PONTIAC VIBE 2007 Repair Manual

4. Buckle the belt. Make sure the release button
is positioned so you would be able to unbuckle
the safety belt quickly if you ever had to.5. Pull the rest of the shoulder belt all the way
out of the retractor to set the lock.
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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. You should not be able
to pull more of the belt from the retractor
once the lock has been set.7. Push and pull the child restraint in different
directions to be sure it is secure.
8. If the passenger sensing system has turned
off the airbags and safety belt pretensioner,
the OFF indicator in the passenger airbag
status indicator will be lit and stay lit when the
key is turned to ON.
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 with the ignition key in the ACC
(Accessory) or LOCK position.
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 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.
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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.
If the airbag readiness light and the OFF light in
the passenger airbag status indicator come
on together, it may mean there is a malfunction in
the passenger sensing system. Secure the
child in the child restraint in a rear seat position in
the vehicle and check with your dealer.
To remove the child restraint, unbuckle the
vehicle’s safety belt and let it go back all the way.
The safety belt will move freely again and be
ready to work for an adult or larger child
passenger.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 seat-mounted side impact airbag for the
driver.
A seat-mounted side impact airbag for the
right front passenger.
A roof-mounted side impact airbag for the
driver and the passenger seated directly
behind the driver.
A roof-mounted side impact airbag for the
right front passenger and the passenger
seated directly behind that passenger.
If your vehicle has seat-mounted side impact
airbags, it will say SRS-SIDE AIRBAG on a label
on the side of the driver’s and right front
passenger’s seat closest to the door.
If your vehicle has roof-mounted side impact
airbags, it will say SRS CURTAIN AIRBAG on the
trim on the side of the windshield.
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Airbags are designed to supplement the protection
provided by safety belts. Even though today’s
airbags are also designed to help reduce the risk
of injury from the force of an inating bag, all
airbags must inate very quickly to do their job.
Here are the most important things to know about
the airbag system:
{CAUTION:
You can be severely injured or killed in a
crash if you are not wearing your safety
belt — even if you have airbags. Wearing
your safety belt during a crash helps
reduce your chance of hitting things
inside the vehicle or being ejected from it.
Airbags are “supplemental restraints” to
the safety belts. All airbags are designed
to work with safety belts, but do not
replace them.
{CAUTION:
Frontal airbags for the driver and
passenger are designed to deploy in
moderate to severe frontal and near
frontal crashes. They are not designed to
inate in rollover, rear crashes, or in many
side crashes. And, for some unrestrained
occupants, frontal airbags may provide
less protection in frontal crashes than
more forceful airbags have provided in
the past.
Side impact airbags are designed to
inate in moderate to severe crashes
where something hits the side of your
vehicle. They are not designed to inate in
frontal, in rollover, or in rear crashes.
Everyone in your vehicle should wear a
safety belt properly — whether or not
there is an airbag for that person.
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{CAUTION:
Both frontal and side impact airbags
inate with great force, faster than the
blink of an eye. If you are too close to an
inating airbag, as you would be if you
were leaning forward, it could seriously
injure you. Safety belts help keep you in
position for airbag ination before and
during a crash. Always wear your safety
belt even with frontal 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.
{CAUTION:
Anyone who is up against, or very close
to, any airbag when it inates can be
seriously injured or killed. 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 37orInfants and Young Children on
page 40.
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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 162for more information.Where Are the Airbags?
The driver’s frontal airbag is in the middle of the
steering wheel.
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The right front passenger’s frontal airbag is in the
instrument panel on the passenger’s side.If your vehicle has a seat-mounted side impact
airbag for the driver, it is in the side of the driver’s
seatback closest to the door.
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If your vehicle has a seat-mounted side impact
airbag for the right front passenger, it is in the side
of the passenger’s seatback closest to the door.If your vehicle has a roof-mounted side impact
airbag for the driver and the passenger seated
directly behind the driver, it is in the ceiling above
the side windows.
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If your vehicle has a roof-mounted side impact
airbag for the right front passenger and the
passenger seated directly behind that passenger,
it is in the ceiling above the side windows.
{CAUTION:
If something is between an occupant and
an airbag, the airbag might not inate
properly or it might force the object into
that person causing severe injury or even
death. The path of an inating airbag must
be kept clear. Do not put anything
between an occupant and an airbag, and
do not attach or put anything on the
steering wheel hub or on or near any
other airbag covering. If your vehicle has
roof-mounted side impact airbags, never
secure anything to the roof of your
vehicle by routing the rope or tie-down
through any door or window opening. If
you do, the path of an inating airbag will
be blocked. Do not let seat covers block
the ination path of a side impact airbag.
The path of an inating airbag must be
kept clear.
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When Should an Airbag Inate?
The driver’s and right front passenger’s frontal
airbags are designed to inate in moderate to
severe frontal or near-frontal crashes. But they are
designed to inate only if the impact exceeds a
predetermined deployment threshold. Deployment
thresholds take into account a variety of desired
deployment and non-deployment events and are
used to predict how severe a crash is likely to be in
time for the airbags to inate and help restrain the
occupants. Whether your frontal airbags will or
should deploy is not based on only how fast your
vehicle is traveling. It depends largely on what you
hit, the direction of the impact, and how quickly your
vehicle slows down.
In addition, your vehicle has “dual stage” frontal
airbags, which adjust the restraint according
to crash severity. Your vehicle is equipped with
electronic frontal sensors, which help the sensing
system distinguish between a moderate frontal
impact and a more severe frontal impact. For
moderate frontal impacts, these airbags inate at
a level less than full deployment. For more
severe frontal impacts, full deployment occurs.Frontal airbags may inate at different vehicle
crash speeds. For example:If the vehicle hits a stationary object, the
airbags could inate at a different crash speed
than if the vehicle hits a moving object.
If the vehicle hits an object that deforms, the
airbags could inate at a different crash
speed than if the vehicle hits an object that
does not deform.
If the vehicle hits a narrow object (like a pole),
the airbags could inate at a different crash
speed than if the vehicle hits a wide object
(like a wall).
If the vehicle goes into an object at an angle,
the airbags could inate at a different crash
speed than if the vehicle goes straight into the
object.
Frontal airbags for the driver and right front
passenger may also deploy if a serious impact
occurs to the underside of your vehicle such
as hitting a curb, falling into a deep hole, or landing
hard. The frontal airbags (driver and right front
passenger) are not intended to inate during
vehicle rollovers, rear impacts, or in many side
impacts.
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