GMC SAVANA 2005 Repair Manual

Securing a Child Restraint in a
Center Seat Position
(3rd, 4th and 5th Row)
If your child restraint is equipped with the LATCH system,
seeLower Anchorages and Top Tethers for Children
(LATCH System) on page 1-50. SeeTop Strap on
page 1-47if the child restraint has one.
There are no top strap anchors in any four-passenger
bench seat positions (if equipped). Do not secure a
child seat in these positions if a national or local
law requires that the top strap must be anchored.
If your child restraint does not have the LATCH system,
you will be using the lap belt to secure the child
restraint in this position.
Be sure to follow the instructions that came with the
child restraint. Secure the child in the child restraint
when and as the instructions say.1. Make the belt as long as possible by tilting the latch
plate and pulling it along the belt.
2. Put the child restraint on the seat.
3. Run the vehicle’s safety belt through or around the
restraint. The child restraint instructions will show
you how.
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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.
5. To tighten the belt, pull its free end while you push
down on the child restraint. If you are using a
forward-facing child restraint, you may nd it helpful
to use your knee to push down on the child
restraint as you tighten the belt.
6. 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. It will be ready to work for an adult or
larger child passenger.
Securing a Child Restraint in the
Right Front Seat Position
If your child restraint has the LATCH system,
seeLower Anchorages and Top Tethers for Children
(LATCH System) on page 1-50.
If your vehicle is a passenger van, there is no top strap
anchor in the right front passenger’s position. Do not
secure a child seat in this position if a national or local
law requires that the top strap be anchored, or if the
instructions that come with the child restraint say that
the top strap must be anchored. SeeTop Strap on
page 1-47if the child restraint has one.
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Unless your vehicle has an airbag off switch and you
have used it to turn the passenger’s airbag off, never put
a rear-facing child restraint in the right front passenger’s
seat. Here is why:
{CAUTION:
A child in a rear-facing child restraint can be
seriously injured or killed if the right front
passenger’s airbag inates. This is because
the back of the rear-facing child restraint
would be very close to the inating airbag.
If your vehicle is a passenger van, always
secure a rear-facing child restraint in a rear
seat. If your vehicle is a cargo van with a right
front passenger airbag and an airbag off
switch, be sure to turn off the airbag before
using a rear-facing child restraint in the right
front seat position. If your vehicle is a cargo
van with a right front passenger airbag but
does not have an airbag off switch, do not use
a rear-facing child restraint in this vehicle.
CAUTION: (Continued)
CAUTION: (Continued)
Even though the airbag off switch is designed
to turn off the passenger’s frontal airbag, no
system is fail-safe and no one can guarantee
that an airbag will not deploy under some
unusual circumstance, even though it is turned
off. GM recommends that rear-facing child
restraints be transported in vehicles with a
rear seat that will accommodate a rear-facing
child restraint whenever possible.
If you need to secure a forward-facing child
restraint in the right front passenger position,
always move the passenger seat as far back
as it will go.
A rear seat is a safer place to secure a forward-facing
child restraint. SeeWhere to Put the Restraint on
page 1-43.
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{CAUTION:
If the airbag readiness light ever comes on
when you have turned off the airbag, it means
that something may be wrong with the airbag
system. The right front passenger’s airbag
could inate even though the switch is off.
If this ever happens, do not let anyone whom
the national government has identied as a
member of a passenger airbag risk group
sit in the right front passenger’s position
(for example, do not secure a rear-facing child
restraint in your vehicle) until you have your
vehicle serviced. SeeAirbag Off Switch on
page 1-69.If your child restraint does not have the LATCH system,
you will be using the lap-shoulder belt to secure the
child restraint in this position. Be sure to follow the
instructions that came with the child restraint.
Secure the child in the child restraint when and as the
instructions say.
1. If your vehicle has a passenger airbag and an
airbag off switch, and you are using a rear-facing
child restraint in this seat, make sure the airbag is
turned off. SeeAirbag Off Switch on page 1-69.
If your child restraint is forward-facing, always move
the seat as far back as it will go before securing
it in this seat. SeePower Seat on page 1-4or
Manual Seats on page 1-3.
2. Put the child restraint on the seat.
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.
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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.5. Pull the rest of the lap belt all the way out of the
retractor to set the lock.
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6. To tighten the belt, pull the shoulder portion of the
belt to tighten the lap portion of the belt and feed
the shoulder belt back into the retractor. You may
nd it helpful to use your knee to push down on the
child restraint as you tighten the belt.
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.If you were using a rear-facing child restraint in a
vehicle with an airbag off switch, turn on the right front
passenger’s airbag when you remove the rear-facing
child restraint from the vehicle unless the person
who will be sitting there is a member of a passenger
airbag risk group. SeeAirbag Off Switch on page 1-69.
{CAUTION:
If the right front passenger’s airbag is turned off
for a person who is not in a risk group identied
by the national government, that person will
not have the extra protection of an airbag.
In a crash, the airbag will not be able to inate
and help protect the person sitting there.
Do not turn off the passenger’s airbag unless
the person sitting there is in a risk group
identied by the national government.
SeeAirbag Off Switch on page 1-69for more
on this, including important safety information.
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Airbag System
If it says AIR BAG on the middle part of the steering
wheel and AIR BAG on the instrument panel in front of
the right front passenger’s seat, your vehicle has
two airbags — one airbag for the driver and another
airbag for the right front passenger.If it says AIR BAG on the middle part of the steering
wheel but it does not say AIR BAG on the instrument
panel in front of the right front passenger’s seat,
your vehicle has an airbag for the driver only.
If it says AIR BAG on the middle part of the steering
wheel, but there is no right front passenger seat,
your vehicle has an airbag for the driver only.
Frontal airbags are designed to help reduce the risk of
injury from the force of an inating airbag. But these
airbags must inate very quickly to do their job
and comply with federal regulations.
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Here are the most important things to know about the
airbag system:
{CAUTION:
You can be severely injured or killed in a crash
if you are not wearing your safety belt — even
if you have airbags. Wearing your safety belt
during a crash helps reduce your chance of
hitting things inside the vehicle or being
ejected from it. Airbags are designed to work
with safety belts, but do not replace them.
Airbags are designed to deploy only in
moderate to severe frontal and near frontal
crashes. They are not designed to inate in
rollover, rear or low-speed frontal crashes,
or in many side crashes. And, for some
unrestrained occupants, airbags may provide
less protection in frontal crashes than more
forceful airbags have provided in the past.
Everyone in your vehicle should wear a safety
belt properly — whether or not there is an
airbag for that person.
{CAUTION:
Airbags inate with great force, faster than
the blink of an eye. If you are too close to an
inating airbag, as you would be if you were
leaning forward, it could seriously injure you.
Safety belts help keep you in position before
and during a crash. Always wear your safety
belt, even with airbags. The driver should sit
as far back as possible while still maintaining
control of the vehicle.
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If your vehicle has an airbag for the right front passenger
read this.
{CAUTION:
Anyone who is up against, or very close to,
any airbag when it inates can be seriously
injured or killed. Airbags plus lap-shoulder
belts offer the best protection for adults, but
not for young children and infants. Neither the
vehicle’s safety belt system nor its airbag
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,
seeOlder Children on page 1-31andInfants
and Young Children on page 1-34.There is an airbag
readiness light on the
instrument panel, which
shows the airbag symbol.
The system checks the airbag electrical system for
malfunctions. The light tells you if there is an electrical
problem. SeeAirbag Readiness Light on page 3-26
for more information.
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Where Are the Airbags?
The driver’s airbag is in the middle of the steering wheel.If your vehicle has one, the right front passenger’s airbag
is in the instrument panel on the passenger’s side.
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