ECU CHEVROLET MALIBU 1998 Owners Manual

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Reclining Front Seatbacks
To adjust the seatback, lift the lever on the outer side of
the seat and move the seatback to where you want it.
Release the lever and ensure the handle returns
to the
original position and the seatback
is securely locked.
Pull up on the lever and the seat will go to an
upright position. But don’t have a seatback reclined
if your vehicle
is moving.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine To close the split folding rear seat, push the seatback up
until you hear a click. Then pull on the seatback to make
sure it is secure.
Safety Belts: They’re 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.
And it explains the Supplemental Restraint System
(SRS), or air bag system.
I
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.
’
A 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.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine A
3. Pick up the latch plate and pull the belt across you.
Don’t let it get twisted.
The 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.
4. Push the latch plate into the buckle until it clicks.
If the belt stops before it reaches the buckle, tilt the
latch plate and keep pulling until you can
buckle
the belt.
Pull up on the latch plate to
make sure it is secure. If
the belt isn’t long enough, see “Safety Belt
Extender’’
at the end of this section.
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.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine ontinue
And, for unrestrained occupants, reduced-force
air bags may provide less protection in frontal
crashes than more forceful air bags have
provided in the past. Everyone in your vehicle should wear a safety belt properly
-- whether or
not there’s an air bag for that person.
Air bags inflate with great force, faster than the
blink of an eye.
If you’re too close to an inflating
air bag, it could seriously injure you. This is true
even with reduced-force frontal air bags. Safety
belts help keep you in position before and during
a crash. Always wear your safety belt, even with
reduced-force air bags. The driver should sit as
far back as possible while still maintaining
control of the vehicle.
A CAUTI-”:
I
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Children who are up against, or very close to, an
air bag when it inflates can be seriously injured
or killed. This is true even though your vehicle
has reduced-force frontal
air bags. Air bags plus
lap-shoulder belts offer the best protection for
adults and older children, 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 “Children” and see the caution labels on
the sunvisors and the right front passenger’s
safety belt.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine If the belt stops before it reaches the buckle, tilt the
latch plate and keep pulling until you can buckle it.
Pull up on the latch plate to make sure it is secure.
If the belt is not long enough, see “Safety Belt
Extender” at the end of this section. 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.
I ... .
b
3. To make the lap part tight, pull down on the buckle
end of the belt as you pull up on the shoulder part.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Children Smaller Chil4ren md Babies
Everyone in a vehicle needs protection! That includes
infants and all children smaller than adult size. Neither
the distance traveled
nor the age and size of the traveler
changes the need, for everyone, to use safety restraints.
In fact, the law in every state in the United States and
in
every Canadian province says children up to some age
must be restrained
while in a vehicle.
/1 CAUTION:
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Children who are up against, or very 4 se to, an
air bag when it inflates can be seriously injured
or killed. This is true even though your vehicle
has reduced-force frontal
air bags. Air bags plus
lap-shoulder belts
offer the best protection for
adults and older children, 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.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine /I CAUTION:
Smaller children and babies should always be
restrained in a child or infant restraint. The
instructions for the restraint will say whether it is
the right type and size
for your child. A very
young child’s hip bones
are so small that a
regular belt might not
stay low on the hips, as it
should. Instead, the belt will likely be over the
child’s abdomen. In a crash, the belt would apply
force right on the child’s abdomen, which could
cause serious or fatal injuries.
So, be sure that
any child small enough for one is always properly
restrained in a child or infant restraint.
Infants need complete support, including support for the
head and neck. This is necessary because an infant’s
neck
is weak and its head weighs so much compared
with the rest of its body. In
a crash, an infant in a
rear-facing restraint settles into the restraint,
so the crash
forces can be distributed across the strongest part
of the
infant’s body, the back
and shoulders. A baby should be
secured in an appropriate infant restraint. This
is so
important that many hospitals today won’t release a
newborn infant to its parents unless there is an
infant restraint available for the baby’s first trip in a
motor vehicle.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 1 A CAUTION:
Never hold a baby in your arms while riding in a
vehicle.
A baby doesn’t weigh much -- until a
crash. During a crash a baby will become so
heavy you can’t hold it. For example, in a crash
CAUTION: (Continued)
at only 25 mph (40 kmh), a 12-1b. (5.5 kg) baby
will suddenly become a 2404b. (110 kg) force on
your arms. The baby would be almost impossible
to
hold.
Secure the baby in an infant restraint.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine A rear-facing infant restraint (B) positions an infant
to face the rear of the vehicle. Rear-facing infant
restraints are designed for infants of up to about
20 lbs. (9 kg) and about one year of age. This type
of restraint faces the rear
so that the infant’s head,
neck and body can have the support they need in a
crash. Some infant seats come in two parts
-- the
base stays secured in the vehicle and the seat part is removable.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine When choosing a child restraint, be sure the child
restraint is designed to be used in a vehicle. If it is, it
will have a label saying that it meets Federal Motor
Vehicle Safety Standards.
Then follow the instructions for the restraint.
You may
find these instructions on the restraint itself or in a
booklet, or both. These restraints use the belt system in
your vehicle, but the child also has to be secured within
the restraint to help reduce the chance
of personal injury.
The instructions that come with the infant or child
restraint will show you how to do that. Both the owner’s
manual and the child restraint instructions are important,
so if either one of these is not available, obtain a
replacement copy from the manufacturer.
Where to Put the Restraint
Accident statistics show that children are safer if they
are restrained in the rear rather than the front seat. We at
General Motors therefore recommend that you put your
child restraint in the rear seat.
Never put a rear-facing
child restraint in the front passenger seat. Here’s why:
A child in a rearfacing child restraint can be
seriously injured if the right front passenger’s air
bag inflates even though your vehicle has reduced-force frontal air bags. This is because
the back of a rearfacing child restraint would be
very close to the inflating air bag. Always secure
a rear-facing child restraint in the rear seat.
You may, however, secure a forward-facing child
restraint in the right front seat. Before you secure
a forward-facing child restraint, always move the
front passenger seat as far back as it will go. Or,
secure the child restraint in the rear seat.
Wherever you install it, be sure to secure the child
restraint properly.
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 your vehicle
-- even when no child is in it.
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