airbag off PONTIAC GRAND PRIX 2008 Owners Manual

{CAUTION:
Children who are up against, or very close to,
any airbag when it inates can be seriously
injured or killed. Airbags plus lap-shoulder
belts offer protection for adults and older
children, but not for young children and
infants. Neither the vehicle’s safety belt system
nor its airbag system is designed for them.
Young children and infants need the protection
that a child restraint system can provide.
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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 recommend that children and child restraints
be secured in a rear seat, including: an infant or a child
riding in a rear-facing child restraint; a child riding in
a forward-facing child seat; an older child riding in
a booster seat; and children, who are large enough,
using safety belts.
A label on your sun visor says, “Never put a rear-facing
child seat in the front.” This is because the risk to the
rear-facing child is so great, if the airbag deploys.{CAUTION:
A child in a rear-facing child restraint can be
seriously injured or killed if the right front
passenger’s airbag inates. This is because
the back of the rear-facing child restraint
would be very close to the inating airbag.
Even though the passenger sensing system is
designed to turn off the right front passenger’s
frontal airbag if the system detects a
rear-facing child restraint, no system is
fail-safe, and no one can guarantee that an
airbag will not deploy under some unusual
circumstance, even though it is turned off. We
recommend that rear-facing child restraints be
secured in a rear seat, even if the airbag is off.
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.
SeePassenger Sensing System on page 1-60
for additional information.
1-38

Securing a Child Restraint in the
Right Front Seat Position
Your vehicle has airbags. A rear seat is a safer place to
secure a forward-facing child restraint. SeeWhere to
Put the Restraint on page 1-38.
In addition, your vehicle has a passenger sensing
system which is designed to turn off the right front
passenger’s frontal airbag under certain conditions.
SeePassenger Sensing System on page 1-60
andPassenger Airbag Status Indicator on page 3-43for
more information on this, including important safety
information.
A label on your sun visor says, “Never put a rear-facing
child seat in the front.” This is because the risk to the
rear-facing child is so great, if the airbag deploys.
{CAUTION:
A child in a rear-facing child restraint can be
seriously injured or killed if the right front
passenger’s airbag inates. This is because
the back of the rear-facing child restraint
would be very close to the inating airbag.
Even though the passenger sensing system is
designed to turn off the right front passenger’s
frontal airbag if the system detects a rear-facing
child restraint, no system is fail-safe, and no
one can guarantee that an airbag will not deploy
under some unusual circumstance, even
though it is turned off. We recommend that
rear-facing child restraints be secured in a rear
seat, even if the airbag is off.
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.
SeePassenger Sensing System on page 1-60
for additional information.
1-49

If your child restraint has the LATCH system, seeLower
Anchors and Tethers for Children (LATCH) on
page 1-39for how to install your child restraint using
LATCH. If you secure a child restraint using a safety belt
and it uses a top tether, seeLower Anchors and
Tethers for Children (LATCH) on page 1-39for top
tether anchor locations.
Do not secure a child seat in a position without a top
tether anchor if a national or local law requires that the
top tether be anchored, or if the instructions that
come with the child restraint say that the top strap must
be anchored.
In Canada, the law requires that forward-facing child
restraints have a top tether, and that the tether be
attached.
You will be using the lap-shoulder belt to secure the
child restraint in this position. Follow the instructions that
came with the child restraint.
1. Move the seat as far back as it will go before
securing the forward-facing child restraint.
When the passenger sensing system has turned off
the right front passenger’s frontal airbag, the off
indicator on the passenger airbag status indicator
should light and stay lit when you start the
vehicle. SeePassenger Airbag Status Indicator on
page 3-43.
2. Put the child restraint on the seat.3. Pick up the latch plate, and run the lap and shoulder
portions of the vehicle’s safety belt through or
around the restraint. The child restraint instructions
will show you how.
4. Push the latch plate into the buckle until it clicks.
Make sure the release button is positioned so you
would be able to unbuckle the safety belt quickly
if necessary.
1-50

5. Pull the rest of the shoulder belt all the way out of
the retractor to set the lock.6. To tighten the belt, push down on the child restraint,
pull the shoulder portion of the belt to tighten the lap
portion of the belt and feed the shoulder belt back
into the retractor. If you are using a forward-facing
child restraint, you may nd it helpful to use your
knee to push down on the child restraint as you
tighten the belt.
7. Push and pull the child restraint in different
directions to be sure it is secure.
If the airbag is off, the off indicator in the passenger
airbag status indicator will come on and stay on when
the vehicle is started.
1-51

If a child restraint has been installed and the on
indicator is lit, turn the vehicle off. Remove the child
restraint from the vehicle and reinstall the child restraint.
If, after reinstalling the child restraint and restarting
the vehicle, the on indicator is still lit, check to make
sure that the vehicle’s seatback is not pressing the child
restraint into the seat cushion. If this happens, slightly
recline the vehicle’s seatback and adjust the seat
cushion if possible. Also make sure the child restraint is
not trapped under the vehicle head restraint. If this
happens, adjust the head restraint.
Remove any additional material from the seat such as
blankets, cushions, seat covers, seat heaters or seat
massagers before reinstalling or securing the child
restraint.
If the on indicator is still lit, secure the child in the child
restraint in a rear seat position in the vehicle and
check with your dealer/retailer.
To remove the child restraint, unbuckle the vehicle’s
safety belt and let it go back all the way.Airbag System
Your vehicle has the following airbags:
A frontal airbag for the driver.
A frontal airbag for the right front passenger
Your vehicle may also have the following airbags:
A roof-rail airbag for the driver and the passenger
seated directly behind the driver.
A roof-rail airbag for the right front passenger and
the passenger seated directly behind the right
front passenger.
All of the airbags in your vehicle will have the word
AIRBAG embossed in the trim or on an attached label
near the deployment opening.
For frontal airbags, the word AIRBAG will appear on the
middle part of the steering wheel for the driver and
on the instrument panel for the right front passenger.
With roof-rail airbags, the word AIRBAG will appear
along the headliner or trim.
1-52

{CAUTION:
Airbags inate with great force, faster than the
blink of an eye. Anyone who is up against, or
very close to, any airbag when it inates can
be seriously injured or killed. Do not sit
unnecessarily close to the airbag, as you would
be if you were sitting on the edge of your seat or
leaning forward. Safety belts help keep you in
position before and during a crash. Always wear
your safety belt, even with airbags. The driver
should sit as far back as possible while still
maintaining control of the vehicle.
Occupants should not lean on or sleep against
the door or side windows in seating positions
with roof-rail airbags.
{CAUTION:
Airbags 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 airbag 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, seeOlder Children
on page 1-29orInfants and Young Children on
page 1-32.
There is an airbag
readiness light on the
instrument panel, which
shows the airbag symbol.
The system checks the airbag electrical system for
malfunctions. The light tells you if there is an electrical
problem. SeeAirbag Readiness Light on page 3-42
for more information.
1-54

{CAUTION:
When an airbag inates, there may be dust in
the air. This dust could cause breathing
problems for people with a history of asthma or
other breathing trouble. To avoid this, everyone
in the vehicle should get out as soon as it is
safe to do so. If you have breathing problems
but cannot get out of the vehicle after an airbag
inates, then get fresh air by opening a window
or a door. If you experience breathing problems
following an airbag deployment, you should
seek medical attention.
Your vehicle has a feature that may automatically
unlock the doors, turn the interior lamps on, and turn
the hazard warning ashers on when the airbags inate.
You can lock the doors, turn the interior lamps off,
and turn the hazard warning ashers off by using the
controls for those features.In many crashes severe enough to inate the airbag,
windshields are broken by vehicle deformation.
Additional windshield breakage may also occur from the
right front passenger airbag.Airbags are designed to inate only once. After an
airbag inates, you will need some new parts for
the airbag system. If you do not get them, the airbag
system will not be there to help protect you in
another crash. A new system will include airbag
modules and possibly other parts. The service
manual for your vehicle covers the need to replace
other parts.
Your vehicle has a crash sensing and diagnostic
module which records information after a crash.
SeeVehicle Data Recording and Privacy on
page 7-16andEvent Data Recorders on page 7-16.
Let only qualied technicians work on the airbag
systems. Improper service can mean that an
airbag system will not work properly. See your
dealer/retailer for service.
1-59

Passenger Sensing System
Your vehicle has a passenger sensing system for the
right front passenger’s position. The passenger
airbag status indicator will be visible on the instrument
panel when you start your vehicle.
The words ON and OFF, or the symbol for on and off,
will be visible during the system check. If you are
using remote start to start your vehicle from a distance,
if equipped, you may not see the system check.
When the system check is complete, either the word
ON or the word OFF, or the symbol for on or the symbol
for off, will be visible. SeePassenger Airbag Status
Indicator on page 3-43.The passenger sensing system will turn off the right
front passenger’s frontal airbag under certain conditions.
The driver’s airbags are not part of the passenger
sensing system.
The passenger sensing system works with sensors that
are part of the right front passenger’s seat. The sensors
are designed to detect the presence of a properly-seated
occupant and determine if the right front passenger’s
frontal airbag should be enabled (may inate) or not.
Accident statistics show that children are safer if they
are restrained in the rear rather than the front seat.
We recommend that children be secured in a rear seat,
including: an infant or a child riding in a rear-facing
child restraint; a child riding in a forward-facing child
seat; an older child riding in a booster seat; and children,
who are large enough, using safety belts.
A label on your sun visor says, “Never put a rear-facing
child seat in the front.” This is because the risk to the
rear-facing child is so great, if the airbag deploys. United States
Canada
1-60

{CAUTION:
A child in a rear-facing child restraint can be
seriously injured or killed if the right front
passenger’s airbag inates. This is because
the back of the rear-facing child restraint
would be very close to the inating airbag.
Even though the passenger sensing system is
designed to turn off the right front passenger’s
frontal airbag if the system detects a
rear-facing child restraint, no system is
fail-safe, and no one can guarantee that an
airbag will not deploy under some unusual
circumstance, even though it is turned off. We
recommend that rear-facing child restraints be
secured in a rear seat, even if the airbag is off.
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.The passenger sensing system is designed to turn off
the right front passenger’s frontal airbag if:
The right front passenger seat is unoccupied.
The system determines that an infant is present in
a rear-facing infant seat.
The system determines that a small child is present
in a child restraint.
The system determines that a small child is present
in a booster seat.
A right front passenger takes his/her weight off of
the seat for a period of time.
The right front passenger seat is occupied by a
smaller person, such as a child who has outgrown
child restraints.
Or, if there is a critical problem with the airbag
system or the passenger sensing system.
When the passenger sensing system has turned off the
right front passenger’s frontal airbag, the off indicator will
light and stay lit to remind you that the airbag is off. See
Passenger Airbag Status Indicator on page 3-43.
If a child restraint has been installed and the on indicator
is lit, turn the vehicle off. Remove the child restraint from
the vehicle and reinstall the child restraint following the
child restraint manufacturer’s directions and refer to
Securing a Child Restraint in the Right Front Seat
Position on page 1-49.
1-61