PONTIAC G8 2008 Owner's Manual

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 you can take them
out of the guide. Push the guide
into the pocket on the side of
seatback.
Properly secure the guide loop
before folding the seatback.
The comfort guide and vehicle can
be damaged while closing a
door if it is not properly secured in
its storage location.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.
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Safety Belt Check
Now and then, make sure the safety
belt reminder light and all your
belts, buckles, latch plates,
retractors and anchorages are
working properly. Look for any other
loose or damaged safety belt
system parts. If you see anything
that might keep a safety belt system
from doing its job, have it repaired.
Torn or frayed safety belts may
not protect you in a crash. They can
rip apart under impact forces. If a
belt is torn or frayed, get a new one
right away.
Make sure the safety belt reminder
light is working. SeeSafety Belt
Reminders on page 4-12for more
information.
Keep safety belts clean and dry.
SeeCare of Safety Belts on
page 1-18.
Care of Safety Belts
Keep belts clean and dry.
{CAUTION
Do not bleach or dye safety
belts. If you do, it may severely
weaken them. In a crash, they
might not be able to provide
adequate protection. Clean
safety belts only with mild soap
and lukewarm water.
Replacing Safety Belt
System Parts After
a Crash
{CAUTION
A crash can damage the safety
belt system in the vehicle.
A damaged safety belt system
may not properly protect the
person using it, resulting in
serious injury or even death in
a crash. To help make sure the
safety belt systems are working
properly after a crash, have
them inspected and any
necessary replacements made
as soon as possible.
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After a minor crash, replacement of
safety belts may not be necessary.
But the safety belt assemblies
that were used during any crash
may have been stressed or
damaged. See your dealer/retailer
to have the safety belt assemblies
inspected or replaced.
New parts and repairs may be
necessary even if the safety belt
system was not being used at
the time of the crash.
Have the safety belt pretensioners
checked if the vehicle has been in a
crash, or if the airbag readiness
light stays on after you start
the vehicle or while you are driving.
SeeAirbag Readiness Light on
page 4-13.Airbag System
Your vehicle has the following
airbags:
A frontal airbag for the driver.
A frontal airbag for the right front
passenger.
A seat-mounted side impact
airbag for the driver.
A seat-mounted side impact
airbag for the right front
passenger.
A roof-rail airbag for the driver
and the passenger seated
directly behind the driver.
A roof-rail airbag for the right
front passenger and the
passenger seated directly behind
the right front passenger.
All of the airbags in your vehicle will
have the word AIRBAG embossed
in the trim or on an attached
label near the deployment opening.For frontal airbags, the word
AIRBAG will appear on the middle
part of the steering wheel for
the driver and on the instrument
panel for the right front passenger.
With seat-mounted side impact
airbags, the word AIRBAG
will appear on the side of the
seatback closest to the door.
With roof-rail airbags, the word
AIRBAG will appear along the
headliner or trim.
Airbags are designed to supplement
the protection provided by safety
belts. Even though today’s airbags
are also designed to help reduce
the risk of injury from the force of an
inating bag, all airbags must
inate very quickly to do their job.
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Here are the most important things
to know about the airbag system:
{CAUTION
You can be severely injured or
killed in a crash if you are not
wearing your safety belt — even
if you have airbags. Wearing
your safety 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 safety belts. All airbags are
designed to work with safety
belts, but do not replace them.
{CAUTION
Frontal airbags are designed to
deploy in moderate to severe
frontal and near frontal crashes.
They are not designed to inate
in rollover, rear crashes, or in
many side crashes.
Seat-mounted side impact
airbags and roof-rail airbags are
designed to inate in moderate
to severe crashes where
something hits the side of your
vehicle. They are not designed
to inate in frontal, in rollover,
or in rear crashes.
Everyone in your vehicle
should wear a safety belt
properly — whether or not
there is an airbag for that
person.
{CAUTION
Airbags inate with great force,
faster than the blink of an eye.
Anyone who is up against, or
very close to, any airbag when
it inates can be seriously
injured or killed. Do not sit
unnecessarily close to the
airbag, as you would be if you
were sitting on the edge of your
seat or leaning forward. Safety
belts help keep you in position
before and during a crash.
Always wear your safety belt,
even with airbags. The driver
should sit as far back as
possible while still maintaining
control of the vehicle.
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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{CAUTION
Airbags plus lap-shoulder belts
offer the best protection for
adults, but not for young
children and infants. Neither
the vehicle’s safety belt system
nor its airbag system is
designed for them. Young
children and infants need the
protection that a child restraint
system can provide. Always
secure children properly in
your vehicle. To read how, see
Older Children on page 1-32or
Infants and Young Children on
page 1-34.
There is an airbag readiness light
on the instrument panel cluster,
which shows the airbag symbol.
The system checks the airbag
electrical system for malfunctions.
The light tells you if there is an
electrical problem. SeeAirbag
Readiness Light on page 4-13for
more information.
Where Are the Airbags?
The driver’s frontal airbag is in the
middle of the steering wheel.The right front passenger’s frontal
airbag is in the instrument panel on
the passenger’s side.
The seat-mounted side impact
airbags for the driver and right front
passenger are in the side of the
seatbacks closest to the door.
Driver Side shown, Passenger
Side similar
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The roof-rail airbags for the driver,
right front passenger, and second
row outboard passengers are in the
ceiling above the side windows.
{CAUTION
If something is between an
occupant and an airbag, the
airbag might not inate
properly or it might force the
object into that person causing
severe injury or even death.
The path of an inating airbag
must be kept clear. Do not put
anything between an occupant
and an airbag, and do not
attach or put anything on the
steering wheel hub or on or
near any other airbag covering.
(Continued)
CAUTION (Continued)
Do not use seat accessories
that block the ination path of a
seat-mounted side impact
airbag.
Never secure anything to the
roof of a vehicle with roof-rail
airbags by routing a rope or tie
down through any door or
window opening. If you do, the
path of an inating roof-rail
airbag will be blocked.
When Should an Airbag
Inate?
Frontal airbags are designed to
inate in moderate to severe frontal
or near-frontal crashes to help
reduce the potential for severe
injuries mainly to the driver’s or right
front passenger’s head and chest.
However, they are only designed toinate if the impact exceeds a
predetermined deployment
threshold. Deployment thresholds
are used to predict how severe
a crash is likely to be in time for the
airbags to inate and help restrain
the occupants.
Whether the frontal airbags will or
should deploy is not based on
how fast your vehicle is traveling.
It depends largely on what you
hit, the direction of the impact, and
how quickly your vehicle slows
down.
Frontal airbags may inate at
different crash speeds. For example:
If the vehicle hits a stationary
object, the airbags could
inate at a different crash speed
than if the vehicle hits a
moving object.
If the vehicle hits an object that
deforms, the airbags could
inate at a different crash speed
than if the vehicle hits an
object that does not deform.
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If the vehicle hits a narrow object
(like a pole), the airbags could
inate at a different crash speed
than if the vehicle hits a wide
object (like a wall).
If the vehicle goes into an object
at an angle, the airbags could
inate at a different crash speed
than if the vehicle goes straight
into the object.
Thresholds can also vary with
specic vehicle design.
Frontal airbags are not intended to
inate during vehicle rollovers,
rear impacts, or in many side
impacts.
In addition, the vehicle has
dual-stage frontal airbags.
Dual-stage airbags adjust the
restraint according to crash severity.
The vehicle has electronic frontalsensors, which help the sensing
system distinguish between a
moderate frontal impact and a more
severe frontal impact. For moderate
frontal impacts, dual-stage airbags
inate at a level less than full
deployment. For more severe frontal
impacts, full deployment occurs.
The vehicle has seat-mounted side
impact and roof-rail airbags. See
Airbag System on page 1-19.
Seat-mounted side impact and
roof-rail airbags are intended
to inate in moderate to severe side
crashes. Seat-mounted side
impact and roof-rail airbags will
inate if the crash severity is above
the system’s designed threshold
level. The threshold level can vary
with specic vehicle design.
Seat-mounted side impact and
roof-rail airbags are not intended to
inate in frontal impacts, near-frontal
impacts, rollovers, or rear impacts.A seat-mounted side impact airbag
is intended to deploy on the side
of the vehicle that is struck.
A roof-rail airbag is intended to
deploy on the side of the vehicle
that is struck.
In any particular crash, no one can
say whether an airbag should
have inated simply because of the
damage to a vehicle or because
of what the repair costs were.
For frontal airbags, ination is
determined by what the vehicle hits,
the angle of the impact, and how
quickly the vehicle slows down.
For seat-mounted side impact and
roof-rail airbags, deployment is
determined by the location
and severity of the side impact.
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What Makes an Airbag
Inate?
In a deployment event, the sensing
system sends an electrical signal
triggering a release of gas from the
inator. Gas from the inator lls
the airbag causing the bag to break
out of the cover and deploy.
The inator, the airbag, and
related hardware are all part of
the airbag module.
Frontal airbag modules are located
inside the steering wheel and
instrument panel. For vehicles with
seat-mounted side impact airbags,
there are airbag modules in the side
of the front seatbacks closest to
the door. For vehicles with roof-rail
airbags, there are airbag modules
in the ceiling of the vehicle, near the
side windows that have occupant
seating positions.
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 safety belts. Frontal
airbags distribute the force of the
impact more evenly over the
occupant’s upper body, stopping
the occupant more gradually.
Seat-mounted side impact and
roof-rail airbags distribute the force of
the impact more evenly over the
occupant’s upper body.But airbags would not help in many
types of collisions, primarily
because the occupant’s motion is
not toward those airbags. SeeWhen
Should an Airbag Inflate? on
page 1-22for more information.
Airbags should never be regarded
as anything more than a supplement
to safety belts.
What Will You See After
an Airbag Inates?
After the frontal airbags and
seat-mounted side impact airbags
inate, they quickly deate, so
quickly that some people may not
even realize an airbag inated.
Roof-rail airbags may still be at least
partially inated for some time after
they deploy. Some components of
the airbag module may be hot for
several minutes. For location of the
airbag modules, seeWhat Makes an
Airbag Inflate? on page 1-24.
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The parts of the airbag that come
into contact with you may be warm,
but not too hot to touch. There may
be some smoke and dust coming
from the vents in the deated
airbags. Airbag ination does not
prevent the driver from seeing out of
the windshield or being able to steer
the vehicle, nor does it prevent
people from leaving the vehicle.
{CAUTION
When an airbag inates, there
may be dust in the air. This
dust could cause breathing
problems for people with a
history of asthma or other
breathing trouble. To avoid this,
everyone in the vehicle should
get out as soon as it is safe to
do so. If you have breathing
(Continued)
CAUTION (Continued)
problems but cannot get out of
the vehicle after an airbag
inates, then get fresh air by
opening a window or a door.
If you experience breathing
problems following an airbag
deployment, you should seek
medical attention.
The vehicle has a feature that may
automatically unlock the doors,
turn the interior lamps on, and turn
the hazard warning ashers on
when the airbags inate. You can
lock the doors, turn the interior
lamps off, and turn the hazard
warning ashers off by using the
controls for those features.
In many crashes severe enough to
inate the airbag, windshields
are broken by vehicle deformation.Additional windshield breakage may
also occur from the right front
passenger airbag.Airbags are designed to inate
only once. After an airbag
inates, you will need 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 your vehicle covers the
need to replace other parts.
The vehicle has a crash sensing
and diagnostic module which
records information after a crash.
SeeVehicle Data Recording and
Privacy on page 12-16andEvent
Data Recorders on page 12-16.
Let only qualied technicians work
on the airbag systems. Improper
service can mean that an airbag
system will not work properly. See
your dealer/retailer for service.
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Passenger Sensing
System
The vehicle has a passenger
sensing system for the right front
passenger position. The passenger
airbag status indicator will be
visible in the rearview mirror when
you start the vehicle.
The words ON and OFF, or the
symbol for on and off, will be visible
during the system check. If you are
using remote start to start your
vehicle from a distance, if equipped,
you may not see the system check.
When the system check is complete,either the word ON or the word OFF,
or the symbol for on or the symbol for
off, will be visible. SeePassenger
Airbag Status Indicator on
page 4-14.
The passenger sensing system will
turn off the right front passenger
frontal airbag under certain
conditions. The driver airbags are
not part of the passenger sensing
system.
The passenger sensing system
works with sensors that are part of
the right front passenger seat. The
sensors are designed to detect the
presence of a properly-seated
occupant and determine if the right
front passenger frontal airbag should
be enabled (may inate) or not.
Accident statistics show that children
are safer if they are restrained in
the rear rather than the front seat.
We recommend that children
be secured in a rear seat, including:
an infant or a child riding in a
rear-facing child restraint; a child
riding in a forward-facing child seat;an older child riding in a booster
seat; and children, who are
large enough, using safety belts.
A label on the sun visor says,
“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.
{CAUTION
A child in a rear-facing child
restraint can be seriously
injured or killed if the right
front passenger airbag
inates. This is because the
back of the rear-facing child
restraint would be very close to
the inating airbag. A child in a
forward-facing child restraint
can be seriously injured or killed
if the right front passenger
airbag inates and the
passenger seat is in a forward
position.
(Continued) United States
Canada
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2008 - Pontiac G8 Owner Manual