2021 GMC SAVANA Owner's Manual

GMC Savana Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-14583543) -
2021 - crc - 7/10/20
48 Seats and Restraints
{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
child 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.
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
.Rear-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 child restraint will have a label saying
that it meets federal motor vehicle safety
standards.
The instruction manual that is provided with
the child restraint states the weight and
height limitations for that particular child
restraint. In addition, there are many kinds
of child restraints available for children with
special needs.

GMC Savana Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-14583543) -
2021 - crc - 7/10/20
Seats and Restraints 49
{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 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 an
appropriate child restraint.
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.

GMC Savana Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-14583543) -
2021 - crc - 7/10/20
50 Seats and Restraints
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 Children046.
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 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) 052 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 following:
1. Instruction labels provided on the child restraint 2. Instruction manual provided with the
child restraint
3. This vehicle owner's 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 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.

GMC Savana Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-14583543) -
2021 - crc - 7/10/20
Seats and Restraints 51
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.
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
0 42 and
Securing Child Restraints (With the Seat Belt
in the Rear Seat) 058 or Securing Child Restraints (With the Seat Belt
in the Front Seat)
060 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 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.
(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 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.
Do not install a child restraint in any rear
seating position where it cannot be installed
securely.
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.

GMC Savana Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-14583543) -
2021 - crc - 7/10/20
52 Seats and Restraints
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.
The seat in front of an installed child
restraint should be adjusted to ensure
proper installation according to the child
restraint manual.
Wherever a child restraint is installed, be
sure to follow the instructions that came
with the child restraint and secure the child
restraint 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 attached using only the top tether.
For a forward-facing 5-pt harness child
restraint where the combined weight of the
child and restraint are up to 29.5 kg (65 lb),
use either the lower LATCH anchorages with
the top tether anchorage, or the seat belt
with the top tether anchorage. Where the
combined weight of the child and restraint
are greater than 29.5 kg (65 lb), use the seat
belt with the top tether anchorage only.

GMC Savana Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-14583543) -
2021 - crc - 7/10/20
Seats and Restraints 53
Recommended Methods for Attaching Child Restraints
Restraint Type Combined Weight ofthe Child + Child
Restraint Use Only Approved Attachment Methods Shown with an X
LATCH
–Lower
Anchors Only Seat Belt Only LATCH
–Lower
Anchors and Top
Tether Anchor Seat Belt and Top
Tether Anchor
Rear-Facing Child
Restraint Up to 29.5 kg (65 lb)
X X
Rear-Facing Child
Restraint Greater than
29.5 kg (65 lb) X
Forward-Facing Child
Restraint Up to 29.5 kg (65 lb)
X X
Forward-Facing Child
Restraint Greater than
29.5 kg (65 lb) X
See Securing Child Restraints (With the Seat
Belt in the Rear Seat) 058 or
Securing Child Restraints (With the Seat Belt
in the Front Seat) 060. 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 Rear
Seat) 058 or
Securing Child Restraints (With the Seat Belt
in the Front Seat) 060.

GMC Savana Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-14583543) -
2021 - crc - 7/10/20
54 Seats and Restraints
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 requirethe 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
i:Seating positions with top tether
anchors.
j: Seating positions with two lower
anchors.

GMC Savana Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada-14583543) -
2021 - crc - 7/10/20
Seats and Restraints 55
See the information following for installing a
child restraint with a top tether in the
second, third, and fourth row center
positions.
Never install two top tethers using the same
top tether anchor.
Front Passenger Position
i:Seating positions with top tether
anchors.
The second, third, and fourth row with
three-passenger seats have exposed metal
lower anchors in the crease between the
seatback and the seat cushion.
Second, Third, and Fourth Row with
Three-Passenger Seat —Passenger Van
There are two top tether anchors in the
second, third, and fourth row
three-passenger seats. To install a child
restraint in the rear driver-side seating
positions, use anchor point (1). To install a
child restraint in the rear passenger-side
seating positions, use anchor point (2).
To install a child restraint in the rear center
seating positions, use anchor point (2). Never
install two top tethers using the same
top tether anchor.
If the vehicle is equipped with a
four-passenger fourth or fifth row seat, it
does not have upper or lower anchors. If a
child restraint is placed in the four-passenger fourth or fifth row seat, it must be secured
using the vehicle seat belts. See
Securing
Child Restraints (With the Seat Belt in the
Rear Seat) 058 or
Securing Child Restraints (With the Seat Belt
in the Front Seat) 060.
Front Passenger Position
There is a top tether anchor for the front
passenger position with a front passenger
seat. The anchor is at the rear of the seat
cushion on the right front passenger seat.
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