GMC SIERRA DENALI 2003 Manual PDF

Air Bag Off Switch
Your vehicle has a switch on the instrument panel that
you can use to turn
off the right front passenger’s
air bag. The switch will look like one of the following
illustrations.
United States with Passenger Sensing System United States without Passenger Sensing System
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This switch should only be turned to AIR BAG OFF if
the person in the right front passenger’s position is
a member of a passenger risk group identified 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
0 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.
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Medical Condition. A passenger has a
medical condition which, according to his
or her physician:
causes the passenger air bag to pose a special risk
for the passenger; and
makes the potential harm from the passenger air
bag in a crash greater than the potential harm
from turning
off the air bag and allowing the
passenger, even
if belted, to hit the dashboard or
windshie in a crash.
11 tne right front passenger’s air bag is -_-me_.
off for a person who isn’t in a risk group
identified by the national government, that
person won’t have the extra protection of an
air bag. In a crash, the air bag wouldn’t be able
to inflate and help protect the person sitting
there. Don’t turn
off the passenger’s air bag
unless the person sitting there is in a risk
group. See ”Air Bag
Off Switch” in the Index
for more on this, including important safety
information.

United States with
Passenger Sensing
System
Canada with Passenger
Sensing System United
StaG without
Passenger Sensing System
Canada without
Passenger Sensing System To turn
off the
right front passenger’s air bag, insert
your ignition key into the switch,
push in, and move the
switch
to the off position.
The AIR BAG
OFF light will come on to let you know
that the right front passenger’s air bag is
off. The
right front passenger’s air bag will remain
off until you
turn it back on again, and the
AIR BAG OFF light
will stay on
to remind you that the air bag is off.
If the ai. Jag readiness light ever comes on
when you have turned
off the air bag, it means
that something may be wrong with the air bag system. The right front passenger’s air bag
could inflate even though the switch
is off. If
this ever happens, don’t
let anyone whom the
national government has identified as a
member of
a passenger air bag risk group sit
in the right front passenger’s position (for
example, don’t secure a rear-facing child
restraint in your vehicle)
until you have your
vehicle serviced.
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United States with United States without
Passenger Sensing Passenger Sensing
System System
2anada with Passenger
Sensing System Canada
without
Passenger Sensing System To
turn the right front passenger’s air bag on again,
insert your ignition key into the switch, push in,
and move the switch to the AUTO 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. See Passenger Air
Bag
Status lndicator on page 3-30. If your rearview
mirror does not have either
of the indicators pictured
below, then your vehicle does not have the passenger
sensing system.
Passenger Air Bag Status Indicator
- United States
1-68

Passenger Air Bag
Status
Indicator
- Canada
The passenger sensing system will turn
off the right
front passenger’s frontal air bag under certain
conditions. The driver’s air bag and the side air bags
are not part of the passenger sensing system. In
addition to the passenger sensing system, your vehicle
also has an air bag
off switch located on the instrument
panel as required by the government.
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 air bag should be enabled (may
inflate) or not. The passenger
sensing system is designed to turn
oft
the right front passenger’s frontal air bag if:
the right front passenger seat is unoccupied
the system determines that an infant is present in a
rear-facing infant seat
J 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,
0 a right front passenger takes hidher 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 a very small person
the air bag off switch is in the off position
or if there is a critical problem with the air bag
system or the passenger sensing system
When the passenger’s frontal air bag has been turned
off either by the passenger sensing system or by the air
bag
off switch, the off indicator will light and stay lit to
remind you that the air bag is
off.
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The passenger sensing system is designed to turn off
the passenger’s frontal air bag when a rear facing infant
seat, a forward-facing child restraint or a booster seat
is detected.
If the 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
restraint following the child restraint manufacturer’s
directions and refer to
Securing a Child Restraint in the
Right Front Seat Position
on page 1-50 of this manual.
If after reinstalling the child restraint and restarting
the vehicle, the on indicator is still lit, secure the child in
the child restraint in a rear seat position in the vehicle
and check with your dealer.
The passenger sensing system is designed to enable
(may inflate) the right front passenger’s frontal air
bag 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
air bag to be enabled, the on indicator will light and stay
lit to remind you that the air bag is active.
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 isn’t sitting properly in the seat
or the air bag
off switch is in the off position. If this
happens and the switch is in the proper position, turn
the vehicle
off and ask the person to place the seatback
in the full 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 air bag.
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Aftermarket equipment, such as seat covers, can affect
how well the passenger sensing system operates.
You may want to consider not using seat covers or other
aftermarket equipment
if your vehicle has the passenger
sensing system.
Stowing of articles under the passenger’s seat or between the passenger’s seat cushion and
seatback may interfere with the proper operation of the passenger sensing system.
I I
If the air bag readiness light in the instrument
panel cluster ever comes on and stays on,
it
means that something may be wrong with the
air bag system. If
this ever happens, have the
vehicle serviced promptly, because an adult-size person sitting
in the right front
passenger’s seat may not have the protection
of the frontal air bag. See “Air Bag Readiness
Light”
in the Index for more on this, including
important safety information.

Servicing Your Air Bag-Equipped
Vehicle
Air bags affect how your vehicle should be serviced.
There are parts of the air bag system in several places
around your vehicle. You don’t want the system to
inflate while someone
is working on your vehicle. Your
dealer and the service manual have information
about servicing your vehicle and the air bag system. To
purchase a service manual, see
Service Publications
Order’ Information
on page 7- 10.
E
For up to 1 minute after the il tiol :ey is
turned off and the battery is disconnected, an
air bag can
still inflate during improper
service. You can be injured if you are close to
an air bag when
it inflates. Avoid yellow
connectors. They are probably part of the air bag system. Be sure to follow proper service
procedures, and make sure the person performing work for you
is qualified to do so.
Adding Equipment to Your Air
Bag-Equipped Vehicle
Q: Is there anything I might add to the front or
sides of the vehicle that could keep the air
bags from working properly?
frame, bumper system, front end or side sheet
metal or height, they may keep the air bag system
from working properly. Also, the air bag system
may not work properly
if you relocate any of the air
bag sensors.
If you have any questions about
this, you should contact Customer Assistance
before you modify your vehicle. The phone numbers
and addresses for Customer Assistance are in
Step Two of the Customer Satisfaction Procedure
in this manual. See
Customer Satisfaction
Procedure
on page 7-2.
A: Yes. If you add things that change your vehicle’s
The air bag system does not need regular maintenance.
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Restraint System Check
Checking Your Restraint Systems Replacing Restraint System
Parts
After a Crash
Now and then, make sure the safety belt reminder light
and all your belts, buckles, latch plates, retractors
and anchorages are working properly. Look for any other
loose or damaged safety belt system parts. If you see
anything that might keep a safety belt system from doing
its job, have it repaired.
Torn or frayed safety belts may not protect you in a
crash. They can rip apart under impact forces.
If a belt
is torn or frayed, get a new one right away.
Also look for any opened or broken air bag covers, and
have them repaired or replaced. (The air bag system
does not need regular maintenance.)
A crash can damage the restraint systems in
your vehicle.
A damaged restraint system may
not properly protect the person using it,
resulting in serious injury or even death in a
crash.
To help make sure your restraint
systems are working properly after a crash,
have them inspected and any necessary
replacements made as soon
as possible.
If you’ve had a crash, do you need new belts or LATCH
system parts?
After a very minor collision, nothing may be necessary.
But
if the belts were stretched, as they would be if
worn during a more severe crash, then you need
new parts.
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