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66 Seats and Restraints
For roof-rail airbags, the word
AIRBAG is on the ceiling
or trim.
Airbags are designed to
supplement the protection
provided by seat belts. Even
though today's airbags are
also designed to help reduce
the risk of injury from the
force of an inflating bag, all
airbags must inflate very
quickly to do their job.
Here are the most important
things to know about the
airbag system:
{Warning
You can be severely injured
or killed in a crash if you are
not wearing your seat belt,
even with airbags. Airbags
are designed to work with
seat belts, not replace them.
Also, airbags are not
designed to inflate in every
crash. In some crashes seat(Continued)
Warning (Continued)
belts are the only restraint.
See When Should an Airbag
Inflate?069.
Wearing your seat belt
during a crash helps reduce
your chance of hitting things
inside the vehicle or being
ejected from it. Airbags are
“supplemental restraints” to
the seat belts. Everyone in
the vehicle should wear a
seat belt properly, whether
or not there is an airbag for
that person.
{Warning
Because airbags inflate with
great force and faster than
the blink of an eye, anyone
who is up against, or very
close to, any airbag when it
inflates can be seriously
injured or killed. Do not sit
unnecessarily close to any (Continued)
Warning (Continued)
airbag, as you would be if
sitting on the edge of the
seat or leaning forward.
Seat belts help keep you in
position before and during a
crash. Always wear a seat
belt, even with airbags. The
driver should sit as far back
as possible while still
maintaining control of the
vehicle. The seat belts and
the front outboard
passenger airbags are most
effective when you are
sitting well back and upright
in the seat with both feet on
the floor.
Occupants should not lean
on or sleep against the door
or side windows in seating
positions with seat-mounted
side impact airbags and/or
roof-rail airbags.

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roof-rail airbags may inflate
when either side of the vehicle
is struck or if the sensing
system predicts that the
vehicle is about to roll over on
its side, or in a severe frontal
impact.
In any particular crash, no one
can say whether an airbag
should have inflated simply
because of the vehicle
damage or the repair costs.
What Makes an
Airbag Inflate?
In a deployment event, the
sensing system sends an
electrical signal triggering a
release of gas from the
inflator. Gas from the inflator
fills the airbag causing the bag
to break out of the cover. The
inflator, the airbag, and related
hardware are all part of the
airbag module.
For airbag locations, see
Where Are the Airbags?067.
How Does an Airbag
Restrain?
In moderate to severe frontal
or near frontal collisions, even
belted occupants can contact
the steering wheel or the
instrument panel. In moderate
to severe side collisions, even
belted occupants can contact
the inside of the vehicle.
Airbags supplement the
protection provided by seat
belts by distributing the force
of the impact more evenly
over the occupant's body.
Rollover capable roof-rail
airbags are designed to help
contain the head and chest of
occupants in the outboard
seating positions in the first
and second rows. The rollover
capable roof-rail airbags are
designed to help reduce the
risk of full or partial ejection in
rollover events, although no
system can prevent all such
ejections. But airbags would not help in
many types of collisions,
primarily because the
occupant's motion is not
toward those airbags. See
When Should an Airbag
Inflate?
069.
Airbags should never be
regarded as anything more
than a supplement to seat
belts.
What Will You See
after an Airbag
Inflates?
After frontal, knee, and
seat-mounted side impact
airbags inflate, they quickly
deflate, so quickly that some
people may not even realize
the airbags inflated. Roof-rail
airbags may still be at least
partially inflated for some time
after they inflate. Some
components of the airbag
module may be hot for several
minutes. For location of the
airbags, see Where Are the
Airbags? 067.

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72 Seats and Restraints
some new parts for the
airbag system. If you do not
get them, the airbag system
will not be there to help
protect you in another crash.
A new system will include
airbag modules and possibly
other parts. The service
manual for the vehicle
covers the need to replace
other parts.
.The vehicle has a crash
sensing and diagnostic
module which records
information after a crash.
See Vehicle Data Recording
and Privacy0448 and
Event Data Recorders 0449.
.Let only qualified technicians
work on the airbag system.
Improper service can mean
that an airbag system will
not work properly. See your
dealer for service.
Passenger Sensing
System
The vehicle has a passenger
sensing system for the front
outboard passenger position.
The passenger airbag status
indicator will light on the
overhead console when the
vehicle is started.
The words ON and OFF, and
the symbols for on and off, will
be visible during the system
check. When the system check
is complete, either the word
ON or OFF, and the symbol for
on or off, will be visible. See
Passenger Airbag Status
Indicator 0125.
The passenger sensing
system turns off the front
outboard passenger frontal
airbag and knee airbag under certain conditions. No other
airbag is affected by the
passenger sensing system.
The passenger sensing
system works with sensors
that are part of the front
outboard passenger seat and
seat belt. The sensors are
designed to detect the
presence of a properly seated
occupant and determine if the
front outboard passenger
frontal airbag and knee airbag
should be allowed to inflate
or not.
According to accident
statistics, children are safer
when properly secured in a
rear seat in the correct child
restraint for their weight
and size.
Whenever possible, children
aged 12 and under should be
secured in a rear seating
position.

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indicator will light and stay lit
as a reminder that the airbags
are active.
For some children, including
children in child restraints, and
for very small adults, the
passenger sensing system
may or may not turn off the
front outboard passenger
frontal airbag and knee airbag,
depending upon the person's
seating posture and body
build. Everyone in the vehicle
who has outgrown child
restraints should wear a seat
belt properly—whether or not
there is an airbag for that
person.
{Warning
If the airbag readiness light
ever comes on and stays on,
it means that something may
be wrong with the airbag
system. To help avoid injury
to yourself or others, have
the vehicle serviced right
(Continued)
Warning (Continued)
away. See Airbag Readiness
Light0124 for more
information, including
important safety
information.
If the On Indicator Is Lit
for a Child Restraint
The passenger sensing
system is designed to turn off
the front outboard passenger
frontal airbag and knee airbag,
if the system determines that
an infant is present in a child
restraint. If a child restraint
has been installed and the ON
indicator is lit:
1. Turn the vehicle off.
2. Remove the child restraint from the vehicle.
3. Remove any additional items from the seat such
as blankets, cushions, seat
covers, seat heaters,
or seat massagers. 4. Reinstall the child restraint
following the directions
provided by the child
restraint manufacturer and
refer to Securing Child
Restraints (With the Seat
Belt in the Rear Seat) 095
or Securing Child
Restraints (With the Seat
Belt in the Front Seat)
0 98.
Make sure the seat belt
retractor is locked by
pulling the shoulder belt all
the way out of the
retractor when installing
the child restraint, even if
the child restraint is
equipped with a seat belt
lock off. When the
retractor lock is set, the
belt can be tightened but
not pulled out of the
retractor.
5. If, after reinstalling the child restraint and
restarting the vehicle, the
ON indicator is still lit, turn
the vehicle off. Then
slightly recline the vehicle

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Seats and Restraints 75
seatback and adjust the
seat cushion, if adjustable,
to make sure that the
vehicle seatback is not
pushing the child restraint
into the seat cushion.
Also make sure the child
restraint is not trapped
under the vehicle head
restraint. If this happens,
adjust the head restraint.
See Head Restraints045.
6. Restart the vehicle.
The passenger sensing
system may or may not turn
off the airbag for a child in a
child restraint depending upon
the child’s size. It is better to
secure the child restraint in a
rear seat. Never put a
rear-facing child restraint in
the front seat, even if the ON
indicator is not lit.If the Off Indicator Is Lit
for an Adult-Sized
Occupant
If a person of adult size is
sitting in the front outboard
passenger seat, but the OFF
indicator is lit, it could be
because that person is not
sitting properly in the seat or
that the child restraint locking
feature is engaged. Use the
following steps to allow the
system to detect that person
and enable the front outboard
passenger frontal airbag and
knee airbag: 1. Turn the vehicle off.
2. Remove any additional
material from the seat,
such as blankets, cushions,
seat covers, seat heaters,
or seat massagers.
3. Place the seatback in the fully upright position.
4. Have the person sit upright in the seat,
centered on the seat
cushion, with legs
comfortably extended.
5. If the shoulder portion of the belt is pulled out all the
way, the child restraint
locking feature will be
engaged. This may
unintentionally cause the
passenger sensing system
to turn the airbag off for
some adult-sized
occupants. If this happens,
unbuckle the belt, let the
belt go back all the way,
and then buckle the belt
again without pulling the
belt out all the way.

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76 Seats and Restraints
6. Restart the vehicle andhave the person remain in
this position for two to
three minutes after the ON
indicator is lit.
{Warning
If the front outboard
passenger airbag is turned
off for an adult-sized
occupant, the airbag will not
be able to inflate and help
protect that person in a
crash, resulting in an
increased risk of serious
injury or even death. An
adult-sized occupant should
not ride in the front
outboard passenger seat,
if the passenger airbag OFF
indicator is lit.
Additional Factors
Affecting System
Operation
Seat belts help keep the
passenger in position on the
seat during vehicle maneuvers and braking, which helps the
passenger sensing system
maintain the passenger airbag
status. See
“Seat Belts” and
“Child Restraints” in the Index
for additional information
about the importance of
proper restraint use.
A thick layer of additional
material, such as a blanket or
cushion, or aftermarket
equipment such as seat
covers, seat heaters, and seat
massagers can affect how well
the passenger sensing system
operates. We recommend that
you not use seat covers or
other aftermarket equipment
except when approved by GM
for your specific vehicle. See
Adding Equipment to the
Airbag-Equipped Vehicle 077
for more information about
modifications that can affect
how the system operates.
The ON indicator may be lit if
an object, such as a briefcase,
handbag, grocery bag, laptop,
or other electronic device, is put on an unoccupied seat.
If this is not desired, remove
the object from the seat.
{Warning
Stowing articles under the
passenger seat or between
the passenger seat cushion
and seatback may interfere
with the proper operation of
the passenger sensing
system.
Servicing the
Airbag-Equipped
Vehicle
Airbags affect how the vehicle
should be serviced. There are
parts of the airbag system in
several places around the
vehicle. Your dealer and the
service manual have
information about servicing
the vehicle and the airbag
system. To purchase a service
manual, see Publication
Ordering Information
0445.

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{Warning
For up to 10 seconds after
the vehicle is turned off and
the battery is disconnected,
an airbag can still inflate
during improper service. You
can be injured if you are
close to an airbag when it
inflates. Avoid yellow
connectors. They are
probably part of the airbag
system. Be sure to follow
proper service procedures,
and make sure the person
performing work for you is
qualified to do so.
Adding Equipment to
the Airbag-Equipped
Vehicle
Adding accessories that
change the vehicle's frame,
bumper system, height, front
end, or side sheet metal may
keep the airbag system from
working properly.The operation of the airbag
system can also be affected
by changing, including
improperly repairing or
replacing, any parts of the
following:
.Airbag system, including
airbag modules, front or side
impact sensors, sensing and
diagnostic module, or airbag
wiring
.Front seats, including
stitching, seams or zippers
.Seat belts
.Steering wheel, instrument
panel, overhead console,
ceiling trim, or pillar
garnish trim
.Inner door seals, including
speakers
Your dealer and the service
manual have information about
the location of the airbag
modules and sensors, sensing
and diagnostic module, and
airbag wiring along with the
proper replacement
procedures. In addition, the vehicle has a
passenger sensing system for
the front outboard passenger
position, which includes
sensors that are part of the
passenger seat. The
passenger sensing system
may not operate properly if
the original seat trim is
replaced with non-GM covers,
upholstery, or trim; or with GM
covers, upholstery, or trim
designed for a different
vehicle. Any object, such as an
aftermarket seat heater or a
comfort-enhancing pad or
device, installed under or on
top of the seat fabric, could
also interfere with the
operation of the passenger
sensing system. This could
either prevent proper
deployment of the passenger
airbag(s) or prevent the
passenger sensing system
from properly turning off the
passenger airbag(s). See
Passenger Sensing System
0
72.

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Child Restraints
Older Children
Older children who have
outgrown booster seats
should wear the vehicle’s seat
belts. Refer to How to Wear
Seat Belts Properly058.
The manufacturer instructions
that come with the booster
seat state the weight and
height limitations for that
booster. Use a booster seat
with a lap-shoulder belt until
the child passes the fit test
below:
.Sit all the way back on the
seat. Do the knees bend at
the seat edge? If yes,
continue. If no, return to the
booster seat.
.Buckle the lap-shoulder belt.
Does the shoulder belt rest
on the shoulder? If yes,
continue. If no, try using the
rear seat belt comfort guide,
if available. See “Rear Seat
Belt Comfort Guides” under
Lap-Shoulder Belt 060. If a
comfort guide is not
available, or if the shoulder
belt still does not rest on the
shoulder, then return to the
booster seat.
.Does the lap belt fit low and
snug on the hips, touching
the thighs? If yes, continue.
If no, return to the
booster seat.
.Can proper seat belt fit be
maintained for the length of
the trip? If yes, continue.
If no, return to the
booster seat. Q: What is the proper way to
wear seat belts?
A: An older child should wear a
lap-shoulder belt and get
the additional restraint a
shoulder belt can provide.
The shoulder belt should
not cross the face or neck.
The lap belt should fit
snugly below the hips, just
touching the top of the
thighs. This applies belt
force to the child's pelvic
bones in a crash. It should
never be worn over the
abdomen, which could cause
severe or even fatal internal
injuries in a crash.
Also see “Rear Seat Belt
Comfort Guides” under
Lap-Shoulder Belt 060.
According to accident
statistics, children are safer
when properly restrained in a
rear seating position.
In a crash, children who are
not buckled up can strike
other people who are buckled
up, or can be thrown out of