Buick Cascada Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S-11373983) - 2018 -
CRC - 7/10/17
74 Seats and Restraints
Child restraints are devices used to
restrain, seat, or position children in
the vehicle and are sometimes
called child seats or car seats.
There are three basic types of
child restraints:
.
Forward-facing child restraints
.
Rearward-facing child restraints
.
Belt-positioning booster seats
The proper child restraint for your
child depends on their size, weight,
and age, and also on whether the
child restraint is compatible with the
vehicle in which it will be used. For each type of child restraint,
there are many different models
available. When purchasing a child
restraint, be sure it is designed to be
used in a motor vehicle. If it is, the
restraint will have a label saying that
it meets federal motor vehicle safety
standards. The restraint
manufacturer's instructions that
come with the restraint state the
weight and height limitations for a
particular child restraint. In addition,
there are many kinds of restraints
available for children with special
needs.
{ WarningTo reduce the risk of neck and
head injury in a crash, infants and
toddlers should be secured in a
rear-facing child restraint until age
two, or until they reach the
maximum height and weight limits
of their child restraint. { WarningA young child's hip bones are still
so small that the vehicle's regular
seat belt may not remain low on
the hip bones, as it should.
Instead, it may settle up around
the child's abdomen. In a crash,
the belt would apply force on a
body area that is unprotected by
any bony structure. This alone
could cause serious or fatal
injuries. To reduce the risk of
serious or fatal injuries during a
crash, young children should
always be secured in appropriate
child restraints.
Buick Cascada Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S-11373983) - 2018 -
CRC - 7/10/17
Seats and Restraints 75
Child Restraint Systems
Rear-Facing Infant Restraint
A rear-facing child restraint provides
restraint with the seating surface
against the back of the infant.
The harness system holds the infant
in place and, in a crash, acts to
keep the infant positioned in the
restraint. Forward-Facing Child Restraint
A forward-facing child restraint
provides restraint for the child's
body with the harness. Booster Seats
A belt-positioning booster seat is
used for children who have
outgrown their forward-facing child
restraint. Boosters are designed to
improve the fit of the vehicle's seat
belt system until the child is large
enough for the vehicle seat belts to
fit properly without a booster seat.
See the seat belt fit test in Older
Children 0 71 .
Buick Cascada Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S-11373983) - 2018 -
CRC - 7/10/17
76 Seats and Restraints Securing an Add-On Child
Restraint in the Vehicle
{ WarningA child can be seriously injured or
killed in a crash if the child
restraint is not properly secured in
the vehicle. Secure the child
restraint properly in the vehicle
using the vehicle ’ s seat 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 restraints 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) 0 77 for more information.
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
{ WarningA 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 an appropriate
child restraint secured in a rear
seating position.
Whenever possible, children aged
12 and under should be secured in
a rear seating position.
Buick Cascada Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S-11373983) - 2018 -
CRC - 7/10/17
Seats and Restraints 77Never put a rear-facing child
restraint in the front. This is because
the risk to the rear-facing child is so
great if the airbag deploys.
{ WarningA child in a rear-facing child
restraint can be seriously injured
or killed if the 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
front passenger airbag inflates
and the passenger seat is in a
forward position.
Even if the passenger sensing
system has turned off the 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.
(Continued) Warning (Continued) 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
front passenger seat as far back
as it will go. It is better to secure
the child restraint in a rear seat.
See Passenger Sensing System
0 65 for additional information.
When securing a child restraint with
the seat belts in a rear seat 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 seat belts 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 seat belt.
Wherever a child restraint is
installed, be sure to follow the
instructions that came with the child
restraint system and secure the
child restraint system 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
the 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
Buick Cascada Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S-11373983) - 2018 -
CRC - 7/10/17
78 Seats and Restraints vehicle. This system is designed to
make installation of a child restraint
easier.
In order to use the LATCH system in
your vehicle, you need a child
restraint that has LATCH
attachments. LATCH-compatible
rear-facing and forward-facing child
seats can be properly installed
using either the LATCH anchors or
the vehicle ’ s seat belts. Do not use
both the seat belts and the LATCH
anchorage system to secure a
rear-facing or forward-facing
child seat.
Booster seats use the vehicle ’ s seat
belts to secure the child and the
booster seat. If the manufacturer
recommends that the booster seat
be secured with the LATCH system,
this can be done as long as the
booster seat can be positioned
properly and there is no interference
with the proper positioning of the
lap-shoulder belt on the child.
Make sure to follow the instructions
that came with the child restraint,
and also the instructions in this
manual. When installing a child restraint with
a top tether, you must also use
either the lower anchors or the seat
belts to properly secure the child
restraint. A child restraint must
never be installed using only the top
tether and anchor.
The LATCH anchorage system can
be used until the combined weight
of the child plus the child restraint is
29.5 kg (65 lbs). Use the seat belt
alone instead of the LATCH
anchorage system once the
combined weight is more than
29.5 kg (65 lbs).
See Securing Child Restraints (With
the Seat Belt in the Front Seat) 0 87
or Securing Child Restraints (With
the Seat Belt in the Rear Seat) 0 85 .
Child restraints built after March
2014 will be labeled with the
specific child weight up to which the
LATCH system can be used to
install the restraint.
The following explains how to attach
a child restraint with these
attachments in the vehicle. Not all vehicle seating positions
have lower anchors. In this case,
the seat belt must be used (with top
tether where available) to secure
the child restraint. See Securing
Child Restraints (With the Seat Belt
in the Front Seat) 0 87 or Securing
Child Restraints (With the Seat Belt
in the Rear Seat) 0 85 .
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).
Buick Cascada Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S-11373983) - 2018 -
CRC - 7/10/17
80 Seats and Restraints There are top tether anchor symbols
to assist you in locating the top
tether anchors
The top tether anchors are located
on the back of the rear seatbacks.
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 0 76 for additional
information.
Securing a Child Restraint
Designed for the LATCH
System
{ WarningA child could be seriously injured
or killed in a crash if the child
restraint is not properly attached
to the vehicle using either the
LATCH anchors or the vehicle
seat belt. Follow the instructions
that came with the child restraint
and the instructions in this
manual. { WarningTo reduce the risk of serious or
fatal injuries during a crash, 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.
{ WarningChildren 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,
(Continued)
Buick Cascada Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S-11373983) - 2018 -
CRC - 7/10/17
Seats and Restraints 81Warning (Continued)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 seat 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.
{ Warning
Take care when operating the
foldable rear seats. The rear
seatback folds forward with
considerable power which can
cause injury, particularly to
(Continued) Warning (Continued) children. Ensure that nothing is
attached to the rear seats or on
the seat cushion.
CautionDo not let the LATCH
attachments rub against the
vehicle ’ s seat belts. This may
damage these parts. If necessary,
move buckled seat belts to avoid
rubbing the LATCH attachments.
Do not fold the rear seatback
when the seat is occupied. Do not
fold the empty rear seat with a
seat belt buckled. This could
damage the seat belt or the seat.
Unbuckle and return the seat 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 0 76 . This system is designed to make
installation of child restraints easier.
When using lower anchors, do not
use the vehicle's seat 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. For rear seating positions,
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.
2. If the child restraint
manufacturer's instructions
recommend that the top tether
be attached, attach the top
tether to the top tether anchor.
Refer to the child restraint
instructions and the following
steps:
Buick Cascada Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S-11373983) - 2018 -
CRC - 7/10/17
Seats and Restraints 83
2.3. Attach the top tether hook
to the anchor on the back
of the rear seatback.
Make sure that you
secure the top tether to
the top tether anchor and
not to the seatback latch.
2.4. Push rearward on the
seatback until it locks into
its upright position. Push
and pull on the seatback
to make sure it is secured
properly. 3. Put the child restraint on the
seat. Attach and tighten the
lower LATCH attachments on
the child restraint 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 seat belts and
the top tether. Refer to your
child restraint manufacturer
instructions and see Securing
Child Restraints (With the Seat
Belt in the Front Seat) 0 87 or
Securing Child Restraints (With
the Seat Belt in the Rear Seat)
0 85 .
4. Tighten the top tether.
5. 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. Pull the release switch in the
trunk to fold the seatback
forward. See Rear Seats 0 51
for additional information.
2. Press both buttons on the head
restraint posts at the same
time, and pull up on the head
restraint.