BUICK ENCLAVE 2009 Owner's Guide

fatal injuries. The shoulder belt
should go 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.
Q:What is wrong with this?
A:The shoulder belt is too loose. It
will not give as much protection
this way.
{CAUTION
You can be seriously hurt if your
shoulder belt is too loose. In a
crash, you would move forward
too much, which could increase
injury. The shoulder belt should t
snugly against your body.
Q:What is wrong with this?
A:The lap belt is too loose. It will
not give nearly as much
protection this way.
{CAUTION
You can be seriously hurt if your
lap belt is too loose. In a crash,
you could slide under the lap belt
and apply force on your abdomen.
This could cause serious or even
fatal injuries. The lap belt should
be worn low and snug on the
hips, just touching the thighs.
Seats and Restraint System 1-17

Q:What is wrong with this?
A:The belt is buckled in the wrong
buckle.
{CAUTION
You can be seriously injured if
your belt is buckled in the wrong
place like this. In a crash, the belt
would go up over your abdomen.
The belt forces would be there,
not on the pelvic bones. This
could cause serious internal
injuries. Always buckle your belt
into the buckle nearest you.
Q:What is wrong with this?
A:The belt is over an armrest.
{CAUTION
You can be seriously injured if
your belt goes over an armrest
like this. The belt would be much
too high. In a crash, you can slide
under the belt. The belt force
would then be applied on the
abdomen, not on the pelvic
bones, and that could cause
serious or fatal injuries. Be sure
the belt goes under the armrests.
1-18 Seats and Restraint System

Q:What is wrong with this?
A:The shoulder belt is worn under
the arm. It should be worn over
the shoulder at all times.
{CAUTION
You can be seriously injured if
you wear the shoulder belt under
your arm. In a crash, your body
would move too far forward, which
would increase the chance of
(Continued)
CAUTION (Continued)
head and neck injury. Also, the
belt would apply too much force
to the ribs, which are not as
strong as shoulder bones. You
could also severely injure internal
organs like your liver or spleen.
The shoulder belt should go over
the shoulder and across the
chest.
Q:What is wrong with this?
A:The belt is behind the body.
{CAUTION
You can be seriously injured by
not wearing the lap-shoulder belt
properly. In a crash, you would
not be restrained by the shoulder
belt. Your body could move too
far forward increasing the chance
of head and neck injury. You
might also slide under the lap
belt. The belt force would then be
applied right on the abdomen.
That could cause serious or fatal
injuries. The shoulder belt should
go over the shoulder and across
the chest.
Seats and Restraint System 1-19

Q:What is wrong with this?
A:The belt is twisted across
the body.
{CAUTION
You can be seriously injured by a
twisted belt. In a crash, you would
not have the full width of the belt
to spread impact forces. If a belt
is twisted, make it straight so it
can work properly, or ask your
dealer/retailer to x it.
Lap-Shoulder Belt
All seating positions in the vehicle
have a lap-shoulder belt.
If you are using a rear seating
position with a detachable safety
belt and the safety belt is not
attached, seeThird Row Seats on
page 1-10for instruction on
reconnecting the safety belt to the
mini-buckle.
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.
1-20 Seats and Restraint System

3. Push the latch plate into the
buckle until it clicks.
4. Pull up on the latch plate to
make sure it is secure. If the belt
is not long enough, seeSafety
Belt Extender on page 1-25.
Position the release button on
the buckle so that the safety belt
could be quickly unbuckled if
necessary.
5. If equipped with a shoulder belt
height adjuster, move it to the
height that is right for you.See “Shoulder Belt Height
Adjustment” later in this section
for instructions on use and
important safety information.
6. To make the lap part tight, pull
up on the shoulder belt.
It may be necessary to pull the
stitching on the safety 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. Slide the latch
plate up the safety belt webbing
when the safety belt is not in use.
The latch plate should rest on the
stitching on the safety belt, near the
guide loop on the side wall.
Before a door is closed, be sure the
safety belt is out of the way. If a
door is slammed against a safety
belt, damage can occur to both the
safety belt and the vehicle.
Seats and Restraint System 1-21

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 that the
shoulder portion of the belt is
centered on the shoulder. The belt
should be away from the face
and neck, but not falling off of the
shoulder. Improper shoulder
belt height adjustment could reduce
the effectiveness of the safety
belt in a crash.To move it down, push down on
the button (A) and move the height
adjuster to the desired position.
You can move the height adjuster
up by pushing up on the shoulder
belt guide.
After the adjuster is set to the
desired position, try to move it down
without pushing the button to make
sure it has locked into position.
Safety Belt Pretensioners
This vehicle has safety belt
pretensioners for the front outboard
occupants. Although the safety
belt pretensioners cannot be seen,
they are part of the safety belt
assembly. They can help tighten the
safety 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.
And, for vehicles with side impact
airbags, safety belt pretensioners
can help tighten the safety belts in a
side crash or a rollover event.
Pretensioners work only once. If the
pretensioners activate in a crash,
they will need to be replaced,
and probably other new parts for the
vehicle’s safety belt system. See
Replacing Restraint System
Parts After a Crash on page 1-59.
1-22 Seats and Restraint System

Rear Safety Belt Comfort
Guides
Rear shoulder belt comfort guides
may provide added safety 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.There is a guide for each outboard
passenger position in the second row
seat and all passenger positions in
the third row. Here is how to install a
comfort guide to the safety belt:
1. For the outboard positions,
remove the guide from its storage
clip on the interior body.
For the third row center position,
locate the comfort guide which
is located in a storage pocket, at
the top of the seat, under the
headrest on the driver’s side of
the vehicle. To access thecomfort guide, you will rst need
to move the headrest forward
by pulling on the handle behind
the seatback. The comfort
guide will now be accessible.
Pull the comfort guide out of
its storage location and then
return the headrest to its upright
position.
The elastic cord on the comfort
guide is adjustable. You can
make it longer or shorter by
squeezing both ends of the
plastic adjuster. Outboard Positions
Third Row Center Position
Seats and Restraint System 1-23

2. Place the guide over the belt and
insert the two edges of the belt
into the slots of the guide.3. Be sure that the belt is not
twisted and it lies at. The elastic
cord must be under the belt
and the guide on top.
{CAUTION
A safety belt that is not properly
worn may not provide the
protection needed in a crash. The
person wearing the belt could be
seriously injured. The shoulder
belt should go over the shoulder
and across the chest. These parts
of the body are best able to take
belt restraining forces.
1-24 Seats and Restraint System

4. Buckle, position, and release the
safety belt as described
previously in this section. Make
sure that the shoulder belt
crosses the shoulder.
To remove and store the comfort
guide, squeeze the belt edges
together so that the safety belt can
be removed from the guide.
Slide the guide into its storage
location or on its storage clip.
Safety Belt Use During
Pregnancy
Safety belts work for everyone,
including pregnant women. Like all
occupants, they are more likely
to be seriously injured if they do not
wear safety 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
safety belt is worn properly,
it is more likely that the fetus will not
be hurt in a crash. For pregnant
women, as for anyone, the key to
making safety belts effective is
wearing them properly.
Safety Belt Extender
If the safety belt will fasten around
you, you should use it.
But if a safety belt is not long
enough, your dealer/retailer will
order you an extender. When you go
in to order it, take the heaviest
coat you will wear, so the extender
will be long enough for you. To
help avoid personal injury, do not let
someone else use it, and use it
only for the seat it is made to t. The
extender has been designed for
adults. Never use it for securing
child seats. To wear it, attach it to
the regular safety belt. For more
information, see the instruction
sheet that comes with the extender.
Seats and Restraint System 1-25

Child Restraints
Older Children
Older children who have outgrown
booster seats should wear the
vehicle’s safety belts.The manufacturer’s 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 below t test:
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
safety belt comfort guide. See
“Rear Safety Belt Comfort
Guides” underLap-Shoulder Belt
on page 1-20for more
information. If the shoulder belt
still does not rest on the shoulder,
then return to the booster seat.
Does the lap belt t low and
snug on the hips, touching
the thighs? If yes, continue. If no,
return to the booster seat.
Can proper safety belt t be
maintained for the length of
the trip? If yes, continue. If no,
return to the booster seat.
1-26 Seats and Restraint System