GMC ACADIA 2018 Owner's Manual
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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 with top
tethers 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 Row
—Bucket
I:Seating positions with top
tether anchors.
H: Seating positions with two
lower anchors.
Second Row —60/40 Bench
I:Seating positions with top
tether anchors.
H: Seating positions with two
lower anchors.
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Third Row
I:Seating positions with top
tether anchors.
To assist in locating the lower
anchors, each second row anchor
position has a label, near the crease
between the seatback and the seat
cushion.
To assist in locating the top tether
anchors, the top tether anchor
symbol is near the anchor.
Second Row —Bucket Shown,
Bench Similar
The top tether anchors are at the
bottom rear of the seatback for each
seating position in the second row. Be sure to use an anchor on the
same side of the vehicle as the
seating position where the child
restraint will be placed.
Third Row
The top tether anchors are on the
rear of the seatback for each
seating position in the third row.
Be sure to use an anchor on the
same side of the vehicle as the
seating position where the child
restraint will be placed.
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 attached, or if
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102 Seats and Restraints
the instructions that come with the
child restraint say that the top tether
must be attached.
According to accident statistics,
children and infants are safer when
properly restrained in a child
restraint system or infant restraint
system secured in a rear seating
position. SeeWhere to Put the
Restraint 097 for additional
information.
Securing a Child Restraint
Designed for the LATCH
System
{Warning
If a LATCH-type child restraint is
not attached to anchors, the child
restraint will not be able to protect
the child correctly. In a crash, the
child could be seriously injured or
killed. Install a LATCH-type child
restraint properly using the
anchors, or use the vehicle's seat
belts to secure the restraint,
(Continued)
Warning (Continued)
following the instructions that
came with the child restraint and
the instructions in this manual.
{Warning
To reduce the risk of serious or
fatal injuries during a crash, do
not attach more than one child
restraint to a single anchor.
Attaching more than one child
restraint to a single anchor could
cause the anchor or attachment
to come loose or even break
during a crash. A child or others
could be injured.
{Warning
Children can be seriously injured
or strangled if a shoulder belt is
wrapped around their neck. The(Continued)
Warning (Continued)
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.
Buckle any unused seat belts
behind the child restraint so
children cannot reach them. Pull
the shoulder belt all the way out
of the retractor to set the lock,
and tighten the belt behind the
child restraint after the child
restraint has been installed.
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Caution
Do not let the LATCH
attachments rub against the
vehicle’s seat belts. This may
damage these parts. If necessary,
move buckled seat belts to avoid
rubbing the LATCH attachments.
Do not fold the rear seatback
when the seat is occupied. Do not
fold the empty rear seat with a
seat belt buckled. This could
damage the seat belt or the seat.
Unbuckle and return the seat belt
to its stowed position, before
folding the seat.
The vehicle is equipped with a front
center airbag in the inboard side of
the driver seat. Even with a front
center airbag, a child restraint can
be installed in any second row
seating position. If a child restraint is
installed in a second row center
seat, move the second row seat to
the rearward position, whenever
possible, to minimize contact with
the front center airbag. If you need to secure more than one
child restraint in the rear seat, see
Where to Put the Restraint
097.
This system is designed to make
installation of child restraints easier.
When using lower anchors, do not
use the vehicle's seat belts. Instead
use the vehicle's anchors and child
restraint attachments to secure the
restraints. Some restraints also use
another vehicle anchor to secure a
top tether. 1. Attach and tighten the lower attachments to the lower
anchors. If the child restraint
does not have lower
attachments or the desired
seating position does not have
lower anchors, secure the child
restraint with the top tether and
the seat belts. Refer to the
child restraint manufacturer
instructions and the
instructions in this manual.
1.1. Find the lower anchors for the desired seating
position. 1.2. To access the lower
anchors in the second
row, it may help to recline
the seatback.
Third row seatbacks must
be upright before placing
the child restraint on
the seat.
1.3. Put the child restraint on the seat.
1.4. Attach and tighten the lower attachments on the
child restraint to the lower
anchors.
If necessary, adjust the
angle of the second row
seatback to achieve a
tight installation. Make
sure the second row
bench seatbacks are
aligned at the same
angle.
2. If the child restraint manufacturer recommends that
the top tether be attached,
attach and tighten the top
tether to the top tether anchor,
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if the vehicle has one. Refer to
the child restraint instructions
and the following steps:
2.1. Find the top tetheranchor.
2.2. Route, attach, and tighten the top tether according
to your child restraint
instructions and the
following instructions:
If the position you are
using does not have a
headrest or head restraint
and you are using a
single tether, route the
tether over the seatback.
If the position you are
using does not have a
headrest or head restraint
and you are using a dual
tether, route the tether
over the seatback.
If the position you are
using has an adjustable
headrest or head restraint
and you are using a dual
tether, raise the headrest or head restraint and
route the tether under the
headrest or head restraint
and around the headrest
or head restraint posts.
If the position being used
has an adjustable
headrest or head restraint
and a single tether is
being used, route the
tether between the
headrest or head restraint
posts.
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If the position you are
using has a fixed
headrest or head restraint
and you are using a dual
tether, route the tether
around the headrest or
head restraint.
If the position you are
using has a fixed
headrest or head restraint
and you are using a
single tether, route the
tether under the headrest
or head restraint.
3. Before placing a child in the child restraint, make sure it is
securely held in place. To
check, grasp the child restraint
at the LATCH path and attempt
to move it side to side and
back and forth. There should
be no more than 2.5 cm (1 in) of
movement, for proper
installation.
Replacing LATCH System
Parts After a Crash
{Warning
A crash can damage the LATCH
system in the vehicle. A damaged
LATCH system may not properly
secure the child restraint,
(Continued)
Warning (Continued)
resulting in serious injury or even
death in a crash. To help make
sure the LATCH system is
working properly after a crash,
see your dealer to have the
system inspected and any
necessary replacements made as
soon as possible.
If the vehicle has the LATCH system
and it was being used during a
crash, new LATCH system parts
may be needed.
New parts and repairs may be
necessary even if the LATCH
system was not being used at the
time of the crash.
Securing Child Restraints
(With the Seat Belt in the
Front Seat)
This vehicle has airbags. A rear
seat is a safer place to secure a
forward-facing child restraint. See
Where to Put the Restraint 097.
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106 Seats and Restraints
In addition, the vehicle has a
passenger sensing system which is
designed to turn off the front
outboard passenger frontal airbag
under certain conditions.
SeePassenger Sensing System
0 85 and Passenger Airbag Status
Indicator 0135 for more information,
including important safety
information.
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 deploys.
{Warning
A child in a rear-facing child
restraint can be seriously injured
or killed if the front outboard
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 front
(Continued)
Warning (Continued)
outboard passenger frontal airbag
inflates and the passenger seat is
in a forward position.
Even if the passenger sensing
system 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.
SeePassenger Sensing System
0 85 for additional information. If the child restraint uses a top
tether, see
Lower Anchors and
Tethers for Children (LATCH
System) 098 for top tether anchor
locations.
Do not secure a child seat in a
position without a top tether anchor
if a national or local law requires
that the top tether be anchored, or if
the instructions that come with the
child restraint say that the top strap
must be anchored.
In Canada, the law requires that
forward-facing child restraints have
a top tether, and that the tether be
attached.
When using the lap-shoulder belt to
secure the child restraint in this
position, follow the instructions that
came with the child restraint and the
following instructions:
1. Move the seat as far back as it will go before securing the
forward-facing child restraint.
Move the seat upward or the
seatback to an upright position,
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if needed, to get a tight
installation of the child
restraint.
When the passenger sensing
system has turned off the front
outboard passenger frontal
airbag, the off indicator on the
passenger airbag status
indicator should light and stay
lit when you start the vehicle.
SeePassenger Airbag Status
Indicator 0135.
2. Put the child restraint on the seat.
3. Pick up the latch plate, and run the lap and shoulder portions
of the vehicle's seat belt
through or around the restraint.
The child restraint instructions
will show you how.
Tilt the latch plate to adjust the
belt if needed.
4. Push the latch plate into thebuckle until it clicks. Position the release button on
the buckle, away from the child
restraint system, so that the
seat belt could be quickly
unbuckled if necessary.
5. Pull the shoulder belt all the
way out of the retractor to set
the lock. When the retractor
lock is set, the belt can be
tightened but not pulled out of
the retractor.
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6. To tighten the belt, push downon the child restraint, pull the
shoulder portion of the belt to
tighten the lap portion of the
belt, and feed the shoulder belt
back into the retractor. When
installing a forward-facing child
restraint, it may be helpful to
use your knee to push down on
the child restraint as you
tighten the belt.
Try to pull the belt out of the
retractor to make sure the
retractor is locked. If the
retractor is not locked, repeat
Steps 5 and 6. 7. Before placing a child in the
child restraint, make sure it is
securely held in place. To
check, grasp the child restraint
at the seat belt path and
attempt to move it side to side
and back and forth. When the
child restraint is properly
installed, there should be no
more than 2.5 cm (1 in) of
movement.
If the airbag is off, the off indicator in
the passenger airbag status
indicator will come on and stay on
when the vehicle is started.
If a child restraint has been installed
and the on indicator is lit, see “If the
On Indicator Is Lit for a Child
Restraint” underPassenger Sensing
System 085.
To remove the child restraint,
unbuckle the vehicle seat belt and
let it return to the stowed position.
Securing Child Restraints
(With the Seat Belt in the
Rear Seat)
The vehicle is equipped with a front
center airbag in the inboard side of
the driver seat. Even with a front
center airbag, a child restraint can
be installed in any second row
seating position. If you install a child
restraint in a second row center
seat, move the second row seat to
the rearward position, whenever
possible, to minimize contact with
the front center airbag.
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.
If the child restraint has the LATCH
system, see Lower Anchors and
Tethers for Children (LATCH
System) 098 for how and where to
install the child restraint using
LATCH. If a child restraint is
secured in the vehicle using a seat
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Seats and Restraints 109
belt and it uses a top tether, see
Lower Anchors and Tethers for
Children (LATCH System)098 for
top tether anchor locations.
Do not secure a child seat in a
position without a top tether anchor
if a national or local law requires
that the top tether be anchored, or if
the instructions that come with the
child restraint say that the top strap
must be anchored.
In Canada, the law requires that
forward-facing child restraints have
a top tether, and that the tether be
attached.
If the child restraint or vehicle seat
position does not have the LATCH
system, you will be using the seat
belt to secure the child restraint.
Be sure to follow the instructions
that came with the child restraint.
If more than one child restraint
needs to be installed in the rear
seat, be sure to read Where to Put
the Restraint 097.
1. Put the child restraint on the seat. 2. Pick up the latch plate, and run
the lap and shoulder portions
of the vehicle's seat belt
through or around the restraint.
The child restraint instructions
will show you how.
3. Push the latch plate into thebuckle until it clicks.
Position the release button on
the buckle, away from the child
restraint system, so that the
seat belt could be quickly
unbuckled if necessary.
4. Pull the shoulder belt all the
way out of the retractor to set
the lock. When the retractor
lock is set, the belt can be
tightened but not pulled out of
the retractor.