GMC Canyon/Canyon Denali Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/
Mexico-16510661) - 2023 - CRC - 11/29/22
46 Seats and Restraints
United States
Canada
The words ON and OFF, or 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, or the symbol
for on and off, will be visible. See Passenger
Airbag Status Indicator 088.
The passenger sensing system turns off the
front outboard passenger frontal 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
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.
Never put a rear-facing child seat in the
front. This is because the risk to the
rear-facing child is so great, if the airbag
inflates.
{Warning
A child in a rear-facing child restraint can
be seriously injured or killed if the
passenger frontal 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 passenger
frontal airbag inflates and the passenger
seat is in a forward position.
(Continued)
Warning (Continued)
Even if the passenger sensing system has
turned off the passenger frontal airbag,
no system is fail-safe. No one can
guarantee that an airbag will not deploy
under some unusual circumstance, even
though the airbag is turned off.
Never put a rear-facing child restraint in
the front seat, even if the airbag is off.
If securing 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 child
restraints in the rear seat. Consider using
another vehicle to transport the child
when a rear seat is not available.
The passenger sensing system is designed to
turn off the front outboard passenger
frontal airbag if:
.The front outboard passenger seat is
unoccupied.
.The system determines an infant is
present in a child restraint.
.A front outboard passenger takes his/her
weight off of the seat for a period
of time.
GMC Canyon/Canyon Denali Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/
Mexico-16510661) - 2023 - CRC - 11/29/22
Seats and Restraints 51
Child Restraints
Older Children
Older children who have outgrown booster
seats should wear the vehicle’s seat belts.
Refer toHow to Wear Seat Belts Properly
0 34.
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 036. 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 036.
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 the vehicle. Older
children need to use seat belts properly.
{Warning
Never allow more than one child to wear
the same seat belt. The seat belt cannot
properly spread the impact forces. In a
crash, they can be crushed together and
seriously injured. A seat belt must be
used by only one person at a time.
GMC Canyon/Canyon Denali Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/
Mexico-16510661) - 2023 - CRC - 11/29/22
Seats and Restraints 53
{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 and
is designed by a genuine child restraint
manufacturer. 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 Canyon/Canyon Denali Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/
Mexico-16510661) - 2023 - CRC - 11/29/22
54 Seats and Restraints
{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 Canyon/Canyon Denali Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/
Mexico-16510661) - 2023 - CRC - 11/29/22
Seats and Restraints 57
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. 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 restraint. 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.
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 Canyon/Canyon Denali Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/
Mexico-16510661) - 2023 - CRC - 11/29/22
58 Seats and Restraints
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 Front Seat) 067 or
Securing Child Restraints (With the Seat Belt
in the Rear Seat) 065. Child restraints built after March 2014 are
labeled with the maximum child weight,
with which the LATCH system can be used
for installing the child 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) 067 or
Securing Child Restraints (With the Seat Belt
in the Rear Seat) 065.
GMC Canyon/Canyon Denali Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/
Mexico-16510661) - 2023 - CRC - 11/29/22
62 Seats and Restraints
2. For forward-facing child restraints, attachand tighten the top tether to the top
tether anchor, if your vehicle has one.
Follow the child restraint instructions and
the vehicle LATCH anchor weight limits
described at the beginning of this
section, and the following steps:
Rear Driver Side Position
Rear Driver Side Position
2.1. For a top tether in the rear driver side position:
2.1.1. Remove the driver side head restraint and center
headrest. See “Head
Restraint or Headrest
Removal and Reinstallation”
later in this section.2.1.2. For first time use, remove and discard the rubber band
from the top tether loop (2).
2.1.3. Route the top tether (3) through the loop (2).
2.1.4. Attach the top tether (3) to the driver side of the center
top tether metal anchor (1).
2.1.5. Make sure the child restraint top tether hook is
completely closed and
secured to the top tether
anchor.
GMC Canyon/Canyon Denali Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/
Mexico-16510661) - 2023 - CRC - 11/29/22
Driving and Operating 155
.D (Drive) can be used when driving on
steep hills. If the transmission shifts too
often, move the shift lever to L (Manual
Mode) and choose an appropriate low
gear for current driving conditions. See
Manual Mode0177.
.When possible, drive straight up or down
the hill.
.Slow down when approaching the top of
the hill.
{Warning
Driving to the top of a hill at high speed
can cause a crash. There could be a
drop-off, embankment, cliff, or even
another vehicle. You could be seriously
injured or killed. As you near the top of a
hill, slow down and stay alert.
.Never go downhill forward or backward
with the transmission in N (Neutral). The
brakes could overheat and you could lose
control.
{Warning
If the vehicle has the two-speed
automatic or electronic transfer case,
shifting the transfer case to N (Neutral)
can cause your vehicle to roll even if the
transmission is in P (Park). This is because
the N (Neutral) position on the transfer
case overrides the transmission. You or
someone else could be injured. If leaving
the vehicle, set the parking brake and
shift the transmission to P (Park). Shift
the transfer case to any position but
N (Neutral).
.When driving down a hill, keep the
vehicle headed straight down. Use a low
gear because the engine will work with
the brakes to slow the vehicle and help
keep the vehicle under control.
{Warning
Heavy braking when going down a hill
can cause your brakes to overheat and
fade. This could cause loss of control and
you or others could be injured or killed.
(Continued)
Warning (Continued)
Apply the brakes lightly when descending
a hill and use a low gear to keep vehicle
speed under control.
.Avoid turns that take the vehicle across
the incline of the hill. Driving across an
incline puts more weight on the downhill
wheels, which could cause a downhill
slide or a rollover.
.Loose gravel, muddy spots, or even wet
grass can cause the tires to slip sideways,
downhill. If the vehicle slips sideways, it
can hit something and potentially
roll over.
.Hidden obstacles can make the steepness
of the incline more severe. If a rock is
driven across with the uphill wheels, or if
the downhill wheels drop into a rut or
depression, the vehicle can tilt even more.
.If driving across an incline is not
avoidable and the vehicle starts to slide,
turn downhill. This should help straighten
out the vehicle and prevent side slipping.
If the vehicle stalls on a hill: 1. Apply the brakes to stop the vehicle, and then apply the parking brake.