GMC SAVANA 2012 Owners Manual

Black plate (43,1)GMC Savana Owner Manual - 2012 - 2nd - 11/15/11
Seats and Restraints 3-43
{WARNING
To reduce the risk of neck and
head injury during a crash, infants
need complete support. In a
crash, if an infant is in a
rear-facing child restraint, 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.
{WARNING
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.
Child Restraint Systems
Rear-Facing Infant Seat
A rear-facing infant seat provides
restraint with the seating surface
against the back of the infant.
The harness system holds the infant
in place and, in a crash, acts to
keep the infant positioned in the
restraint.

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3-44 Seats and Restraints
Forward-Facing Child Seat
A forward-facing child seat provides
restraint for the child's body with the
harness.Booster Seats
A booster seat is a child restraint
designed to improve the fit of the
vehicle's safety belt system.
A booster seat can also help a child
to see out the window.
Securing an Add-On Child
Restraint in the Vehicle
{WARNING
A child can be seriously injured or
killed in a crash if the child
restraint is not properly secured in
the vehicle. Secure the child
restraint properly in the vehicle
using the vehicle safety belt or
LATCH system, following the
instructions that came with that
child restraint and the instructions
in this manual.
To help reduce the chance of injury,
the child restraint must be secured
in the vehicle. Child restraint
systems must be secured in vehicle
seats by lap belts or the lap belt
portion of a lap-shoulder belt, or by
the LATCH system. See Lower
Anchors and Tethers for Children
(LATCH System) on page 3‑47.

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Seats and Restraints 3-45
Children can be endangered in a
crash if the child restraint is not
properly secured in the vehicle.
When securing an add-on child
restraint, refer to the instructions
that come with the restraint which
may be on the restraint itself or in a
booklet, or both, and to this manual.
The child restraint instructions are
important, so if they are not
available, obtain a replacement
copy from the manufacturer.
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
the vehicle—even when no child is
in it. In some areas of the United States
and Canada, Certified Child
Passenger Safety Technicians
(CPSTs) are available to inspect
and demonstrate how to correctly
use and install child restraints. In
the U.S., refer to the National
Highway Traffic Safety
Administration (NHTSA) website to
locate the nearest child safety seat
inspection station. For CPST
availability in Canada, check with
Transport Canada or the Provincial
Ministry of Transportation office.
Securing the Child Within the
Child Restraint
{WARNING
A child can be seriously injured or
killed in a crash if the child is not
properly secured in the child
restraint. Secure the child
properly following the instructions
that came with that child restraint.
Where to Put the
Restraint
According to accident statistics,
children and infants are safer when
properly restrained in a child
restraint system or infant restraint
system secured in a rear seating
position.
We recommend that children and
child restraints be secured in a rear
seat, including: an infant or a child
riding in a rear-facing child restraint;
a child riding in a forward-facing
child seat; an older child riding in a
booster seat; and children, who are
large enough, using safety belts.

Black plate (46,1)GMC Savana Owner Manual - 2012 - 2nd - 11/15/11
3-46 Seats and Restraints
If a child restraint is secured in the
right front passenger seat, and there
is a switch on the instrument panel
to manually turn off the right front
passenger airbag. SeeAirbag
On-Off Switch on page 3‑27 and
Securing Child Restraints (Front
Seat-Airbag On/Off Switch) on
page 3‑60 orSecuring Child
Restraints (Front Seat-Passenger
Sensing System) on page 3‑56 or
Securing Child Restraints (Rear
Seat) on page 3‑54 for more
information, including important
safety information. A label on the sun visor says,
“Never put a rear-facing child seat in
the front.”
This is because the risk to
the rear-facing child is so great,
if the airbag deploys.
{WARNING
A child in a rear-facing child
restraint can be seriously injured
or killed if the right front
passenger airbag inflates. This is
because the back of the
rear-facing child restraint would
be very close to the inflating
airbag. A child in a forward-facing
child restraint can be seriously
injured or killed if the right front
passenger airbag inflates and the
passenger seat is in a forward
position.
Even if the passenger sensing
system or airbag switch has
turned off the right front
passenger frontal airbag, no
system is fail-safe. No one can
(Continued)
WARNING (Continued)
guarantee that an airbag will not
deploy under some unusual
circumstance, even though it is
turned off.
Secure rear-facing child
restraints in a rear seat, even if
the airbag is off. If you secure a
forward-facing child restraint in
the right front seat, always move
the front passenger seat as far
back as it will go. It is better to
secure the child restraint in a
rear seat.
When securing a child restraint in a
rear seating position, study the
instructions that came with the child
restraint to make sure it is
compatible with this vehicle.

Black plate (47,1)GMC Savana Owner Manual - 2012 - 2nd - 11/15/11
Seats and Restraints 3-47
Child restraints and booster seats
vary considerably in size, and some
may fit in certain seating positions
better than others. Always make
sure the child restraint is properly
secured.
Depending on where you place the
child restraint and the size of the
child restraint, you may not be able
to access adjacent safety belt
assemblies or LATCH anchors for
additional passengers or child
restraints. Adjacent seating
positions should not be used if the
child restraint prevents access to or
interferes with the routing of the
safety belt.
If the vehicle does not have a rear
seat that will accommodate a
rear-facing child restraint, a
rear-facing child restraint should not
be installed in the vehicle, even if
the airbag is off.
Wherever a child restraint is
installed, 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
the vehicle
—even when no child
is in it.
Lower Anchors and
Tethers for Children
(LATCH System)
The LATCH system holds a child
restraint during driving or in a crash.
This system is designed to make
installation of a child restraint easier.
The LATCH system uses anchors in
the vehicle and attachments on the
child restraint that are made for use
with the LATCH system.
Make sure that a LATCH-compatible
child restraint is properly installed
using the anchors, or use the
vehicle's safety belts to secure the
restraint, following the instructions
that came with that restraint, and
also the instructions in this manual. When installing a child restraint with
a top tether, you must also use
either the lower anchors or the
safety belts to properly secure the
child restraint. A child restraint must
never be installed using only the top
tether strap and anchor.
In order to use the LATCH system in
your vehicle, you need a child
restraint that has LATCH
attachments. The child restraint
manufacturer will provide you with
instructions on how to use the child
restraint and its attachments.
The following explains how to attach
a child restraint with these
attachments in your vehicle.
Not all vehicle seating positions or
child restraints have lower anchors
and attachments or top tether
anchors and attachments.

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3-48 Seats and Restraints
Lower Anchors
Lower anchors (A) are metal bars
built into the vehicle. There are
two lower anchors for each
LATCH seating position that will
accommodate a child restraint with
lower attachments (B).
Top Tether Anchor
A top tether (A, C) anchors the
top of the child restraint to the
vehicle. A top tether anchor is built
into the vehicle. The top tether
attachment (B) on the child restraint
connects to the top tether anchor in
the vehicle in order to reduce the
forward movement and rotation of
the child restraint during driving or in
a crash.Your child restraint may have a
single tether (A) or a dual
tether (C). Either will have a
single attachment (B) to secure
the top tether to the anchor.
Some child restraints that have a
top tether are designed for use with
or without the top tether being
attached. Others require the top
tether always to be attached.
In Canada, the law requires that
forward-facing child restraints have
a top tether, and that the tether be
attached. Be sure to read and follow
the instructions for your child
restraint.

Black plate (49,1)GMC Savana Owner Manual - 2012 - 2nd - 11/15/11
Seats and Restraints 3-49
Lower Anchor and Top Tether
Anchor Locations
Second, Third, and Fourth Rowwith Three-Passenger Seat
i(Top Tether Anchor): Seating
positions with top tether anchors.
j(Lower Anchor): Seating
positions with two lower anchors.
See the information following for
installing a child restraint with a top
tether in the second, third, and
fourth row center positions. Do not install three child restraints in
the same row at the same time and
never install two top tethers using
the same top tether anchor.
Front Passenger Position
i(Top Tether Anchor):
Seating
positions with top tether anchors.
The second, third, and fourth row
with three-passenger seats have
exposed metal lower anchors
located in the crease between the
seatback and the seat cushion.
Second, Third, and Fourth Row
with Three-Passenger
Seat —Passenger Van
There are two top tether anchors in
the second‐, third‐, and fourth-row
three-passenger seats. To install a
child restraint in the rear driver-side
seating positions, use anchor
point (A). To install a child restraint
in the rear passenger-side seating
positions, use anchor point (B).
To install a child restraint in the rear
center seating positions, use anchor
point (B). Never install two top
tethers using the same top tether
anchor.

Black plate (50,1)GMC Savana Owner Manual - 2012 - 2nd - 11/15/11
3-50 Seats and Restraints
If the vehicle is equipped with a
four-passenger fourth‐or fifth-row
seat, it does not have upper or
lower anchors. If a child restraint is
placed in the four-passenger fourth
or fifth-row seat, it must be secured
using the vehicle safety belts. See
“Rear Seat Position” underSecuring
Child Restraints (Front Seat-Airbag
On/Off Switch) on page 3‑60 or
Securing Child Restraints (Front
Seat-Passenger Sensing System)
on page 3‑56 orSecuring Child
Restraints (Rear Seat) on page 3‑54
for more information.
Front Passenger Position
There is a top tether anchor for the
front passenger position with a front
passenger seat. The anchor is
located at the rear of the seat
cushion on the right front
passenger seat.
Do not secure a child restraint in a
position without a top tether anchor
if a national or local law requires
that the top tether be attached, or if
the instructions that come with the
child restraint say that the top tether
must be attached. According to accident statistics,
children and infants are safer when
properly restrained in a child
restraint system or infant restraint
system secured in a rear seating
position. See
Where to Put the
Restraint on page 3‑45 for
additional information.
Securing a Child Restraint
Designed for the LATCH
System
{WARNING
If a LATCH-type child restraint is
not attached to anchors, the child
restraint will not be able to protect
the child correctly. In a crash, the
child could be seriously injured or
killed. Install a LATCH-type child
restraint properly using the
anchors, or use the vehicle safety
belts to secure the restraint,
following the instructions that
came with the child restraint and
the instructions in this manual.

Black plate (51,1)GMC Savana Owner Manual - 2012 - 2nd - 11/15/11
Seats and Restraints 3-51
{WARNING
Do not attach more than one child
restraint to a single anchor.
Attaching more than one child
restraint to a single anchor could
cause the anchor or attachment
to come loose or even break
during a crash. A child or others
could be injured. To reduce the
risk of serious or fatal injuries
during a crash, attach only one
child restraint per anchor.
{WARNING
Children can be seriously injured
or strangled if a shoulder belt is
wrapped around their neck and
the safety belt continues to
tighten. Buckle any unused safety
belts behind the child restraint so
children cannot reach them. Pull
the shoulder belt all the way out
of the retractor to set the lock,
if the vehicle has one, after the
child restraint has been installed.
Notice: Do not let the LATCH
attachments rub against the
vehicle’ s safety belts. This may
damage these parts. If necessary,
move buckled safety belts to
avoid rubbing the LATCH
attachments. Do not fold the empty rear seat
with a safety belt buckled. This
could damage the safety belt or
the seat. Unbuckle and return the
safety belt to its stowed position,
before folding the seat.
1. Attach and tighten the lower
attachments to the lower
anchors. If the child restraint
does not have lower
attachments or the desired
seating position does not have
lower anchors, secure the child
restraint with the top tether and
the safety belts. Refer to your
child restraint manufacturer
instructions and the instructions
in this manual.
1.1. Find the lower anchors for the desired seating
position.
1.2. Put the child restraint on the seat.
1.3. Attach and tighten the lower attachments on the child
restraint to the lower
anchors.

Black plate (52,1)GMC Savana Owner Manual - 2012 - 2nd - 11/15/11
3-52 Seats and Restraints
2. If the child restraint manufacturerrecommends that the top tether
be attached, attach and tighten
the top tether to the top tether
anchor, if equipped. Refer to the
child restraint instructions and
the following steps:
2.1. Find the top tether anchor.
2.2. For the second, third,
and fourth row with
three-passenger seats only,
in the rear driver-side
seating positions, use
anchor point (A). For the
rear passenger-side seating
positions, use anchor
point (B). For the center
seating positions, use
anchor point (B). Never
install two top tethers using
the same top tether anchor. 2.3. Route and tighten the top
tether according to your
child restraint instructions
and the following
instructions:
If the position you are using
does not have a headrest
or head restraint and you
are using a single tether,
route the tether over the
seatback.
If the position you are using
does not have a headrest
or head restraint and you
are using a dual tether,
route the tether over the
seatback.