belt CHEVROLET CORVETTE 2011 6.G User Guide

Black plate (13,1)Chevrolet Corvette Owner Manual - 2011
Seats and Restraints 3-13
How to Wear Safety Belts
Properly
This section 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
infants. If a child will be riding in
the vehicle, seeOlder Children on
page 3‑37 orInfants and Young
Children on page 3‑39. Follow those
rules for everyone's protection.
It is very important for all occupants
to buckle up. Statistics show that
unbelted people are hurt more
often in crashes than those who
are wearing safety belts.
Occupants who are not buckled up
can be thrown out of the vehicle in a
crash. And they can strike others in
the vehicle who are wearing safety
belts. First, before you or your
passenger(s) wear a safety belt,
there is important information you
should know.
Sit up straight and always keep
your feet on the floor in front of you.
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 would be less likely
to slide under the lap belt. If you
slid under it, the belt would apply
force on 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 shoulder belt locks if there is a
sudden stop or crash.

Black plate (14,1)Chevrolet Corvette Owner Manual - 2011
3-14 Seats and Restraints
Q: What is wrong with this?
A:The shoulder belt is too loose.
It will not give as much
protection this way.
{WARNING
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 fit
snugly against your body. Q: What is wrong with this?
A:
The lap belt is too loose. It will
not give nearly as much
protection this way.

Black plate (15,1)Chevrolet Corvette Owner Manual - 2011
Seats and Restraints 3-15
{WARNING
You can be seriously hurt if your
lap belt is too loose. In a crash,
you could slide under the lap
belt and apply force on your
abdomen. This could cause
serious or even fatal injuries.
The lap belt should be worn
low and snug on the hips, just
touching the thighs.Q: What is wrong with this?
A:
The belt is buckled in the wrong
buckle.
{WARNING
You can be seriously injured
if your belt is buckled in the
wrong place like this. In a crash,
the belt would go up over your
abdomen. The belt forces would
be there, not on the pelvic bones.
This could cause serious internal
injuries. Always buckle your belt
into the buckle nearest you.

Black plate (16,1)Chevrolet Corvette Owner Manual - 2011
3-16 Seats and Restraints
Q: What is wrong with this?
A:The belt is over an armrest.
{WARNING
You can be seriously injured if
your belt goes over an armrest
like this. The belt would be much
too high. In a crash, you can slide
under the belt. The belt force
would then be applied on the
abdomen, not on the pelvic
bones, and that could cause
serious or fatal injuries. Be sure
the belt goes under the armrests. Q: What is wrong with this?
A:
The shoulder belt is worn under
the arm. It should be worn over
the shoulder at all times.

Black plate (17,1)Chevrolet Corvette Owner Manual - 2011
Seats and Restraints 3-17
{WARNING
You can be seriously injured
if you wear the shoulder belt
under your arm. In a crash, your
body would move too far forward,
which would increase the chance
of head and neck injury. Also,
the belt would apply too much
force to the ribs, which are not
as strong as shoulder bones.
You could also severely injure
internal organs like your liver or
spleen. The shoulder belt should
go over the shoulder and across
the chest.Q: What is wrong with this?
A:
The belt is behind the body.
{WARNING
You can be seriously injured
by not wearing the lap-shoulder
belt properly. In a crash, you
would not be restrained by the
shoulder belt. Your body could
move too far forward increasing
the chance of head and neck
injury. You might also slide under
the lap belt. The belt force would
then be applied right on the
abdomen. That could cause
serious or fatal injuries. The
shoulder belt should go over the
shoulder and across the chest.

Black plate (18,1)Chevrolet Corvette Owner Manual - 2011
3-18 Seats and Restraints
Q: What is wrong with this?
A:The belt is twisted across
the body.
{WARNING
You can be seriously injured by a
twisted belt. In a crash, you would
not have the full width of the belt
to spread impact forces. If a belt
is twisted, make it straight so it
can work properly, or ask your
dealer to fix it.
Lap-Shoulder Belt
All seating positions in the vehicle
have a lap-shoulder belt.
The following instructions explain
how to wear a lap-shoulder belt
properly.
1. Adjust the seat, if the seat is
adjustable, so you can sit up
straight. To see how, see “Seats”
in the Index.
2. Pick up the latch plate and pull the belt across you. Do not let it
get twisted.
The lap-shoulder belt may lock if
you pull the belt across you very
quickly. If this happens, let the
belt go back slightly to unlock it.
Then pull the belt across you
more slowly.

Black plate (19,1)Chevrolet Corvette Owner Manual - 2011
Seats and Restraints 3-19
If the shoulder portion of a
passenger belt is pulled out
all the way, the child restraint
locking feature may be engaged.
If this happens, let the belt go
back all the way and start again.
Engaging the child restraint
locking feature in the right front
seating position may affect the
passenger sensing system.
SeePassenger Sensing System
on page 3‑30 for more
information.
3. 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
is not long enough, see Safety
Belt Extender on page 3‑21.
Position the release button on
the buckle so that the safety belt
could be quickly unbuckled if
necessary.4. To make the lap part tight, pull
up on the shoulder belt.
It may be necessary to pull
stitching on the safety belt
through the latch plate to fully
tighten the lap belt on smaller
occupants.

Black plate (20,1)Chevrolet Corvette Owner Manual - 2011
3-20 Seats and Restraints
To unlatch the belt, push the button
on the buckle. The belt should
return to its stowed position.
Before a door is closed, be sure the
safety belt is out of the way. If a
door is slammed against a safety
belt, damage can occur to both the
safety belt and the vehicle.
Safety Belt Pretensioners
This vehicle has safety belt
pretensioners for the front outboard
occupants. Although the safety
belt pretensioners cannot be seen,
they are part of the safety belt
assembly. They can help tighten
the safety belts during the early
stages of a moderate to severe
frontal and near frontal crash if the
threshold conditions for pretensioner
activation are met. And, for vehicles
with side impact airbags, safety belt
pretensioners can help tighten the
safety belts in a side crash.
Pretensioners work only once.
If the pretensioners activate in a
crash, they will need to be replaced,
and probably other new parts for
the vehicle's safety belt system.
SeeReplacing Safety Belt System
Parts After a Crash on page 3‑22.
Safety Belt Use During
Pregnancy
Safety belts work for everyone,
including pregnant women. Like all
occupants, they are more likely to
be seriously injured if they do not
wear safety belts.
A pregnant woman should wear
a lap-shoulder belt, and the lap
portion should be worn as low as
possible, below the rounding,
throughout the pregnancy.

Black plate (21,1)Chevrolet Corvette Owner Manual - 2011
Seats and Restraints 3-21
The best way to protect the fetus is
to protect the mother. When a safety
belt is worn properly, it is more likely
that the fetus will not be hurt in a
crash. For pregnant women, as for
anyone, the key to making safety
belts effective is wearing them
properly.
Safety Belt Extender
If the vehicle's safety belt will fasten
around you, you should use it.
But if a safety belt is not long
enough, your dealer will order you
an extender. When you go in to
order it, take the heaviest coat you
will wear, so the extender will be
long enough for you. To help avoid
personal injury, do not let someone
else use it, and use it only for the
seat it is made to fit. The extenderhas been designed for adults.
Never use it for securing child seats.
To wear it, attach it to the regular
safety belt. For more information,
see the instruction sheet that comes
with the extender.
Safety System Check
Now and then, check that the safety
belt reminder light, safety belts,
buckles, latch plates, retractors,
and anchorages are working
properly. Look for any other loose or
damaged safety belt system parts
that might keep a safety belt system
from doing its job. See your dealer
to have it repaired. Torn or frayed
safety belts may not protect you in
a crash. They can rip apart under
impact forces. If a belt is torn or
frayed, get a new one right away.
Make sure the safety belt reminder
light is working. See
Safety Belt
Reminders on page 5‑16 for more
information.
Keep safety belts clean and dry.
See Safety Belt Care on page 3‑21.
Safety Belt Care
Keep belts clean and dry.
{WARNING
Do not bleach or dye safety belts.
It may severely weaken them.
In a crash, they might not be able
to provide adequate protection.
Clean safety belts only with mild
soap and lukewarm water.

Black plate (22,1)Chevrolet Corvette Owner Manual - 2011
3-22 Seats and Restraints
Replacing Safety Belt
System Parts After a
Crash
{WARNING
A crash can damage the safety
belt system in the vehicle.
A damaged safety belt system
may not properly protect the
person using it, resulting in
serious injury or even death in
a crash. To help make sure the
safety belt systems are working
properly after a crash, have them
inspected and any necessary
replacements made as soon as
possible.After a minor crash, replacement of
safety belts may not be necessary.
But the safety belt assemblies that
were used during any crash may
have been stressed or damaged.
See your dealer to have the safety
belt assemblies inspected or
replaced.
New parts and repairs may be
necessary even if the safety belt
system was not being used at the
time of the crash.
Have the safety belt pretensioners
checked if the vehicle has been in a
crash, or if the airbag readiness light
stays on after you start the vehicle
or while you are driving. See
Airbag
Readiness Light on page 5‑16.
Airbag System
The vehicle has the following
airbags:
.A frontal airbag for the driver.
.A frontal airbag for the right front
passenger.
.A seat-mounted side impact
airbag for the driver.
.A seat-mounted side impact
airbag for the right front
passenger.
All of the airbags in the vehicle will
have the word AIRBAG embossed
in the trim or on an attached label
near the deployment opening.
For frontal airbags, the word
AIRBAG will appear on the middle
part of the steering wheel for the
driver and on the instrument panel
for the right front passenger.
With seat-mounted side impact
airbags, the word AIRBAG will
appear on the side of the seatback
closest to the door.