child seat SATURN ION 2007 Owner's Manual

Securing a Child Restraint in the
Right Front Seat Position
Your vehicle has a right front passenger’s airbag.
A rear seat is a safer place to secure a
forward-facing child restraint. SeeWhere to Put
the Restraint on page 52.
In addition, your vehicle may have the passenger
sensing system. The passenger sensing system
is designed to turn off the right front passenger’s
frontal airbag when an infant in a rear-facing
infant seat or a small child in a forward-facing child
restraint or booster seat is detected. See
Passenger Sensing System on page 77and
Passenger Airbag Status Indicator on page 168for
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 the rear seat,
even if the airbag is off.
CAUTION: (Continued)
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CAUTION: (Continued)
If you need to 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.
If you need to secure a forward-facing child
restraint in the right front seat position, move the
seat as far back as it will go before securing
the forward-facing child restraint. SeeManual
Seats on page 8.
If your child restraint has the LATCH system, see
Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children
(LATCH) on page 53.
There is no top tether anchor at the right front
seating position. Do not secure a child restraint in
this position 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 tether must be anchored. SeeLower
Anchors and Tethers for Children (LATCH) on
page 53if your child restraint has a top tether.You will be using the lap-shoulder belt to secure
the child restraint in this position. Be sure to follow
the instructions that came with the child restraint.
Secure the child in the child restraint when and as
the instructions say.
1. Your vehicle has a right front passenger’s
frontal airbag. SeePassenger Sensing
System on page 77. We recommend that
rear-facing child restraints be secured in a rear
seat, even if the airbag is off. If your child
restraint is forward-facing, move the seat as
far back as it will go before securing the
child restraint in this seat. SeeManual Seats
on page 8.
When the passenger sensing system has
turned off the right front passenger’s frontal
airbag, the off indicator in the passenger
airbag status indicator should light and stay lit
when you turn the ignition to RUN or
START. SeePassenger Airbag Status
Indicator on page 168.
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.
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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 your vehicle has a passenger sensing
system and the airbag is off, the off indicator
on the instrument panel will be lit and stay
lit when the key is turned to RUN or START.
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.
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 retailer.
To remove the child restraint, just 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.
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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 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 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.
Your vehicle has a rear seat that will accommodate
a rear-facing child restraint. 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
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
the rear seat, even if the airbag is off.
CAUTION: (Continued)
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CAUTION: (Continued)
If you need to 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 forward-facing 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.
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 on the instrument panel will light and
stay lit to remind you that the airbag is off.
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 toSecuring a
Child Restraint in the Right Front Seat Position
on page 64.
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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.
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 retailer.
The passenger sensing system is designed to
enable (may inate) the right front passenger’s
frontal airbag anytime the system senses
that a person of adult size is sitting properly in the
right front passenger’s seat. When the passenger
sensing system has allowed the airbag to be
enabled, the on indicator will light and stay lit to
remind you that the airbag is active.For some children who have outgrown child
restraints and for very small adults, the passenger
sensing system may or may not turn off the right
front passenger’s frontal airbag, depending upon
the person’s seating posture and body build.
Everyone in your vehicle who has outgrown
child restraints should wear a safety belt
properly — whether or not there is an airbag for
that person.
If a person of adult-size is sitting in the right front
passenger’s seat, but the off indicator is lit, it
could be because that person is not sitting properly
in the seat. If this happens, turn the vehicle off
and ask the person to place the seatback in
the fully upright position, then sit upright in the
seat, centered on the seat cushion, with the
person’s legs comfortably extended. Restart the
vehicle and have the person remain in this position
for about two minutes. This will allow the system
to detect that person and then enable the
passenger’s airbag.
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A thick layer of additional material such as a
blanket, or aftermarket equipment such as seat
covers, seat heaters, and seat massagers,
can affect how well the passenger sensing system
operates. Remove any additional material from
the seat cushion before reinstalling or securing the
child restraint and before a small occupant,
including a small adult, sits in the right front
passenger position. You may want to consider not
using seat covers or other aftermarket equipment
if your vehicle has the passenger sensing
system. SeeAdding Equipment to Your
Airbag-Equipped Vehicle on page 83for more
information about modications that can affect how
the system operates.
The passenger sensing system may suppress the
airbag deployment when liquid is soaked into
the seat. If this happens, the off indicator in the
passenger airbag status indicator and the
airbag readiness light on the instrument panel will
be lit. The system should resume normal
operation after the seat is allowed to dry. If the
system operates incorrectly after the seat
has dried, have your retailer check the system.
{CAUTION:
Stowing of articles under the passenger’s
seat or between the passenger’s seat
cushion and seatback may interfere with
the proper operation of the passenger
sensing system.
Servicing Your Airbag-Equipped
Vehicle
Airbags affect how your vehicle should be
serviced. There are parts of the airbag system in
several places around your vehicle. You do
not want the system to inate while someone is
working on your vehicle. Your retailer and the
service manual have information about servicing
your vehicle and the airbag system. To purchase a
service manual, seeService Publications
Ordering Information on page 425.
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Power Windows
{CAUTION:
Leaving children, helpless adults, or pets
in a vehicle with the windows closed is
dangerous. They can be overcome from
extreme heat in warm or hot weather and
suffer permanent injuries or even death
from heat stroke.
Leaving children in a vehicle with the
ignition key is dangerous for many
reasons, children or others could be
badly injured or even killed. They could
operate the power windows or other
controls or even make the vehicle move.
The windows will function with the keys in
the ignition and they could be seriously
injured or killed if caught in the path of a
closing window. Do not leave the keys in
CAUTION: (Continued)
CAUTION: (Continued)
a vehicle with children. When there are
children in the rear seats use the window
lockout button to prevent unintentional
operation of the windows.
If your vehicle has power
windows, switches
located on the driver’s
door armrest control
each of the windows.
In addition, each passenger door has a window
switch that controls that door’s window. To operate
each window, press the switch forward to close
the window and rearward to open it.
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Passenger Airbag Status Indicator
If your vehicle has one of the indicators pictured in
the following illustrations, then your vehicle has
a passenger sensing system.
When the ignition key is turned to RUN or START,
the passenger airbag status indicator will light
ON and OFF, or the symbol for on and off,
for several seconds as a system check. Then,
after several more seconds, the status indicator
will light either ON or OFF, or either the on
or off symbol to let you know the status of the
right front passenger’s frontal airbag.
If the word ON or the on symbol is lit on the
passenger airbag status indicator, it means that
the right front passenger’s frontal airbag is enabled
(may inate).{CAUTION:
If the on indicator comes on when you have
a rear-facing child restraint installed in the
right front passenger’s seat, it means that
the passenger sensing system has not
turned off the passenger’s frontal airbag.
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. Do not use a rear-facing
child restraint in the right front passenger’s
seat if the airbag is turned on.
Your vehicle has a rear seat that will accommodate
a rear-facing child restraint. 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 StatesCanada
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{CAUTION:
Even though the passenger sensing
system is designed to turn off the
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 the rear seat, even if the airbag is off.
If the word OFF or the off symbol is lit on the
airbag status indicator, it means that the
passenger sensing system has turned off the right
front passenger’s frontal airbag. SeePassenger
Sensing System on page 77for more on this,
including important safety information.If, after several seconds, all status indicator lights
remain on, or if there are no lights at all, there
may be a problem with the lights or the passenger
sensing system. See your retailer for service.
{CAUTION:
If the off indicator and the airbag
readiness light ever come on together, it
means that something may be wrong with
the airbag system. If this ever happens,
have the vehicle serviced promptly,
because an adult-size person sitting in the
right front passenger seat may not have
the protection of the frontal airbag. See
Airbag Readiness Light on page 167.
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