belt BUICK RAINIER 2004 Owner's Manual

Seats and Restraint Systems........................... 1-1
Front Seats
............................................... 1-2
Rear Seats
............................................... 1-5
Safety Belts
.............................................. 1-7
Child Restraints
.......................................1-26
Air Bag Systems
......................................1-45
Restraint System Check
............................1-55
Features and Controls..................................... 2-1
Keys
........................................................ 2-3
Doors and Locks
....................................... 2-8
Windows
.................................................2-15
Theft-Deterrent Systems
............................2-17
Starting and Operating Your Vehicle
...........2-19
Mirrors
....................................................2-31
OnStar
®System
......................................2-35
HomeLink®Transmitter
.............................2-36
Storage Areas
.........................................2-40
Sunroof
..................................................2-45
Vehicle Personalization
.............................2-45
Instrument Panel............................................. 3-1
Instrument Panel Overview
.......................... 3-4
Climate Controls
......................................3-20
Warning Lights, Gages, and Indicators
........3-27
Driver Information Center (DIC)
..................3-43
Audio System(s)
.......................................3-56Driving Your Vehicle....................................... 4-1
Your Driving, the Road, and Your Vehicle
..... 4-2
Towing
...................................................4-45
Service and Appearance Care.......................... 5-1
Service
..................................................... 5-3
Fuel
......................................................... 5-4
Checking Things Under the Hood
...............5-12
All-Wheel Drive
........................................5-51
Rear Axle
...............................................5-51
Front Axle
...............................................5-53
Bulb Replacement
....................................5-54
Windshield Wiper Blade Replacement
.........5-56
Tires
......................................................5-59
Appearance Care
.....................................5-92
Vehicle Identication
...............................5-101
Electrical System
....................................5-102
Capacities and Specications
...................5-113
Maintenance Schedule..................................... 6-1
Maintenance Schedule
................................ 6-2
Customer Assistance and Information.............. 7-1
Customer Assistance and Information
........... 7-2
Reporting Safety Defects
...........................7-11
Index.................................................................1
2004 Buick Rainier Owner ManualM

Front Seats......................................................1-2
Power Seats..................................................1-2
Power Lumbar...............................................1-2
Heated Seats.................................................1-3
Power Reclining Seatbacks..............................1-4
Head Restraints.............................................1-5
Rear Seats.......................................................1-5
Rear Seat Operation.......................................1-5
Safety Belts.....................................................1-7
Safety Belts: They Are for Everyone.................1-7
Questions and Answers About Safety Belts......1-12
How to Wear Safety Belts Properly.................1-13
Driver Position..............................................1-13
Safety Belt Use During Pregnancy..................1-19
Right Front Passenger Position.......................1-20
Rear Seat Passengers..................................1-20
Rear Safety Belt Comfort Guides
for Children and Small Adults......................1-23
Safety Belt Extender.....................................1-25
Child Restraints.............................................1-26
Older Children..............................................1-26
Infants and Young Children............................1-28
Child Restraint Systems.................................1-32
Where to Put the Restraint.............................1-35Top Strap....................................................1-36
Top Strap Anchor Location.............................1-37
Lower Anchorages and Top Tethers for
Children (LATCH System)...........................1-38
Securing a Child Restraint Designed for
the LATCH System....................................1-40
Securing a Child Restraint in a Rear
Outside Seat Position................................1-40
Securing a Child Restraint in the Center
Seat Position............................................1-42
Securing a Child Restraint in the Right
Front Seat Position....................................1-43
Air Bag Systems............................................1-45
Where Are the Air Bags?...............................1-49
When Should an Air Bag Inate?....................1-51
What Makes an Air Bag Inate?.....................1-52
How Does an Air Bag Restrain?.....................1-52
What Will You See After an Air Bag
Inates?...................................................1-53
Servicing Your Air Bag-Equipped Vehicle.........1-55
Restraint System Check..................................1-55
Checking Your Restraint Systems...................1-55
Replacing Restraint System Parts
After a Crash............................................1-56
Section 1 Seats and Restraint Systems
1-1

Power Reclining Seatbacks
Your vehicle may have this feature. The vertical power
seat control described earlier allows the seatback to
recline. SeePower Seats on page 1-2for more
information.
But don’t have a seatback reclined if your vehicle is
moving.{CAUTION:
Sitting in a reclined position when your vehicle
is in motion can be dangerous. Even if you
buckle up, your safety belts can’t do their job
when you’re reclined like this.
The shoulder belt can’t do its job. In a crash,
you could go into it, receiving neck or other
injuries.
The lap belt can’t 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.
1-4

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:
Don’t let anyone ride where he or she can’t
wear a safety belt properly. If you are in a
crash and you’re 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 a light
that comes on as a
reminder to buckle up.
SeeSafety Belt Reminder
Light on page 3-30.
In most states and in all Canadian provinces, the law
says to wear safety belts. Here’s why:They work.
You never know if you’ll be in a crash. If you do have
a crash, you don’t know if it will be a bad one.
1-7

A few crashes are mild, and some crashes can be so
serious that even buckled up, a person wouldn’t 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 30 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’s just a seat on
wheels.
1-8

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’s why
safety belts make such good sense.
1-11

Questions and Answers About
Safety Belts
Q:Won’t I be trapped in the vehicle after an
accident if I’m wearing a safety belt?
A:Youcouldbe — whether you’re wearing a safety
belt or not. But you can unbuckle a safety belt,
even if you’re 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 air bags, why should I have
to wear safety belts?
A:Air bags are in many vehicles today and will
be in most of them in the future. But they are
supplemental systems only; so they workwith
safety belts — not instead of them. Every air bag
system ever offered for sale has required the use of
safety belts. Even if you’re in a vehicle that has air
bags, you still have to buckle up to get the most
protection. That’s true not only in frontal collisions,
but especially in side and other collisions.
Q:If I’m a good driver, and I never drive far from
home, why should I wear safety belts?
A:You may be an excellent driver, but if you’re in an
accident — even one that isn’t your fault — you and
your passengers can be hurt. Being a good driver
doesn’t protect you from things beyond your control,
such as bad drivers.
Most accidents occur within 25 miles (40 km)
of home. And the greatest number of serious
injuries and deaths occur at speeds of less
than 40 mph (65 km/h).
Safety belts are for everyone.
1-12

How to Wear Safety Belts Properly
This part is only for people of adult size.
Be aware that there are special things to know about
safety belts and children. And there are different
rules for smaller children and babies. If a child will be
riding in your vehicle, seeOlder Children on page 1-26
orInfants and Young Children on page 1-28. Follow
those rules for everyone’s protection.
First, you’ll want to know which restraint systems your
vehicle has.
We’ll start with the driver position.
Driver Position
This part describes the driver’s restraint system.
Lap-Shoulder Belt
The driver has a lap-shoulder belt. Here’s 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.
Don’t let it get twisted.
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 isn’t long enough, seeSafety Belt
Extender on page 1-25.
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.
1-13

5. To make the lap part tight, pull up on the
shoulder belt.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’d 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’s a sudden stop or crash,
or if you pull the belt very quickly out of the retractor.
1-14

Q:What’s wrong with this?
A:The shoulder belt is too loose. It won’t give nearly
as much protection this way.
{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.
1-15