dome GMC SUBURBAN 1999 Owner's Manual

1-7
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. 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.

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Pull up on the latch plate to make sure it is secure.
If the belt isn't long enough, see ªSafety Belt
Extenderº at the end of this section.
Make sure the release button on the buckle is
positioned so you would be able to unbuckle the
safety belt quickly if you ever had to.
5. To make the lap part tight, pull down on the buckle
end of the belt as you pull up on the shoulder belt.
The lap part of the belt should be worn low and snug
on the hips, just touching the thighs. In a crash, this
applies force to the strong pelvic bones. And you'd be
less likely to slide under the lap belt. If you slid under it,
the belt would apply force at your abdomen. This could
cause serious or even fatal injuries. The shoulder belt
should go over the shoulder and across the chest.
These parts of the body are best able to take belt
restraining forces.
The safety belt locks if there's a sudden stop or a crash.

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Q:What's wrong with this?
A:The belt is buckled in the wrong place.
CAUTION:
You can be seriously injured if your belt is buckled
in the wrong place like this. In a crash, the belt
would go up over your abdomen. The belt forces
would be there, not at the pelvic bones. This could
cause serious internal injuries. Always buckle your
belt into the buckle nearest you.

1-40
The lap part of the belt should be worn low and snug
on the hips, just touching the thighs. In a crash, this
applies force to the strong pelvic bones. And you'd be
less likely to slide under the lap belt. If you slid under it,
the belt would apply force at your abdomen. This could
cause serious or even fatal injuries. The shoulder belt
should go over the shoulder and across the chest.
These parts of the body are best able to take belt
restraining forces.
The safety belt locks if there's a sudden stop or a crash.
CAUTION:
You can be seriously hurt if your shoulder belt is
too loose. In a crash, you would move forward
too much, which could increase injury. The
shoulder belt should fit against your body.
To unlatch the belt, just push the button on the buckle.

1-45
CAUTION:
Smaller children and babies should always
be restrained in a child or infant restraint.
The instructions for the restraint will say
whether it is the right type and size for your
child. A very young child's hip bones are so small
that a regular belt might not stay low on the hips,
as it should. Instead, the belt will likely be over
the child's abdomen. In a crash, the belt would
apply force right on the child's abdomen, which
could cause serious or fatal injuries. So, be sure
that any child small enough for one is always
properly restrained in a child or infant restraint.
Infants need complete support, including support for
the head and neck. This is necessary because an infant's
neck is weak and its head weighs so much compared
with the rest of its body. In a frontal crash, an infant in
a rear
-facing restraint settles into the restraint, so the
crash forces can be distributed across the strongest part
of the infant's body, the back and shoulders. A baby
should be secured in an appropriate infant restraint.
This is so important that many hospitals today won't
release a newborn infant to its parents unless there is
an infant restraint available for the baby's first trip in a
motor vehicle.

1-62
CAUTION:
Never do this.
Here a child is sitting in a seat that has a
lap
-shoulder belt, but the shoulder part is behind
the child. If the child wears the belt in this way,
in a crash the child might slide under the belt.
The belt's force would then be applied right on
the child's abdomen. That could cause serious or
fatal injuries.
Wherever the child sits, the lap portion of the belt
should be worn low and snug on the hips, just touching
the child's thighs. This applies belt force to the child's
pelvic bones in a crash.

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Exterior Lamps
Your parking lamp and headlamp switch is on the
driver's side of your instrument panel.
Turn the knob clockwise to the parking lamps symbol to
manually turn on:

Parking Lamps

Sidemarker Lamps

Taillamps

License Plate Lamps

Instrument Panel LightsTurn the knob clockwise to the master lamps symbol to
turn on all the lamps listed as well as the headlamps.
Turn the knob all the way counterclockwise to turn
off your lamps and put the system into automatic
headlamp mode.
Rotate the thumbwheel next to the knob up to adjust
instrument panel lights. Rotate the thumbwheel up to
the first notch to return the radio and gearshift indicator
LED display to full intensity when the headlamps or
parking lamps are on. To turn on the dome lamps, with
the vehicle doors closed, rotate the thumbwheel up to
the second notch position.
You can switch your headlamps from high to low
-beam
by pulling on the turn signal/high
-beam lever.
A circuit breaker protects your headlamps. If you have
an electrical overload, your headlamps will flicker on
and off. Have your headlamp wiring checked right away
if this happens.
Automatic Headlamp System
When it is dark enough outside, your automatic
headlamp system will turn on your headlamps at the
normal brightness along with other lamps such as the
taillamps, sidemarker, parking lamps and the instrument
panel lights. The radio lights will also be dim.

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When it begins to get dark, the automatic headlamp
system will switch from DRL to the headlamps or the
last chosen headlamp setting that was used.
When you turn the headlamp switch off, the headlamps
will go off, and your DRL lamps will illuminate,
provided it is not dark outside.
To idle an automatic transmission equipped vehicle with
the DRL off, set the parking brake. Shifting the
transmission into PARK (P) will also allow you to idle
the vehicle with the DRL off. The DRL will stay off
until you release the parking brake or shift the
transmission out of PARK (P).
The following procedure applies only to vehicles first
sold in the United States, and it does not apply to some
early production vehicles.
When necessary, you may turn off the Automatic Headlamp
System and the Daytime Running Lamps (DRL) feature by
following the steps below. When system is turned off the
headlights will not automatically come on when it becomes
dark outside. As with any vehicle, you should turn on the
regular headlamp system when you need it.
1. With the ignition in the RUN position.
2. Press the DOME OVERRIDE button four times
within six seconds. A chime will sound informing you
the Automatic Headlamp System and Daytime
Running Lamps are off.3. The system will revert back to the automatic mode
when the DOME OVERRIDE button is again pushed
four times within six seconds (chime will sound), or
when the ignition is turned off and on again.
Fog Lamps (If Equipped)
If you have fog lamps, use them for better vision in foggy
or misty conditions. Your parking lamps and/or low
-beam
headlamps must be on for your fog lamps to work.
The fog lamp switch is
located on the left side of
the instrument panel.
Press the switch to turn the fog lamps on. Press the
switch again to turn them off. An indicator light will
glow in the switch when the fog lamps are on.
Remember, fog lamps alone will not give off as much
light as your headlamps. Never use your fog lamps in
the dark without turning on your headlamps.

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The fog lamps will go off whenever your high-beam
headlamps come on. When the high beams go off, the
fog lamps will come on again.
The fog lamps will be cancelled after the ignition is
turned off. If you still want to use the fog lamps after
you restart the vehicle, you will need to press the fog
lamp switch again.
Auxiliary Roof Mounted Lamp Switch
(If Equipped)
This switch includes wiring
provisions for a dealer or a
qualified service center to
install an auxiliary roof
lamp. This switch is located
on the center of the
instrument panel near
the comfort controls.
When the switch wiring is connected to an auxiliary roof
mounted lamp, pressing the button will activate the lamp
and illuminate an indicator light near the button. Pressing
the button again will turn off the roof mounted lamp.If your vehicle has this switch, your vehicle may have
the Snow Plow Prep Package. For further information
see ªSnow Plow Prep Packageº in the Index.
Interior Lamps
Instrument Panel Intensity Control
The instrument panel intensity control is located to the
right of the headlamp switch.
Rotate the thumbwheel up to increase the intensity of
the instrument panel lights. To turn on the dome lamps,
with the vehicle doors closed, rotate the thumbwheel all
the way up. Rotate the thumbwheel down to decrease
the intensity of the lights.
Exit Lighting
With exit lighting, the interior lamps will come on when
you remove the key from the ignition. The lights will
not come on if the DOME OVERRIDE button is
pressed in.
Illuminated Entry
Your vehicle is equipped with an illuminated entry feature.
When the doors are opened, the dome lamps will come
on if the DOME OVERRIDE button is in the ªoutº
position. If the DOME OVERRIDE button is pressed in,
the lamps will not come on.

2-47 Front Reading Lamps (If Equipped)
If your vehicle has reading
lamps, press the button
located next to the lamp to
turn them on. The lamps
can be adjusted to point in
the direction you want.
Press the button again to turn the lamp off.
Your vehicle may also have reading lamps in other
locations. To turn on or off, press the button located next
to the lamp. The lamps are fixed and cannot be adjusted.
Dome Lamps
The dome lamps will come on when you open a door.
You can also turn the dome lamps on by rotating the
thumbwheel, located next to the parking/headlamps
knob, all the way up. In this position, the dome lamps
will remain on whether a door is opened or closed.
You can use the DOME OVERRIDE button, located
below the parking/headlamp knob, to set the dome
lamps to come on automatically when a door is opened,
or remain off. To turn the lamps off, press the button
into the ªinº position. With the button in this position,
the dome lamps will remain off when the doors are
open. To return the lamps to automatic operation, press
the button again and return it to the ªoutº position.
With the button in this position, the dome lamps will
come on when you open a door.
Battery Run-Down Protection
This feature shuts off the dome, reading, glove box
and underhood lamps if they are left on for more than
20 minutes when the ignition is off. This will keep your
battery from running down.