GMC SONOMA 1999 User Guide

ix
For example,
these symbols
are used on an
original battery:
CAUTION
POSSIBLE
INJURY
PROTECT
EYES BY
SHIELDING
CAUSTIC
BATTERY
ACID COULD
CAUSE
BURNS
AVOID
SPARKS OR
FLAMES
SPARK OR
FLAME
COULD
EXPLODE
BATTERY
These symbols
are important
for you and
your passengers
whenever your
vehicle is
driven:
DOOR LOCK
UNLOCK
FASTEN
SEAT
BELTS
POWER
WINDOW
AIR BAG
These symbols
have to do with
your lamps:
MASTER
LIGHTING
SWITCH
TURN
SIGNALS
PARKING
LAMPS
HAZARD
WARNING
FLASHER
DAYTIME
RUNNING
LAMPS
FOG LAMPS
These symbols
are on some of
your controls:
WINDSHIELD
WIPER
WINDSHIELD
WASHER
WINDSHIELD
DEFROSTER
REAR
WINDOW
DEFOGGER
VENTILATING
FAN
These symbols
are used on
warning and
indicator lights:
ENGINE
COOLANT
TEMP
BATTERY
CHARGING
SYSTEM
BRAKE
COOLANT
ENGINE OIL
PRESSURE
ANTI-LOCK
BRAKES
Here are some
other symbols
you may see:
FUSE
LIGHTER
HORN
SPEAKER
FUEL
Vehicle Symbols
These are some of the symbols you may find on your vehicle.

x
Model Reference
This manual covers these models:

Service Station Guide
Oil Viscosity
Engine Oil
See Section 6
Engine Oil Dipstick
See Section 6Fuel
Use unleaded gas only,
87 Octane or higher.
See Section 6
Cooling System
See Section 5
Hood Release
See Section 6
Windshield Washer
Fluid
See Section 6
Tire Pressure
See Section 6
Spare Tire Pressure
See Sections 5, 6
Battery
See Section 6

For
a More
Detailed Look at
What's Under the Hood
See Section 6

1-
1-1
Section 1 Seats and Restraint Systems
Here you'll find information about the seats in your vehicle and how to use your safety belts properly. You can also
learn about some things you should not do with air bags and safety belts.
1
-2 Seats and Seat Controls
1
-7 Safety Belts: They're for Everyone
1
-11 Here Are Questions Many People Ask About
Safety Belts
-- and the Answers
1
-12 How to Wear Safety Belts Properly
1
-12 Driver Position
1
-19 Safety Belt Use During Pregnancy
1
-20 Right Front Passenger Position
1
-20 Air Bag System1
-30 Center Passenger Position
1
-32 Rear Seat Passengers
(Extended Cab Jump Seats)
1
-33 Children
1
-36 Child Restraints
1
-48 Larger Children
1
-50 Safety Belt Extender
1
-50 Checking Your Restraint Systems
1
-50 Replacing Restraint System Parts
After a Crash

1-2
Seats and Seat Controls
This section tells you about the seats -- how to adjust
them, and fold them up and down.
Manual Front Seat
CAUTION:
You can lose control of the vehicle if you try to
adjust a manual driver's seat while the vehicle is
moving. The sudden movement could startle and
confuse you, or make you push a pedal when you
don't want to. Adjust the driver's seat only when
the vehicle is not moving.
Move the lever under the front of the manual seat up to
unlock it. Slide the seat to where you want it. Then
release the lever and try to move the seat with your body
to make sure the seat is locked into place.

1-3 Manual Lumbar Support (If Equipped)
If you have this feature,
there will be a knob on the
outside of the driver and
passenger bucket seats.
Turn the knob toward the front of the vehicle to increase
lumbar support and toward the rear of the vehicle to
decrease lumbar support.
Reclining Seatbacks
(Bucket Seats or 60/40 Bench)
To adjust the front seatback,
lift the lever on the outer
side of the seat.
Release the lever to lock the seatback where you
want it. Pull up on the lever and the seat will go to an
upright position.

1-4
But don't have a seatback reclined if your vehicle
is moving.
CAUTION:
Sitting in a reclined 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 because it
won't be against your body. Instead, it will be in
front of you. In a crash you could go into it,
receiving neck or other injuries.
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.

1-5 Seatback Latches
The front seatback folds
forward to let people get
into the back seat or to
access the storage area
behind the seat.
To fold the front seatback forward, turn the handle on the
side of the seat rearward and pull the seatback forward.
To return the seatback to the upright position, push the
seatback all the way back until the latch catches. If the
seatback was reclined before being folded forward, it
will return to the reclined position.CAUTION:
If the seatback isn't locked, it could move
forward in a sudden stop or crash. That could
cause injury to the person sitting there. Always
press rearward on the seatback to be sure it
is locked.
Easy Entry Seat (Extended Cab Models)
The right front bucket or split-bench seat of your vehicle
makes it easy to get in and out of the rear vehicle area.

Tilt the right front seatback completely forward and
the whole seat will slide forward.

Move the seatback to its original position after
someone gets into the rear seat area. Then move the
seat rearward until it locks.

1-6
CAUTION:
If an easy entry right front seat isn't locked, it
can move. In a sudden stop or crash, the person
sitting there could be injured. After you've used
it, be sure to push rearward on an easy entry seat
to be sure it is locked.

Tilt the seatback completely forward again
to get out.
Jump Seat (Extended Cab Models)
Your extended cab pickup
has a jump seat in the
rear area.
To fold the jump seat down, pull down on the pull tab on
the bottom of the seat until the seat is in place, then
move the seatback to a vertical position. To store the
seat, fold the seatback down on the cushion, then push
the entire seat up until it is flush with the trim panel.
Don't let the safety belts be damaged by the hinges or
the latches. Safety belts should be folded and stored
between the seat cushion and seatback.

1-7
Safety Belts: They're 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.
And it explains the air bag system.
CAUTION:
Don't let anyone ride where 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.
CAUTION:
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.
Your vehicle has a light that
comes on as a reminder to
buckle up. (See ªSafety Belt
Reminder Lightº in
the Index.)