GMC SIERRA 2010 Owner's Manual

5. Pull the rest of the shoulder belt all the way out ofthe retractor to set the lock.6. To tighten the belt, push down on the childrestraint, 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.
2-69

7. If your vehicle does not have a rear seat and yourchild restraint has a top tether, follow the child
restraint manufacturer's instructions regarding the
use of the top tether. See Lower Anchors and
Tethers for Children (LATCH) on page 2‑50.
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 the top tether is attached to a top tether anchor,
disconnect it.
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. See Airbag Off Switch on page 2‑82.Securing a Child Restraint in the
Right Front Seat Position
(Heavy Duty Crew Cab Only)
Your vehicle has airbags. A rear seat is a safer place to
secure a forward-facing child restraint. See Where to
Put the Restraint
on page 2‑48.
A label on the sun visor 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.
Never put a rear-facing child restraint in the right front
passenger seat. Here is why:
{WARNING:
A child in a rear-facing child restraint can be
seriously injured or killed if the right front
passenger's airbag inflates. This is because the
back of the rear-facing child restraint would be
very close to the inflating airbag. Always secure a
rear-facing child restraint in a rear seat.
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.
2-70

If your child restraint has the LATCH system, seeLower
Anchors and Tethers for Children (LATCH)on
page 2‑50for how and where to install your child
restraint using LATCH. If you secure a child restraint
using a safety belt and it uses a top tether, see Lower
Anchors and Tethers for Children (LATCH)
on
page 2‑50for 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.
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.
4. Push the latch plate into the buckle until it clicks.
Make sure the release button is positioned so you
would be able to unbuckle the safety belt quickly if
necessary.
2-71

5. Pull the rest of the shoulder belt all the way out ofthe retractor to set the lock.6. To tighten the belt, push down on the childrestraint, pull the shoulder portion of the belt to
tighten the lap portion of the belt and feed the
shoulder belt back into the retractor. If you are
using a forward-facing child restraint, you may find
it helpful to use your knee to push down on the
child restraint as you tighten the belt.
2-72

7. If your child restraint has a top tether, follow thechild restraint manufacturer's instructions regarding
the use of the top tether. See Lower Anchors and
Tethers for Children (LATCH)
on page 2‑50for
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 the top tether is attached to a top tether anchor,
disconnect it.
Airbag System
The vehicle has the following airbags:
.A frontal airbag for the driver.
.A frontal airbag for the right front passenger.
The vehicle may have the following airbags:
.A seat‐mounted side impact airbag for the driver.
.A seat‐mounted side impact airbag for the right
front passenger.
.A roof-rail airbag for the driver and the passenger
seated directly behind the driver.
.A roof-rail airbag for the right front passenger and
the person seated directly behind the right front
passenger.
All of the airbags in the vehicle will have the word
AIRBAG embossed in the trim or on an attached label
near the deployment opening.
For frontal airbags, the word AIRBAG will appear on the
middle part of the steering wheel for the driver and on
the instrument panel for the right front passenger.
With seat‐mounted side impact airbags, the word
AIRBAG will appear on the side of the seatback closest
to the door.
With roof-rail airbags, the word AIRBAG will appear
along the headliner or trim.
Airbags are designed to supplement the protection
provided by safety belts. Even though today's airbags
are also designed to help reduce the risk of injury from
the force of an inflating bag, all airbags must inflate very
quickly to do their job.
2-73

Here are the most important things to know about the
airbag system:
{WARNING:
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. See When Should an Airbag Inflate?
on
page 2‑78
.
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.
{WARNING:
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
seat-mounted side impact airbags and/or roof-rail
airbags.
2-74

{WARNING:
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 2‑39
or Infants and Young Childrenon
page 2‑42
.
There is an airbag
readiness light on the
instrument panel cluster,
which shows the airbag
symbol. The system checks the airbag electrical system for
malfunctions. The light tells you if there is an electrical
problem. See
Airbag Readiness Light
on page 4‑33for
more information.
Where Are the Airbags?
The driver airbag is in the middle of the steering wheel.
2-75

The right front passenger airbag is in the instrument
panel on the passenger's side.Driver Side Shown, Passenger Side Similar
If the vehicle has seat‐mounted side impact airbags for
the driver and right front passenger, they are in the side
of the seatbacks closest to the door.
2-76

Driver Side shown, Passenger Side similar
If the vehicle has roof-rail airbags for the driver, right
front passenger, and second row outboard passengers,
they are in the ceiling above the side windows.
{WARNING:
If something is between an occupant and an
airbag, the airbag might not inflate properly or it
might force the object into that person causing
severe injury or even death. The path of an
inflating airbag must be kept clear. Do not put
anything between an occupant and an airbag,
and do not attach or put anything on the steering
wheel hub or on or near any other airbag
covering.
Do not use seat accessories that block the
inflation path of a seat-mounted side impact
airbag.
Never secure anything to the roof of a vehicle
with roof-rail airbags by routing a rope or tie down
through any door or window opening. If you do,
the path of an inflating roof-rail airbag will be
blocked.
2-77

When Should an Airbag Inflate?
Frontal airbags are designed to inflate in moderate to
severe frontal or near-frontal crashes to help reduce the
potential for severe injuries mainly to the driver's or right
front passenger's head and chest. However, they are
only designed to inflate if the impact exceeds a
predetermined deployment threshold. Deployment
thresholds are used to predict how severe a crash is
likely to be in time for the airbags to inflate and help
restrain the occupants.
Whether the frontal airbags will or should deploy is not
based on how fast your vehicle is traveling. It depends
largely on what you hit, the direction of the impact, and
how quickly your vehicle slows down.
Frontal airbags may inflate at different crash speeds.
For example:
.If the vehicle hits a stationary object, the airbags
could inflate at a different crash speed than if the
vehicle hits a moving object.
.If the vehicle hits an object that deforms, the
airbags could inflate at a different crash speed
than if the vehicle hits an object that does not
deform.
.If the vehicle hits a narrow object (like a pole), the
airbags could inflate at a different crash speed
than if the vehicle hits a wide object (like a wall).
.If the vehicle goes into an object at an angle, the
airbags could inflate at a different crash speed
than if the vehicle goes straight into the object.
Thresholds can also vary with specific vehicle design.
Frontal airbags are not intended to inflate during vehicle
rollovers, rear impacts, or in many side impacts.
If the GVWR (Gross Vehicle Weight Rating) of your
vehicle is 8,500 lb (3 855 kg) or above, the vehicle has
single stage airbags. If the GVWR is below 8,500 lb
(3 855 kg) then the vehicle has dual stage airbags. You
can find the GVWR on the certification label on the rear
edge of the driver's door. See Loading the Vehicle
on
page 5‑30for more information.
The vehicle may have dual‐stage frontal airbags.
Dual-stage airbags adjust the restraint according to
crash severity. The vehicle has electronic frontal
sensors, which help the sensing system distinguish
between a moderate frontal impact and a more severe
frontal impact. For moderate frontal impacts, dual-stage
airbags inflate at a level less than full deployment. For
more severe frontal impacts, full deployment occurs.
Vehicles with dual stage airbags also have a driver's
seat position sensor which enables the sensing system
to monitor the position of the driver seat (all models).
The seat position sensor provides information that is
used to determine if the airbags should deploy at a
reduced level or at full deployment.
2-78