belt GMC SIERRA 2003 Owner's Guide

Q:How do child restraints work?
A:A child restraint system is any device designed for
use in a motor vehicle to restrain, seat, or position
children. A built-in child restraint system is a
permanent part of the motor vehicle. An add-on
child restraint system is a portable one, which
is purchased by the vehicle’s owner.
For many years, add-on child restraints have used
the adult belt system in the vehicle. To help
reduce the chance of injury, the child also has to be
secured within the restraint. The vehicle’s belt
system secures the add-on child restraint in the
vehicle, and the add-on child restraint’s harness
system holds the child in place within the restraint.
One system, the three-point harness, has straps that
come down over each of the infant’s shoulders and
buckle together at the crotch. Thefive-point harness
system has two shoulder straps, two hip straps and a
crotch strap. A shield may take the place of hip
straps. A T-shaped shield has shoulder straps that
are attached to aflat pad which rests low against the
child’s body. A shelf- or armrest-type shield has
straps that are attached to a wide, shelf-like shield
that swings up or to the side.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. 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.
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With this system, use the LATCH system instead of the
vehicle’s safety belts to secure a child restraint.
{CAUTION:
If a LATCH-type child restraint isn’t attached to
its anchorage points, the restraint won’t be
able to protect the child correctly. In a crash,
the child could be seriously injured or killed.
Make sure that a LATCH-type child restraint is
properly installed using the anchorage points,
or use the vehicle’s safety belts to secure the
restraint. See “Securing a Child Restraint
Designed for the LATCH System”, “Securing a
Child Restraint in the Right Front Seat
Position” or “Securing a Child Restraint in a
Center Rear Seat Position” in the Index for
information on how to secure a child restraint
in your vehicle.
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Securing a Child Restraint Designed
for the LATCH System
1. Find the anchors for the seating position you want
to use, where the bottom of the seatback meets the
back of the seat cushion.
2. Put the child restraint on the seat.
3. Attach the anchor points on the child restraint to the
anchors in the vehicle. The child restraint
instructions will show you how.
4. If the child restraint is forward-facing, attach the top
strap to the top strap anchor. SeeTop Strap on
page 1-39. Tighten the top strap according to
the child restraint instructions.
5. Push and pull the child restraint in different
directions to be sure it is secure.
To remove the child restraint, simply unhook the top
strap from the top tether anchor and then disconnect the
anchor points.
Securing a Child Restraint in a Rear
Outside Seat Position
There is limited space in the rear seating area. If you
want to secure a child restraint in a rear outside seating
position, be sure to study the instructions that came
with your child restraint to see if there is enough room
to secure your seat properly.
If your child restraint is equipped with the LATCH
system, seeLower Anchorages and Top Tethers for
Children (LATCH System) on page 1-42. SeeTop Strap
on page 1-39if the child restraint has one.
If your child restraint does not have the LATCH
system, you’ll be using the lap-shoulder belt to
secure the child restraint in this position.
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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.3. 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.
4. Pull the rest of the shoulder belt all the way out of
the retractor to set the lock.
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5. To tighten the belt, feed the shoulder belt back into
the retractor while you push down on the child
restraint. If you’re using a forward-facing child
restraint, you mayfind 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 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.
Securing a Child Restraint in a
Center Rear Seat Position
You can secure a child restraint in the center rear seat
position. There is limited space in the rear seating
area. If you want to secure a child restraint in a rear
seating position, especially in the rear center position, be
sure to study the instructions that came with your
child restraint to see if there is enough room to secure
your seat properly.
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If your child restraint is equipped with the LATCH
system, seeLower Anchorages and Top Tethers for
Children (LATCH System) on page 1-42. SeeTop Strap
on page 1-39if the child restraint has one.
If your child restraint does not have the LATCH system,
you’ll 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 restraint on the seat.
3. Run the vehicle’s safety belt through or around the
restraint. The child restraint instructions will show
you how.
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.
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5. To tighten the belt, pull its free end while you 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 is equipped with the LATCH
system, seeLower Anchorages and Top Tethers for
Children (LATCH System) on page 1-42.Your vehicle has a right front passenger air bag.
There’s a switch on the instrument panel that you can
use to turn off the right front passenger’s air bag
when you need to secure a rear-facing child restraint at
the right front passenger’s position. See the following
illustration. Your switch may vary slightly. SeeAir
Bag Off Switch on page 1-61for more on this, including
important safety information.
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In addition to the passenger sensing system, you may
use the AIR BAG OFF switch located on the instrument
panel to turn the air bag off. Never put a rear facing
child restraint in the right front passenger seat unless the
air bag is off. Here’s why.
{CAUTION:
A child in a rear-facing child restraint can be
seriously injured or killed if the right front
passenger’s air bag inflates. This is because the
back of the rear facing child restraint would be
very close to the inflating air bag. Be sure the air
bag is off before using a rear-facing child
restraint in the right front seat position.
Even though the passenger sensing system is
designed to turn off the passenger’s frontal air
bag if the system detects a rear-facing child
restraint, no system is fail-safe, and no one can
guarantee that an air bag will not deploy under
some unusual circumstance, even though it is
turned off. General Motors therefore
recommends that rear-facing child restraints be
secured in the rear seat whenever possible,
even if the air bag is off.You’ll be using the lap-shoulder belt. SeeTop Strap on
page 1-39if 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. Your vehicle has a right front passenger’s air bag.
If you are using a rear-facing child restraint in this
seat, make sure the air bag is turned off. See
Air Bag Off Switch on page 1-61andPassenger
Sensing System on page 1-66. Always move
the seat as far back as it will go before securing the
child restraint in this seat. See“Seats”in the
Index.
When either the passenger sensing system and/or
the AIR BAG OFF switch has turned off the right
front passenger’s frontal air bag, the off indicator in
the passenger air bag status indicator on the
rearview mirror will light and stay lit when you turn
the ignition to RUN or START.
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{CAUTION:
If the air bag readiness light in the instrument
panel cluster ever comes on when you have
turned off the air bag, it means that something
may be wrong with the air bag system. The
right front passenger’s air bag could inflate
even though the switch is off. If this ever
happens, have the vehicle serviced promptly.
Until you have the vehicle serviced, don’t let
anyone whom the national government has
identified as a member of a passenger air bag
risk group sit in the right front passenger’s
position (for example, don’t secure a
rear-facing child restraint in your vehicle).
See″Air Bag Off Switch″in the Index.
2. Put the 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.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.
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5. Pull the rest of the shoulder belt all the way out of
the retractor to set the lock.6. To tighten the belt, feed the shoulder belt back into
the retractor while you push down on the child
restraint. If you’re using a forward-facing child
restraint, you mayfind it helpful to use your knee to
push down on the child restraint as you tighten the
belt. You should not be able to pull more of the belt
out of the retractor once the lock has been set.
7. Push and pull the child restraint in different
directions to be sure it is secure.
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