
The front seats have adjustablehead restraints in the outboardseating positions.
Adjust the head restraint so that thetop of the restraint is at the sameheight as the top of the occupant'shead. This position reduces thechances of a neck injury in a crash.
The height of the head restraint canbe adjusted. Pull the head restraintup to raise it. Try to move the headrestraint to make sure that it islocked in place.
To l o w e r t h e h e a d r e s t r a i n t , p r e s sthe button, located on the top of theseatback, and push the headrestraint down. Try to move thehead restraint after the button isreleased to make sure that it islocked in place.
The front seat outboard headrestraints are not removable.
Page 54 of 342

Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-10122660) -2017 - crc - 5/13/16
Seats and Restraints 53
Rear Seats
The vehicle's rear seats haveadjustable head restraints in theoutboard seating positions.
The height of the head restraint canbe adjusted. Pull the head restraintup to raise it. Try to move the headrestraint to make sure that it islocked in place.
To l o w e r t h e h e a d r e s t r a i n t , p r e s sthe button, located on the top of theseatback, and push the headrestraint down. Try to move thehead restraint after the button isreleased to make sure that it islocked in place.
If you are installing a child restraintin the rear seat, see“Securing aChild Restraint Designed for theLATCH System”underLowerAnchors and Tethers for Children(LATCH System)084.
Front Seats
Seat Adjustment
Manual Seats
{Warning
Yo u c a n l o s e c o n t r o l o f t h e
vehicle if you try to adjust a driver
seat while the vehicle is moving.
Adjust the driver seat only when
the vehicle is not moving.
Page 55 of 342

Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-10122660) -2017 - crc - 5/13/16
54 Seats and Restraints
To a d j u s t a m a n u a l s e a t :
1. Pull up on the handle at thefront of the seat.
2. Slide the seat to the desiredposition and release thehandle.
3. Try to move the seat back andforth to be sure it is locked inplace.
Seat Height Adjuster
If available, move the lever up ordown to manually raise or lowerthe seat.
Power Seat Adjustment
To a d j u s t a p o w e r s e a t , i f e q u i p p e d :
.Move the seat forward orrearward by sliding the controlforward or rearward.
.Raise or lower the front part ofthe seat cushion by moving thefront of the control up or down.
.Raise or lower the entire seat bymoving the rear of the control upor down.
To a d j u s t t h e s e a t b a c k , s e eReclining Seatbacks055.
To a d j u s t t h e l u m b a r s u p p o r t , s e eLumbar Adjustment054.
Lumbar Adjustment
If equipped, press the front or rearof the switch to increase ordecrease lumbar support. Releasethe switch when the desired level ofsupport is reached.
Page 56 of 342

Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-10122660) -2017 - crc - 5/13/16
Seats and Restraints 55
Reclining Seatbacks
{Warning
If either seatback is not locked, it
could move forward in a sudden
stop or crash. That could cause
injury to the person sitting there.
Always push and pull on the
seatbacks to be sure they are
locked.
To r e c l i n e a m a n u a l s e a t b a c k :
1. Lift the lever.
If necessary, move the safetybelt out of the way to accessthe lever.
2. Move the seatback to thedesired position, and thenrelease the lever to lock theseatback in place.
3. Push and pull on the seatbackto make sure it is locked inplace.
To r e t u r n t h e s e a t b a c k t o t h e u p r i g h tposition:
1. Lift the lever fully withoutapplying pressure to theseatback, and the seatback willreturn to the upright position.
2. Push and pull on the seatbackto make sure it is locked.
{Warning
Sitting in a reclined position when
the vehicle is in motion can be
dangerous. Even when buckled
up, the safety belts cannot do
their job.
(Continued)
Warning (Continued)
The shoulder belt will not be
against your body. Instead, it will
be in front of you. In a crash, you
could go into it, receiving neck or
other injuries.
The lap belt could go up over
your abdomen. The belt forces
would be there, not at your pelvic
bones. This could cause serious
internal injuries.
For proper protection when the
vehicle is in motion, have the
seatback upright. Then sit well
back in the seat and wear the
safety belt properly.
Page 57 of 342

Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-10122660) -2017 - crc - 5/13/16
56 Seats and Restraints
Do not have a seatback reclined ifthe vehicle is moving.
Front Seat Armrest
There is an armrest on the inboardside of the driver seat. To raise orlower the armrest, push up or pulldown on the armrest.
Heated Front Seats
{Warning
If you cannot feel temperature
change or pain to the skin, the
seat heater may cause burns. To
reduce the risk of burns, people
with such a condition should use
care when using the seat heater,
especially for long periods of
time. Do not place anything on
the seat that insulates against
heat, such as a blanket, cushion,
cover, or similar item. This may
cause the seat heater to
overheat. An overheated seat
heater may cause a burn or may
damage the seat.
If equipped, the controls are on theclimate control system. To operate,the engine must be running.
PressMorLto heat the driver or
passenger seat. The indicator lighton the control turns on when thisfeature is on. Press the controlagain to turn this feature off.
The passenger seat may takelonger to heat up.
Page 58 of 342

Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-10122660) -2017 - crc - 5/13/16
Seats and Restraints 57
Remote Start Auto Heated
Seats
If equipped, when it is cold outsidethe heated seats can be turned onautomatically during a remotevehicle start. The heated seats willbe canceled when the ignition isturned on. Press the heated seatcontrols to use the heated seatsafter the vehicle is started.
The heated seat indicator lights donot turn on during a remote start.
The temperature performance of anunoccupied seat may be reduced.This is normal.
SeeRemote Vehicle Start037.
Rear Seats
Folding the Seatback
Either side of the seatback can befolded down for more cargo space.Fold a seatback only when thevehicle is not moving.
Caution
Folding a rear seat with the safety
belts still fastened may cause
damage to the seat or the safety
belts. Always unbuckle the safety
belts and return them to their
normal stowed position before
folding a rear seat.
To f o l d t h e s e a t b a c k d o w n :
1. Make sure the safety belt is inthe retainer hook.
Page 59 of 342

Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-10122660) -2017 - crc - 5/13/16
58 Seats and Restraints
Sedan Shown, Hatchback Similar
2. Reach under the belt and pullthe lever on top of the seatbackto unlock the seatback.
Atabneartheseatbackleverraises when the seatback isunlocked.
3. Fold the seatback down.
Repeat Steps 1–3fortheotherseatback, if desired.
Raising the Seatback
{Warning
If either seatback is not locked, it
could move forward in a sudden
stop or crash. That could cause
injury to the person sitting there.
Always push and pull on the
seatbacks to be sure they are
locked.
{Warning
Asafetybeltthatisimproperly
routed, not properly attached,
or twisted will not provide the
protection needed in a crash. The
person wearing the belt could be
seriously injured. After raising the
rear seatback, always check to be
sure that the safety belts are
properly routed and attached, and
are not twisted.
To r a i s e a s e a t b a c k :
1. Lift the seatback up and push itrearward to lock it in place.Make sure the safety belt is inthe retainer hook and is nottwisted or caught in theseatback.
Atabneartheseatbackleverretracts when the seatback islocked in place.
The center rear safety belt maylock when you raise theseatback. If this happens, letthe belt go back all the wayand start again.
2. Push and pull the top of theseatback to be sure it is lockedinto position.
3. Repeat Steps 1 and 2 for theother seatback, if necessary.
When the seat is not in use, itshould be kept in the upright, lockedposition.