GMC Savana Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-11374214) -
2018 - CRC - 2/2/18
60 Seats and Restraints
Driver Side Shown, PassengerSide Similar
If the vehicle has two seating rows,
roof-rail airbags for the driver, front
outboard passenger, and second
row outboard passengers are in the
ceiling above the side windows.
If the vehicle has three or more
seating rows, roof-rail airbags for
the driver, front outboard passenger,
and second and third row outboard
passengers are in the ceiling above
the side windows.
{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
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 one or
more airbags. See Airbag System
0 56. Airbags are designed to inflate
if the impact exceeds the specific
airbag system's deployment
threshold. Deployment thresholds
are used to predict how severe a
crash is likely to be in time for the
airbags to inflate and help restrain
the occupants. The vehicle has
electronic sensors which help the
airbag system determine the
severity of the impact. Deployment
thresholds can vary with specific
vehicle design.
Frontal airbags are designed to
inflate in moderate to severe frontal
or near-frontal crashes to help
reduce the potential for severe
injuries mainly to the driver or front
outboard passenger head and
chest.
Whether the frontal airbags will or
should deploy is not based primarily
on how fast the vehicle is traveling.
GMC Savana Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-11374214) -
2018 - CRC - 2/2/18
Seats and Restraints 67
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.
SeeCustomer Assistance Offices
0 318.
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 0101.
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? 058. 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 properly protect you and your
(Continued)
Warning (Continued)
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 0101.
GMC Savana Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-11374214) -
2018 - CRC - 2/2/18
70 Seats and Restraints
{Warning
Children 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,
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.
Never leave children unattended
in a vehicle and never allow
children to play with the seat
belts.
Every time infants and young
children ride in vehicles, they should
have the protection provided by appropriate child restraints. Neither
the vehicle's seat belt system nor its
airbag system is designed for them.
Children who are not restrained
properly can strike other people,
or can be thrown out of the vehicle.
{Warning
Never hold an infant or a child
while riding in a vehicle. Due to
crash forces, an infant or a child
will become so heavy it is not
possible to hold it during a crash.
For example, in a crash at only
40 km/h (25 mph), a 5.5 kg (12 lb)
infant will suddenly become a
110 kg (240 lb) force on a person's
arms. An infant or child should be
secured in an appropriate
restraint.
{Warning
Children who are up against,
or very close to, any airbag when
it inflates can be seriously injured
or killed. Never put a rear-facing
child restraint in the front
outboard seat. Secure a
rear-facing child restraint in a rear
seat. It is also better to secure a
forward-facing child restraint in a
rear seat. If you must secure a
forward-facing child restraint in
the front outboard seat, always
move the front passenger seat as
far back as it will go.
GMC Savana Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-11374214) -
2018 - CRC - 2/2/18
Seats and Restraints 71
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.
{Warning
To 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.
{Warning
A 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.
GMC Savana Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-11374214) -
2018 - CRC - 2/2/18
Seats and Restraints 73
Securing an Add-On Child
Restraint in the Vehicle
{Warning
A 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) 075 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
{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 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.
GMC Savana Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-11374214) -
2018 - CRC - 2/2/18
74 Seats and Restraints
If a child restraint is secured in the
front outboard passenger seat, and
the vehicle has a switch on the
instrument panel to manually turn off
the front outboard passenger airbag,
seeAirbag On-Off Switch 063 and
Securing Child Restraints (With the
Seat Belt in the Rear Seat) 081 or
Securing Child Restraints (With the
Seat Belt in the Front Seat) 083 for
more information, including
important safety information.
Never 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.
{Warning
A child in a rear-facing child
restraint can be seriously injured
or killed if the front outboard
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
(Continued)
Warning (Continued)
child restraint can be seriously
injured or killed if the front
outboard passenger airbag
inflates and the passenger seat is
in a forward position.
Even if the airbag switch 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 outboard passenger
seat, always move the seat as far
back as it will go. It is better to
secure the child restraint in a
rear seat. 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.
If the vehicle does not have a rear
seat that will accommodate a
rear-facing child restraint, a
rear-facing child restraint should not
be installed in the vehicle, even if
the airbag is off.
GMC Savana Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-11374214) -
2018 - CRC - 2/2/18
Seats and Restraints 75
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
vehicle. The LATCH 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 Rear Seat) 081
or Securing Child Restraints (With
the Seat Belt in the Front Seat)
0 83.
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.
GMC Savana Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-11374214) -
2018 - CRC - 2/2/18
76 Seats and Restraints
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. SeeSecuring
Child Restraints (With the Seat Belt
in the Rear Seat) 081 orSecuring
Child Restraints (With the Seat Belt
in the Front Seat) 083.
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).
Top Tether Anchor
A top tether (3,4) is used to secure
the top of the child restraint to the
vehicle. A top tether anchor is built
into the vehicle. The top tether
attachment hook (2) on the child
restraint connects to the top tether
anchor in the vehicle in order to
reduce the forward movement and
rotation of the child restraint during
driving or in a crash.
The child restraint may have a
single tether (3) or a dual tether (4).
Either will have a single attachment
hook (2) to secure the top tether to
the anchor. Some child restraints that have a
top tether are designed for use with
or without the top tether being
attached. Others require the top
tether always to be attached.
In Canada, the law requires that
forward-facing child restraints have
a top tether, and that the tether be
attached. Be sure to read and follow
the instructions for your child
restraint.
Lower Anchor and Top Tether
Anchor Locations
Second, Third, and Fourth Row
with Three-Passenger Seat