GMC ACADIA 2009 Owner's Guide

or the safety belts!
With safety belts, you slow down as
the vehicle does. You get more
time to stop. You stop over more
distance, and your strongest bones
take the forces. That is why
safety belts make such good sense.
Questions and Answers About
Safety Belts
Q:
Will I be trapped in the vehicle
after a crash if I am wearing a
safety belt?
A:Youcouldbe — whether you are
wearing a safety belt or not. But
your chance of being conscious
during and after an accident, so
youcanunbuckle and get out, is
muchgreater if you are belted.
And you can unbuckle a safety
belt, even if you are upside down.
Q:If my vehicle has airbags,
why should I have to wear
safety belts?
A:Airbags are supplemental
systems only; so they workwith
safety belts — not instead of
them. Whether or not an airbag is
provided, all occupants still have
to buckle up to get the most
protection. That is true not only in
frontal collisions, but especially in
side and other collisions.
Q:If I am a good driver, and I
never drive far from home, why
should I wear safety belts?
A:You may be an excellent driver,
but if you are in a crash — even
one that is not your fault — you
and your passenger(s) can be
hurt. Being a good driver does not
protect you from things beyond
your control, such as bad drivers.
Most accidents occur within
25 miles (40 km) of home.
And the greatest number of
serious injuries and deaths
occur at speeds of less than
40 mph (65 km/h).
Safety belts are for everyone.
Seats and Restraint System 1-17

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 1-29orInfants and Young
Children on page 1-31. 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 oor 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.
1-18 Seats and Restraint System

Q:What is wrong with this?
A:The shoulder belt is too loose. It
will not give as much protection
this way.
{CAUTION
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
t 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.
{CAUTION
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.
Seats and Restraint System 1-19

Q:What is wrong with this?
A:The belt is buckled in the wrong
buckle.
{CAUTION
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.
Q:What is wrong with this?
A:The belt is over an armrest.
1-20 Seats and Restraint System

{CAUTION
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.
{CAUTION
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.
Seats and Restraint System 1-21

Q:What is wrong with this?
A:The belt is behind the body.
{CAUTION
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.
Q:What is wrong with this?
A:The belt is twisted across
the body.
{CAUTION
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/retailer to x it.
1-22 Seats and Restraint System

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 1-28.
Position the release button on
the buckle so that the safety belt
could be quickly unbuckled if
necessary.
Seats and Restraint System 1-23

5. If equipped with a shoulder belt
height adjuster, move it to the
height that is right for you.
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.
1-24 Seats and Restraint System

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. See
Replacing Restraint System Parts
After a Crash on page 1-62.
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
Seats and Restraint System 1-25

To access the comfort guide,
you will rst need to move
the headrest forward by pulling
on the handle behind the
seatback. The comfort guide will
now be accessible.
Pull the comfort guide out of
its storage location and
then return the headrest to
its upright position.The elastic cord on the comfort
guide is adjustable. You can
make it longer or shorter
by squeezing both ends of
the plastic adjuster.
2. Place the guide over the belt and
insert the two edges of the belt
into the slots of the guide.3. Be sure that the belt is not twisted
and it lies at. The elastic cord
must be under the belt and the
guide on top.
Third Row Center Position
1-26 Seats and Restraint System