ECU Oldsmobile Silhouette 2004 Owner's Manuals

Front Seats......................................................1-3
Manual Seats................................................1-3
Six-Way Power Seats.....................................1-4
Eight-Way Power Seats...................................1-4
Heated Seats.................................................1-5
Reclining Seatbacks........................................1-6
Head Restraints.............................................1-7
Rear Seats.......................................................1-8
Rear Seat Operation.......................................1-8
Flip and Fold Feature.....................................1-8
Split Bench Seats...........................................1-9
Captain Chairs.............................................1-14
Stowable Seat..............................................1-19
Safety Belts...................................................1-22
Safety Belts: They Are for Everyone................1-22
Questions and Answers About Safety Belts......1-27
How to Wear Safety Belts Properly.................1-27
Driver Position..............................................1-28
Safety Belt Use During Pregnancy..................1-36
Right Front Passenger Position.......................1-37
Center Passenger Position
(Bench Seat)............................................1-37Rear Seat Passengers..................................1-39
Rear Safety Belt Comfort Guides for
Children and Small Adults..........................1-42
Safety Belt Pretensioners...............................1-45
Safety Belt Extender.....................................1-45
Child Restraints.............................................1-46
Older Children..............................................1-46
Infants and Young Children............................1-48
Child Restraint Systems.................................1-52
Where to Put the Restraint.............................1-55
Top Strap....................................................1-56
Top Strap Anchor Location.............................1-57
Lower Anchorages and Top Tethers
for Children (LATCH System)......................1-59
Securing a Child Restraint Designed
for the LATCH System (Rear).....................1-61
Securing a Child Restraint in a
Rear Outside Seat Position.........................1-61
Securing a Child Restraint in a
Center Seat Position..................................1-65
Securing a Child Restraint in the
Right Front Seat Position............................1-67
Section 1 Seats and Restraint Systems
1-1

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 ªSeatsº in the Index.3. Pick up the latch plate and pull the belt across you.
Don't let it get twisted.
The shoulder belt may lock if you pull the belt
across you very quickly. If this happens, let the belt
go back slightly to unlock it. Then pull the belt
across you more slowly.
4. Push the latch plate into the buckle until it clicks.
Pull up on the latch plate to make sure it is secure.
If the belt isn't long enough, see
Safety Belt
Extender on page 1-45.
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.
1-28

2. Push the latch plate into the buckle until it clicks.
In the third row, if the belt stops before it reaches
the buckle, tilt the latch plate and keep pulling
until you can buckle it.
Pull up on the latch plate to make sure it is secure.
When the shoulder belt is pulled out all the way,
it will lock. If it does, let it go back all the way and
start again.If the belt is not long enough, seeSafety Belt
Extender on page 1-45.
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.
3. To make the lap part tight, pull down on the buckle
end of the belt as you pull up on the shoulder part. Third Row Outside Passenger Position
1-40

Every time infants and young children ride in vehicles,
they should have the protection provided by appropriate
restraints. Young children should not use the vehicle's
adult safety belts alone, unless there is no other choice.
Instead, they need to use a child restraint.
{CAUTION:
People should never hold a baby in their arms
while riding in a vehicle. A baby doesn't
weigh much -- until a crash. During a crash a
baby will become so heavy it is not possible
to hold it. For example, in a crash at only
25 mph (40 km/h), a 12-lb. (5.5 kg) baby will
suddenly become a 240-lb. (110 kg) force on
a person's arms. A baby should be secured in
an appropriate restraint.
1-49

For most basic types of child restraints, there are
many different models available. When purchasing
a child restraint, be sure it is designed to be
used in a motor vehicle. If it is, the restraint will
have a label saying that it meets federal motor
vehicle safety standards.
The restraint manufacturer's instructions that come
with the restraint state the weight and height
limitations for a particular child restraint. In addition,
there are many kinds of restraints available for
children with special needs.
{CAUTION:
Newborn infants need complete support,
including support for the head and neck. This is
necessary because a newborn infant's neck is
weak and its head weighs so much compared
with the rest of its body. In a crash, an infant in
a rear-facing seat settles into the restraint,
so the crash forces can be distributed across
CAUTION: (Continued)
CAUTION: (Continued)
the strongest part of an infant's body, the back
and shoulders. Infants always should be
secured in appropriate infant restraints.
{CAUTION:
The body structure of a young child is quite
unlike that of an adult or older child, for whom
the safety belts are designed. A young child's
hip bones are still so small that the vehicle's
regular safety belt may not remain low on the
hip bones, as it should. Instead, it may settle
up around the child's abdomen. In a crash, the
belt would apply force on a body area that's
unprotected by any bony structure. This alone
could cause serious or fatal injuries. Young
children always should be secured in
appropriate child restraints.
1-51

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 ®ve-point harness
system has two shoulder straps, two hip straps and
a crotch strap. A shield may take the place of hipstraps. A T-shaped shield has shoulder straps that
are attached to a ¯at 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
®nd these instructions on the restraint itself or in a
booklet, or both. These restraints use the belt system or
the LATCH 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.
1-54

Where to Put the Restraint
Accident statistics show that children are safer if they
are restrained in the rear rather than the front seat.
We, therefore, recommend 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.
Neverput a rear-facing child restraint in the front
passenger seat. Here's why:
{CAUTION:
A child in a rear-facing child restraint can be
seriously injured or killed if the right front
passenger's air bag in¯ates. This is because
the back of the rear-facing child restraint
would be very close to the in¯ating air bag.
Always secure a rear-facing child restraint
in a rear seat.
CAUTION: (Continued)
CAUTION: (Continued)
If you secure a forward-facing child restraint
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.
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.
1-55

Don't use a child restraint that requires a top strap
in the right front passenger's position because there's
no place to anchor the top strap.
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
Second Row
1-57

Lower Anchorages and Top Tethers
for Children (LATCH System)
Your vehicle has the LATCH system. You will ®nd
anchors (A) in both second row captain's chairs.This system, designed to make installation of child
restraints easier, does not use the vehicle's safety belts.
Instead, it uses vehicle anchors (A, B) and child restraint
attachments to secure the restraints. Some restraints
also use another vehicle anchor to secure a top tether
strap (C).
1-59

In order to use the LATCH system in your vehicle,
you need a child restraint designed for that system.To assist you in locating
the lower anchors for this
child restraint system,
each seating position with
the LATCH system has
a label on the seatback.
The labels are located at each lower anchor position
near the base of the second row captain's chairs.
{CAUTION:
If a LATCH-type child restraint is not attached
to its anchorage points, the restraint will not
be able to protect the child correctly. 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, following the
instructions that came with that restraint,
and also the instructions in this manual.
1-60