ECU PONTIAC GRAND AM 2004 Owners Manual

Front Seats......................................................1-2
Manual Seats................................................1-2
Six-Way Power Driver Seat..............................1-3
Reclining Seatbacks........................................1-3
Head Restraints.............................................1-5
Seatback Latches...........................................1-5
Easy Entry Seat.............................................1-6
Power Lift Seat..............................................1-7
Rear Seats.......................................................1-8
Rear Seat Operation.......................................1-8
Safety Belts.....................................................1-9
Safety Belts: They Are for Everyone.................1-9
Questions and Answers About Safety Belts......1-13
How to Wear Safety Belts Properly.................1-14
Driver Position..............................................1-14
Safety Belt Use During Pregnancy..................1-22
Right Front Passenger Position.......................1-23
Rear Seat Passengers..................................1-23
Center Rear Passenger Position.....................1-27
Rear Safety Belt Comfort Guides for Children
and Small Adults.......................................1-29
Safety Belt Extender.....................................1-31
Child Restraints.............................................1-32
Older Children..............................................1-32
Infants and Young Children............................1-34Child Restraint Systems.................................1-38
Where to Put the Restraint.............................1-41
Top Strap....................................................1-42
Top Strap Anchor Location.............................1-43
Lower Anchorages and Top Tethers for
Children (LATCH System)...........................1-44
Securing a Child Restraint Designed for the
LATCH System.........................................1-47
Securing a Child Restraint in a Rear Outside
Seat Position............................................1-47
Securing a Child Restraint in a Center Rear
Seat Position............................................1-49
Securing a Child Restraint in the Right Front
Seat Position............................................1-51
Supplemental Restraint
System (SRS).............................................1-54
Where Are the Air Bags?...............................1-56
When Should an Air Bag Inflate?....................1-57
What Makes an Air Bag Inflate?.....................1-58
How Does an Air Bag Restrain?.....................1-58
What Will You See After an Air Bag Inflates? . . .1-59
Servicing Your Air Bag-Equipped Vehicle.........1-60
Restraint System Check..................................1-61
Checking Your Restraint Systems...................1-61
Replacing Restraint System Parts After
a Crash...................................................1-61
Section 1 Seats and Restraint Systems
1-1

Rear Seats
Rear Seat Operation
Folding the Seatback
If your vehicle has this feature, do the following:
1. Pull the release straps
located in the trunk.
The right strap
operates the
passenger’s side rear
split seat. The left
strap operates
the driver’s side rear
split seat.
2. Fold the seatback down from the inside of the
vehicle.
{CAUTION:
If the seatback is not 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.
{CAUTION:
A safety belt that is improperly routed, not
properly attached, or twisted will not provide
the protection needed in a crash. The person
wearing the belt could be seriously injured.
After raising the rear seatback, always check
to be sure that the safety belts are properly
routed and attached, and are not twisted.
To raise the seatback, push the seatback up to return it
to its original position.
Push and pull on the seatback to make sure it is latched
securely in the fully upright position.
1-8

3. Pick up the latch plate and pull the belt across you.
Do not 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 is not long enough, seeSafety Belt
Extender on page 1-31.
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.
1-15

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.
If the belt is not long enough, seeSafety Belt
Extender on page 1-31. 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.
1-25

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 does not
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.
1-35

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 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 is
unprotected by any bony structure. This alone
could cause serious or fatal injuries. Young
children always should be secured in
appropriate child restraints.
1-37

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 five-point harness
system has two shoulder straps, two hip straps and a
crotch strap. A shield may take the place of hip
straps. A T-shaped shield has shoulder straps that
are attached to a flat 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
find 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.
1-40

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.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 inates. This is because
the back of the rear-facing child restraint
would be very close to the inating 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.
1-41

Anchor the top strap to an anchor point specified inTop
Strap Anchor Location on page 1-43. 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.
{CAUTION:
Each top tether bracket is designed to anchor
only one child restraint. Attaching more than
one child restraint to a single bracket could
cause the anchor to come loose or even break
during a crash. A child or others could be
injured if this happens. To help prevent injury
to people and damage to your vehicle, attach
only one child restraint per bracket.
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
Your vehicle has top strap anchors already installed for
the rear seating positions. You will find them behind
the rear seat on the filler panel.
Do not secure a child restraint with a top strap in the
right front passenger’s position if a national or local law
requires that the top strap be anchored, or if the
instructions that come with the child restraint say that
the top strap must be anchored. There is no place
to anchor the top strap in this position.
1-43

Lower Anchorages and Top Tethers
for Children (LATCH System)
Your vehicle has the LATCH system. You will find
anchors in the rear outside seat positions.
This system, designed to make installation of child
restraints easier, does not use the vehicle’s safety belts.
Instead, it uses vehicle anchors and child restraint
attachments to secure the restraints. Some restraints
also use another vehicle anchor to secure a top
tether strap.A. Lower Anchorage
B. Lower Anchorage
C. Top Tether
1-44