Page 5 BUICK LACROSSE 2008 User Guide
[x] Cancel search | Manufacturer: BUICK, Model Year: 2008, Model line: LACROSSE, Model: BUICK LACROSSE 2008Pages: 440
Page 48 of 440
Do not secure a child restraint in a position without a
top tether anchor if a national or local law requires that
the top tether be attached, or if the instructions that
come with the child restraint say that the top tether
must be attached.
Accident statistics show that children are safer if they
are restrained in the rear rather than the front seat.
SeeWhere to Put the Restraint on page 1-39for
additional information.
Securing a Child Restraint Designed for
the LATCH System
{CAUTION:
If a LATCH-type child restraint is not attached to
anchors, the restraint will not be able to protect
the child correctly. In a crash, the child could be
seriously injured or killed. Make sure that a
LATCH-type 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.
{CAUTION:
Each top tether anchor and lower anchor in
the vehicle is designed to hold only one child
restraint. Attaching more than one child
restraint to a single anchor could cause the
CAUTION: (Continued)
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If the position you are using
has a xed headrest or
head restraint and you are
using a dual tether, route
the tether around the
headrest or head restraint.
3. Push and pull the child restraint in different
directions to be sure it is secure.Securing a Child Restraint in a
Rear Seat Position
When securing a child restraint in a rear seating
position, study the instructions that came with your child
restraint to make sure it is compatible with this vehicle.
If your child restraint has the LATCH system, seeLower
Anchors and Tethers for Children (LATCH) on page 1-41
for how to install your child restraint using LATCH. If you
secure a child restraint using a safety belt and it uses a
top tether, seeLower Anchors and Tethers for Children
(LATCH) on page 1-41for top tether anchor locations.
Do not secure a child restraint in a position without a
top tether anchor 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 strap must be
anchored.
In Canada, the law requires that forward-facing child
restraints have a top tether, and that the tether be
attached.
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Page 52 of 440
If your child restraint does not have the LATCH system,
you will be using the safety 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.
If you need to install more than one child restraint in the
rear seat, be sure to readWhere to Put the Restraint
on page 1-39.
1. Put the child restraint on the seat.
2. 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.
3. Push the latch plate into the buckle until it clicks.
Make sure the release button is positioned so you
would be able to unbuckle the safety belt quickly
if necessary.
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Page 54 of 440
6. If your child restraint has a top tether, follow the
child restraint manufacturer’s instructions regarding
the use of the top tether. SeeLower Anchors
and Tethers for Children (LATCH) on page 1-41
for more information.
7. Push and pull the child restraint in different
directions to be sure it is secure.
To remove the child restraint, unbuckle the vehicle’s
safety belt and let it go back all the way. If the top tether
is attached to a top tether anchor, disconnect it.
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
frontal airbags if they in ate. Never secure a
child restraint in the center front seat. It is
always better to secure a child restraint in
a rear seat.
Do not use child restraints in the center front seat
position.
Securing a Child Restraint in the
Right Front Seat Position
Your vehicle has airbags. A rear seat is a safer place to
secure a forward-facing child restraint. SeeWhere to
Put the Restraint on page 1-39.
In addition, your vehicle has a passenger sensing
system which is designed to turn off the right front
passenger’s frontal airbag under certain conditions.
SeePassenger Sensing System on page 1-62
andPassenger Airbag Status Indicator on page 3-34
for more information on this, including important safety
information.
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.
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Page 55 of 440
{CAUTION:
A child in a rear-facing child restraint can be
seriously injured or killed if the right front
passenger’s airbag in ates. This is because
the back of the rear-facing child restraint
would be very close to the in ating 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 though it is turned off. We
recommend that rear-facing child restraints be
secured in a rear seat, even if the airbag is off.
If you 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.
SeePassenger Sensing System on page 1-62
for additional information.If your child restraint has the LATCH system, see
Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children (LATCH)
on page 1-41for how to install your child restraint
using LATCH. If you secure a child restraint using a
safety belt and it uses a top tether, seeLower Anchors
and Tethers for Children (LATCH) on page 1-41for
top tether anchor locations.
Do not secure a child seat in a position without a top
tether anchor 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
strap must be anchored.
In Canada, the law requires that forward-facing child
restraints have a top tether, and that the tether be
attached.
You will be using the lap-shoulder belt to secure the
child restraint in this position. Follow the instructions
that came with the child restraint.
1. Move the seat as far back as it will go before
securing the forward-facing child restraint.
When the passenger sensing system has turned off
the right front passenger’s frontal airbag, the off
indicator on the passenger airbag status indicator
should light and stay lit when you start the vehicle.
SeePassenger Airbag Status Indicator on
page 3-34.
2. Put the child restraint on the seat.
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Page 60 of 440
{CAUTION:
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, see
Older Children on page 1-29orInfants and
Young Children on page 1-33.There is an airbag
readiness light on the
instrument panel, 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 3-33
for more information.
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When Should an Airbag In ate?
Frontal airbags are designed to in ate in moderate to
severe frontal or near-frontal crashes to help reduce the
potential for severe injuries mainly to the driver’s or right
front passenger’s head and chest. However, they are only
designed to in ate if the impact exceeds a predetermined
deployment threshold. Deployment thresholds are used
to predict how severe a crash is likely to be in time for the
airbags to in ate and help restrain the occupants.
Whether your frontal airbags will or should deploy is not
based on how fast your vehicle is traveling. It depends
largely on what you hit, the direction of the impact,
and how quickly your vehicle slows down.
Frontal airbags may in ate at different crash speeds.
For example:
If the vehicle hits a stationary object, the airbags
could in ate at a different crash speed than if the
vehicle hits a moving object.
If the vehicle hits an object that deforms, the
airbags could in ate at a different crash speed than
if the vehicle hits an object that does not deform.
If the vehicle hits a narrow object (like a pole), the
airbags could in ate 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 in ate at a different crash speed
than if the vehicle goes straight into the object.Thresholds can also vary with speci c vehicle design.
Frontal airbags are not intended to in ate during vehicle
rollovers, rear impacts, or in many side impacts.
In addition, your vehicle has dual-stage frontal airbags.
Dual-stage airbags adjust the restraint according to
crash severity. Your vehicle has electronic frontal
sensors, which help the sensing system distinguish
between a moderate frontal impact and a more severe
frontal impact. For moderate frontal impacts, dual-stage
airbags in ate at a level less than full deployment.
For more severe frontal impacts, full deployment occurs.
Your vehicle may or may not have roof-rail airbags.
SeeAirbag System on page 1-54. Roof-rail airbags are
intended to in ate in moderate to severe side crashes.
Roof-rail airbags will in ate if the crash severity is above
the system’s designed threshold level. The threshold
level can vary with speci c vehicle design.
Roof-rail airbags are not intended to in ate in frontal
impacts, near-frontal impacts, rollovers, or rear impacts.
A roof-rail airbag is intended to deploy on the side of
the vehicle that is struck.
In any particular crash, no one can say whether an airbag
should have in ated simply because of the damage to
a vehicle or because of what the repair costs were.
For frontal airbags, in ation is determined by what the
vehicle hits, the angle of the impact, and how quickly the
vehicle slows down. For roof-rail airbags, deployment
is determined by the location and severity of the side
impact.
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What Makes an Airbag In ate?
In a deployment event, the sensing system sends
an electrical signal triggering a release of gas from
the in ator. Gas from the in ator lls the airbag
causing the bag to break out of the cover and deploy.
The in ator, the airbag, and related hardware are all
part of the airbag module.
Frontal airbag modules are located inside the steering
wheel and instrument panel. For vehicles with roof-rail
airbags, there are airbag modules in the ceiling of the
vehicle, near the side windows that have occupant
seating positions.
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. In moderate to severe side
collisions, even belted occupants can contact the
inside of the vehicle.
Airbags supplement the protection provided by safety
belts. Frontal airbags distribute the force of the impact
more evenly over the occupant’s upper body, stopping
the occupant more gradually. Roof-rail airbags distribute
the force of the impact more evenly over the occupant’s
upper body.But airbags would not help in many types of collisions,
primarily because the occupant’s motion is not toward
those airbags. SeeWhen Should an Airbag Inflate? on
page 1-59for more information.
Airbags should never be regarded as anything more
than a supplement to safety belts.
What Will You See After an Airbag
In ates?
After the frontal airbags in ate, they quickly de ate,
so quickly that some people may not even realize an
airbag in ated. Roof-rail airbags may still be at least
partially in ated for some time after they deploy.
Some components of the airbag module may be hot
for several minutes. For location of the airbag modules,
seeWhat Makes an Airbag Inflate? on page 1-60.
The parts of the airbag that come into contact with you
may be warm, but not too hot to touch. There may be
some smoke and dust coming from the vents in the
de ated airbags. Airbag in ation does not prevent the
driver from seeing out of the windshield or being able to
steer the vehicle, nor does it prevent people from leaving
the vehicle.
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{CAUTION:
When an airbag in ates, there may be dust
in the air. This dust could cause breathing
problems for people with a history of asthma or
other breathing trouble. To avoid this, everyone
in the vehicle should get out as soon as it is
safe to do so. If you have breathing problems
but cannot get out of the vehicle after an airbag
in ates, then get fresh air by opening a window
or a door. If you experience breathing problems
following an airbag deployment, you should
seek medical attention.
Your vehicle has a feature that may automatically
unlock the doors, turn the interior lamps on, and turn
the hazard warning ashers on when the airbags in ate.
You can lock the doors, turn the interior lamps off,
and turn the hazard warning ashers off by using
the controls for those features.In many crashes severe enough to in ate the airbag,
windshields are broken by vehicle deformation. Additional
windshield breakage may also occur from the right front
passenger airbag.Airbags are designed to in ate only once. After an
airbag in ates, you will need some new parts for the
airbag system. If you do not get them, the airbag
system will not be there to help protect you in another
crash. A new system will include airbag modules and
possibly other parts. The service manual for your
vehicle covers the need to replace other parts.
Your vehicle has a crash sensing and diagnostic
module which records information after a crash.
SeeVehicle Data Recording and Privacy on
page 7-17andEvent Data Recorders on page 7-18.
Let only quali ed technicians work on the airbag
systems. Improper service can mean that an airbag
system will not work properly. See your dealer/
retailer for service.
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Passenger Sensing System
Your vehicle has a passenger sensing system for the
right front passenger’s position. The passenger airbag
status indicator will be visible on the instrument panel
when you start your vehicle.
The words ON and OFF
will be visible during the
system check.
If you are using remote start to start your vehicle from
a distance, if equipped, you may not see the system
check. When the system check is complete, either the
word ON or the word OFF will be visible. SeePassenger
Airbag Status Indicator on page 3-34.The passenger sensing system will turn off the right
front passenger’s frontal airbag under certain conditions.
The driver’s airbags are not part of the passenger
sensing system.
The passenger sensing system works with sensors that
are part of the right front passenger’s seat. The sensors
are designed to detect the presence of a properly-seated
occupant and determine if the right front passenger’s
frontal airbag should be enabled (may in ate) or not.
Accident statistics show that children are safer if they
are restrained in the rear rather than the front seat.
We recommend that children be secured in a rear seat,
including: an infant or a child riding in a rear-facing child
restraint; a child riding in a forward-facing child seat; an
older child riding in a booster seat; and children, who are
large enough, using safety belts.
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.
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