CADILLAC ESCALADE 2003 2.G Manual Online

6. To tighten the belt, feed the shoulder belt back into
the retractor while you push down on the child
restraint. 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.7. Push and pull the child restraint in different
directions to be sure it is secure.
8. If your vehicle has the passenger sensing system
and you're using a rear-facing child restraint in this
seat, check to be sure the right front passenger's
frontal air bag is off before you begin to drive. If the
air bag has been turned off the off indicator will
light and stay lit when the key is turned to RUN or
START.
If the on indicator is lit, the passenger's frontal air
bag has not been turned off. If this ever happens,
turn the vehicle off, unbuckle the safety belt
and perform the steps to install the rear-facing
restraint again. After restarting the vehicle, if the air
bag still doesn't turn off, install the infant restraint
in a rear seat position of the vehicle and have your
vehicle serviced as soon as possible.
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.
1-75

Supplemental Restraint
System (SRS)
This part explains the frontal and side impact
Supplemental Restraint Systems (SRS) or air bag
systems.
Your vehicle has four air bags ± a frontal air bag for the
driver, another frontal air bag for the right front
passenger, a side impact air bag for the driver, and
another side impact air bag for the right front passenger.
Frontal air bags are designed to help reduce the risk
of injury from the force of an in¯ating frontal air bag. But
these air bags must in¯ate very quickly to do their job
and comply with federal regulations.
Here are the most important things to know about the
air bag systems:
{CAUTION:
You can be severely injured or killed in a crash
if you aren't wearing your safety belt ± even if
you have air bags. Wearing your safety belt
during a crash helps reduce your chance of
hitting things inside the vehicle or being
ejected from it. Air bags are designed to work
with safety belts but don't replace them.
Frontal air bags for the driver and right front
passenger are designed to deploy only in
moderate to severe frontal and near frontal
crashes. They aren't designed to in¯ate at all in
rollover, rear or low-speed frontal crashes, or in
many side crashes. And, for some unrestrained
occupants, frontal air bags may provide less
protection in frontal crashes than more forceful
air bags have provided in the past.
CAUTION: (Continued)
1-76

CAUTION: (Continued)
The side impact air bags for the driver and
right front passenger are designed to in¯ate
only in moderate to severe crashes where
something hits the side of your vehicle. They
aren't designed to in¯ate in frontal, in rollover
or in rear crashes.
Everyone in your vehicle should wear a safety
belt properly ± whether or not there's an air
bag for that person.
{CAUTION:
Both frontal and side impact air bags in¯ate
with great force, faster than the blink of an
eye. If you're too close to an in¯ating air bag,
as you would be if you were leaning forward, it
could seriously injure you. Safety belts help
keep you in position for air bag in¯ation before
and during a crash.
CAUTION: (Continued)
CAUTION: (Continued)
Always wear your safety belt, even with frontal
air bags. The driver should sit as far back as
possible while still maintaining control of the
vehicle. Front occupants should not lean on or
sleep against the door.
{CAUTION:
Anyone who is up against, or very close to,
any air bag when it in¯ates can be seriously
injured or killed. Air bags 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 air bag
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 the part of this manual called ªOlder
Childrenº or ªInfants and Young Children.º
1-77

There is a air bag
readiness light on the
instrument panel cluster,
which shows the air
bag symbol.
The system checks the air bag electrical system for
malfunctions. The light tells you if there is an electrical
problem. See
Air Bag Readiness Light on page 3-37for more information.
Where Are the Air Bags?
The driver's frontal air bag is in the middle of the
steering wheel.
1-78

The right front passernger's frontal air bag is in the
instrument panel on the passenger's side.The driver's side impact air bag is in the side of the
driver's seatback closest to the door.
1-79

The right front passenger's side impact air bag is in the
side of the passenger's seatback closest to the door.
{CAUTION:
If something is between an occupant and an
air bag, the bag might not in¯ate properly or it
might force the object into that person causing
severe injury or even death. The path of an
in¯ating air bag must be kept clear. Don't put
anything between an occupant and an air bag,
and don't attach or put anything on the
steering wheel hub or on or near any other air
bag covering. Don't let seat covers block the
in¯ation path of a side impact air bag.
1-80

When Should an Air Bag In¯ate?
The driver's and right front passenger's frontal air bags
are designed to in¯ate in moderate to severe frontal
or near-frontal crashes. But they are designed to in¯ate
only if the impact speed is above the system's
designed ªthreshold level.º
In addition, your vehicle has ªdual stageº frontal air
bags, which adjust the amount of restraint according to
crash severity. For moderate frontal impacts, these
air bags in¯ate at a level less than full deployment. For
more severe frontal impacts, full deployment occurs.
If the front of your vehicle goes straight into a wall that
doesn't move or deform, the threshold level for the
reduced deployment is about 10 to 16 mph
(16 to 25 km/h), and the threshold level for a full
deployment is about 20 to 25 mph (32 to 40 km/h). The
threshold level can vary, however, with speci®c
vehicle design, so that it can be somewhat above or
below this range.
If your vehicle strikes something that will move or
deform, such as a parked car, the threshold level will be
higher. The driver's and right front passenger's frontal
air bags are not designed to in¯ate in rollovers, rear
impacts, or in many side impacts because in¯ation
would not help the occupant.Side impact air bags are designed to in¯ate in moderate
to severe side crashes. A side impact air bag will
in¯ate if the crash severity is above the system's
designed ªthreshold level.º The threshold level can vary
with speci®c vehicle design. Side impact air bags are
not designed to in¯ate in frontal or near-frontal impacts,
rollovers or rear impacts, because in¯ation would not
help the occupant. A side impact air bag will only deploy
on the side of the vehicle that is struck.
In any particular crash, no one can say whether an air
bag should have in¯ated simply because of the damage
to a vehicle or because of what the repair costs were.
For frontal air bags, in¯ation is determined by the angle
of the impact and how quickly the vehicle slows down
in frontal and near-frontal impacts. For side impact
air bags, in¯ation is determined by the location
and severity of the impact.
The air bag system is designed to work properly under
a wide range of conditions, including off-road usage.
Observe safe driving speeds, especially on rough
terrain. As always, wear your safety belt. See
Operating
Your All-Wheel-Drive Vehicle Off Paved Roads on
page 4-18
for tips on off-road driving.
1-81

Seat Position Sensors
Vehicle's with dual stage air bags are also equipped
with special sensors which enable the sensing system to
monitor the position of both the driver and passenger
front seats. The seat position sensor provides
information which is used to determine if the air bags
should deploy at a reduced level or at full depoyment.
What Makes an Air Bag In¯ate?
In an impact of sufficient severity, the air bag sensing
system detects that the vehicle is in a crash. For both
frontal and side impact air bags, the sensing system
triggers a release of gas from the in¯ator, which in¯ates
the air bag. The in¯ator, the air bag and related hardware
are all part of the air bag modules. Frontal air bag
modules are located inside the steering wheel and
instrument panel. For side impact air bags, the air bag
modules are located in the seatback closest to the
driver's and/or right front passenger's door.
How Does an Air Bag 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. The air bag supplements the protection
provided by safety belts. Air bags distribute the force of
the impact more evenly over the occupant's upper
body, stopping the occupant more gradually. But the
frontal air bags would not help you in many types
of collisions, including rollovers, rear impacts, and many
side impacts, primarily because an occupant's motion
is not toward the air bag. Side impact air bags would not
help you in many types of collisions, including frontal
or near frontal collisions, rollovers, and rear impacts,
primarily because an occupant's motion is not toward
those air bags. Air bags should never be regarded
as anything more than a supplement to safety belts, and
then only in moderate to severe frontal or near-frontal
collisions for the driver's and right front passenger's
frontal air bags, and only in moderate to severe
side collisions for vehicles with a driver's and right front
passenger's side impact air bag.
1-82

What Will You See After an Air Bag
In¯ates?
After the air bag in¯ates, it quickly de¯ates, so quickly
that some people may not even realize the air bag
in¯ated. Some components of the air bag module will be
hot for a short time. These components include the
steering wheel hub for the driver's frontal air bag and the
instrument panel for the right front passenger's frontal
air bag. For side impact air bags, the side of the
seatback closest to the driver's and/or right front
passenger's door will be hot. The parts of the bag that
come into contact with you may be warm, but not
too hot to touch. There will be some smoke and dust
coming from the vents in the de¯ated air bags. Air bag
in¯ation doesn't prevent the driver from seeing or
being able to steer the vehicle, nor does it stop people
from leaving the vehicle.
{CAUTION:
When an air bag in¯ates, there is 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
can't get out of the vehicle after an air bag
in¯ates, then get fresh air by opening a
window or a door. If you experience breathing
problems following an air bag deployment, you
should seek medical attention.
In many crashes severe enough to in¯ate an air bag,
windshields are broken by vehicle deformation.
Additional windshield breakage may also occur from the
right front passenger air bag.
·Air bags are designed to in¯ate only once. After an
air bag in¯ates, you'll need some new parts for your
air bag system. If you don't get them, the air bag
system won't be there to help protect you in another
crash. A new system will include air bag modules
and possibly other parts. The service manual for your
vehicle covers the need to replace other parts.
1-83

·Your vehicle is equipped with electronic frontal
sensors which help the sensing system distinguish
between a moderate and a more severe frontal
impact. Your vehicle is also equipped with a crash
sensing and diagnostic module, which records
information about the frontal air bag system. The
module records information about the readiness of
the system and when the system commands air bag
in¯ation. It records the status of the driver's safety
belt usage in a crash in which the air bag deploys or
a crash in which the air bag nearly deploys. The
module also records speed, engine rpm, brake and
throttle data.
·Let only quali®ed technicians work on your air bag
systems. Improper service can mean that an air bag
system won't work properly. See your dealer for
service.
Notice:If you damage the covering for the driver's
or the right front passenger's air bag, or the air
bag covering on the driver's and right front
passenger's seatback, the bag may not work
properly. You may have to replace the air bag
module in the steering wheel, both the air bag
module and the instrument panel for the right front
passenger's air bag, or both the air bag module
and seatback for the driver's and right front
passenger's side impact air bag. Do not open or
break the air bag coverings.
1-84