ECU PONTIAC TORRENT 2009 Owners Manual

Front Seats......................................................1-2
Manual Seats................................................1-2
Seat Height Adjuster.......................................1-3
Power Seat...................................................1-3
Manual Lumbar..............................................1-4
Heated Seats.................................................1-4
Manual Reclining Seatbacks.............................1-5
Head Restraints.............................................1-7
Passenger Folding Seatback............................1-8
Rear Seats.....................................................1-10
Split Folding Rear Seat.................................1-10
Safety Belts...................................................1-12
Safety Belts: They Are for Everyone................1-12
How to Wear Safety Belts Properly.................1-17
Lap-Shoulder Belt.........................................1-25
Safety Belt Use During Pregnancy..................1-30
Safety Belt Extender.....................................1-30
Child Restraints.............................................1-31
Older Children..............................................1-31
Infants and Young Children............................1-34
Child Restraint Systems.................................1-37Where to Put the Restraint.............................1-40
Lower Anchors and Tethers for
Children (LATCH)......................................1-42
Securing a Child Restraint in a Rear
Seat Position............................................1-49
Securing a Child Restraint in the Right Front
Seat Position............................................1-52
Airbag System...............................................1-55
Where Are the Airbags?................................1-58
When Should an Airbag Inate?.....................1-60
What Makes an Airbag Inate?.......................1-61
How Does an Airbag Restrain?.......................1-61
What Will You See After an Airbag Inates?.....1-62
Passenger Sensing System............................1-63
Servicing Your Airbag-Equipped Vehicle..........
.1-68
Adding Equipment to Your Airbag-Equipped
Vehicle....................................................1-68
Restraint System Check..................................1-70
Checking the Restraint Systems......................1-70
Replacing Restraint System Parts
After a Crash............................................1-71
Section 1 Seats and Restraint System
1-1

Passenger Folding Seatback
{CAUTION:
If you fold the seatback forward to carry longer
objects, such as skis, be sure any such cargo is
not near an airbag. In a crash, an inating airbag
might force that object toward a person. This could
cause severe injury or even death. Secure objects
away from the area in which an airbag would
inate. For more information, seeWhere Are the
Airbags? on page 1-58andLoading the Vehicle
on page 4-20.
{CAUTION:
Things you put on this seatback can strike and
injure people in a sudden stop or turn, or in a
crash. Remove or secure all items before driving.On vehicles with this feature, to fold the seatback:
1. Lower the head restraint all the way.
2. Lift the bar under the front of the seat to unlock it.
Slide the seat as far back as it will go and release
the bar. Try to move the seat back and forth to
make sure it is locked into place.
3. Lift up fully on the recliner lever, located on the
outboard side of the seat, and fold the seatback
forward until it disengages.
1-8

Lap-Shoulder Belt
All seating positions in the vehicle have a
lap-shoulder belt.
The following instructions explain how to wear a
lap-shoulder belt properly.
1. Adjust the seat, if the seat is adjustable, so you can
sit up straight. To see how, see “Seats” in the Index.
2. Pick up the latch plate and pull the belt across you.
Do not let it get twisted.
The lap-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.
If the shoulder portion of a passenger belt is pulled
out all the way, the child restraint locking feature may
be engaged. If this happens, let the belt go back all
the way and start again.3. 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 1-30.
Position the release button on the buckle so that
the safety belt could be quickly unbuckled if
necessary.
4. If equipped with a shoulder belt height adjuster,
move it to the height that is right for you.
See “Shoulder Belt Height Adjustment” later
in this section for instructions on use and
important safety information.
1-25

Safety Belt Use During Pregnancy
Safety belts work for everyone, including pregnant
women. Like all occupants, they are more likely to be
seriously injured if they do not wear safety belts.
A pregnant woman should wear a lap-shoulder belt, and
the lap portion should be worn as low as possible, below
the rounding, throughout the pregnancy.The best way to protect the fetus is to protect the
mother. When a safety belt is worn properly, it is
more likely that the fetus will not be hurt in a crash.
For pregnant women, as for anyone, the key to making
safety belts effective is wearing them properly.
Safety Belt Extender
If the vehicle’s safety belt will fasten around you, you
should use it.
But if a safety belt is not long enough, your dealer/retailer
will order you an extender. When you go in to order it,
take the heaviest coat you will wear, so the extender will
be long enough for you. To help avoid personal injury, do
not let someone else use it, and use it only for the seat it
is made to t. The extender has been designed for adults.
Never use it for securing child seats. To wear it, attach it
to the regular safety belt. For more information, see the
instruction sheet that comes with the extender.
1-30

Q:What is the proper way to wear safety belts?
A:An older child should wear a lap-shoulder belt and
get the additional restraint a shoulder belt can
provide. The shoulder belt should not cross the face
or neck. The lap belt should t snugly below the hips,
just touching the top of the thighs. This applies belt
force to the child’s pelvic bones in a crash. It should
never be worn over the abdomen, which could cause
severe or even fatal internal injuries in a crash.
Also see “Rear Safety Belt Comfort Guides” under
Lap-Shoulder Belt on page 1-25.
According to accident statistics, children and infants
are safer when properly restrained in a child restraint
system or infant restraint system secured in a rear
seating position.
In a crash, children who are not buckled up can strike
other people who are buckled up, or can be thrown
out of the vehicle. Older children need to use safety
belts properly.{CAUTION:
Never do this.
Never allow two children to wear the same safety
belt. The safety belt can not properly spread the
impact forces. In a crash, the two children can be
crushed together and seriously injured. A safety
belt must be used by only one person at a time.
1-32

Infants and Young Children
Everyone in a vehicle needs protection! This includes
infants and all other children. 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.
{CAUTION:
Children can be seriously injured or strangled if a
shoulder belt is wrapped around their neck and
the safety belt continues to tighten. Never leave
children unattended in a vehicle and never allow
children to play with the safety belts.
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 airbagsystem is designed for them. Every time infants and
young children ride in vehicles, they should have the
protection provided by appropriate child restraints.
Children who are not restrained properly can strike other
people, or can be thrown out of the vehicle.
{CAUTION:
Never do this.
Never hold an infant or a child while riding in a
vehicle. Due to crash forces, an infant or a child
will become so heavy it is not possible to hold it
during a crash. For example, in a crash at only
40 km/h (25 mph), a 5.5 kg (12 lb) infant will
suddenly become a 110 kg (240 lb) force on a
person’s arms. An infant should be secured in an
appropriate restraint.
1-34

{CAUTION:
Never do this.
Children who are up against, or very close to, any
airbag when it inates can be seriously injured
or killed. Never put a rear-facing child restraint in
the right front seat. Secure a rear-facing child
CAUTION: (Continued)
CAUTION: (Continued)
restraint in a rear seat. It is also better to secure a
forward-facing child restraint in a rear seat. If you
must secure a forward-facing child restraint in the
right front seat, always move the front passenger
seat as far back as it will go.
1-35

Q:What are the different types of add-on child
restraints?
A:Add-on child restraints, which are purchased by the
vehicle’s owner, are available in four basic types.
Selection of a particular restraint should take into
consideration not only the child’s weight, height,
and age but also whether or not the restraint will
be compatible with the motor vehicle in which it will
be used.
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:
To reduce the risk of neck and head injury during
a crash, infants need complete support. This is
because an infant’s neck is not fully developed
and its head weighs so much compared with
the rest of its body. In a crash, an infant in a
rear-facing child restraint 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 should always be secured in
rear-facing child restraints.
1-36

{CAUTION:
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. To reduce
the risk of serious or fatal injuries during a crash,
young children should always be secured in
appropriate child restraints.
Child Restraint Systems
A rear-facing infant seat (A)
provides restraint with the
seating surface against the
back of the infant.
The harness system holds the infant in place and, in a
crash, acts to keep the infant positioned in the restraint.
1-37

Securing an Add-On Child Restraint in
the Vehicle
{CAUTION:
A child can be seriously injured or killed in a crash
if the child restraint is not properly secured in the
vehicle. Secure the child restraint properly in the
vehicle using the vehicle’s safety belt or LATCH
system, following the instructions that came with
that child restraint and the instructions in this
manual.
To help reduce the chance of injury, the child restraint
must be secured in the vehicle. Child restraint systems
must be secured in vehicle seats by lap belts or the
lap belt portion of a lap-shoulder belt, or by the LATCH
system. SeeLower Anchors and Tethers for Children
(LATCH) on page 1-42for more information. A child can
be endangered in a crash if the child restraint is not
properly secured in the vehicle.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.
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 the vehicle — even when
no child is in it.
Securing the Child Within the Child
Restraint
{CAUTION:
A child can be seriously injured or killed in a crash
if the child is not properly secured in the child
restraint. Secure the child properly following the
instructions that came with that child restraint.
1-39