ECU PONTIAC TORRENT 2006 Owners Manual

Front Seats......................................................1-2
Manual Seats................................................1-2
Driver Seat Height Adjuster..............................1-3
Six-Way Power Driver Seat..............................1-3
Manual Lumbar..............................................1-4
Heated Seats.................................................1-4
Reclining Seatbacks........................................1-5
Head Restraints.............................................1-8
Passenger Folding Seatback............................1-9
Rear Seats.....................................................1-10
Split Folding Rear Seat.................................1-10
Safety Belts...................................................1-12
Safety Belts: They Are for Everyone................1-12
Questions and Answers About Safety Belts......1-17
How to Wear Safety Belts Properly.................1-17
Driver Position..............................................1-18
Shoulder Belt Height Adjustment.....................1-24
Safety Belt Use During Pregnancy..................1-24
Right Front Passenger Position.......................1-25
Rear Seat Passengers..................................1-25
Rear Safety Belt Comfort Guides....................1-27
Safety Belt Pretensioners...............................1-29
Safety Belt Extender.....................................1-30Child Restraints.............................................1-30
Older Children..............................................1-30
Infants and Young Children............................1-33
Child Restraint Systems.................................1-36
Where to Put the Restraint.............................1-40
Lower Anchors and Tethers for
Children (LATCH)......................................1-42
Securing a Child Restraint in a
Rear Seat Position....................................1-47
Securing a Child Restraint in the
Right Front Seat Position............................1-50
Airbag System...............................................1-53
Where Are the Airbags?................................1-55
When Should an Airbag Inate?.....................1-58
What Makes an Airbag Inate?.......................1-59
How Does an Airbag Restrain?.......................1-59
What Will You See After an Airbag Inates?.....1-60
Servicing Your Airbag-Equipped Vehicle...........1-61
Adding Equipment to Your Airbag-Equipped
Vehicle....................................................1-62
Restraint System Check..................................1-62
Checking the Restraint Systems......................1-62
Replacing Restraint System Parts
After a Crash............................................1-63
Section 1 Seats and Restraint Systems
1-1

Passenger Folding Seatback
The front passenger’s seatback may fold at.
{CAUTION:
If you fold the seatback forward to carry longer
objects, such as skis, be sure any such cargo
is not near an airbag. In a crash, an inating
airbag might force that object toward a person.
This could cause severe injury or even death.
Secure objects away from the area in which an
airbag would inate. For more information,
seeWhere Are the Airbags? on page 1-55and
Loading Your Vehicle on page 4-31.
{CAUTION:
Things you put on this seatback can strike
and injure people in a sudden stop or turn,
or in a crash. Remove or secure all items
before driving.To fold the seatback, do the following:
1. Lower the head restraint all the way.
2. Lift the bar under the front of the seat to unlock it.
Slide the seat as far back as it will go and release
the bar. Try to move the seat back and forth to
make sure it is locked into place.
3. Lift the recliner lever, located on the outboard side
of the seat, up fully and fold the seatback forward
until it disengages.
1-9

We will start with the driver position.
Driver Position
Lap-Shoulder Belt
The driver has a lap-shoulder belt. Here is how to
wear it properly.
1. Close and lock the door.
2. Adjust the seat so you can sit up straight.
To see how, see “Seats” in the Index.
3. Pick up the latch plate and pull the belt across you.
Do not let it get twisted.
The 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.
4. Push the latch plate into the buckle until it clicks.
Pull up on the latch plate to make sure it is secure.
If the belt is not long enough, seeSafety Belt
Extender on page 1-30.
Make sure the release button on the buckle is
positioned so you would be able to unbuckle the
safety belt quickly if you ever had to.
1-18

2. Push the latch plate into the buckle until it clicks.
Pull up on the latch plate to make sure it is secure.
When the shoulder belt is pulled out all the way,
it will lock. If it does, let it go back all the way
and start again.
If the belt is not long enough, seeSafety Belt
Extender on page 1-30.
Make sure the release button on the buckle is
positioned so you would be able to unbuckle the
safety belt quickly if you ever had to.
3. To make the lap part tight, pull up on the
shoulder part.The lap part of the belt should be worn low and snug
on the hips, just touching the thighs. In a crash,
this applies force to the strong pelvic bones. And you
would be less likely to slide under the lap belt. If you slid
under it, the belt would apply force at your abdomen.
This could cause serious or even 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.
1-26

Safety Belt Extender
If the vehicle’s safety belt will fasten around you,
you should use it.
But if a safety belt is not long enough, your dealer will
order you an extender. It is free. 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, just attach it to the regular
safety belt. For more information, see the instruction
sheet that comes with the extender.
Child Restraints
Older Children
Older children who have outgrown booster seats should
wear the vehicle’s safety belts.
1-30

Infants and Young Children
Everyone in a vehicle needs protection! This includes
infants and all other children. Neither the distance
traveled nor the age and size of the traveler changes
the need, for everyone, to use safety restraints.
In fact, the law in every state in the United States and
in every Canadian province says children up to
some age must be restrained while in a vehicle.
Every time infants and young children ride in vehicles,
they should have the protection provided by appropriate
restraints. Young children should not use the vehicle’s
adult safety belts alone, unless there is no other choice.
Instead, they need to use a child restraint.{CAUTION:
People should never hold a baby in their
arms while riding in a vehicle. A baby does
not weigh much — until a crash. During a
crash a baby will become so heavy it is not
possible to hold it. For example, in a crash at
only 25 mph (40 km/h), a 12 lb (5.5 kg) baby
will suddenly become a 240 lb (110 kg) force
on a person’s arms. A baby should be secured
in an appropriate restraint.
1-33

For most basic types of child restraints, there are
many different models available. When purchasing
a child restraint, be sure it is designed to be
used in a motor vehicle. If it is, the restraint will
have a label saying that it meets federal motor
vehicle safety standards.
The restraint manufacturer’s instructions that come
with the restraint, state the weight and height
limitations for a particular child restraint. In addition,
there are many kinds of restraints available for
children with special needs.
{CAUTION:
Newborn infants need complete support,
including support for the head and neck.
This is necessary because a newborn infant’s
neck is weak and its head weighs so much
compared with the rest of its body. In a crash,
an infant in a rear-facing seat settles into
the restraint, so the crash forces can be
distributed across the strongest part of an
infant’s body, the back and shoulders. Infants
always should be secured in appropriate
infant restraints.
{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.
1-35

Q:How Should I Use a Child Restraint?
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. To help
reduce injuries, an add-on child restraint must be
secured in the vehicle. With built-in or add-on
child restraints, the child has to be secured within
the child restraint.
When choosing an add-on 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.
Securing an Add-on Child Restraint
in the Vehicle
{CAUTION:
A child can be seriously injured or killed in a
crash if the child restraint is not properly
secured in the vehicle. Make sure the child
restraint is properly installed in the vehicle
using the vehicle’s safety belt or LATCH
system, following the instructions that came
with that restraint, and also the instructions
in this manual.
To help reduce the chance of injury, the child restraint
must be secured in the vehicle. Child restraint systems
must be secured in vehicle seats by lap belts or the
lap belt portion of a lap-shoulder belt, or by the LATCH
system. SeeLower Anchors and Tethers for Children
(LATCH) on page 1-42for more information. A child can
be endangered in a crash if the child restraint is not
properly secured in the vehicle.
1-38

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.
Securing the Child Within the
Child Restraint
There are several systems for securing the child
within the child 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.
{CAUTION:
A child can be seriously injured or killed in a
crash if the child is not properly secured in the
child restraint. Make sure the child is properly
secured, following the instructions that came
with that restraint.
Because there are different systems, it is important to
refer to the instructions that come with the restraint.
A child can be endangered in a crash if the child is
not properly secured in the child restraint.
1-39

Where to Put the Restraint
Accident statistics show that children are safer if they
are restrained in the rear rather than the front seat.
We, therefore, recommend that child restraints be
secured in a rear seat, including an infant riding in a
rear-facing infant seat, a child riding in a forward-facing
child seat and an older child riding in a booster seat.
Neverput a rear-facing child restraint in the front
passenger seat. Here is why:{CAUTION:
A child in a rear-facing child restraint can be
seriously injured or killed if the right front
passenger’s airbag inates. This is because
the back of the rear-facing child restraint
would be very close to the inating airbag.
Always secure a rear-facing child restraint
in a rear seat.
If you need to secure a forward-facing child
restraint in the right front seat, always move
the front passenger seat as far back as it will
go. It is better to secure the child restraint
in a rear seat.
If you need to secure more than one child restraint
in the rear seat, review the following illustrations.
Depending on where you place the child restraint or
the size of the child restraint, you may not be able
to access certain safety belt assemblies or LATCH
anchors for additional passengers or child restraints.
1-40