GMC SIERRA 2006 Manual Online

Single Stage vs. Dual Stage Airbags
Depending on the weight of your vehicle you will have
either “Single Stage Airbags” or “Dual Stage Airbags”.
Vehicles that have a passenger sensing system
also have dual stage airbags. If the rearview mirror in
your vehicle has a passenger airbag status indicator
printed on it, your vehicle has the passenger sensing
system and therefore, it has dual stage airbags. If
the rearview mirror in your vehicle does not have a
passenger airbag status indicator printed on it, then your
vehicle does not have the passenger sensing system
and it has single stage airbags. SeePassenger
Airbag Status Indicator on page 3-37orPassenger
Sensing System on page 1-81.
Dual Stage Airbags
If your vehicle has frontal airbags with dual stage
deployment, the amount of restraint will adjust according
to crash severity. Your vehicle is equipped with electronic
frontal sensors which help the sensing system distinguish
between a moderate and a more severe frontal impact.
For moderate frontal impacts, these airbags inate at a
level less than full deployment. For more severe frontal
impacts, full deployment occurs. If the front of yourvehicle goes straight into a wall that does not move or
deform, the threshold level for the reduced deployment is
about 10 to 16 mph (16 to 25 km/h), and the threshold
level for a full deployment is about 20 to 30 mph
(32 to 48 km/h). (The threshold level can vary, however,
with specic vehicle design, so that it can be somewhat
above or below this range.)
Vehicle’s with dual stage airbags are also equipped with
special sensors which enable the sensing system to
monitor the position of both the driver and passenger
front seats. The seat position sensor provides
information which is used to determine if the airbags
should deploy at a reduced level or at full deployment.
Single Stage Airbags
If your vehicle has frontal airbags with single stage
deployment and your vehicle goes straight into a wall
that does not move or deform, the threshold level
is about 13 to 16 mph (20 to 25 km/h). (The threshold
level can vary, however, with specic vehicle design, so
that it can be somewhat above or below this range.)
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What Makes an Airbag Inate?
In an impact of sufficient severity, the airbag sensing
system detects that the vehicle is in a crash. The
sensing system triggers a release of gas from the
inator, which inates the airbag. The inator, airbag,
and related hardware are all part of the airbag modules
inside the steering wheel and in the instrument panel
in front of the right front passenger.
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. Airbags supplement the protection
provided by safety belts. Airbags distribute the force
of the impact more evenly over the occupant’s upper
body, stopping the occupant more gradually. But airbags
would not help you in many types of collisions,
including rollovers, rear impacts and many side impacts,
primarily because an occupant’s motion is not toward
those airbags. Airbags should never be regarded
as anything more than a supplement to safety belts, and
then only in moderate to severe frontal or near-frontal
collisions.
What Will You See After an Airbag
Inates?
After an airbag inates, it quickly deates, so quickly that
some people may not even realize the airbag inated.
Some components of the airbag module — the steering
wheel hub for the driver’s airbag or the instrument panel
for the right front passenger’s bag — may be hot for a
short time. The parts of the bag that come into contact
with you may be warm, but not too hot to touch. There will
be some smoke and dust coming from the vents in the
deated airbags. Airbag ination does not prevent the
driver from seeing out of the windshield or being able to
steer the vehicle, nor does it stop people from leaving the
vehicle.
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{CAUTION:
When an airbag inates, there is dust in the
air. This dust could cause breathing problems
for people with a history of asthma or other
breathing trouble. To avoid this, everyone in
the vehicle should get out as soon as it is safe
to do so. If you have breathing problems but
cannot get out of the vehicle after an airbag
inates, then get fresh air by opening a
window or a door. If you experience breathing
problems following an airbag deployment, you
should seek medical attention.In many crashes severe enough to inate an airbag,
windshields are broken by vehicle deformation.
Additional windshield breakage may also occur from the
right front passenger airbag.Airbags are designed to inate only once. After an
airbag inates, you will need some new parts for
your airbag system. If you do not get them,
the airbag system will not be there to help protect
you in another crash. A new system will include
airbag modules and possibly other parts. The
service manual for your vehicle covers the need to
replace other parts.
Your vehicle is equipped with a crash sensing and
diagnostic module which records information after
a crash. SeeVehicle Data Collection and Event
Data Recorders on page 7-9.
Let only qualied technicians work on your airbag
system. Improper service can mean that your
airbag system will not work properly. See your
dealer for service.
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Airbag Off Switch
If your instrument panel has one of the switches pictured
in the following illustrations your vehicle has an airbag off
switch that you can use to turn off the right front
passenger’s airbag.This switch should only be turned to the off position if the
person in the right front passenger’s position is a member
of a passenger risk group identied 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. United States
Canada
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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.
{CAUTION:
If the right front passenger’s airbag is turned
off for a person who is not in a risk group
identied by the national government, that
person will not have the extra protection of an
airbag. In a crash, the airbag will not be able to
inate and help protect the person sitting
there. Do not turn off the passenger’s airbag
unless the person sitting there is in a risk
group.
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To turn off the right front passenger’s airbag, insert your
ignition key into the switch, push in, and move the
switch to the off position.
The airbag off light will come on to let you know that the
right front passenger’s airbag is off. The light will stay
on to remind you that the airbag is off. The right
front passenger’s airbag will remain off until you turn it
back on.
{CAUTION:
If the airbag readiness light ever comes on
when you have turned off the airbag, it means
that something may be wrong with the airbag
system. The right front passenger’s airbag
could inate even though the switch is off.
If your vehicle is a regular cab pickup or an
extended cab pickup and this ever happens,
do not let anyone whom the national
government has identied as a member of a
passenger airbag risk group sit in the right
front passenger’s position (for example, do not
secure a rear-facing child restraint in your
vehicle) until you have your vehicle serviced. United States
Canada
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To turn the right front passenger’s airbag on again,
insert your ignition key into the switch, push in,
and move the switch to the on position.
Passenger Sensing System
If your rearview mirror has one of the indicators pictured
in the following illustrations, your vehicle has a
passenger sensing system. The indicator will be visible
when you turn your ignition key to RUN or START.
The words ON and OFF or the symbol for on and off,
will be visible on the rearview mirror during the system
check. When the system check is complete, either
the word ON or the word OFF, or the symbol for on or
the symbol for off will be visible.SeePassenger Airbag Status Indicator on page 3-37.If
your rearview mirror does not have either of the
indicators pictured below, then your vehicle does not
have the passenger sensing system.
The passenger sensing system will turn off the right
front passenger’s frontal airbag under certain conditions.
The driver’s airbag is not part of the passenger
sensing system. United States
Canada
Passenger Airbag Status Indicator – United States
Passenger Airbag Status Indicator−Canada
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The passenger sensing system works with sensors that
are part of the right front passenger’s seat and safety
belt. The sensors are designed to detect the presence of
a properly seated occupant and determine if the
passenger’s frontal airbag should be enabled (may
inate) or not.
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 the passenger
airbag status indicator shows off. Never put a rear-facing
child restraint in the right front passenger seat unless
the airbag is off.
Your vehicle may have a label on your sun visor that
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.
{CAUTION:
A child in a rear-facing child restraint can be
seriously injured or killed if the right front
passenger’s airbag inates. This is because
the back of the rear-facing child restraint
would be very close to the inating airbag.
Even though the passenger sensing system is
designed to turn off the passenger’s frontal
airbag if the system detects a rear-facing child
restraint, no system is fail-safe, and no one
can guarantee that an airbag will not deploy
under some unusual circumstance, even
though it is turned off. We recommend that
rear-facing child restraints be secured in the
rear seat, even if the airbag is off.
If you need to 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.
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Never put a child in a rear-facing child restraint in the
right front passenger seat the unless passenger
airbag status indicator shows off. Never put a rear
facing child restraint in the right front passenger seat
unless the airbag 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 airbag inates. This is because
the back of the rear-facing child restraint
would be very close to the inating airbag. Be
sure the airbag 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
airbag if the system detects a rear-facing child
restraint, no system is fail-safe, and no one
can guarantee that an airbag will not deploy
CAUTION: (Continued)
CAUTION: (Continued)
under some unusual circumstance, even
though it is turned off. We recommend 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 need to 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.
The passenger sensing system is designed to turn off
the right front passenger’s frontal airbag if:
the right front passenger seat is unoccupied
the system determines that an infant is present in a
rear-facing infant seat
the system determines that a small child is present
in a forward-facing child restraint
the system determines that a small child is present
in a booster seat
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a right front passenger takes his/her weight off of
the seat for a period of time
the right front passenger seat is occupied by a
smaller person, such as a child who has outgrown
child restraints
or if there is a critical problem with the airbag
system or the passenger sensing system
When the passenger’s frontal airbag has been turned
off by the passenger sensing system, the off indicator
will light and stay lit to remind you that the airbag is off.
If a child restraint has been installed and the on
indicator is lit, turn the vehicle off. Remove the child
restraint from the vehicle and reinstall the child restraint
following the child restraint manufacturer’s directions
and refer toSecuring a Child Restraint in the Right Front
Seat Position (Regular and Extended Cab) (With
Passenger Sensing System)in the Index.
If after reinstalling the child restraint and restarting the
vehicle, the on indicator is still lit, check to make
sure that the vehicle’s seatback is not pressing the child
restraint into the seat cushion. If this happens, slightly
recline the vehicle’s seatback and adjust the seat
cushion if possible. Also make sure the child restraint is
not trapped under the vehicle head restraint. If this
happens, adjust the head restraint.If the on indicator is still lit, secure the child in the child
restraint in a rear seat position in the vehicle if one
is available and check with your dealer.
The passenger sensing system is designed to enable
(may inate) the right front passenger’s frontal
airbag anytime the system senses that a person of adult
size is sitting properly in the right front passenger’s
seat. When the passenger sensing system has allowed
the airbag to be enabled, the on indicator will light
and stay lit to remind you that the airbag is active.
For some children who have outgrown child restraints
and for very small adults, the passenger sensing system
may or may not turn off the right front passenger’s
frontal airbag, depending upon the person’s seating
posture and body build. Everyone in your vehicle who
has outgrown child restraints should wear a safety
belt properly — whether or not there is an airbag for that
person.
If a person of adult-size is sitting in the right front
passenger’s seat, but the off indicator is lit, it could be
because that person is not sitting properly in the seat. If
this happens, turn the vehicle off and ask the person to
place the seatback in the fully upright position, then sit
upright in the seat, centered on the seat cushion, with the
person’s legs comfortably extended. Restart the vehicle
and have the person remain in this position for about two
minutes. This will allow the system to detect that person
and then enable the passenger’s airbag.
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