
Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-11373973) -
2018 - crc - 10/9/17
56 Seats and Restraints
To adjust a manual seat:1. Pull up on the handle at the front of the seat.
2. Slide the seat to the desired position and release the
handle.
3. Try to move the seat back and forth to be sure it is locked in
place.
Seat Height Adjuster
If available, move the lever up or
down to manually raise or lower
the seat.
Power Seat Adjustment
To adjust a power seat, if equipped:
.Move the seat forward or
rearward by sliding the control
forward or rearward.
. Raise or lower the front part of
the seat cushion by moving the
front of the control up or down.
. Raise or lower the entire seat by
moving the rear of the control up
or down.
To adjust the seatback, see
Reclining Seatbacks 057. To adjust the lumbar support, see
Lumbar Adjustment
056.
Lumbar Adjustment
If equipped, press the front or rear
of the switch to increase or
decrease lumbar support. Release
the switch when the desired level of
support is reached.

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Seats and Restraints 57
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.
Manual Seat Shown, Power SeatSimilar To recline a manual seatback:
1. Lift the lever.
If necessary, move the seat
belt out of the way to access
the lever.
2. Move the seatback to the desired position, and then
release the lever to lock the
seatback in place.
3. Push and pull on the seatback to make sure it is locked in
place.
To return the seatback to the upright
position:
1. Lift the lever fully without applying pressure to the
seatback, and the seatback will
return to the upright position.
2. Push and pull on the seatback to 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 seat belts cannot do
their job.
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
seat belt properly.

Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-11373973) -
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60 Seats and Restraints
Sedan Shown, Hatchback Similar2. Reach under the belt and pull the lever on top of the seatback
to unlock the seatback.
A tab near the seatback lever
raises when the seatback is
unlocked.
3. Fold the seatback down.
Repeat Steps 1–3 for the other
seatback, 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
A seat belt that is improperly
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 seat belts are
properly routed and attached, and
are not twisted. To raise a seatback:
1. Lift the seatback up and push it rearward to lock it in place.
Make sure the seat belt is in
the retainer hook and is not
twisted or caught in the
seatback.
A tab near the seatback lever
retracts when the seatback is
locked in place.
The center rear seat belt may
lock when you raise the
seatback. If this happens, let
the belt go back all the way
and start again.
2. Push and pull the top of the seatback to be sure it is locked
into position.
3. Repeat Steps 1 and 2 for the other seatback, if necessary.
When the seat is not in use, it
should be kept in the upright, locked
position.

Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-11373973) -
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62 Seats and Restraints
Q: If my vehicle has airbags, whyshould I have to wear seat
belts?
A: Airbags are supplemental
systems only. They work with
seat belts —not instead of them.
Whether or not an airbag is
provided, all occupants still have
to buckle up to get the most
protection.
Also, in nearly all states and in
all Canadian provinces, the law
requires wearing seat belts.
How to Wear Seat Belts
Properly
This section is only for people of
adult size.
There are special things to know
about seat belts and children, and
there are different rules for smaller
children and infants. If a child will be
riding in the vehicle, see Older
Children 079 orInfants and Young
Children 081. Follow those rules for
everyone's protection. It is very important for all occupants
to buckle up. Statistics show that
unbelted people are hurt more often
in crashes than those who are
wearing seat belts.
There are important things to know
about wearing a seat belt properly.
.
Sit up straight and always keep
your feet on the floor in front
of you.
. Always use the correct buckle
for your seating position.
. Wear the lap part of the belt low
and snug on the hips, just
touching the thighs. In a crash, this applies force to the strong
pelvic bones and you would be
less likely to slide under the lap
belt. If you slid under it, the belt
would apply force on your
abdomen. This could cause
serious or even fatal injuries.
. Wear the shoulder belt over the
shoulder and across the chest.
These parts of the body are best
able to take belt restraining
forces. The shoulder belt locks if
there is a sudden stop or crash.
{Warning
You can be seriously injured,
or even killed, by not wearing
your seat belt properly.
. Never allow the lap or
shoulder belt to become
loose or twisted.
. Never wear the shoulder
belt under both arms or
behind your back.
. Never route the lap or
shoulder belt over an
armrest.

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Seats and Restraints 63
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 is adjustable, 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.
If the webbing locks in the latch
plate before it reaches the
buckle, tilt the latch plate flat to
unlock.
3. Push the latch plate into the
buckle until it clicks.
Pull up on the latch plate to
make sure it is secure. If the
belt is not long enough, see
Seat Belt Extender 066.
Position the release button on
the buckle so that the seat belt
could be quickly unbuckled if
necessary.

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64 Seats and Restraints
4. If equipped with a shoulder beltheight adjuster, move it to the
height that is right for you. See
“Shoulder Belt Height Adjuster”
in this section for instructions
on use and important safety
information.
5. To make the lap part tight, pull
up on the shoulder belt.
It may be necessary to pull
stitching on the seat belt
through the latch plate to fully
tighten the lap belt on smaller
occupants.
To unlatch the belt, push the button
on the buckle. The belt should
return to its stowed position.
Always stow the seat belt slowly.
If the seat belt webbing returns
quickly to the stowed position, the
retractor may lock and cannot be
pulled out. If this happens, pull the
seat belt straight out firmly to unlock
the webbing, and then release it.
If the webbing is still locked in the
retractor, see your dealer.
Before a door is closed, be sure the
seat belt is out of the way. If a door
is slammed against a seat belt,
damage can occur to both the seat
belt and the vehicle.
Shoulder Belt Height Adjuster
The vehicle has a shoulder belt
height adjuster for the driver and
right front passenger seating
positions.
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 seat belt in a crash. See How to
Wear Seat Belts Properly 062.

Chevrolet Sonic Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-11373973) -
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Seats and Restraints 65
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.
Seat Belt Pretensioners
This vehicle has seat belt
pretensioners for front outboard
occupants. Although the seat belt
pretensioners cannot be seen, they
are part of the seat belt assembly.
They can help tighten the seat 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. Seat belt
pretensioners can also help tighten
the seat 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 parts of the vehicle's seat beltsystem will need to be replaced.
See
Replacing Seat Belt System
Parts after a Crash 067.
Do not sit on the outboard seat belt
while entering or exiting the vehicle
or at any time while sitting in the
seat. Sitting on the seat belt can
damage the webbing and hardware.
Rear Seat Belt Comfort Guides
Rear seat belt comfort guides may
provide added seat 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.
Comfort guides are available
through your dealer for the rear
outboard seating positions.
Instructions are included with the
guide.
Seat Belt Use During
Pregnancy
Seat belts work for everyone,
including pregnant women. Like all
occupants, they are more likely to
be seriously injured if they do not
wear seat belts.
A pregnant woman should wear a
lap-shoulder belt, and the lap
portion should be worn as low as
possible, below the rounding,
throughout the pregnancy.
The best way to protect the fetus is
to protect the mother. When a seat
belt is worn properly, it is more likely

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70 Seats and Restraints
Driver Side Shown, PassengerSide Similar
The driver and front outboard
passenger seat-mounted side
impact airbags 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
or even death. The path of an (Continued)
Warning (Continued)
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.
When Should an Airbag
Inflate?
This vehicle is equipped with
airbags. SeeAirbag System 067.
Airbags are designed to inflate if the
impact exceeds the specific airbag