ECU CHEVROLET IMPALA 2009 9.G Owners Manual

Head Restraints...............................................1-2
Front Seats......................................................1-4
Manual Seats................................................1-4
Power Seats..................................................1-5
Manual Lumbar..............................................1-6
Heated Seats.................................................1-6
Reclining Seatbacks........................................1-7
Center Seat.................................................1-10
Rear Seats.....................................................1-10
Split Folding Rear Seat.................................1-10
Safety Belts...................................................1-13
Safety Belts: They Are for Everyone................1-13
How to Wear Safety Belts Properly.................1-18
Lap-Shoulder Belt.........................................1-27
Safety Belt Use During Pregnancy..................1-32
Lap Belt......................................................1-32
Safety Belt Extender.....................................1-33
Child Restraints.............................................1-34
Older Children..............................................1-34
Infants and Young Children............................1-37
Child Restraint Systems.................................1-41
Where to Put the Restraint.............................1-43Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children
(LATCH)..................................................1-45
Securing a Child Restraint in a Rear Seat
Position...................................................1-50
Securing a Child Restraint in the Center Front
Seat Position............................................1-53
Securing a Child Restraint in the Right Front
Seat Position............................................1-54
Airbag System...............................................1-57
Where Are the Airbags?................................1-59
When Should an Airbag Inate?.....................1-62
What Makes an Airbag Inate?.......................1-63
How Does an Airbag Restrain?.......................1-63
What Will You See After an Airbag Inates?.....1-64
Passenger Sensing System
............................1-65
Servicing Your Airbag-Equipped Vehicle...........1-71
Adding Equipment to Your Airbag-Equipped
Vehicle....................................................1-72
Restraint System Check..................................1-73
Checking the Restraint Systems......................1-73
Replacing Restraint System Parts After
a Crash...................................................1-74
Section 1 Seats and Restraint System
1-1

To return the seats to the normal position:
{CAUTION:
If either seatback is not locked, it could move
forward in a sudden stop or crash. That could
cause injury to the person sitting there. Always
push and pull on the seatbacks to be sure they
are locked.
1. Raise the seatback up and make sure it latches.
{CAUTION:
A safety belt that is improperly routed, not properly
attached, or twisted will not provide the protection
needed in a crash. The person wearing the belt
could be seriously injured. After raising the rear
seatback, always check to be sure that the safety
belts are properly routed and attached, and are
not twisted.2. Ensure that the safety belts are properly stowed
over the seatback in all three positions.
3. Flip the bottom seat cushion back into place. Push
rmly on the seat cushion to make sure it is secure.
When the seat is not in use, the seatback should
be placed in an upright, locked position, and the seat
cushion should be in the down position.
Under Seat Storage
The vehicle also has an under seat storage area.
To access the storage area, lift up on the tab located in
the center of the bottom seat cushion where the seat
cushion meets the seatback. SeeRear Storage Area on
page 2-43for more information.
1-12

Lap-Shoulder Belt
All seating positions in the vehicle have a lap-shoulder
except for the center front passenger position, if
your vehicle has one, which has a lap belt. SeeLap
Belt on page 1-32for more information.
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.
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 1-65.3. Push the latch plate into the buckle until it clicks.
If the latch plate will not go fully into the buckle,
check if the correct buckle is being used.
Pull up on the latch plate to make sure it is secure.
If the belt is not long enough, seeSafety Belt
Extender on page 1-33.
Position the release button on the buckle so that
the safety belt could be quickly unbuckled if
necessary.
1-27

To make the belt shorter, pull its free end as shown
until the belt is snug.
If the belt is not long enough, seeSafety Belt Extender
on page 1-33.
Make sure the release button on the buckle is positioned
so you would be able to unbuckle the safety belt
quickly if necessary.
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/
retailer 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 t. The extender has
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.
1-33

{CAUTION:
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
25 mph (40 km/h), a 12 lb (5.5 kg) infant will
suddenly become a 240 lb (110 kg) force on a
person’s arms. An infant should be secured in an
appropriate restraint.
1-38

{CAUTION:
Never do this.
Children who are up against, or very close to, any
airbag when it inates can be seriously injured or
killed. Never put a rear-facing child restraint in the
right front seat. Secure a rear-facing child restraint
in a rear seat. It is also better to secure a
forward-facing child restraint in a rear seat. If you
must secure a forward-facing child restraint in the
right front seat, always move the front passenger
seat as far back as it will go.
1-39

Q:What are the different types of add-on child
restraints?
A:Add-on child restraints, which are purchased by the
vehicle’s owner, are available in four basic types.
Selection of a particular restraint should take
into consideration not only the child’s weight, height,
and age but also whether or not the restraint will
be compatible with the motor vehicle in which it will
be used.
For most basic types of child restraints, there are
many different models available. When purchasing a
child restraint, be sure it is designed to be used
in a motor vehicle. If it is, the restraint will have a
label saying that it meets federal motor vehicle
safety standards.
The restraint manufacturer’s instructions that come
with the restraint state the weight and height
limitations for a particular child restraint. In addition,
there are many kinds of restraints available for
children with special needs.
{CAUTION:
To reduce the risk of neck and head injury during
a crash, infants need complete support. This is
because an infant’s neck is not fully developed
and its head weighs so much compared with the
rest of its body. In a crash, an infant in a
rear-facing child restraint settles into the restraint,
so the crash forces can be distributed across the
strongest part of an infant’s body, the back and
shoulders. Infants should always be secured in
rear-facing child restraints.
1-40

{CAUTION:
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 infant
seat (A) provides restraint
with the seating surface
against the back of
the infant.
The harness system holds the infant in place and, in a
crash, acts to keep the infant positioned in the restraint.
A forward-facing child
seat (B) provides restraint
for the child’s body with the
harness.
1-41

A booster seat (C-D) is a child restraint designed to
improve the t of the vehicle’s safety belt system.
A booster seat can also help a child to see out the
window.
Securing an Add-On Child Restraint in
the Vehicle
{CAUTION:
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 restraint
must be secured in the vehicle. Child restraint systems
must be secured in vehicle seats by lap belts or the
lap belt portion of a lap-shoulder belt, or by the LATCH
system. SeeLower Anchors and Tethers for Children
(LATCH) on page 1-45for more information. A child can
be endangered in a crash if the child restraint is not
properly secured in the vehicle.
1-42

When securing an add-on child restraint, refer to the
instructions that come with the restraint which may be on
the restraint itself or in a booklet, or both, and to this
manual. The child restraint instructions are important, so
if they are not available, obtain a replacement copy from
the manufacturer.
Keep in mind that an unsecured child restraint can
move around in a collision or sudden stop and injure
people in the vehicle. Be sure to properly secure
any child restraint in the vehicle — even when no child
is in it.
Securing the Child Within the Child
Restraint
{CAUTION:
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 are
safer when properly restrained in a child restraint
system or infant restraint system secured in a rear
seating position.
We recommend that children and child restraints 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.
1-43