GMC SIERRA 1999 Workshop Manual

yellowblue
1-45
4. Buckle, position and release the safety belt as
described in ªRear Seat Outside Passenger Positions
(Extended Cab)º or ªRear Seat Outside Passenger
Positions (Crew Cab)º earlier in this section. Make
sure that the shoulder belt crosses the shoulder.To remove and store the comfort guides, squeeze the
belt edges together so that you can take them out from
the guides. Slide the guide onto the storage clip.
Make sure you remove the comfort guide from the belt
before you fold a rear seat down or use an easy
-entry
seat, if your vehicle has one.
Children
Everyone in a vehicle needs protection! That includes
infants and all children smaller than adult size. Neither
the distance traveled nor the age and size of the traveler
changes the need, for everyone, to use safety restraints.
In fact, the law in every state in the United States and in
every Canadian province says children up to some age
must be restrained while in a vehicle.

yellowblue
1-46 Smaller Children and Babies
CAUTION:
Children who are up against, or very close to, any
air bag when it inflates can be seriously injured
or killed. This is true even though your vehicle
has Next Generation frontal air bags. Air bags
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 air bag 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.
CAUTION:
Smaller children and babies should always be
restrained in a child or infant restraint. The
instructions for the restraint will say whether it is
CAUTION: (Continued)
CAUTION: (Continued)
the right type and size for your child. A very
young child's hip bones are so small that a
regular belt might not stay low on the hips, as it
should. Instead, the belt will likely be over the
child's abdomen. In a crash, the belt would apply
force right on the child's abdomen, which could
cause serious or fatal injuries. So, be sure that
any child small enough for one is always properly
restrained in a child or infant restraint.
Infants need complete support, including support for the
head and neck. This is necessary because an infant's neck
is weak and its head weighs so much compared with the
rest of its body. In a frontal crash, an infant in a rear
-facing
restraint settles into the restraint, so the crash forces can be
distributed across the strongest part of the infant's body,
the back and shoulders. A baby should be secured in an
appropriate infant restraint. This is so important that many
hospitals today won't release a newborn infant to its
parents unless there is an infant restraint available for the
baby's first trip in a motor vehicle.

yellowblue
1-47
CAUTION:
Never hold a baby in your arms while riding in a
vehicle. A baby doesn't weigh much
-- until a
crash. During a crash a baby will become so
heavy you can't hold it. For example, in a crash
CAUTION: (Continued)
CAUTION: (Continued)
at only 25 mph (40 km/h), a 12-lb. (5.5 kg) baby
will suddenly become a 240
-lb. (110 kg) force on
your arms. The baby would be almost impossible
to hold.
Secure the baby in an infant restraint.

yellowblue
1-48
Child Restraints
Every time infants and young children ride in
vehicles, they should have protection provided by
appropriate restraints.
Q:What are the different types of add-on child
restraints?
A:Add-on child restraints are available in four basic
types. When selecting a child restraint, take into
consideration not only the child's weight and size,
but also whether or not the restraint will be
compatible with the motor vehicle in which it
will be used.
An infant car bed (A) is a special bed made for use
in a motor vehicle. It's an infant restraint system
designed to restrain or position a child on a
continuous flat surface. With an infant car bed,
make sure that the infant's head rests toward the
center of the vehicle.

yellowblue
1-49
A rear-facing infant restraint (B) positions an infant
to face the rear of the vehicle. Rear
-facing infant
restraints are designed for infants of up to about
20 lbs. (9 kg) and about one year of age. This type of
restraint faces the rear so that the infant's head, neck
and body can have the support they need in a frontal
crash. Some infant seats come in two parts
-- the
base stays secured in the vehicle and the seat part
is removable.

yellowblue
1-50
A forward-facing child restraint (C-E) positions a
child upright to face forward in the vehicle. These
forward
-facing restraints are designed to help protect
children who are from 20 to 40 lbs. (9 to 18 kg) and
about 26 to 40 inches (66 to 102 cm) in height, or up
to around four years of age. One type, a convertible
restraint, is designed to be used either as a rear
-facing
infant seat or a forward
-facing child seat.

yellowblue
1-51
A booster seat (F, G) is designed for children who
are about 40 to 60 lbs., or even up to 80 lbs.
(18 to 27 kg, or even up to 36 kg), and about four
to eight years of age. A booster seat is designed to
improve the fit of the vehicle's safety belt system.
Booster seats with shields use lap
-only belts;
however, booster seats without shields use
lap
-shoulder belts. Booster seats can also help
a child to see out the window.

yellowblue
1-52
When choosing a child restraint, be sure the child
restraint is designed to be used in a vehicle. If it is, it
will have a label saying that it meets Federal Motor
Vehicle Safety Standards.
Then follow the instructions for the restraint. You may
find these instructions on the restraint itself or in a
booklet, or both. These restraints use the belt system in
your vehicle, but the child also has to be secured within
the restraint to help reduce the chance of personal injury.
The instructions that come with the infant or child
restraint will show you how to do that. Both the owner's
manual and the child restraint instructions are important,
so if either one of these is not available, obtain a
replacement copy from the manufacturer.
Where to Put the Restraint
(Regular Cab Pickup)
The child restraint must be secured properly in the
center or right front passenger seat.
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 your vehicle
-- even when no child is in it.
Where to Put the Restraint
(Extended Cab and Crew Cab)
Accident statistics show that children are safer if they
are restrained in the rear rather than the front seat. We at
General Motors therefore recommend that you put your
child restraint in the rear seat, if your vehicle has one.
If you have an Extended Cab, your vehicle has a switch
on the instrument panel that you can use to turn off the
passenger's air bag. You can use this switch when you
want to secure a rear
-facing child restraint at the right
front passenger's position. See ªAIR BAG OFF Switchº
and ªSecuring a Child Restraint in the Right Front Seat
Positionº in the Index for more on this, including
important safety information.

yellowblue
1-53
CAUTION:
A child in a rear-facing child restraint can be
seriously injured or killed if the right front
passenger's air bag inflates, even though your
vehicle has Next Generation frontal air bags.
This is because the back of the rear
-facing child
restraint would be very close to the inflating air
bag. Be sure to turn off the air bag before using
a rear
-facing child restraint in the right front
seat position.
Wherever you install it, 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 your vehicle
-- even when no child is in it.
Top Strap
Canadian law requires that forward-facing child restraints
have a top strap, and that the strap be anchored.
If your child restraint has a top strap, it should be anchored. If
you need to have an anchor installed, your dealer can obtain a
kit with anchor hardware and installation instructions
specifically designed for this vehicle. The dealer can then
install the anchor for you. This work will be done for you free
of charge. Or, you may install the anchor yourself using the
instructions provided in the kit.

yellowblue
1-54 Securing a Child Restraint in a Rear
Outside Seat Position (Extended Cab)
If you have a Crew Cab, see ªSecuring a Child Restraint
in a Rear Outside Seat Position (Crew Cab)º later in
this section.
You'll be using the lap
-shoulder belt. See the earlier part
about the top strap if the child restraint has one. 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. Put the restraint on the seat.
2. 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.
Tilt the latch plate to adjust the belt if needed. If the
shoulder belt goes in front of the child's face or neck,
put it behind the child restraint.