ECU SATURN L-SERIES 2005 Owners Manual

Front Seats......................................................1-2
Manual Passenger Seat..................................1-2
Six-Way Power Driver Seat..............................1-2
Manual Lumbar..............................................1-3
Reclining Seatbacks........................................1-3
Head Restraints.............................................1-5
Rear Seats.......................................................1-6
Split Folding Rear Seat...................................1-6
Safety Belts.....................................................1-7
Safety Belts: They Are for Everyone.................1-7
Questions and Answers About Safety Belts......1-11
How to Wear Safety Belts Properly.................1-12
Driver Position..............................................1-12
Shoulder Belt Height Adjustment.....................1-19
Safety Belt Use During Pregnancy..................1-20
Right Front Passenger Position.......................1-20
Rear Seat Passengers..................................1-21
Rear Safety Belt Comfort Guides for
Children and Small Adults..........................1-24
Safety Belt Extender.....................................1-26
Child Restraints.............................................1-26
Older Children..............................................1-26
Infants and Young Children............................1-29Child Restraint Systems.................................1-33
Where to Put the Restraint.............................1-36
Top Strap....................................................1-37
Top Strap Anchor Location.............................1-38
Lower Anchorages and Top Tethers for
Children (LATCH System)...........................1-39
Securing a Child Restraint Designed for
the LATCH System....................................1-41
Securing a Child Restraint in a
Rear Seat Position....................................1-41
Securing a Child Restraint in the Right
Front Seat Position....................................1-43
Airbag System...............................................1-46
Where Are the Airbags?................................1-48
When Should an Airbag Inflate?.....................1-51
What Makes an Airbag Inflate?.......................1-52
How Does an Airbag Restrain?.......................1-52
What Will You See After an Airbag Inflates?.....1-53
Servicing Your Airbag-Equipped Vehicle...........1-54
Restraint System Check..................................1-55
Checking Your Restraint Systems...................1-55
Replacing Restraint System Parts
After a Crash............................................1-56
Section 1 Seats and Restraint Systems
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Rear Seats
Split Folding Rear Seat
Your vehicle is equipped with a split folding rear seat.
This feature enables you to carry long cargo by
folding down part or all of the rear seat.
You can fold either side of the seatback separately or
both sides together.
Lift the lever on the top of
the seatback. Make sure
the front seat is not
reclined. If it is, the rear
seatback will not fold down
all the way.
Pull the seatback down.
{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.
{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.
To raise the seatback, pull up the seatback until it
latches. Push and pull the top of the seatback to ensure
that it is securely latched.
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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.
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. If the belt is
not long enough, seeSafety Belt Extender on
page 1-265. To make the lap part tight, pull down on the buckle
end of the belt as you pull up on the shoulder belt.
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Rear Seat Passengers
It is very important for rear seat passengers to buckle
up! Accident statistics show that unbelted people in
the rear seat are hurt more often in crashes than those
who are wearing safety belts.
Rear passengers who are not safety belted can be
thrown out of the vehicle in a crash. And they can strike
others in the vehicle who are wearing safety belts.
Lap-Shoulder Belt
All of the rear seating positions of the sedan and the
rear outside seating positions of the wagon have
lap-shoulder belts. Here is how to wear one properly.
1. 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.
2. Push the latch plate into the buckle until it clicks.
Pull up on the latch plate to make sure it is secure.
When the shoulder belt is pulled out all the way,
it will lock. If it does, let it go back all the way and
start again.
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.
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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 retailer will
order you an extender. It is free. 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 fit. The extender has
been designed for adults. Never use it for securing
child seats. To wear it, just attach it to the regular safety
belt. For more information see the instruction sheet
that comes with the extender.
Child Restraints
Older Children
Older children who have outgrown booster seats should
wear the vehicle’s safety belts. If you have the choice,
a child should sit next to a window so the child can wear
a lap-shoulder belt and get the additional restraint a
shoulder belt can provide.
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{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.
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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:
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.
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{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.
Child Restraint Systems
An infant car bed (A), a special bed made for use in a
motor vehicle, is an infant restraint system designed
to restrain or position a child on a continuous flat
surface. Make sure that the infant’s head rests toward
the center of the vehicle.
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A booster seat (F-G) is a child restraint designed to
improve the fit of the vehicle’s safety belt system. Some
booster seats have a shoulder belt positioner, and
some high-back booster seats have a five-point harness.
A booster seat can also help a child to see out the
window.
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.
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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.
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.
Neverput a rear-facing child restraint in the front
passenger seat. Here is why:
{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.
Always secure a rear-facing child restraint in
a rear seat.
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.
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.
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