belt GMC SAVANA PASSENGER 2009 Service Manual

CAUTION: (Continued)
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.
SeePassenger Sensing System on page 1-71for
additional information.
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.
If the child restraint has the LATCH system, see
Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children (LATCH) on
page 1-41for how and where to install the child restraint
using LATCH. If a child restraint is secured using a
safety belt and it uses a top tether, seeLower Anchors
and Tethers for Children (LATCH) on page 1-41for
top tether anchor locations.Do not secure a child seat in a position without a top
tether anchor if a national or local law requires that
the top tether be anchored, or if the instructions
that come with the child restraint say that the top
strap must be anchored.
In Canada, the law requires that forward-facing child
restraints have a top tether, and that the tether be
attached.
You will be using the lap-shoulder belt to secure the
child restraint in this position. Follow the instructions that
came with the child restraint.
1. Move the seat as far back as it will go before
securing the forward-facing child restraint.
When the passenger sensing system has turned off
the right front passenger frontal airbag, the off
indicator on the passenger airbag status indicator
should light and stay lit when the vehicle is started.
SeePassenger Airbag Status Indicator on
page 3-29.
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.
1-51

4. Push the latch plate into the buckle until it clicks.
Position the release button on the buckle so that
the safety belt could be quickly unbuckled if
necessary.5. Pull the rest of the shoulder belt all the way out of
the retractor to set the lock.
1-52

6. To tighten the belt, push down on the child restraint,
pull the shoulder portion of the belt to tighten the
lap portion of the belt and feed the shoulder
belt back into the retractor. When installing a
forward-facing child restraint, it may be helpful to
use your knee to push down on the child restraint as
you tighten the belt.7. If the vehicle does not have a rear seat and the
child restraint has a top tether, follow the child
restraint manufacturer’s instructions regarding the
use of the top tether. SeeLower Anchors and
Tethers for Children (LATCH) on page 1-41for more
information.
8. Push and pull the child restraint in different
directions to be sure it is secure.
If the airbag is off, the off indicator in the passenger
airbag status indicator will come on and stay on when
the vehicle is started.
To remove the child restraint, unbuckle the vehicle
safety belt and let it return to the stowed position.
1-53

{CAUTION:
If the airbag readiness light ever comes on and
stays on, it means that something may be wrong
with the airbag system. For example, the right
front passenger airbag could inflate even though
the airbag on-off switch is turned off.
To help avoid injury to yourself or others, have the
vehicle serviced right away. SeeAirbag Readiness
Light on page 3-27for more information, including
important safety information.
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.
If the child restraint has the LATCH system, see
Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children (LATCH) on
page 1-41for how and where to install the child restraint
using LATCH. If a child restraint is secured using a
safety belt and it uses a top tether, seeLower Anchors
and Tethers for Children (LATCH) on page 1-41for
top tether anchor locations.Do not secure a child seat in a position without a top
tether anchor if a national or local law requires that
the top tether be anchored, or if the instructions
that come with the child restraint say that the top
strap must be anchored.
In Canada, the law requires that forward-facing child
restraints have a top tether, and that the tether be
attached.
You will be using the lap-shoulder belt to secure the
child restraint in this position. Follow the instructions that
came with the child restraint.
1. Move the seat as far back as it will go before
securing the forward-facing child restraint.
If you have no other choice but to install a
rear-facing child restraint in this seat, make sure
the airbag is off once the child restraint has
been installed.
When the airbag off switch has turned off the right
front passenger frontal airbag, the off indicator
in the airbag off light should light and stay lit when
the vehicle is started. SeeAirbag Off Light on
page 3-28.
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.
1-55

4. Push the latch plate into the buckle until it clicks.
Position the release button on the buckle so that
the safety belt could be quickly unbuckled if
necessary.5. Pull the rest of the shoulder belt all the way out of
the retractor to set the lock.
1-56

6. To tighten the belt, push down on the child restraint,
pull the shoulder portion of the belt to tighten the
lap portion of the belt and feed the shoulder
belt back into the retractor. When installing a
forward-facing child restraint, it may be helpful to
use your knee to push down on the child restraint as
you tighten the belt.7. If the vehicle does not have a rear seat and the
child restraint has a top tether, follow the child
restraint manufacturer’s instructions regarding the
use of the top tether. SeeLower Anchors and
Tethers for Children (LATCH) on page 1-41for more
information.
8. Push and pull the child restraint in different
directions to be sure it is secure.
To remove the child restraint, unbuckle the vehicle
safety belt and let it return to the stowed position.
If you turned the airbag off with the switch, turn on the
right front passenger airbag when you remove the
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 1-67
for more information, including important safety
information.
1-57

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. Airbags are designed to work with
safety belts, but do not replace them. Also,
airbags are not designed to deploy in every crash.
In some crashes safety belts are your only
restraint. SeeWhen Should an Airbag Inflate? on
page 1-63.
Wearing your safety belt during a crash helps
reduce your chance of hitting things inside the
vehicle or being ejected from it. Airbags are
“supplemental restraints” to the safety belts.
Everyone in your vehicle should wear a safety belt
properly — whether or not there is an airbag for
that person.
{CAUTION:
Airbags inflate with great force, faster than the
blink of an eye. Anyone who is up against, or very
close to, any airbag when it inflates can be
seriously injured or killed. Do not sit unnecessarily
close to the airbag, as you would be if you were
sitting on the edge of your seat or leaning forward.
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.
Occupants should not lean on or sleep against the
door or side windows in seating positions with
roof-rail airbags.
1-59

{CAUTION:
Children who are up against, or very close to, any
airbag when it inflates can be seriously injured or
killed. Airbags plus lap-shoulder belts offer
protection for adults and older children, 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 1-31orInfants 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 3-27
for more information.Where Are the Airbags?
The driver frontal airbag is in the middle of the steering
wheel.
1-60

What Makes an Airbag Inate?
In a deployment event, the sensing system sends an
electrical signal triggering a release of gas from
the inflator. Gas from the inflator fills the airbag causing
the bag to break out of the cover and deploy. The
inflator, the airbag, and related hardware are all part of
the airbag module.
Frontal airbag modules are located inside the steering
wheel and instrument panel. For vehicles with
roof-rail airbags, there are airbag modules in the ceiling
of the vehicle, near the side windows for the first,
second, and third rows (if equipped). SeeWhere Are
the Airbags? on page 1-60for more information.
How Does an Airbag Restrain?
In moderate to severe frontal or near frontal collisions,
even belted occupants can contact the steering wheel or
the instrument panel. In moderate to severe side
collisions, even belted occupants can contact the inside
of the vehicle.
Airbags supplement the protection provided by safety
belts. Frontal airbags distribute the force of the
impact more evenly over the occupant’s upper body,
stopping the occupant more gradually. Roof-rail airbags
distribute the force of the impact more evenly over
the occupant’s upper body.
Rollover capable roof-rail airbags are designed to help
contain the head and chest of occupants in the
outboard seating positions in the first, second, and third
rows, if equipped. The rollover capable roof-rail
airbags are designed to help reduce the risk of full or
partial ejection in rollover events, although no system
can prevent all such ejections.
But airbags would not help in many types of collisions,
primarily because the occupant’s motion is not
toward those airbags. SeeWhen Should an Airbag
Inflate? on page 1-63for more information.
Airbags should never be regarded as anything more
than a supplement to safety belts.
1-65

This switch should only be turned to the off position if
the person in the right front passenger position is a
member of a passenger risk group identified by
the national government as follows:
Infant.An infant (less than 1 year old) must
ride in the front seat because:
•
My vehicle has no rear seat;
•My vehicle has a rear seat too small to
accommodate a rear-facing infant seat; or
•The infant has a medical condition which, according
to the infant’s physician, makes it necessary for the
infant to ride in the front seat so that the driver
can constantly monitor the child’s condition.
Child age 1 to 12.A child age 1 to 12 must
ride in the front seat because:
•
My vehicle has no rear seat;
•Although children ages 1 to 12 ride in the rear seat(s)
whenever possible, children ages 1 to 12 sometimes
must ride in the front because no space is available
in the rear seat(s) of my vehicle; or
•The child has a medical condition which, according to
the child’s physician, makes it necessary for the child
to ride in the front seat so that the driver can
constantly monitor the child’s condition.
Medical Condition.A passenger has a
medical condition which, according to his or
her physician:
•
Causes the passenger airbag to pose a special risk
for the passenger; and
•Makes the potential harm from the passenger
airbag in a crash greater than the potential
harm from turning off the airbag and allowing the
passenger, even if belted, to hit the dashboard
or windshield in a crash.
1-68