belt PONTIAC SOLSTICE 2006 Owner's Manual

{CAUTION:
The body structure of a young child is quite
unlike that of an adult or older child, for whom
the safety belts are designed. A young child’s
hip bones are still so small that the vehicle’s
regular safety 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. Young
children always should be secured in
appropriate child restraints.
Child Restraint Systems
An infant car bed (A), a special bed made for use in a
motor vehicle, is an infant restraint system designed to
restrain or position a child on a continuous at surface.
Make sure that the infant’s head rests toward the center
of the vehicle.
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A booster seat (F-G) is a child restraint designed to
improve the t of the vehicle’s safety belt system. Some
booster seats have a shoulder belt positioner, and some
high-back booster seats have a ve-point harness.
A booster seat can also help a child to see out the
window.
Q:How do child restraints work?
A:A child restraint system is any device designed for
use in a motor vehicle to restrain, seat, or position
children. A built-in child restraint system is a
permanent part of the motor vehicle. An add-on
child restraint system is a portable one, which is
purchased by the vehicle’s owner.
For many years, add-on child restraints have used
the adult belt system in the vehicle. To help reduce
the chance of injury, the child also has to be secured
within the restraint. The vehicle’s belt system
secures the add-on child restraint in the vehicle, and
the add-on child restraint’s harness system holds the
child in place within the restraint.
One system, the three-point harness, has straps that
come down over each of the infant’s shoulders and
buckle together at the crotch. The ve-point harness
system has two shoulder straps, two hip straps and
a crotch strap. A shield may take the place of hip
straps. A T-shaped shield has shoulder straps that
are attached to a at pad which rests low against the
child’s body. A shelf- or armrest-type shield has
straps that are attached to a wide, shelf-like shield
that swings up or to the side.
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When choosing a child restraint, be sure the child
restraint is designed to be used in a vehicle. If it is,
it will have a label saying that it meets federal motor
vehicle safety standards.
Then follow the instructions for the restraint. You may nd
these instructions on the restraint itself or in a booklet, or
both. These restraints use the belt system or the LATCH
(Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children) system in your
vehicle, but the child also has to be secured within the
restraint to help reduce the chance of personal injury.
When securing an add-on child restraint, refer to the
instructions that come with the restraint which may be on
the restraint itself or in a booklet, or both, and to this
manual. The child restraint instructions are important, so
if they are not available, obtain a replacement copy from
the manufacturer.
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 your vehicle – even when no
child is in it.Lower Anchors and Tethers for
Children (LATCH)
Some child restraints have a LATCH system. As part of
the LATCH system, your child restraint may have lower
attachments and/or a top tether. The LATCH system can
help hold the child restraint in place during driving or in a
crash. Some vehicles have lower and/or top tether
anchors designed to secure a child restraint with lower
attachments and/or a top tether.
Some child restraints with a top tether are designed to be
used whether the top tether is anchored or not. Other
child restraints require that the top tether be anchored.
A national or local law may require that the top tether
be anchored.
In Canada, the law requires that forward-facing child
restraints have a top tether, and that the tether be
attached.
Your vehicle does not have lower anchors or top tether
anchors to secure a child restraint with the LATCH
system. If a national or local law requires that your top
tether be anchored, do not use a child restraint in this
vehicle because a top tether cannot be properly
anchored. You must use the safety belts to secure your
child restraint in this vehicle, unless a national or local
law requires that the top tether be anchored. Refer to
your child restraint instructions and instructions in this
manual for securing a child restraint using the vehicle’s
safety belts.
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There is no top strap anchor in your vehicle. Do not
secure a child seat in your vehicle if a national or local
law requires that the top strap be anchored, or if the
instructions that come with the child restraint say that the
top strap must be anchored. SeeLower Anchors and
Tethers for Children (LATCH) on page 1-26for more
information.
If you need to secure a forward-facing child restraint in
the passenger’s position, move the seat as far back as it
will go before securing the forward-facing child restraint.
SeeManual Seats on page 1-2.
You will be using the lap-shoulder belt to secure the
child restraint in this position. Be sure to follow the
instructions that came with the child restraint. Secure
the child in the child restraint when and as the
instructions say.
1. Your vehicle has a passenger’s frontal airbag. See
Passenger Sensing System on page 1-37. General
Motors recommends that rear-facing child restraints
be secured in a rear seat, even if the airbag is off. If
your child restraint is forward-facing, move the seat
as far back as it will go before securing the child
restraint in this seat. SeeManual Seats on page 1-2.
When the passenger sensing system has turned off
the passenger’s frontal airbag, the off indicator in the
passenger airbag status indicator should light and
stay lit when the vehicle is started. SeePassenger
Airbag Status Indicator on page 3-25.2. Put the child restraint on the seat.
3. Pick up the latch plate, and run the lap and shoulder
portions of the vehicle’s safety belt through or around
the restraint. The child restraint instructions will show
you how.
4. Buckle the belt. Make sure the release button is
positioned so you would be able to unbuckle the
safety belt quickly if you ever had to.
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5. Pull the rest of the shoulder belt all the way out of
the retractor to set the lock.6. To tighten the belt, push down on 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. If you are using a forward-facing
child restraint, you may nd it helpful to use your
knee to push down on the child restraint as you
tighten the belt. You should not be able to pull more
of the belt from the retractor once the lock has
been set.
7. Push and pull the child restraint in different directions
to be sure it is secure.
8. If the airbag is off, the off indicator on the instrument
panel will be lit and stay lit when the vehicle is
started.
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If a child restraint has been installed and the on
indicator is lit, turn the vehicle off. Remove the child
restraint from the vehicle and reinstall the child restraint.
If after reinstalling the child restraint and restarting the
vehicle, the on indicator is still lit, check to make sure that
the vehicle’s seatback is not pressing the child restraint
into the seat cushion. If this happens, slightly recline the
vehicle’s seatback and adjust the seat cushion if
possible.
A thick layer of additional material such as a blanket, or
aftermarket equipment such as seat covers, seat heaters
and seat massagers, located between the seat cushion
and the child restraint or small occupant, can affect how
the passenger sensing system operates. Remove any
additional material from the seat cushion before
reinstalling or securing the child restraint and before
a small occupant, including a small adult, sits in the
passenger position.
If the on indicator is still lit, do not install a child restraint
in this vehicle and check with your dealer.
To remove the child restraint, just unbuckle the vehicle’s
safety belt and let it go back all the way. The safety belt
will move freely again and be ready to work for an adult or
larger child passenger.Airbag System
Your vehicle has an airbag for the driver and an airbag
for the right front passenger.
Frontal airbags are designed to help reduce the risk of
injury from the force of an inating frontal airbag.
But these airbags must inate very quickly to do their
job and comply with federal regulations.
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 designed to work
with safety belts, but do not replace them.
Airbags are designed to deploy in moderate
to severe frontal and near frontal crashes.
CAUTION: (Continued)
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CAUTION: (Continued)
They are not designed to inate in rollover,
rear crashes, or in many side crashes. And, for
some unrestrained occupants, airbags may
provide less protection in frontal crashes than
more forceful airbags have provided in the
past. 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. If you are too close to an
inating airbag, as you would be if you were
leaning forward, it could seriously injure you.
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.
{CAUTION:
Anyone who is up against, or very close to, any
airbag when it inates can be seriously injured
or killed. 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, seeOlder Children
on page 1-18andInfants and Young Children on
page 1-20.
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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 does not deform.
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.
The frontal airbags are not intended to inate during
vehicle rollovers, rear impacts, or in many side impacts.
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. Ination
is determined by what the vehicle hits, the angle of the
impact, and how quickly the vehicle slows down.
What Makes an Airbag Inate?
In an impact of sufficient severity, the airbag sensing
system detects that the vehicle is in a crash. The
sensing system triggers a release of gas from the
inator, which inates the airbag. The inator, airbag,
and related hardware are all part of the airbag modules
inside the steering wheel and in the instrument panel
in front of the right front passenger.
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. Airbags supplement the protection
provided by safety belts. Airbags distribute the force of
the impact more evenly over the occupant’s upper body,
stopping the occupant more gradually. But airbags would
not help you in many types of collisions, including
rollovers, rear impacts and many side impacts, primarily
because an occupant’s motion is not toward those
airbags. Airbags should never be regarded as anything
more than a supplement to safety belts, and then only in
moderate to severe frontal or near-frontal collisions.
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The passenger sensing system is designed to turn off
the passenger’s frontal airbag if:
the passenger seat is unoccupied
the system determines that an infant is present in a
rear-facing infant seat
the system determines that a small child is present
in a forward-facing child restraint
the system determines that a small child is present
in a booster seat
a passenger takes his/her weight off of the seat for
a period of time
the passenger seat is occupied by a smaller
person, such as a child who has outgrown
child restraints
or if there is a critical problem with the airbag
system or the passenger sensing system.
When the passenger sensing system has turned off the
passenger’s frontal airbag, the off indicator in the
instrument panel will light and stay lit to remind you that
the airbag is off. SeePassenger Airbag Status Indicator
on page 3-25.If a child restraint has been installed and the on indicator
is lit, turn the vehicle off. Remove the child restraint from
the vehicle and reinstall the child restraint following the
child restraint manufacturer’s directions and refer to
Securing a Child Restraint in the Passenger Seat Position
on page 1-27.
If after reinstalling the child restraint and restarting the
vehicle, the on indicator is still lit, check to make sure that
the vehicle’s seatback is not pressing the child restraint
into the seat cushion. If this happens, slightly recline the
vehicle’s seatback and adjust the seat cushion if
possible.
If the on indicator is still lit, do not install a child restraint
in this vehicle and check with your dealer.
The passenger sensing system is designed to enable
(may inate) the passenger’s frontal airbag anytime the
system senses that a person of adult size is sitting
properly in the passenger’s seat. When the passenger
sensing system has allowed the airbag to be enabled,
the on indicator will light and stay lit to remind you
that the airbag is active.
For some children who have outgrown child restraints
and for very small adults, the passenger sensing system
may or may not turn off the passenger’s frontal airbag,
depending upon the person’s seating posture and body
build. Everyone in your vehicle who has outgrown child
restraints should wear a safety belt properly — whether
or not there is an airbag for that person.
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Adding Equipment to Your
Airbag-Equipped Vehicle
Q:Is there anything I might add to the front of the
vehicle that could keep the airbags from
working properly?
A:Yes. If you add things that change your vehicle’s
frame, bumper system, front end sheet metal or
height, they may keep the airbag system from
working properly. Also, the airbag system may not
work properly if you relocate any of the airbag
sensors. If you have any questions about this, you
should contact Customer Assistance before you
modify your vehicle. The phone numbers and
addresses for Customer Assistance are in Step Two
of the Customer Satisfaction Procedure in this
manual. SeeCustomer Satisfaction Procedure on
page 7-2.
Q:Because I have a disability, I have to get my
vehicle modied. How can I nd out whether
this will affect my airbag system?
A:Changing or moving any parts of the front seats,
safety belts, the airbag sensing and diagnostic
module (located in the console), or the instrument
panel can affect the operation of the airbag
system. If you have questions, call Customer
Assistance. The phone numbers and addresses for
Customer Assistance are in Step Two of the
Customer Satisfaction Procedure in this manual.
SeeCustomer Satisfaction Procedure on page 7-2.
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