CHEVROLET TRACKER 1994 Owner's Manual

Seats and Restraint Systems
First, you’ll want to know which restraint
systems
your vehicle has.
We’ll start with the driver position.
Driver Position
This section describes the driver’s
restraint system.
Lap-Shoulder Belt
The driver has a lap-shouldcr bclt. Here‘s
how 10 wear il properly.
1. Close and lock the door.
2. Adjust the seat (to see how, see
“Seats”
in the Index) so you can sit up
straight.
3. Pick up the latch plate and pull the
belt across you. Don’t
let it get
twisted.
4. 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 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.
... 20
ProCarManuals.com

5. To make the lap part tight, pull down
on the buckle end of the belt as you
pull
up on the shoulder belt. 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’d be
less likely
to slide under the lap belt. If
you slid under it, the belt would apply
force at 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 safety belt locks
if there’s a sudden
stop or crash, or
if you pull the belt very
quickly out of the retractor.
2: What’s wrong with this?
\: The shoulder belt is too loose. It won’t
give nearly as much protection this
way.
21 . .
ProCarManuals.com

Seats and Restraint Systems
8
Q: What's wrong with this?
A: The belt is buckled in the wrong
place.
m
: What's wrong with this?
: The shoulder- belt is worn under the
arm. It should be worn over- the
shoulder
at all times.
A CAUTION:
You can be seriously injured if you
wear the shoulder belt under your
arm. In a crash, your budy 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 aren't
as strong as shoulder bones. You
could also severely injure internal
organs
like your liver or spleen.
C
P
2: What's wrong with this?
\: The belt is twisted across the body.
... 22
ProCarManuals.com

To unlatch the belt, just push the button
on the buckle. The belt should go back
out of the way.
Before you close
the door, be sure the belt
is out of the way. If you slam the door on
it, you can damage both the belt and your
vehicle.
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 don’t wear safety belts.
A pregnant woman should wear a
lap-shoulder belt, and
the lap portion
should be worn as low as possible
throughout the pregnancy.
The best way to protect the fetus is to
protect the mother. When a safety belt
is
worn properly, it’s more likely that the
fetus won’t be hurt in a crash. For
pregnant women, as for anyone, the key
to making safety belts effective is wearing
them properly.
L
1
Passenger Positions
Right Front Passenger Position
The right front passenger’s safety belt
works the same way as
the driver’s safety
belt. See “Driver Position,’’ earlier in this
part.
When the shoulder belt is pulled out all
the way, it will lock.
If it does, let it go
back all the way and start again.
23. ..
ProCarManuals.com

Seats and Restraint Systems
L
Rear Seat Passengers
It‘s very important for rear seat
passengers
to buckle up! Accident
statistics show that unbelted people in the
rear seat are hurt more often
in crashes
than those who are wearing safety belts.
Rear passengers who aren’t safety belted
can be thrown
out of the vehicle in a
crash. And
they can strike others in the
vehicle who are wearing safety belts.
Lap-Shoulder Belt
The rear seats have lap-shoulder belts.
Here’s how
to wear one properly.
1. Pick up the latch plate and pull the
belt across you. Don’t
let it get
twisted.
2. Push the latch plate into the buckle
until it clicks.
Pull up on the latch plate to make sure it
is secure.
When the shoulder belt
is pulled out all
the way,
it will lock. If it does, let it go
back all the way and start again.
If the belt is not long eqough, 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.
... 24
ProCarManuals.com

3. To make the lap part tight, pull down
on the buckle end of the belt as you
pull up on the shoulder part. 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'd be
less likely to slide under the lap belt. If
you slid under it, the belt would apply
force at 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 safety belt locks if there's a sudden
stop or a crash, or if you pull
the belt veri
quickly out of the retractor.
25 . I I.
ProCarManuals.com

Seats and Restraint Systems
0 To unlatch the belt, just push the
button on the buckle.
I
Children
Everyone in a vehicle needs protection!
That includes infants and all children
smaller than adult size. 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.
Smaller Children and Babies
... 26
ProCarManuals.com

1 Child Restraints
Be sure to 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.
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
unless the child is an infant and you’re
the only adult
in the vehicle. In that
case,
you might want to secure the
restraint
in the front seat where you can
keep an eye on the baby.
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.
27 ...
ProCarManuals.com

Seats and Restraint Systems
Top Strap
If your child restraint has a top strap, it
should be anchored.
Securing a Child Restraint in the Rear
Seat
You'll be using the lap-shoulder belt. See
the earlier section
about the top strap if
the child restraint has one.
1. Put the restraint on the seat. Follow
the instructions for the child restraint.
2. Secure the child in the child restraint
as the instructions say.
3. Pick up the latch plate, and run the lap
and shoulder portions of the vehicle's
safety belt through or around the
restraint. The child restraint
instructions
will show you how.
If the shoulder belt goes in front of the
child's face
or neck, put it behind the
child restraint.
4. Buckle the belt. Make sure the release
button is positioned
so you would be
able to unbuckle the safety belt
quickly
if you ever had to.
... 28
ProCarManuals.com

1
5. Pull the rest of the shoulder belt all the
way out of the retractor to set the lock. 6. To tighten the belt, feed the shoulder
belt into the retractor while you push
down on the child restraint. 7. Push and pull the child restraint in
different directions to be sure it is
secure.
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.
29 ...
ProCarManuals.com