child restraint PONTIAC FIREBIRD 1999 Owners Manual

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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
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-9 Safety Belts: They're for Everyone
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-13 Here Are Questions Many People Ask About
Safety Belts
-- and the Answers
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-14 How to Wear Safety Belts Properly
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-15 Driver Position
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-22 Safety Belt Use During Pregnancy
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-23 Right Front Passenger Position
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-23 Supplemental Restraint System (SRS)1
-29 Rear Seat Passengers
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-32 Children
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-35 Child Restraints
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-47 Larger Children
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-50 Safety Belt Extender
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-50 Checking Your Restraint Systems
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-50 Replacing Restraint System Parts
After a Crash

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Q:If I'm a good driver, and I never drive far from
home, why should I wear safety belts?
A:You may be an excellent driver, but if you're in an
accident
-- even one that isn't your fault -- you and
your passengers can be hurt. Being a good driver
doesn't protect you from things beyond your
control, such as bad drivers.
Most accidents occur within 25 miles (40 km) of
home. And the greatest number of serious
injuries and deaths occur at speeds of less than
40 mph (65 km/h).
Safety belts are for everyone.
How to Wear Safety Belts Properly
Adults
This part is only for people of adult size.
Be aware that there are special things to know about
safety belts and children. And there are different rules for
smaller children and babies. If a child will be riding in
your vehicle, see the part of this manual called
ªChildren.º Follow those rules for everyone's protection.
First, you'll want to know which restraint systems your
vehicle has.
We'll start with the driver position.

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CAUTION:
Air bags inflate with great force, faster than the blink
of an eye. If you're too close to an inflating air bag, as
you would be if you were leaning forward, it could
seriously injure you. This is true even with Next
Generation frontal air bags. Safety belts help keep
you in position before and during a crash. Always
wear your safety belt, even with Next Generation air
bags. The driver should sit as far back as possible
while still maintaining control of the vehicle.
CAUTION:
Children who are up against, or very close to, any
air bag when it inflates can be seriously injured or
killed. This is true even though your vehicle has
Next Generation frontal air bags. Air bags plus
lap
-shoulder belts offer the best protection for
adults, but not for young children and infants.
CAUTION: (Continued)
CAUTION: (Continued)
Neither the vehicle's safety belt system nor its air
bag system is designed for them. Young children
and infants need the protection that a child
restraint system can provide. Always secure
children properly in your vehicle. To read how, see
the part of this manual called ªChildrenº and see
the caution labels on the sunvisors and the right
front passenger's safety belt.
There is an air bag readiness
light on the instrument
panel, which shows
AIR BAG.
The system checks the air bag electrical system for
malfunctions. The light tells you if there is an electrical
problem. See ªAir Bag Readiness Lightº in the Index
for more information.

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To unlatch the belt, just push the button on the buckle.
Children
Everyone in a vehicle needs protection! That includes
infants and all children smaller than adult size. Neither
the distance traveled nor the age and size of the traveler
changes the need, for everyone, to use safety restraints.
In fact, the law in every state in the United States and in
every Canadian province says children up to some age
must be restrained while in a vehicle.
Smaller Children and Babies
CAUTION:
Children who are up against, or very close to, any
air bag when it inflates can be seriously injured
or killed. This is true even though your vehicle
has Next Generation frontal air bags. Air bags
plus lap
-shoulder belts offer the best protection
for adults, but not for young children and
infants. Neither the vehicle's safety belt system
nor its air bag system is designed for them.
Young children and infants need the protection
that a child restraint system can provide. Always
secure children properly in your vehicle.

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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.

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Child Restraints
Every time infants and young children ride in vehicles,
they should have protection provided by
appropriate restraints.
Q:What are the different types of add-on
child restraints?
A:Add-on child restraints are available in four basic
types. When selecting a child restraint, take into
consideration not only the child's weight and size,
but also whether or not the restraint will be
compatible with the motor vehicle in which it
will be used.
An infant car bed (A) is a special bed made for use
in a motor vehicle. It's an infant restraint system
designed to restrain or position a child on a
continuous flat surface. With an infant car bed,
make sure that the infant's head rests toward the
center of the vehicle.

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A forward-facing child restraint (C-E) positions a
child upright to face forward in the vehicle. These
forward
-facing restraints are designed to help
protect children who are from 20 to 40 lbs. (9 to
18 kg) and about 26 to 40 inches (66 to 102 cm) in
height, or up to around four years of age. One type,
a convertible restraint, is designed to be used either
as a rear
-facing infant seat or a forward-facing
child seat.

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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.
The instructions that come with the infant or child
restraint will show you how to do that. Both the owner's
manual and the child restraint instructions are important,
so if either one of these is 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. We at
General Motors therefore recommend that you put your
child restraint in the rear seat. Never put 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 inflates, even though your
vehicle has Next Generation frontal air bags.
This is because the back of the rear
-facing child
restraint would be very close to the inflating air
bag. Always secure a rear
-facing child restraint
in a rear seat.
You may secure a forward-facing child restraint
in the right front seat, but before you do, always
move the front passenger seat as far back as it
will go. It's 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.

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If your child restraint has a top strap, it should
be anchored.
Vehicles First Sold in the United States:
Was your vehicle first sold in the United States? If so,
the label on the rear edge of the driver's door will say
that the vehicle meets ªall U.S. safety standards.º If your vehicle was first sold in the United States, don't
use a top strap child restraint in a convertible, because
the anchor can't be installed properly.
If your vehicle is not a convertible, ask your dealer to
install the top strap anchor, using a special kit the dealer
can obtain that has the correct anchor hardware and
installation instructions for vehicles built for sale in the
United States. The hardware, and the cost of installation
is free. You can install the anchor yourself, using the
instructions provided in the kit, but:
CAUTION:
The place where the anchor has to go is quite
close to your fuel tank. If the anchor isn't
installed correctly, it can make a hole in the
fuel tank
-- either then, or in a later collision.
Gasoline could leak out and be ignited, and
people in the vehicle or outside it could be badly
burned. Don't install the anchor yourself unless
you know you can do it correctly.

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Vehicles First Sold in Canada:
If your vehicle was first sold in Canada, the label on the
rear edge of the driver's door will say that the vehicle
meets ªall Canada safety standards.º Canadian law
requires that forward
-facing child restraints have a top
strap, and that the strap be anchored. Cars first sold in
Canada are built to accept a top strap anchor, unless the
vehicle is a convertible. Don't use a top strap child
restraint in a convertible, because the anchor can't be
installed properly.
If your vehicle is not a convertible, ask your dealer to
install the top strap anchor, using a special kit the dealer
can obtain that has the correct anchor hardware and
installation instructions. The hardware, and the cost of
installation, is free. You can install the anchor yourself,
using the instructions provided in the kit, but:
CAUTION:
The place where the anchor has to go is quite
close to your fuel tank. If the anchor isn't
installed correctly, it can make a hole in the fuel
tank
-- either then, or in a later collision.
Gasoline could leak out and be ignited, and
people in the vehicle or outside it could be badly
burned. Don't install the anchor yourself unless
you know you can do it correctly.
Canadian law requires that child restraints have a top
strap, and that the strap be anchored.
If your child restraint has a top strap, your dealer
can obtain a kit with anchor hardware and installation
instructions specifically designed for this vehicle. The
dealer can then install the anchor for you. This work will
be done for you free of charge. Or, you may install the
anchor yourself using the instructions provided in the kit.