Latch BUICK LACROSSE 2006 Owner's Manual

Front Seats......................................................1-2
Manual Seats................................................1-2
Six-Way Power Seats.....................................1-3
Power Lumbar...............................................1-3
Heated Seats.................................................1-4
Reclining Seatbacks........................................1-4
Head Restraints.............................................1-7
Center Seat...................................................1-8
Rear Seats.......................................................1-8
Split Folding Rear Seat...................................1-8
Safety Belts...................................................1-10
Safety Belts: They Are for Everyone................1-10
Questions and Answers About Safety Belts......1-14
How to Wear Safety Belts Properly.................1-15
Driver Position..............................................1-16
Shoulder Belt Height Adjustment.....................1-22
Safety Belt Use During Pregnancy..................1-23
Right Front Passenger Position.......................1-23
Center Front Passenger Position.....................1-24
Rear Seat Passengers..................................1-25
Rear Safety Belt Comfort Guides....................1-27
Safety Belt Pretensioners...............................1-29
Safety Belt Extender.....................................1-30
Child Restraints.............................................1-30
Older Children..............................................1-30
Infants and Young Children............................1-33Child Restraint Systems.................................1-36
Where to Put the Restraint.............................1-40
Lower Anchors and Tethers for
Children (LATCH)......................................1-41
Securing a Child Restraint in a Rear
Seat Position............................................1-49
Securing a Child Restraint in the Center
Front Seat Position....................................1-51
Securing a Child Restraint in the Right
Front Seat Position....................................1-52
Airbag System...............................................1-56
Where Are the Airbags?................................1-59
When Should an Airbag Inate?.....................1-61
What Makes an Airbag Inate?.......................1-63
How Does an Airbag Restrain?.......................1-63
What Will You See After an Airbag Inates?.....1-64
Passenger Sensing System............................1-65
Servicing Your Airbag-Equipped Vehicle...........1-69
Adding Equipment to Your Airbag-Equipped
Vehicle....................................................1-70
Restraint System Check..................................1-71
Checking the Restraint Systems......................1-71
Replacing Restraint System Parts After
a Crash...................................................1-72
Section 1 Seats and Restraint Systems
1-1

To lower the rear seatback,
pull the tab located on the
outboard side of the
seatback and fold the
seatback forward.
{CAUTION:
If the seatback is not locked, it could move
forward in a sudden stop or crash. That could
cause injury to the person sitting there. Always
push and pull on the seatback to be sure it is
locked.
To raise the rear seatback, lift the seatback up until it
latches. Push and pull on the seatback to be sure
it is locked in position.
The seatbacks should be kept in the upright, locked
position when they are not being used to extend
the cargo area.
1-9

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.
1-16

To unlatch the belt, just push the button on the buckle.
The belt should go back out of the way.
Before you close the door, be sure the belt is out of
the way. If you slam the door on it, you can damage
both the belt and your vehicle.
Shoulder Belt Height Adjustment
Before you begin to drive, move the shoulder belt height
adjuster to the height that is right for you.
Adjust the height so that the shoulder portion of the belt is
centered on your shoulder. The belt should be away from
your face and neck, but not falling off your shoulder.
Incorrect positioning of the shoulder belt can reduce
the effectiveness of the safety belt.
To move it down, press
down on the release lever
(A) and move the height
adjuster to the desired
position. You can move
the height adjuster up
just by pressing up on
the shoulder belt guide.
After you move the height adjuster to where you want it,
try to move it down without squeezing the release
lever to make sure it has locked into position.
1-22

Center Front Passenger Position
Lap Belt
If your vehicle has a front bench seat, someone can sit
in the center position.
When you sit in the center front seating position,
you have a lap safety belt, which has no retractor.
To make the belt longer, tilt the latch plate and pull
it along the belt.To make the belt shorter, pull its free end as shown
until the belt is snug.
Buckle, position and release it the same way as the
lap part of a lap-shoulder belt. 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.
1-24

Rear Seat Passengers
It is very important for rear seat passengers to buckle
up! Accident statistics show that unbelted people in
the rear seat are hurt more often in crashes than those
who are wearing safety belts.
Rear passengers who are not safety belted can be
thrown out of the vehicle in a crash. And they can strike
others in the vehicle who are wearing safety belts.
Lap-Shoulder Belt
All rear seat positions have lap-shoulder belts. Here
is how to wear one properly.
1. 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.
1-25

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.
The safety belt locks if there is a sudden stop or a crash,
or if you pull the belt very quickly out of the retractor.
1-26

{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 against your body.
To unlatch the belt, push the button on the buckle.
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 belt
away from the neck and head.
There is one guide for each outboard passenger
position in the rear seat. Here is how to install a
comfort guide and use the safety belt:
1. Pull the elastic cord out from between the edge of
the seatback and the interior body to remove the
guide from its storage clip.
1-27

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 1-41for more information. A child
can be endangered in a crash if the child restraint is
not properly secured in the vehicle.
1-38

{CAUTION:
A child in a child restraint in the center front
seat can be badly injured or killed by the right
front passenger’s airbag if it inates. Never
secure a child restraint in the center front seat.
It is always better to secure a child restraint in
the rear seat.
Wherever you install a child restraint, be sure to secure
the child restraint properly.
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)
Your vehicle has the LATCH system. The LATCH
system holds a child restraint during driving or in a
crash. This system is designed to make installation of
a child restraint easier. The LATCH system uses
anchors in the vehicle and attachments on the child
restraint that are made for use with the LATCH system.
Make sure that a LATCH-compatible child restraint
is properly installed using the anchors, or use the
vehicle’s safety belts to secure the restraint, following
the instructions that came with that restraint, and also
the instructions in this manual. When installing a child
restraint with a top tether, you must also use either the
lower anchors or the safety belts to properly secure the
child restraint. A child restraint must never be installed
using only the top tether and anchor.
1-41