BUICK LACROSSE 2007 User Guide

Reclining Seatbacks
{CAUTION:
You can lose control of the vehicle if you
try to adjust a manual driver’s seat while
the vehicle is moving. The sudden
movement could startle and confuse you,
or make you push a pedal when you do
not want to. Adjust the driver’s seat only
when the vehicle is not moving.
{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.Your seats have manual reclining seatbacks.
The lever used to operate them is located on the
outboard side of the seats.
To recline the seatback, do the following:
1. Lift the recline lever.
2. Move the seatback to the desired position,
then release the lever to lock the seatback
in place.
3. Push and pull on the seatback to make sure it
is locked.
Driver’s Side shown, Passenger Side similar
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To return the seatback to an upright position, do
the following:
1. Lift the lever fully without applying pressure to
the seatback and the seatback will return to
the upright position.
2. Push and pull on the seatback to make sure it
is locked.{CAUTION:
Sitting in a reclined position when your
vehicle is in motion can be dangerous.
Even if you buckle up, your safety belts
cannot do their job when you are reclined
like this.
The shoulder belt cannot do its job
because it will not be against your body.
Instead, it will be in front of you. In a crash,
you could go into it, receiving neck or other
injuries.
The lap belt cannot do its job either. In a
crash, the belt could go up over your
abdomen. The belt forces would be there,
not at your pelvic bones. This could cause
serious internal injuries.
For proper protection when the vehicle is
in motion, have the seatback upright. Then
sit well back in the seat and wear your
safety belt properly.
Do not have a seatback reclined if your vehicle is
moving.
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Head Restraints
Adjust the head restraint so that the top of the
restraint is at the same height as the top of
the occupant’s head. This position reduces the
chance of a neck injury in a crash.Pull the head restraint
up to raise it.
To lower the head restraint, press the button,
located on the top of the seatback, and push the
head restraint down.
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Center Seat
Your vehicle may have a front center seat. There
are cupholders on the underside of the seat
cushion. To use them, raise the seat cushion. This
seat can also be converted to a storage area by
lowering the armrest. SeeCenter Console Storage
Area on page 142.
For information on safety belts for this position,
seeCenter Front Passenger Position on page 31.
Rear Seats
Split Folding Rear Seat
If your vehicle has this feature, both sides of the
rear seatback can be folded down. This gives
direct access to the trunk. Make sure the
front seats are not reclined. If they are, the rear
seatback(s) may not fold down all the way.
Notice:Folding a rear seat with the safety
belts still fastened may cause damage to the
seat or the safety belts. Always unbuckle
the safety belts and return them to their normal
stowed position before folding a rear seat.
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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.
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Safety Belts
Safety Belts: They Are for Everyone
This part of the manual tells you how to use
safety belts properly. It also tells you some things
you should not do with safety belts.
{CAUTION:
Do not let anyone ride where he or she
cannot wear a safety belt properly. If you
are in a crash and you are not wearing a
safety belt, your injuries can be much
worse. You can hit things inside the
vehicle or be ejected from it. You can be
seriously injured or killed. In the same
crash, you might not be, if you are
buckled up. Always fasten your safety
belt, and check that your passengers’
belts are fastened properly too.
{CAUTION:
It is extremely dangerous to ride in a
cargo area, inside or outside of a vehicle.
In a collision, people riding in these areas
are more likely to be seriously injured or
killed. Do not allow people to ride in any
area of your vehicle that is not equipped
with seats and safety belts. Be sure
everyone in your vehicle is in a seat and
using a safety belt properly.
Your vehicle has indicators to remind you and your
passengers to buckle your safety belts. SeeSafety
Belt Reminder Light on page 181andPassenger
Safety Belt Reminder Light on page 182.
In most states and in all Canadian provinces,
the law says to wear safety belts. Here is
why:They work.
You never know if you will be in a crash. If you do
have a crash, you do not know if it will be a
bad one.
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A few crashes are mild, and some crashes can be
so serious that even buckled up, a person would
not survive. But most crashes are in between. In
many of them, people who buckle up can survive
and sometimes walk away. Without belts they could
have been badly hurt or killed.
After more than 40 years of safety belts in
vehicles, the facts are clear. In most crashes
buckling up does matter... a lot!Why Safety Belts Work
When you ride in or on anything, you go as fast
as it goes.
Take the simplest vehicle. Suppose it is just a
seat on wheels.
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Put someone on it. Get it up to speed. Then stop the vehicle.
The rider does not stop.
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The person keeps going until stopped by
something. In a real vehicle, it could be the
windshield...or the instrument panel...
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or the safety belts!
With safety belts, you slow down as the vehicle
does. You get more time to stop. You stop
over more distance, and your strongest bones
take the forces. That is why safety belts
make such good sense.
Questions and Answers About
Safety Belts
Q:Will I be trapped in the vehicle after an
accident if I am wearing a safety belt?
A:Youcouldbe — whether you are wearing a
safety belt or not. But you can unbuckle a
safety belt, even if you are upside down. And
your chance of being conscious during and
after an accident, so youcanunbuckle and get
out, ismuchgreater if you are belted.
Q:If my vehicle has airbags, why should I
have to wear safety belts?
A:Airbags are supplemental systems only; so
they workwithsafety belts — not instead of
them. Every airbag system ever offered
for sale has required the use of safety belts.
Even if you are in a vehicle that has airbags,
you still have to buckle up to get the most
protection. That is true not only in frontal
collisions, but especially in side and other
collisions.
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