BUICK LACROSSE 2007 Repair Manual

Securing a Child Restraint in the
Center Front Seat Position
{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.
Do not secure a child restraint in the center front
seat position.
Securing a Child Restraint in the
Right Front Seat Position
Your vehicle has a right front passenger’s airbag. A
rear seat is a safer place to secure a forward-facing
child restraint. SeeWhere to Put the Restraint on
page 50.
In addition, your vehicle has a passenger sensing
system. The passenger sensing system is designed
to turn off the right front passenger’s frontal airbag
when an infant in a rear-facing infant seat or a small
child in a forward-facing child restraint or booster
seat is detected. SeePassenger Sensing System
on page 75andPassenger Airbag Status Indicator
on page 183for more information on this including
important safety information.
61

A label on your 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’s airbag inates. This is
because the back of the rear-facing child
restraint would be very close to the
inating airbag.
Even though the passenger sensing
system is designed to turn off the right
front passenger’s frontal airbag if the
system detects a rear-facing child restraint,
no system is fail-safe, and no one can
guarantee that an airbag will not deploy
under some unusual circumstance, even
CAUTION: (Continued)
CAUTION: (Continued)
though it is turned off. We recommend
that rear-facing child restraints be secured
in the rear seat, even if the airbag is off.
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 a forward-facing child restraint
in the right front seat position, move the seat as far
back as it will go before securing the forward-facing
child restraint. SeePower Seats on page 9.
If your child restraint has the LATCH system, see
Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children (LATCH)
on page 51.
There is no top tether anchor at the right front
seating position. Do not secure a child restraint
in this position if a national or local law requires
that the top tether be anchored or if the
instructions that come with the child restraint
say that the top tether must be anchored.
62

SeeLower Anchors and Tethers for Children
(LATCH) on page 51if your child restraint has
a top tether.
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 right front passenger’s
frontal airbag. SeePassenger Sensing System
on page 75. We recommend 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. SeePower Seats on page 9.
When the passenger sensing system has
turned off the right front passenger’s frontal
airbag, the off indicator in the passenger airbag
status indicator should light and stay lit when
you turn the ignition to RUN or START. See
Passenger Airbag Status Indicator on page 183.2. 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.
63

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.
64

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 key is turned to RUN or START.
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. Also make sure the child
restraint is not trapped under the vehicle head
restraint. If this happens, adjust the head restraint.If the on indicator is still lit, secure the child in the
child restraint in a rear seat position in the 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.
65

Airbag System
Your vehicle has a frontal airbag for the driver and a
frontal airbag for the right front passenger. Your
vehicle may also have roof-mounted side impact
airbags. Roof-mounted side impact airbags are
available for the driver and the passenger seated
directly behind the driver and for the right front
passenger and the passenger seated directly
behind that passenger.
If your vehicle has roof-mounted side impact
airbags, the word AIRBAG will appear on
the airbag covering on the ceiling near the
side windows.
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.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.
Frontal airbags for the driver and right
front passenger are designed to deploy in
moderate to severe frontal and near frontal
crashes. They are not designed to inate in
CAUTION: (Continued)
66

CAUTION: (Continued)
rollover, rear crashes, or in many side
crashes. And, for some unrestrained
occupants, frontal airbags may provide
less protection in frontal crashes than
more forceful airbags have provided in
the past.
Roof-mounted side impact 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:
Both frontal and side impact 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 for airbag ination before and
during a crash. Always wear your safety
belt even with frontal 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.
67

{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 39orInfants and Young
Children on page 42.
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 182for more information.
Where Are the Airbags?
The driver’s frontal airbag is in the middle of the
steering wheel.
68

The right front passenger’s frontal airbag is in the
instrument panel on the passenger’s side.If your vehicle has a roof-mounted side impact
airbag for the driver and the person seated directly
behind the driver, it is located in the ceiling
above the side windows.
69

If your vehicle has a roof-mounted side impact
airbag for the right front passenger and the person
directly behind that passenger, it is located in
the ceiling above the side windows.
{CAUTION:
If something is between an occupant
and an airbag, the bag 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. And, if your vehicle has
roof-mounted side impact airbags, never
secure anything to the roof of your vehicle
by routing the rope or tie down through any
door or window opening. If you do, the path
of an inating side impact airbag will be
blocked. The path of an inating airbag
must be kept clear.
70