GMC SIERRA DENALI 2003 User Guide

Reclining Seatbacks
Your vehicles front seatbacks have a recline feature.
Vertical Control: You can use the vertical control to
adjust the angle of the seatback. Move the reclining front
seatback rearward or forward by moving the vertical
control toward the rear or toward the front
of the vehicle. But don’t
have a seatback reclined
if your vehicle is
moving.
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Sitting in a re ned position when your vehicle
is
in motion can be dangerous. Even if you
buckle up, your safety belts can’t do their job
when you’re reclined like
this.
The shoulder belt can’t do its job. In a crash,
you could go into
it, receiving neck or other
injuries.
CAUTION: (Continued) The lap belt can’t do its job either.
In a crash
the belt could
go up over your abdomen. The
belt forces would be there, not at your pelvic
bones. This could cause serious internal injuries.
For proper protection when the vehicle
is in
motion, have the seatback upright. Then sit
well back
in the seat and wear your safety belt
properly.
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Head Restraints To raise the head restraint pull up on the head restraint.
To lower the head restraint, press the release button
while you push the head restraint down.
The head restraints tilt forward and rearward also.
To tilt the head restraint forward, grasp the top
of the
restraint and move it forward until you hear
a click. It will
then be locked into that position until you need to
move it again. Pulling it forward past the last position
will allow the restraint to return to the upright position.
Adjust your head restraint
so that the top of the restraint
is closest to the top of your head. This position
reduces the chance of a neck injury in a crash.
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Rear Seats
Rear Seat Operation
Folding the Rear Seat
The rear seat can be folded up to provide more cargo
space. To fold the seat do the following:
2. Fold the seat cushion upward until it latches with
3. Push and pull on the seat to make sure the seat is
the seatback.
secure. The
rear seat can 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.
2. Pull the seat cushion downward until it latches.
3. After pulling the seat cushion down, pull up on it to
make sure it is locked.
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Safety Belts
Safety Belts: They Are for Everyone
This part of the manual tells you how to use safety
belts properly. It also tells you some things you should
not
do with safety belts.
.
Don’t let anyone ride __. ]ere he or she can’t
wear a safety belt properly. If you are in a
crash and you’re not wearing a safety belt,
your injuries can be much worse. You can hit things inside the vehicle or be ejected from
it.
You can be seriously injured or killed. In the
same crash, you might not be, if you are
buckled up. Always fasten your safety belt,
and check that your passengers’ belts are
fastened properly too.
It is extremely dangerous to ride in a cargo
area, inside or outside of a vehicle. In a
collision, people riding in these areas are more
likely to be seriously injured or killed.
Do not
allow people
to ride in any area of your vehicle
that is not equipped with seats and safety
belts. Be sure everyone in your vehicle
is in a
seat and using a safety belt properly.
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Your vehicle has a light
that comes on as
a
reminder to buckle up. See
Safety Belt Reminder
Light
on page 3-26.
In most states and in all Canadian provinces, the law
says to wear safety belts. Here’s why:
They work.
You never know if you’ll be in a crash. If you do have a
crash, you don’t know
if it will be a bad one.
A few crashes are mild, and some crashes can be so
serious that even buckled up, a person wouldn’t survive.
But most crashes are in between. In many of them,
people who buckle up can survive and sometimes walk
away. Without belts they could have been badly hurt
or killed.
After more than
30 years of safety belts in vehicles, the
facts are clear. In most crashes buckling up does
matter
... a lot!
Why Safety Belts Work
When you ride in or on anything, you go as fast as
it goes.
Take the simplest vehicle. Suppose it’s just a seat
OP
wheels.
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--L I
0
73
s

or the safety belts!
With safety belts, you slow down as the vehicle does.
You get more time to stop. You stop over more distance,
and your strongest bones take the forces. That’s why
safety belts make such good sense.
Questions and Answers About
Safety
Belts
Q: Won’t I be trapped in the vehicle after an
accident
if I’m wearing a safety belt?
A: You could be - whether you’re wearing a safety
belt or not. But you can unbuckle a safety belt,
even
if you’re upside down. And your chance
of being conscious during and after an accident,
so
you can unbuckle and get out, is much greater if
you are belted.
Q: If my vehicle has air bags, why should I have to
wear safety belts?
A: Air bags are in many vehicles today and will be in
most of them in the future. But they are
supplemental systems only;
so they work with
safety belts - not instead of them. Every air bag
system ever offered for sale has required the use of
safety belts. Even
if you’re in a vehicle that has
air bags, you still have to buckle up to get the most
protection. That’s true not only in frontal collisions,
but especially in side and other collisions.
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Q:
A:
If I’m a good driver, and I never drive far from
home, why should
I wear safety belts?
You may be an excellent driver, but
if you’re in an
accident
- even one that isn’t your fault - you and
your passengers can be hurt. Being a good
driver doesn’t protect you from things beyond your
control, such as bad drivers.
Most accidents occur within
25 miles (40 km) of
home. And the greatest number of serious injuries
and deaths occur at speeds of less than
40 mph
(65 km/h).
Safety belts are for everyone.
How to Wear Safety Belts Properly
This part is only for people of adult size.
Be aware that there are special things to know about
safety belts and children. And there are different
rules for smaller children and babies. If a child will be
riding in your vehicle, see
Older Children on page 1-30
or lnfants and Young Children on page 1-32. Follow
those rules for everyone’s protection.
First, you’ll want to know which restraint systems your
vehicle has.
Driver Position
This part describes the driver’s restraint system.
Lap-Shoulder Belt
The driver has a lap-shoulder belt. Here’s how to wear it
properly.
1. Close and lock the door.
2. Adjust the seat so you can sit up straight. To see
how, see “Seats’’ in the Index.
We’ll start with the driver position.
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