height CHEVROLET TRAVERSE 2009 1.G Owners Manual

Seats and
Restraint System
Head RestraintsHead Restraints....................1-2
Front SeatsManual Seats.......................1-3
Seat Height Adjuster..............1-3
Power Seats.........................1-4
Manual Lumbar.....................1-4
Power Lumbar......................1-5
Heated Seats.......................1-5
Heated and Cooled Seats......1-5
Memory Seat and Mirrors.......1-6
Reclining Seatbacks..............1-8
Rear SeatsRear Seat Operation..............1-9
Third Row Seats.................1-12
Safety BeltsSafety Belts: They Are for
Everyone..........................1-14
How to Wear Safety Belts
Properly............................1-17
Lap-Shoulder Belt................1-22
Safety Belt Use During
Pregnancy........................1-26
Safety Belt Extender............1-27
Child RestraintsOlder Children.....................1-27
Infants and Young
Children............................1-29
Child Restraint Systems........1-32
Where to Put the
Restraint...........................1-33
Lower Anchors and Tethers
for Children (LATCH)..........1-35
Securing a Child Restraint
in a Rear Seat Position......1-41
Securing a Child Restraint
in the Right Front Seat
Position............................1-43
Airbag SystemAirbag System....................1-46
Where Are the Airbags?.......1-48
When Should an Airbag
Inate?.............................1-49
What Makes an Airbag
Inate?.............................1-51
How Does an Airbag
Restrain?..........................1-51
What Will You See After
an Airbag Inates?.............1-51
Passenger Sensing System. . .1-53
Servicing Your
Airbag-Equipped Vehicle.....1-57
Adding Equipment to Your
Airbag-Equipped Vehicle.....1-58
Restraint System CheckChecking the Restraint
Systems...........................1-59
Replacing Restraint System
Parts After a Crash............1-60
Seats and Restraint System 1-1

Head Restraints
The vehicle’s front seats have
adjustable head restraints in all
outboard seating positions.
{CAUTION
With head restraints that are not
installed and adjusted properly,
there is a greater chance that
occupants will suffer a neck/spinal
injury in a crash. Do not drive until
the head restraints for all
occupants are installed and
adjusted properly.Adjust the head restraint so that the
top of the restraint is at the same
height as the top of the occupant’s
head. This position reduces the
chance of a neck injury in a crash.Pull the head restraint up to raise it.
To lower the head restraint, press
the release button, located on
the head restraint post on the top of
the seatback, while you push the
head restraint down.
Push down on the head restraint
after the button is released to make
sure that it is locked in place.
1-2 Seats and Restraint System

Front Seats
Manual Seats
{CAUTION
You can lose control of the
vehicle if you try to adjust a
manual driver’s seat while the
vehicle is moving. The sudden
movement could startle and
confuse you, or make you push a
pedal when you do not want to.
Adjust the driver’s seat only when
the vehicle is not moving.A. Manual Seat Adjustment Bar
B. Driver Seat Height Adjuster. See
Seat Height Adjuster on
page 1-3.
C. Manual Reclining Seatback
Lever. SeeReclining Seatbacks
on page 1-8.
If the vehicle has a manual bucket
seat you can adjust the seat
forward or rearward with the bar
located under the front of the seat
cushion.Lift the bar to unlock the seat. Slide
the seat to where you want it
and release the bar. Try to move
the seat with your body to be
sure the seat is locked in place.Seat Height Adjuster
If the vehicle has a manual driver
seat height adjuster, it is located on
the outboard side of the seat.
SeeManual Seats on page 1-3for
more information. To raise the
seat, move the lever upward
repeatedly until the seat is at the
desired height. To lower the
seat, move the lever downward
repeatedly until the seat is at
the desired height.
Seats and Restraint System 1-3

Lap-Shoulder Belt
All seating positions in the vehicle
have a lap-shoulder belt.
If you are using a rear seating
position with a detachable safety
belt and the safety belt is not
attached, seeThird Row Seats on
page 1-12for instruction on
reconnecting the safety belt to the
mini-buckle.
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.3. Push the latch plate into the
buckle until it clicks.
4. Pull up on the latch plate to
make sure it is secure. If the belt
is not long enough, seeSafety
Belt Extender on page 1-27.
Position the release button on
the buckle so that the safety belt
could be quickly unbuckled if
necessary.
5. If equipped with a shoulder belt
height adjuster, move it to the
height that is right for you.
1-22 Seats and Restraint System

See “Shoulder Belt Height
Adjustment” later in this section
for instructions on use and
important safety information.
6. To make the lap part tight, pull
up on the shoulder belt.
It may be necessary to pull the
stitching on the safety belt
through the latch plate to fully
tighten the lap belt on smaller
occupants.To unlatch the belt, push the button
on the buckle. The belt should
return to its stowed position. Slide
the latch plate up the safety
belt webbing when the safety belt is
not in use. The latch plate should
rest on the stitching on the
safety belt, near the guide loop on
the side wall.
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.Shoulder Belt Height Adjuster
The vehicle has a shoulder belt
height adjuster for the driver and
right front passenger seating
positions.
Adjust the height so that the shoulder
portion of the belt is centered on the
shoulder. The belt should be away
from the face and neck, but not
falling off of the shoulder. Improper
shoulder belt height adjustment
could reduce the effectiveness of the
safety belt in a crash.
To move it down, push down on the
button (A) and move the height
adjuster to the desired position.
Seats and Restraint System 1-23

You can move the height adjuster
up by pushing up on the shoulder
belt guide.
After the adjuster is set to the
desired position, try to move it down
without pushing the button to
make sure it has locked into
position.
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, near frontal, or rear 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 or a rollover event.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 Restraint System
Parts After a Crash on page 1-60.
Rear Safety Belt Comfort
Guides
Rear shoulder belt comfort guides
may provide added safety belt
comfort for older children who have
outgrown booster seats and for
some adults. When installed on a
shoulder belt, the comfort guide
positions the shoulder belt away
from the neck and head.
There is a guide for each outboard
passenger position in the second row
seat and all passenger positions in
the third row.Here is how to install a comfort guide
to the safety belt:
1. For the outboard positions,
remove the guide from its storage
clip on the interior body.
For the third row center
position, locate the comfort
guide which is located in a
storage pocket, at the top of
the seat, under the headrest on
the driver’s side of the vehicle.Outboard Positions
1-24 Seats and Restraint System

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/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.
Child Restraints
Older Children
Older children who have outgrown
booster seats should wear the
vehicle’s safety belts.
The manufacturer’s instructions that
come with the booster seat, state
the weight and height limitations for
that booster.Use a booster seat with a
lap-shoulder belt until the child
passes the below t test:
Sit all the way back on the seat.
Do the knees bend at the seat
edge? If yes, continue. If no,
return to the booster seat.
Buckle the lap-shoulder belt.
Does the shoulder belt rest on the
shoulder? If yes, continue. If no,
try using the rear safety belt
comfort guide. See “Rear Safety
Belt Comfort Guides” under
Lap-Shoulder Belt on page 1-22
for more information. If the
shoulder belt still does not rest on
the shoulder, then return to the
booster seat.
Does the lap belt t low and snug
on the hips, touching the thighs? If
yes, continue. If no, return to the
booster seat.
Can proper safety belt t be
maintained for the length of the
trip? If yes, continue. If no, return
to the booster seat.
Seats and Restraint System 1-27

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.
{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.
Seats and Restraint System 1-31

Adding Equipment to
Your Airbag-Equipped
Vehicle
Q:Is there anything I might add
to or change about the
vehicle that could keep the
airbags from working
properly?
A:Yes. If you add things that
change the vehicle’s frame,
bumper system, height, front end
or side sheet metal, they may
keep the airbag system from
working properly. Changing or
moving any parts of the front
seats, safety belts, the airbag
sensing and diagnostic module,
steering wheel, instrument
panel, roof-rail airbag modules,
ceiling headliner or pillar
garnish trim, front sensors, side
impact sensors, rollover
sensor module, or airbag wiring
can affect the operation of
the airbag system.In addition, the vehicle has a
passenger sensing system for the
right front passenger position,
which includes sensors that are
part of the passenger seat. The
passenger sensing system may
not operate properly if the original
seat trim is replaced with non-GM
covers, upholstery or trim, or with
GM covers, upholstery or trim
designed for a different vehicle.
Any object, such as an
aftermarket seat heater or a
comfort enhancing pad or device,
installed under or on top of the
seat fabric, could also interfere
with the operation of the
passenger sensing system. This
could either prevent proper
deployment of the passenger
airbag(s) or prevent the
passenger sensing system from
properly turning off the passenger
airbag(s). SeePassenger
Sensing System on page 1-53.If you have questions, call
Customer Assistance. The phone
numbers and addresses for
Customer Assistance are
in Step Two of the Customer
Satisfaction Procedure in
this manual. SeeCustomer
Satisfaction Procedure on
page 7-1.
If the vehicle has rollover
roof-rail airbags, seeDifferent
Size Tires and Wheels on
page 5-52for additional
important information.
1-58 Seats and Restraint System

Notice:
Using the wrong uid can badly
damage brake hydraulic system
parts. For example, just a few
drops of mineral-based oil,
such as engine oil, in the brake
hydraulic system can damage
brake hydraulic system parts so
badly that they will have to be
replaced. Do not let someone
put in the wrong kind of uid.
If brake uid is spilled on the
vehicle’s painted surfaces, the
paint nish can be damaged. Be
careful not to spill brake uid
on the vehicle. If you do, wash it
off immediately. SeeWashing
Your Vehicle on page 5-81.
Brake Wear
This vehicle has disc brakes. Disc
brake pads have built-in wear
indicators that make a high-pitched
warning sound when the brake
pads are worn and new pads are
needed. The sound can come
and go or be heard all the time the
vehicle is moving, except when
applying the brake pedal rmly.
{CAUTION
The brake wear warning sound
means that soon the brakes will
not work well. That could lead to
an accident. When the brake wear
warning sound is heard, have the
vehicle serviced.
Notice:Continuing to drive with
worn-out brake pads could
result in costly brake repair.Some driving conditions or climates
can cause a brake squeal when the
brakes are rst applied or lightly
applied. This does not mean
something is wrong with the brakes.
Properly torqued wheel nuts are
necessary to help prevent brake
pulsation. When tires are rotated,
inspect brake pads for wear and
evenly tighten wheel nuts in
the proper sequence to torque
specications inCapacities and
Specifications on page 5-92.
Brake linings should always be
replaced as complete axle sets.
Brake Pedal Travel
See your dealer/retailer if the brake
pedal does not return to normal
height, or if there is a rapid increase
in pedal travel. This could be a sign
that brake service might be required.
Service and Appearance Care 5-27