child seat GMC SIERRA DENALI 2003 User Guide

I
A forward-facing child seat (C-E) provides restraint for
the child’s body with the harness and also sometimes
with surfaces such as T-shaped or shelf-like shields.
I
I
A booster seat (F-G) is a child restraint desiqned to
improve the fit of the vehicle’s safety belt system. Some
booster seats have a shoulder belt positioner, and
some high-back booster seats have a five-point harness.
A booster seat can also help a child to see out the
window.
1-37

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 five-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 flat 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.
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, therefore, 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’s why:
1-38

ld ,u secure a forward-fac ..., :hi[ ~ restra 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.
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
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
therefore recommends that rear-facing child restraints be transported
in vehicles with a
rear seat that will accommodate a rear-facing
child restraint, whenever possible.
CAUTION: (Continued)
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 1-68, Securing
a Child Restraint in the Right Front Seat Position on
page
1-50, and Air Bag Off Switch on page 1-64
for 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.
1-39

Anchor the top strap to one of the following anchor
points. Be sure to use an anchor point located on the
same side of the vehicle as the seating position
where the child restraint will be placed.
If you have an adjustable head restraint, route the top
strap under it.
Once you have the top strap anchored, you’ll
be ready
to secure the child restraint itself. Tighten the top
strap when and
as the child restraint manufacturer’s
instructions say.
Top Strap Anchor Location
Right Front Passenger Position Top
Strap Anchor
You’ll find the top strap anchor for the right front
passenger seat behind the seat, near the floor.
1-41

Rear Seat Top Strap Anchors
You’ll find the top strap anchors for the rear seating
positions near the top of the seatback. In addition
to the
top strap anchors, each seating position has a fabric
loop at the top of the seatback that you’ll use
to route a
top strap through. When
using a child restraint with a top strap in either
rear outboard position, raise the head restraint and route
the top strap through the fabric loop
on the seatback.
Then, attach the top strap
to the anchor point at
the center rear seating position.
1-42

When using a child restraint with a top strap in 1
center rear position, route the top strap through
the fabric loop on the seatback. Then, raise the
restraint and attach the top strap to the anchor
point located at the closest outboard position.
Lower Anchorages and Top Tethers
for Children (LATCH
System)
Your vehicle may have the LATCH system. If it does,
you’ll find anchors (A) in the front passenger seat, where
the seatback meets the seat cushion, and anchors (A)
in the center rear seat, where the seatback meets
the seat cushion. For front passenger seat position,
there is a top tether anchor (C) behind and to the bottom
of the seat to secure the top strap. For center rear
seat positions, there is a top tether anchor (C) near the
driver’s side rear seat head restraint to secure the
top strap.
To assist you in locating the lower anchors for this child
restraint system, each seating position with the
LATCH system will have a visible metal anchorage point
in the seat, where the seatback meets the seat
cushion.
:he
head
1-43

? With this system, use the LATCH system instead of the
vehicle’s safety belts to secure a child restraint. If a LATCH-type
child restraint
isn’t attached
its anchorage points, the restraint won’t be
able to protect a child sitting there. 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.
1-45

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. See
Top Strap on
page 1-40. 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, see
Lower Anchorages and Top Tethers for
Children (LATCH System) on page 1-43.
You’ll be using the lap-shoulder belt. See Top Strap on
page 1-40 if 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.
1-46

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.
4. Pull the rest of the shoulder belt all the way out of
the retractor to set the lock.
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.
1-47

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 may find
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.
1-48