belt CADILLAC ESCALADE 2010 3.G Service Manual

Infants and Young Children
Everyone in a vehicle needs protection! This includesinfants and all other children. Neither the distancetraveled nor the age and size of the traveler changesthe need, for everyone, to use safety restraints. In fact,the law in every state in the United States and in everyCanadian province says children up to some age mustbe restrained while in a vehicle.
{WARNING:
Children can be seriously injured or strangled if a
shoulder belt is wrapped around their neck and
the safety belt continues to tighten. Never leave
children unattended in a vehicle and never allow
children to play with the safety belts.
Airbags plus lap!shoulder belts offer protection foradults and older children, but not for young children andinfants. Neither the vehicle's safety belt system nor itsairbag system is designed for them. Every time infantsand young children ride in vehicles, they should havethe protection provided by appropriate child restraints.
Children who are not restrained properly can strikeother people, or can be thrown out of the vehicle.
{WARNING:
Never do this.
Never hold an infant or a child while riding in a
vehicle. Due to crash forces, an infant or a child
will become so heavy it is not possible to hold it
during a crash. For example, in a crash at only
40 km/h (25 mph), a 5.5 kg (12 lb) infant will
suddenly become a 110 kg (240 lb) force on a
person's arms. An infant should be secured in an
appropriate restraint.
2-52

{WARNING:
A young child's hip bones are still so small that
the vehicle's regular safety belt may not remain
low on the hip bones, as it should. Instead, it may
settle up around the child's abdomen. In a crash,
the belt would apply force on a body area that is
unprotected by any bony structure. This alone
could cause serious or fatal injuries. To reduce the
risk of serious or fatal injuries during a crash,
young children should always be secured in
appropriate child restraints.
Child Restraint Systems
A rear-facing infantseat (A) provides restraintwith the seating surfaceagainst the back ofthe infant.
The harness system holds the infant in place and, in acrash, acts to keep the infant positioned in the restraint.
A forward-facing childseat (B) provides restraintfor the child's body withthe harness.
2-55

A booster seat (C-D) is a child restraint designed toimprove the fit of the vehicle's safety belt system.A booster seat can also help a child to see outthe window.
Securing an Add-On Child Restraint in
the Vehicle
{WARNING:
A child can be seriously injured or killed in a
crash if the child restraint is not properly secured
in the vehicle. Secure the child restraint properly
in the vehicle using the vehicle's safety belt or
LATCH system, following the instructions that
came with that child restraint and the instructions
in this manual.
To help reduce the chance of injury, the child restraintmust be secured in the vehicle. Child restraint systemsmust be secured in vehicle seats by lap belts or the lapbelt portion of a lap-shoulder belt, or by the LATCHsystem. SeeLower Anchors and Tethers for Children(LATCH)on page 2!59for more information. A childcan be endangered in a crash if the child restraint is notproperly secured in the vehicle.
2-56

When securing an add-on child restraint, refer to theinstructions that come with the restraint which may beon the restraint itself or in a booklet, or both, and to thismanual. The child restraint instructions are important,so if they are not available, obtain a replacement copyfrom the manufacturer.
Keep in mind that an unsecured child restraint canmove around in a collision or sudden stop and injurepeople in the vehicle. Be sure to properly secure anychild restraint in the vehicle—even when no childis in it.
Securing the Child Within the Child
Restraint
{WARNING:
A child can be seriously injured or killed in a crash
if the child is not properly secured in the child
restraint. Secure the child properly following the
instructions that came with that child restraint.
Where to Put the Restraint
According to accident statistics, children and infants aresafer when properly restrained in a child restraintsystem or infant restraint system secured in a rearseating position.
We recommend that children and child restraints besecured in a rear seat, including: an infant or a childriding in a rear-facing child restraint; a child riding in aforward-facing child seat; an older child riding in abooster seat; and children, who are large enough, usingsafety belts.
2-57

{WARNING:
A child in a child restraint in the center front seat
can be badly injured or killed by the frontal
airbags if they inflate. 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 seatposition.
When securing a child restraint in a rear seatingposition, study the instructions that came with your childrestraint to make sure it is compatible with this vehicle.
Wherever a child restraint is installed, be sure to securethe child restraint properly.
Keep in mind that an unsecured child restraint canmove around in a collision or sudden stop and injurepeople in the vehicle. Be sure to properly secure anychild restraint in your vehicle—even when no childis in it.
Lower Anchors and Tethers for
Children (LATCH)
The LATCH system holds a child restraint duringdriving or in a crash. This system is designed to makeinstallation of a child restraint easier. The LATCHsystem uses anchors in the vehicle and attachmentson the child restraint that are made for use with theLATCH system.
Make sure that a LATCH-compatible child restraintis properly installed using the anchors, or use thevehicle's safety belts to secure the restraint, followingthe instructions that came with that restraint, and alsothe instructions in this manual. When installing a childrestraint with a top tether, you must also use either thelower anchors or the safety belts to properly secure thechild restraint. A child restraint must never be attachedusing only the top tether and anchor.
In order to use the LATCH system in your vehicle, youneed a child restraint that has LATCH attachments.The child restraint manufacturer will provide you withinstructions on how to use the child restraint and itsattachments. The following explains how to attach achild restraint with these attachments in your vehicle.
Not all vehicle seating positions or child restraints havelower anchors and attachments or top tether anchorsand attachments.
2-59

According to accident statistics, children and infants aresafer when properly restrained in a child restraintsystem or infant restraint system secured in a rearseating position. SeeWhere to Put the Restraintonpage 2!57
Securing a Child Restraint Designed for
the LATCH System
{WARNING:
If a LATCH-type child restraint is not attached to
anchors, the child restraint will not be able to
protect the child correctly. In a crash, the child
could be seriously injured or killed. Install a
LATCH-type child restraint properly using the
anchors, or use the vehicle's safety belts to
secure the restraint, following the instructions that
came with the child restraint and the instructions
in this manual.
{WARNING:
Do not attach more than one child restraint to a
single anchor. Attaching more than one child
restraint to a single anchor could cause the
anchor or attachment to come loose or even
break during a crash. A child or others could be
injured. To reduce the risk of serious or fatal
injuries during a crash, attach only one child
restraint per anchor.
{WARNING:
Children can be seriously injured or strangled if a
shoulder belt is wrapped around their neck and
the safety belt continues to tighten. Buckle any
unused safety belts behind the child restraint so
children cannot reach them. Pull the shoulder belt
all the way out of the retractor to set the lock,
if your vehicle has one, after the child restraint
has been installed.
2-64

Notice:Do not let the LATCH attachments rubagainst the vehicle’s safety belts. This may damagethese parts. If necessary, move buckled safety beltsto avoid rubbing the LATCH attachments.
Do not fold the empty rear seat with a safety beltbuckled. This could damage the safety belt or theseat. Unbuckle and return the safety belt to itsstowed position, before folding the seat.
1. Attach and tighten the lower attachments to thelower anchors. If the child restraint does not havelower attachments or the desired seating positiondoes not have lower anchors, secure the childrestraint with the top tether and the safety belts.Refer to your child restraint manufacturerinstructions and the instructions in this manual.
1. 1. Find the lower anchors for the desiredseating position.
1. 2. Put the child restraint on the seat.
1. 3. Attach and tighten the lower attachments onthe child restraint to the lower anchors.
2. If the child restraint manufacturer recommends thatthe top tether be attached, attach and tighten thetop tether to the top tether anchor, if the vehiclehas one. Refer to the child restraint instructionsand the following steps:
2. 1. Find the top tether anchor.
2. 2. Route, attach and tighten the top tetheraccording to your child restraint instructionsand the following instructions:
If the position you areusing does not have aheadrest or head restraintand you are using asingle tether, route thetether over the seatback.
2-65

Securing a Child Restraint in a Rear
Seat Position
When securing a child restraint in a rear seatingposition, study the instructions that came with the childrestraint to make sure it is compatible with this vehicle.
If the child restraint has the LATCH system, seeLowerAnchors and Tethers for Children (LATCH)onpage 2!59for how and where to install the childrestraint using LATCH. If a child restraint is secured inthe vehicle using a safety belt and it uses a top tether,seeLower Anchors and Tethers for Children (LATCH)on page 2!59for top tether anchor locations.
Do not secure a child seat in a position without a toptether anchor if a national or local law requires that thetop tether be anchored, or if the instructions that comewith the child restraint say that the top strap mustbe anchored.
In Canada, the law requires that forward-facing childrestraints have a top tether, and that the tether beattached.
If the child restraint does not have the LATCH system,you will be using the safety belt to secure the childrestraint in this position. Be sure to follow theinstructions that came with the child restraint.Secure the child in the child restraint when andas the instructions say.
If more than one child restraint needs to be installed inthe rear seat, be sure to readWhere to Put theRestraint on page 2!57.
The vehicle's lap!shoulder belts for the first and secondrow seating positions are equipped with free!falling latchplates. If the vehicle has a third row, the lap!shoulderbelts have either free!falling or cinching latch plates.
2-67

Use the following pictures to determine the latch platestyle:
Free!Falling Latch Plate
Cinching Latch Plate
1. Put the child restraint on the seat.
2. Pick up the latch plate, and run the lap andshoulder portions of the vehicle's safety beltthrough or around the restraint. The child restraintinstructions will show you how.
For third row seating positions, with cinching latchplates, tilt the latch plate to adjust the belt ifneeded.
2-68

3. Push the latch plate into the buckle until it clicks.
Position the release button on the buckle so thatthe safety belt could be quickly unbuckled ifnecessary.
4. For passenger seating positions with alap!shoulder belt and a free!falling latch plate,pull the rest of the shoulder belt all the way out ofthe retractor to set the lock. When installing a childrestraint using a lap!shoulder belt and a cinchinglatch plate, skip Step 4 and proceed to Step 5.
2-69