ECU GMC SIERRA 2004 Owner's Manual

Front Seats......................................................1-3
Manual Seats................................................1-3
Power Seats..................................................1-4
Power Lumbar...............................................1-5
Heated Seats.................................................1-6
Reclining Seatbacks........................................1-6
Head Restraints.............................................1-8
Seatback Latches...........................................1-8
Rear Seats.......................................................1-9
Rear Seat Operation (Extended Cab)................1-9
Rear Seat Operation (Crew Cab)......................1-9
Safety Belts...................................................1-11
Safety Belts: They Are for Everyone................1-11
Questions and Answers About Safety Belts......1-15
How to Wear Safety Belts Properly.................1-16
Driver Position..............................................1-16
Safety Belt Use During Pregnancy..................1-24
Right Front Passenger Position.......................1-25
Center Passenger Position.............................1-25
Rear Seat Passengers..................................1-27
Rear Safety Belt Comfort Guides for Children
and Small Adults.......................................1-30
Safety Belt Extender.....................................1-32Child Restraints.............................................1-33
Older Children..............................................1-33
Infants and Young Children............................1-35
Child Restraint Systems.................................1-39
Where to Put the Restraint.............................1-42
Top Strap....................................................1-43
Top Strap Anchor Location.............................1-45
Lower Anchorages and Top Tethers for
Children (LATCH System)...........................1-48
Securing a Child Restraint Designed for the
LATCH System (Rear)...............................1-50
Securing a Child Restraint Designed for the
LATCH System (Front)...............................1-51
Securing a Child Restraint in a Rear Outside
Seat Position............................................1-55
Securing a Child Restraint in a Center Rear
Seat Position............................................1-58
Securing a Child Restraint in the Center Front
Seat Position............................................1-60
Securing a Child Restraint in the Right Front
Seat Position
(Crew Cab)..............................................1-61
Securing a Child Restraint in the Right Front
Seat Position (Regular and Extended Cab) . . .1-64
Section 1 Seats and Restraint Systems
1-1

Rear Seats
Rear Seat Operation (Extended Cab)
Folding the Rear Seat
The extended cab's rear seat can be folded up to
provide more cargo space. To fold the seat do the
following:
1. Pull forward on the
release strap located
under the rear seat
cushion.
2. Fold the seat cushion upward until it latches with
the seatback.
3. Push and pull on the seat to make sure the seat is
secure.The extended cab's rear seat can also be folded open
for more seating space. To use the seat do the following:
1. Push rearward on the seat cushion while pulling
up on the release strap under the seat cushion.
Pull the seat cushion downward until it latches.
2. After pulling the seat cushion down, pull up on it to
make sure it is locked.
Rear Seat Operation (Crew Cab)
The second row rear seat has a 60/40 split seat. Either
side of the rear seat may be folded down to give
you more cargo space.
Make sure that nothing is under or in front of the seat
and that the head restraints are completely lowered.
1-9

To fold the rear seat, do the following:
1. Pull up on the strap
loop at the rear of the
seat cushion. Then,
pull the seat cushion up
and fold it forward.
2. After folding the seat cushion fully forward, pull the
seatback forward and fold the seatback down until it
is ¯at. If the seatback cannot fold ¯at because it
interferes with the cushion, try moving the front seat
forward and/or bringing the front seat more upright.
The lever at the base of the seat must be turned
rearward to release the seatback.To return the seat to the passenger position do the
following:
1. Lift the seatback up and push it rearward all
the way.
2. Lower the seat cushion until it latches into position.
3. Pull forward on the seatback and up on the seat
cushion to make sure the seat is securely in
place.
Check to see that the buckles on the driver's side
seatback are accessible to the outboard and center
occupant and are not under the seat cushions.
1-10

3. Pick up the latch plate and pull the belt across you.
Don't let it get twisted.
The shoulder belt may lock if you pull the belt
across you very quickly. If this happens, let the belt
go back slightly to unlock it. Then pull the belt
across you more slowly.
4. Push the latch plate into the buckle until it clicks.
Pull up on the latch plate to make sure it is secure.
If the belt isn't long enough, see
Safety Belt
Extender on page 1-32.
Make sure the release button on the buckle is
positioned so you would be able to unbuckle the
safety belt quickly if you ever had to.
1-17

2. Push the latch plate into the buckle until it clicks.
Pull up on the latch plate to make sure it is secure.
When the shoulder belt is pulled out all the way,
it will lock. If it does, let it go back all the way and
start again.
If the belt is not long enough, see
Safety Belt
Extender on page 1-32.
Make sure the release button on the buckle is
positioned so you would be able to unbuckle the
safety belt quickly if you ever had to.
3. To make the lap part tight, pull down on the buckle
end of the belt as you pull up on the shoulder part.
1-28

Every time infants and young children ride in vehicles,
they should have the protection provided by appropriate
restraints. Young children should not use the vehicle's
adult safety belts alone, unless there is no other choice.
Instead, they need to use a child restraint.
{CAUTION:
People should never hold a baby in their arms
while riding in a vehicle. A baby doesn't weigh
much -- until a crash. During a crash a baby
will become so heavy it is not possible to hold
it. For example, in a crash at only 25 mph
(40 km/h), a 12-lb. (5.5 kg) baby will suddenly
become a 240-lb. (110 kg) force on a person's
arms. A baby should be secured in an
appropriate restraint.
1-36

For most basic types of child restraints, there are
many different models available. When purchasing a
child restraint, be sure it is designed to be used
in a motor vehicle. If it is, the restraint will have a
label saying that it meets federal motor vehicle
safety standards.
The restraint manufacturer's instructions that come
with the restraint state the weight and height
limitations for a particular child restraint. In addition,
there are many kinds of restraints available for
children with special needs.
{CAUTION:
Newborn infants need complete support,
including support for the head and neck. This
is necessary because a newborn infant's neck
is weak and its head weighs so much
compared with the rest of its body. In a crash,
an infant in a rear-facing seat settles into the
restraint, so the crash forces can be
distributed across the strongest part of an
infant's body, the back and shoulders. Infants
always should be secured in appropriate infant
restraints.
{CAUTION:
The body structure of a young child is quite
unlike that of an adult or older child, for whom
the safety belts are designed. 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's
unprotected by any bony structure. This alone
could cause serious or fatal injuries. Young
children always should be secured in
appropriate child restraints.
1-38

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. The ®ve-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 a ¯at 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
®nd these instructions on the restraint itself or in a
booklet, or both. These restraints use the belt system or
the LATCH 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.
1-41

Where to Put the Restraint
Accident statistics show that children are safer if they
are restrained in the rear rather than the front seat.
General Motors recommends that child restraints
be secured in a rear seat including an infant riding in a
rear-facing infant seat, a child riding in a forward-facing
child seat and an older child riding in a booster seat.
Never put a child in a rear-facing child restraint in
the right front passenger seat unless your vehicle has
the passenger sensing system and/or an air bag
off switch and the air bag status indicator shows off.
Never put a rear facing child restraint in the right front
passenger seat unless the air bag is off. Here is why:
{CAUTION:
A child in a rear-facing child restraint can be
seriously injured or killed if the right front
passenger's air bag in¯ates. This is because the
back of the rear-facing child restraint would be
very close to the in¯ating air bag. Be sure the air
bag is off before using a rear-facing child
restraint in the right front seat position.
CAUTION: (Continued)
CAUTION: (Continued)
Even though the passenger sensing system
and/or air bag off switch are designed to turn
off the passenger's frontal air bag under
certain conditions, 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
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 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.
1-42

Do not use child restraints in the center front seat
position. The restraints will not work properly.
There is limited space in the rear seating area of an
extended cab model. If you need to secure a child
restraint in a rear seating position of an extended cab
model, 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.
If your vehicle has the passenger sensing system
and/or the air bag off switch and you need to secure a
rear-facing child restraint in the right front passenger's
seat, the passenger's frontal air bag must be off.
See
Passenger Sensing System on page 1-81,Securing
a Child Restraint in the Right Front Seat Position
(Regular and Extended Cab) on page 1-64
,Securing a
Child Restraint Designed for the LATCH System
(Rear) on page 1-50
orSecuring a Child Restraint
Designed for the LATCH System (Front) on page 1-51,
andAir Bag Off Switch on page 1-76for more on
this including important safety information.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
Some child restraints have a top strap or ©top tether©. It
can help restrain the child restraint during a collision.
For it to work, a top strap much be properly anchored to
the vehicle. Some top strap-equipped child restraints
are designed for use with or without the top strap being
anchored. Others require the top strap always to be
anchored. Be sure to read and follow the instructions for
your child restraint. If yours requires that the top strap
be anchored, don't use the restraint unless it is anchored
properly.
If the child restraint does not have a top strap, one can
be obtained, in kit form, for many child restraints.
Ask the child restraint manufacturer whether or not a kit
is available.
1-43