2005 Buick Lacrosse Owners Manual

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Gage Engine Coolant Temperature ......................... 3-38 Fuel .......................................................... 3-46 Speedometer .............................................. 3-32 Tachometer ................................................. 3-32 Garage Door Opener ....................................... 2-36 Gasoline Octane ........................................................ 5-5 Speciﬁcations ............................................... 5-6 Glove Box ..................................................... 2-40 GM Mobility Reimbursement Program .................. 7-5 Hazard Warning Flashers ................................... 3-6 Head Restraints ............................................... 1-7 Headlamp Aiming ....................................................... 5-43 Headlamp Wiring ............................................ 5-87 Headlamps Bulb Replacement ....................................... 5-45 Daytime Running Lamps/Automatic Headlamp System .................................... 3-14 Flash-to-Pass ............................................... 3-8 Front Turn Signal and Parking Lamps ............. 5-47 Halogen Bulbs ............................................ 5-45 Headlamps and Sidemarker Lamps ................ 5-46 High/Low Beam Changer ................................ 3-8 Suggested Light .......................................... 3-44 Headlamps and Sidemarker Lamps ................... 5-46 Heated Seats ................................................... 1-5 Heater ........................................................... 3-21 Heater ........................................................... 3-24 Highbeam On Light ......................................... 3-44 Highway Hypnosis ........................................... 4-21 Hill and Mountain Roads .................................. 4-22 HomeLink® Transmitter .................................... 2-36 HomeLink® Transmitter, Programming ................ 2-36 Hood Checking Things Under ................................ 5-10 Release ..................................................... 5-11 Horn ............................................................... 3-6 How to Use This Manual ...................................... ii How to Wear Safety Belts Properly ................... 1-15 I Ignition Positions ............................................. 2-21 Infants and Young Children, Restraints ............... 1-33 Inﬂation -- Tire Pressure .................................. 5-58 Instrument Panel Brightness .................................................. 3-16 Cluster ....................................................... 3-31 Overview ..................................................... 3-4 Interior Lamps ................................................ 3-16 Jump Starting ................................................. 5-39 Keyless Entry System ....................................... 2-3 Keys ............................................................... 2-2 Labelling, Tire Sidewall .................................... 5-53 Lamps Battery Run-Down Protection ......................... 3-18 Courtesy .................................................... 3-16 Exterior ...................................................... 3-13 Lamps (cont.) Exterior Lighting Battery Saver ...................... 3-15 Fog ................................................... 3-15, 5-48 Interior ....................................................... 3-16 Overhead Console Reading .......................... 3-18 Rear Assist Handle Reading .......................... 3-18 LATCH System Child Restraints ........................................... 1-43 Securing a Child Restraint Designed for the LATCH System ........................................ 1-45 Light Airbag Readiness ........................................ 3-33 Anti-Lock Brake System Warning ................... 3-37 Brake System Warning ................................. 3-36 Change Engine Oil ...................................... 3-43 Charging System ......................................... 3-35 Check Gas Cap .......................................... 3-46 Cruise Control ............................................. 3-43 Door Ajar ................................................... 3-45 Engine Coolant Temperature Warning ............. 3-38 Headlamps Suggested ................................. 3-44 Highbeam On ............................................. 3-44 Low Coolant Warning ................................... 3-39 Low Fuel Warning ....................................... 3-46 Low Washer Fluid Warning ........................... 3-45 Malfunction Indicator .................................... 3-39 Oil Pressure ............................................... 3-42 Passenger Airbag Status Indicator .................. 3-34 Light (cont.) Reduced Engine Power ................................ 3-44 Safety Belt Reminder ................................... 3-32 Security ..................................................... 3-43 Service Vehicle Soon ................................... 3-45 TCS Warning Light ...................................... 3-37 Traction Control System (TCS) Warning .......... 3-37 Trunk Ajar .................................................. 3-45 Lighting Delayed Entry ............................................. 3-17 Delayed Exit ............................................... 3-17 Entry ......................................................... 3-16 Perimeter ................................................... 3-18 Theater Dimming ......................................... 3-17 Loading Your Vehicle ....................................... 4-29 Lockout Protection .......................................... 2-12 Locks Delayed Locking .......................................... 2-11 Door .......................................................... 2-10 Lockout Protection ....................................... 2-12 Power Door ................................................ 2-11 Loss of Control ............................................... 4-13 Low Coolant Warning Light .............................. 3-39 Low Fuel Warning Light ................................... 3-46 Low Washer Fluid Warning Light ....................... 3-45 Lumbar Power Controls ............................................. 1-4 Maintenance Schedule Additional Required Services ........................... 6-6 At Each Fuel Fill ........................................... 6-8 At Least Once a Month .................................. 6-9 At Least Once a Year .................................... 6-9 Introduction .................................................. 6-2 Maintenance Footnotes .................................. 6-7 Maintenance Record .................................... 6-14 Maintenance Requirements ............................. 6-2 Normal Maintenance Replacement Parts ......... 6-13 Owner Checks and Services ........................... 6-8 Recommended Fluids and Lubricants ............. 6-12 Scheduled Maintenance ................................. 6-4 Using .......................................................... 6-3 Your Vehicle and the Environment ................... 6-2 Malfunction Indicator Light ................................ 3-39 Manual Seats ................................................... 1-3 Message DIC Warnings and Messages ........................ 3-53 Mirrors Automatic Dimming Rearview ........................ 2-32 Automatic Dimming Rearview with OnStar® ..... 2-33 Manual Rearview Mirror ................................ 2-32 Manual Rearview Mirror with OnStar® ............. 2-32 Outside Convex Mirror ................................. 2-34 Mirrors (cont.) Outside Power Heated Mirrors ....................... 2-34 Outside Power Mirrors .................................. 2-33 MyGMLink.com ................................................ 7-3 Overhead Console Reading Lamps .................... 3-18 Overheated Engine Protection Operating Mode .......................................... 5-26 Owner Checks and Services .............................. 6-8 Owners, Canadian ............................................... ii New Vehicle Break-In ...................................... 2-21 Normal Maintenance Replacement Parts ............ 6-13 Odometer ...................................................... 3-32 Off-Road Recovery .......................................... 4-12 Oil Change Engine Oil Light ............................... 3-43 Engine ....................................................... 5-15 Pressure Light ............................................. 3-42 Oil, Engine Oil Life System .............................. 5-18 Older Children, Restraints ................................ 1-31 Online Owner Center ........................................ 7-3 OnStar® System ............................................. 2-34 Other Warning Devices ...................................... 3-6 Outlet Adjustment ............................................ 3-28 Outside Convex Mirror ............................................. 2-34 Power Heated Mirrors .................................. 2-34 Power Mirrors ............................................. 2-33 Park Aid ........................................................ 3-18 Park (P) Shifting Into ................................................ 2-28 Shifting Out of ............................................ 2-29 Parking Assist ........................................................ 3-18 Brake ........................................................ 2-27 Over Things That Burn ................................. 2-30 Passenger Airbag Status Indicator ..................... 3-34 Passenger Compartment Air Filter ..................... 3-28 Passenger Sensing System .............................. 1-60 Passing ......................................................... 4-12 PASS-Key® III ................................................ 2-19 PASS-Key® III Operation .................................. 2-19 Perimeter Lighting ........................................... 3-18 Power Accessory Outlets ........................................ 3-20 Door Locks ................................................. 2-11 Electrical System ......................................... 5-88 Power (cont.) Lumbar Controls ........................................... 1-4 Reduced Engine Light .................................. 3-44 Retained Accessory (RAP) ............................ 2-22 Six-Way Seats .............................................. 1-4 Steering Fluid ............................................. 5-33 Windows .................................................... 2-16 Pretensioners, Safety Belt ................................ 1-30 Programming the HomeLink® Transmitter ........... 2-36 Questions and Answers About Safety Belts ......... 1-14 Radiator Pressure Cap .................................... 5-24 Radios .......................................................... 3-79 Care of Your CD Player .............................. 3-119 Care of Your CDs ...................................... 3-119 Radio with CD ............................ 3-79, 3-84, 3-92 Radio with Six-Disc CD .............................. 3-105 Setting the Time .......................................... 3-79 Theft-Deterrent .......................................... 3-117 Understanding Reception ............................ 3-119 Rear Assist Handle Reading Lamps ................... 3-18 Rear Safety Belt Comfort Guides ...................... 1-27 Rear Seat Passengers, Safety Belts .................. 1-25 10 Rearview Mirror, Automatic Dimming .................. 2-32 Rearview Mirror, Automatic Dimming with OnStar® .............................................. 2-33 Rearview Mirror with OnStar® ........................... 2-32 Rearview Mirrors ............................................. 2-32 Reclining Seatbacks .......................................... 1-5 Recommended Fluids and Lubricants ................. 6-12 Recreational Vehicle Towing ............................. 4-34 Reduced Engine Power Light ............................ 3-44 Remote Keyless Entry System ............................ 2-3 Remote Keyless Entry System, Operation ............ 2-4 Removing the Flat Tire and Installing the Spare Tire .................................................. 5-71 Removing the Spare Tire and Tools ................... 5-69 Replacement Bulbs ......................................... 5-50 Reporting Safety Defects Canadian Government .................................. 7-11 General Motors ........................................... 7-11 United States Government ............................ 7-10 Restraint System Check Checking the Restraint Systems .................... 1-65 Replacing Restraint System Parts After a Crash .......................................... 1-65 Retained Accessory Power (RAP) ...................... 2-22 Right Front Passenger Position, Safety Belts ...... 1-23 Roadside Assistance Program ....................................... 7-6 Rocking Your Vehicle to Get it Out .................... 4-28 Running the Engine While Parked ..................... 2-31 S Safety Belt Safety Belts Pretensioners .............................................. 1-30 Reminder Light ............................................ 3-32 Care of ...................................................... 5-81 Center Front Passenger Position .................... 1-24 Driver Position ............................................ 1-15 How to Wear Safety Belts Properly ................ 1-15 Questions and Answers About Safety Belts ..... 1-14 Rear Safety Belt Comfort Guides ................... 1-27 Rear Seat Passengers ................................. 1-25 Right Front Passenger Position ...................... 1-23 Safety Belt Extender .................................... 1-30 Safety Belt Use During Pregnancy ................. 1-23 Safety Belts Are for Everyone ....................... 1-10 Shoulder Belt Height Adjuster ........................ 1-22 Safety Warnings and Symbols .............................. iii Scheduled Maintenance ..................................... 6-4 Seats Center Seat .................................................. 1-7 Head Restraints ............................................ 1-7 Heated Seats ............................................... 1-5 Manual ........................................................ 1-3 Seats (cont.) Power Lumbar .............................................. 1-4 Reclining Seatbacks ...................................... 1-5 Six-Way Power Seats .................................... 1-4 Split Folding Rear Seat .................................. 1-8 Securing a Child Restraint Center Front Seat Position ............................ 1-48 Designed for the LATCH System ................... 1-45 Rear Seat Position ...................................... 1-46 Right Front Seat Position .............................. 1-48 Security Light ................................................. 3-43 Service ........................................................... 5-3 Adding Equipment to the Outside of Your Vehicle ..................................................... 5-5 Doing Your Own Work ................................... 5-4 Engine Soon Light ....................................... 3-39 Publications Ordering Information ................... 7-11 Vehicle Soon Light ....................................... 3-45 Servicing Your Airbag-Equipped Vehicle .............. 1-64 Setting the Time ............................................. 3-79 Sheet Metal Damage ....................................... 5-84 Shifting Into Park (P) ....................................... 2-28 Shifting Out of Park (P) ................................... 2-29 Shoulder Belt Height Adjuster ........................... 1-22 Signals, Turn and Lane-Change .......................... 3-8 11 Spare Tire Installing .................................................... 5-71 Removing ................................................... 5-69 Storing ....................................................... 5-76 Speciﬁcations, Capacities ................................. 5-92 Speedometer .................................................. 3-32 Split Folding Rear Seat ..................................... 1-8 StabiliTrak® System .......................................... 4-9 Starting Your Engine ....................................... 2-22 Steering ........................................................ 4-10 Steering Wheel Comfort Controls ...................... 3-30 Steering Wheel Controls, Audio ....................... 3-118 Steering Wheel, Tilt Wheel ................................. 3-6 Storage Areas Center Console Storage Area ........................ 2-41 Convenience Net ......................................... 2-41 Cupholder(s) ............................................... 2-40 Glove Box .................................................. 2-40 Stuck in Sand, Mud, Ice or Snow ...................... 4-28 Sun Visors ..................................................... 2-17 Sunroof ......................................................... 2-42 Tachometer .................................................... 3-32 Taillamps Turn Signal, Sidemarker, Stoplamps, and Back-Up Lamps ....................................... 5-48 12 TCS Warning Light .......................................... 3-37 Theater Dimming ............................................ 3-17 Theft-Deterrent, Radio .................................... 3-117 Theft-Deterrent Systems ................................... 2-17 Content Theft-Deterrent ................................ 2-17 PASS-Key® III ............................................. 2-19 PASS-Key® III Operation .............................. 2-19 Tilt Wheel ........................................................ 3-6 Tires ............................................................. 5-52 Aluminum or Chrome-Plated Wheels, Cleaning ................................................. 5-83 Buying New Tires ........................................ 5-62 Chains ....................................................... 5-66 Changing a Flat Tire .................................... 5-68 Cleaning .................................................... 5-83 Compact Spare Tire ..................................... 5-77 If a Tire Goes Flat ....................................... 5-67 Inﬂation -- Tire Pressure ............................... 5-58 Inspection and Rotation ................................ 5-60 Installing the Spare Tire ................................ 5-71 Removing the Flat Tire ................................. 5-71 Removing the Spare Tire and Tools ............... 5-69 Storing a Flat or Spare Tire and Tools ............ 5-76 Tire Sidewall Labelling .................................. 5-53 Tire Terminology and Deﬁnitions .................... 5-55 Uniform Tire Quality Grading ......................... 5-63 Wheel Alignment and Tire Balance ................. 5-64 Wheel Replacement ..................................... 5-65 When It Is Time for New Tires ...................... 5-61 Top Strap ...................................................... 1-41 Top Strap Anchor Location ............................... 1-43 Towing Recreational Vehicle ..................................... 4-34 Towing a Trailer .......................................... 4-35 Your Vehicle ............................................... 4-34 Traction Control System (TCS) .................................... 4-8 Control System Warning Light ....................... 3-37 StabiliTrak® System ....................................... 4-9 Transaxle Operation, Automatic ......................... 2-24 Transmission Fluid, Automatic ........................................... 5-21 Trunk ............................................................ 2-13 Trunk Ajar Light .............................................. 3-45 Turn and Lane-Change Signals .......................... 3-8 Turn Signal/Multifunction Lever ........................... 3-7 Ultrasonic Rear Parking Assist (URPA) ............... 3-18 Understanding Radio Reception ....................... 3-119 Uniform Tire Quality Grading ............................ 5-63 Vehicle Control ........................................................ 4-5 Damage Warnings ........................................... iv Vehicle (cont.) Loading ...................................................... 4-29 Service Soon Light ...................................... 3-45 Symbols ......................................................... iv Vehicle Data Collection and Event Data Recorders .................................................... 7-9 Vehicle Identiﬁcation Number (VIN) ............................................. 5-86 Service Parts Identiﬁcation Label ................... 5-86 Vehicle Personalization DIC ........................................................... 3-71 Ventilation Adjustment ...................................... 3-28 Visors ........................................................... 2-17 Warning Lights, Gages and Indicators ................ 3-30 Warnings DIC Warnings and Messages ........................ 3-53 Hazard Warning Flashers ............................... 3-6 Other Warning Devices .................................. 3-6 Safety and Symbols ......................................... iii Vehicle Damage .............................................. iv Washer Fluid, Low Warning Light ...................... 3-45 Wheels Alignment and Tire Balance .......................... 5-64 Replacement ............................................... 5-65 Where to Put the Restraint ............................... 1-40 13 Windows ....................................................... 2-15 Power ........................................................ 2-16 Windshield Wiper Blades, Cleaning ................................ 5-82 Windshield Washer ........................................... 3-9 Fluid .......................................................... 5-34 Windshield Wiper Blade Replacement ...................................... 5-51 Windshield Wiper (cont.) Fuses ........................................................ 5-87 Windshield Wipers ......................................... 3-9 Winter Driving ................................................ 4-24 Your Vehicle and the Environment ....................... 6-2 14 2005 Buick LaCrosse Owner Manual M Seats and Restraint Systems ........................... 1-1 Front Seats ............................................... 1-3 Rear Seats ............................................... 1-8 Safety Belts ............................................. 1-10 Child Restraints ....................................... 1-31 Airbag System ......................................... 1-51 Restraint System Check ............................ 1-65 Features and Controls ..................................... 2-1 ........................................................ 2-2 ...................................... 2-10 ................................................. 2-15 ............................ 2-17 ........... 2-21 .................................................... 2-32 ...................................... 2-34 ............................. 2-36 ......................................... 2-40 .................................................. 2-42 Instrument Panel ............................................. 3-1 .......................... 3-4 ...................................... 3-21 ........ 3-30 .................. 3-47 ....................................... 3-79 Keys Doors and Locks Windows Theft-Deterrent Systems Starting and Operating Your Vehicle Mirrors OnStar® System HomeLink® Transmitter Storage Areas Sunroof Instrument Panel Overview Climate Controls Warning Lights, Gages, and Indicators Driver Information Center (DIC) Audio System(s) Your Driving, the Road, and Your Vehicle Towing Driving Your Vehicle ....................................... 4-1 ..... 4-2 ................................................... 4-34 Service and Appearance Care .......................... 5-1 Service ..................................................... 5-3 Fuel ......................................................... 5-5 Checking Things Under the Hood ............... 5-10 Headlamp Aiming ..................................... 5-43 Bulb Replacement .................................... 5-45 Windshield Wiper Blade Replacement ......... 5-51 Tires ...................................................... 5-52 Appearance Care ..................................... 5-78 Vehicle Identiﬁcation ................................. 5-86 Electrical System ...................................... 5-87 Capacities and Speciﬁcations ..................... 5-92 Maintenance Schedule ..................................... 6-1 ................................ 6-2 Customer Assistance and Information .............. 7-1 ........... 7-2 ........................... 7-10 Index ................................................................ 1 Customer Assistance and Information Reporting Safety Defects Maintenance Schedule Canadian Owners A French language copy of this manual can be obtained from your dealer or from: Helm, Incorporated P.O. Box 07130 Detroit, MI 48207 GENERAL MOTORS, GM, the GM Emblem, BUICK, and the BUICK Emblem are registered trademarks, and the name LACROSSE is a trademark of General Motors Corporation. This manual includes the latest information at the time it was printed. We reserve the right to make changes after that time without notice. For vehicles ﬁrst sold in Canada, substitute the name “General Motors of Canada Limited” for Buick Motor Division whenever it appears in this manual. Keep this manual in the vehicle, so it will be there if it is needed while you are on the road. If the vehicle is sold, leave this manual in the vehicle. How to Use This Manual Many people read the owner manual from beginning to end when they ﬁrst receive their new vehicle. If this is done, it can help you learn about the features and controls for the vehicle. Pictures and words work together in the owner manual to explain things. Index A good place to quickly locate information about the vehicle is the Index in the back of the manual. It is an alphabetical list of what is in the manual and the page number where it can be found. Litho in U.S.A. Part No. 05LACROSSE A First Edition ©2004 General Motors Corporation. All Rights Reserved. ii Safety Warnings and Symbols There are a number of safety cautions in this book. We use a box and the word CAUTION to tell about things that could hurt you if you were to ignore the warning. {CAUTION: These mean there is something that could hurt you or other people. In the caution area, we tell you what the hazard is. Then we tell you what to do to help avoid or reduce the hazard. Please read these cautions. If you do not, you or others could be hurt. You will also ﬁnd a circle with a slash through it in this book. This safety symbol means “Do Not,” “Do Not do this” or “Do Not let this happen.” iii Vehicle Damage Warnings Also, in this manual you will ﬁnd these notices: Notice: These mean there is something that could damage your vehicle. A notice tells about something that can damage the vehicle. Many times, this damage would not be covered by your vehicle’s warranty, and it could be costly. But the notice will tell what to do to help avoid the damage. When you read other manuals, you might see CAUTION and NOTICE warnings in different colors or in different words. There are also warning labels on the vehicle. They use the same words, CAUTION or NOTICE. Vehicle Symbols The vehicle has components and labels that use symbols instead of text. Symbols are shown along with the text describing the operation or information relating to a speciﬁc component, control, message, gage, or indicator. If you need help ﬁguring out a speciﬁc name of a component, gage, or indicator, reference the following topics: (cid:127) Seats and Restraint Systems in Section 1 Features and Controls in Section 2 Instrument Panel Overview in Section 3 (cid:127) Climate Controls in Section 3 (cid:127) Warning Lights, Gages, and Indicators in Section 3 (cid:127) Audio System(s) in Section 3 (cid:127) Engine Compartment Overview in Section 5 iv (cid:127) (cid:127) These are some examples of symbols that may be found on the vehicle: ✍ NOTES vi Section 1 Seats and Restraint Systems Front Seats ......................................................1-3 Manual Seats ................................................1-3 Six-Way Power Seats .....................................1-4 Power Lumbar ...............................................1-4 Heated Seats .................................................1-5 Reclining Seatbacks ........................................1-5 Head Restraints .............................................1-7 Center Seat ...................................................1-7 Rear Seats .......................................................1-8 Split Folding Rear Seat ...................................1-8 Safety Belts ...................................................1-10 Safety Belts: They Are for Everyone ................1-10 Questions and Answers About Safety Belts ......1-14 How to Wear Safety Belts Properly .................1-15 Driver Position ..............................................1-15 Shoulder Belt Height Adjustment .....................1-22 Safety Belt Use During Pregnancy ..................1-23 Right Front Passenger Position .......................1-23 Center Front Passenger Position .....................1-24 Rear Seat Passengers ..................................1-25 Rear Safety Belt Comfort Guides ....................1-27 Safety Belt Pretensioners ...............................1-30 Safety Belt Extender .....................................1-30 Child Restraints .............................................1-31 Older Children ..............................................1-31 Infants and Young Children ............................1-33 Child Restraint Systems .................................1-37 Where to Put the Restraint .............................1-40 Top Strap ....................................................1-41 Top Strap Anchor Location .............................1-43 Lower Anchorages and Top Tethers for Children (LATCH System) ...........................1-43 Securing a Child Restraint Designed for the LATCH System ...............................1-45 Securing a Child Restraint in a Rear Seat Position ............................................1-46 Securing a Child Restraint in the Center Front Seat Position ....................................1-48 Securing a Child Restraint in the Right Front Seat Position ....................................1-48 Airbag System ...............................................1-51 Where Are the Airbags? ................................1-53 When Should an Airbag Inﬂate? .....................1-56 What Makes an Airbag Inﬂate? .......................1-57 How Does an Airbag Restrain? .......................1-57 What Will You See After an Airbag Inﬂates? .....1-58 1-1 Section 1 Seats and Restraint Systems Passenger Sensing System ............................1-60 Servicing Your Airbag-Equipped Vehicle ...........1-64 Adding Equipment to Your Airbag-Equipped Vehicle ....................................................1-64 Restraint System Check ..................................1-65 Checking the Restraint Systems ......................1-65 Replacing Restraint System Parts After a Crash ......................................................1-65 1-2 Front Seats Manual Seats {CAUTION: You can lose control of the vehicle if you try to adjust a manual driver’s seat while the vehicle is moving. The sudden movement could startle and confuse you, or make you push a pedal when you do not want to. Adjust the driver’s seat only when the vehicle is not moving. Lift the bar located under the front seat cushion to unlock the seat. Slide the seat to the desired position and release the bar. Try to move the seat back and forth to make sure it is locked in place. 1-3 Six-Way Power Seats Power Lumbar If your vehicle has power seats, the controls are located on the outboard sides of the seat cushions. To move the entire seat forward or rearward, move the control forward or rearward. To raise or lower the entire seat, move the control up or down. To raise or lower the front of the seat, move the front of the control up or down. To raise or lower the rear of the seat, move the rear of the control up or down. 1-4 Your vehicle may have power lumbar. The control is located on the outboard side of the driver’s seat cushion. Press the front of the control to increase lumbar support. Press the rear of the control to decrease lumbar support. Keep in mind that as your seating position changes, as it may during long trips, so should the position of your lumbar support. Adjust the seat as needed. (cid:127) (cid:127) (cid:127) (cid:127) Heated Seats Reclining Seatbacks If your vehicle has this feature, the buttons are located on the climate control panel. Press the button once to activate a high heat setting. Both indicator lights above the button will come on. Press the button again to select a lower temperature setting. Only one indicator light will come on. Press the button a third time to turn the heat off. This feature only works when the ignition is on. Lift the lever located on the outboard side of the seat to release the seatback, then move the seatback to the desired position. Release the lever to lock the seatback in place. 1-5 {CAUTION: Sitting in a reclined position when your vehicle is in motion can be dangerous. Even if you buckle up, your safety belts can not do their job when you are reclined like this. The shoulder belt can not do its job because it will not be against your body. Instead, it will be in front of you. In a crash you could go into it, receiving neck or other injuries. The lap belt can not do its job either. In a crash the belt could go up over your abdomen. The belt forces would be there, not at your pelvic bones. This could cause serious internal injuries. For proper protection when the vehicle is in motion, have the seatback upright. Then sit well back in the seat and wear your safety belt properly. But do not have a seatback reclined if your vehicle is moving. 1-6 Head Restraints Center Seat Adjust the head restraint so that the top of the restraint is closest to the top of the occupant’s head in each front seat. This position reduces the chance of a neck injury in a crash. Push the release button, located under the head restraint, to lower the head restraint. Your vehicle may have a front center seat. This seat can be converted to a storage area by lowering the armrest. See Center Console Storage Area on page 2-41. For information on safety belts for this position, see Center Front Passenger Position on page 1-24. 1-7 Rear Seats Split Folding Rear Seat If your vehicle has this feature, both sides of the rear seatback can be folded down in the vehicle. Make sure the front seat is not reclined. If it is, the rear seatback may not fold down all the way. To lower the rear seatback, follow these steps: 2. Pull forward on the seatback tab located on the outboard side of the rear seat cushion to fold the seatback down. This gives direct access to the trunk. {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. 1. Disconnect the rear center lap-shoulder belt latch, if equipped, by using a pointed object to press the release button. 1-8 {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. To raise the rear seatback, follow these steps: 1. Raise the seatback up and make sure it latches. Push and pull on the seatback to be sure it is locked in position. 2. Reconnect the center safety belt latch plate to the buckle. Make sure the safety belt label is pointing to the release button, and that both are facing the front of the vehicle. Make sure the belt is not twisted. Push and pull on the latch plate to be sure it is secure. When the seat is not in use, the seatback should be kept in the upright, locked position. 1-9 Safety Belts Safety Belts: They Are for Everyone This part of the manual tells you how to use safety belts properly. It also tells you some things you should not do with safety belts. {CAUTION: Do not let anyone ride where he or she can not wear a safety belt properly. If you are in a crash and you are not wearing a safety belt, your injuries can be much worse. You can hit things inside the vehicle or be ejected from it. You can be seriously injured or killed. In the same crash, you might not be, if you are buckled up. Always fasten your safety belt, and check that your passengers’ belts are fastened properly too. {CAUTION: It is extremely dangerous to ride in a cargo area, inside or outside of a vehicle. In a collision, people riding in these areas are more likely to be seriously injured or killed. Do not allow people to ride in any area of your vehicle that is not equipped with seats and safety belts. Be sure everyone in your vehicle is in a seat and using a safety belt properly. Your vehicle has a light that comes on as a reminder to buckle up. See Safety Belt Reminder Light on page 3-32. 1-10 Why Safety Belts Work When you ride in or on anything, you go as fast as it goes. In most states and in all Canadian provinces, the law says to wear safety belts. Here is why: They work. You never know if you will be in a crash. If you do have a crash, you do not know if it will be a bad one. A few crashes are mild, and some crashes can be so serious that even buckled up, a person would not survive. But most crashes are in between. In many of them, people who buckle up can survive and sometimes walk away. Without belts they could have been badly hurt or killed. After more than 30 years of safety belts in vehicles, the facts are clear. In most crashes buckling up does matter...a lot! Take the simplest vehicle. Suppose it is just a seat on wheels. 1-11 Put someone on it. Get it up to speed. Then stop the vehicle. The rider does not stop. 1-12 The person keeps going until stopped by something. In a real vehicle, it could be the windshield... or the instrument panel... 1-13 Questions and Answers About Safety Belts Q: Will I be trapped in the vehicle after an accident if I am wearing a safety belt? A: You could be — whether you are wearing a safety belt or not. But you can unbuckle a safety belt, even if you are upside down. And your chance of being conscious during and after an accident, so you can unbuckle and get out, is much greater if you are belted. Q: If my vehicle has airbags, why should I have to wear safety belts? A: Airbags are in many vehicles today and will be in most of them in the future. But they are supplemental systems only; so they work with safety belts — not instead of them. Every airbag system ever offered for sale has required the use of safety belts. Even if you are in a vehicle that has airbags, you still have to buckle up to get the most protection. That is true not only in frontal collisions, but especially in side and other collisions. or the safety belts! With safety belts, you slow down as the vehicle does. You get more time to stop. You stop over more distance, and your strongest bones take the forces. That is why safety belts make such good sense. 1-14 Q: If I am a good driver, and I never drive far from home, why should I wear safety belts? A: You may be an excellent driver, but if you are in an accident — even one that is not your fault — you and your passengers can be hurt. Being a good driver does not protect you from things beyond your control, such as bad drivers. Most accidents occur within 25 miles (40 km) of home. And the greatest number of serious injuries and deaths occur at speeds of less than 40 mph (65 km/h). Safety belts are for everyone. How to Wear Safety Belts Properly This part is only for people of adult size. Be aware that there are special things to know about safety belts and children. And there are different rules for smaller children and babies. If a child will be riding in your vehicle, see Older Children on page 1-31 or Infants and Young Children on page 1-33. Follow those rules for everyone’s protection. First, you will want to know which restraint systems your vehicle has. We will start with the driver position. Driver Position This part describes the driver’s restraint system. 1-15 Lap-Shoulder Belt The driver has a lap-shoulder belt. Here is how to wear it properly. 1. Close and lock the door. 2. Adjust the seat so you can sit up straight. To see how, see “Seats” in the Index. 4. 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, see Safety Belt Extender on page 1-30. 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. 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. 1-16 5. To make the lap part tight, pull down on the buckle end of the belt as you pull up on the shoulder belt. The lap part of the belt should be worn low and snug on the hips, just touching the thighs. In a crash, this applies force to the strong pelvic bones. And you would be less likely to slide under the lap belt. If you slid under it, the belt would apply force at your abdomen. This could cause serious or even fatal injuries. The shoulder belt should go over the shoulder and across the chest. These parts of the body are best able to take belt restraining forces. The safety belt locks if there is a sudden stop or crash, or if you pull the belt very quickly out of the retractor. 1-17 Q: What is wrong with this? {CAUTION: You can be seriously hurt if your shoulder belt is too loose. In a crash, you would move forward too much, which could increase injury. The shoulder belt should ﬁt against your body. A: The shoulder belt is too loose. It will not give nearly as much protection this way. 1-18 Q: What is wrong with this? {CAUTION: You can be seriously injured if your belt is buckled in the wrong place like this. In a crash, the belt would go up over your abdomen. The belt forces would be there, not at the pelvic bones. This could cause serious internal injuries. Always buckle your belt into the buckle nearest you. A: The belt is buckled in the wrong place. 1-19 Q: What is wrong with this? {CAUTION: You can be seriously injured if you wear the shoulder belt under your arm. In a crash, your body would move too far forward, which would increase the chance of head and neck injury. Also, the belt would apply too much force to the ribs, which are not as strong as shoulder bones. You could also severely injure internal organs like your liver or spleen. A: The shoulder belt is worn under the arm. It should be worn over the shoulder at all times. 1-20 Q: What is wrong with this? {CAUTION: You can be seriously injured by a twisted belt. In a crash, you would not have the full width of the belt to spread impact forces. If a belt is twisted, make it straight so it can work properly, or ask your dealer to ﬁx it. A: The belt is twisted across the body. 1-21 Shoulder Belt Height Adjustment Before you begin to drive, move the shoulder belt adjuster to the height that is right for you. Adjust the height so that the shoulder portion of the belt is centered on your shoulder. The belt should be away from your face and neck, but not falling off your shoulder. To move it down, push down on the release lever (A) move the height adjuster to the desired position. You can move the adjuster up just by pushing up on the shoulder belt guide. After you move the adjuster to where you want it, try to move it down without squeezing the release lever to make sure it has locked into position. To unlatch the belt, just push the button on the buckle. The belt should go back out of the way. Before you close the door, be sure the belt is out of the way. If you slam the door on it, you can damage both the belt and your vehicle. 1-22 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. Right Front Passenger Position To learn how to wear the right front passenger’s safety belt properly, see Driver Position on page 1-15. The right front passenger’s safety belt works the same way as the driver’s safety belt — except for one thing. If you ever pull the shoulder portion of the belt out all the way, you will engage the child restraint locking feature. If this happens, just let the belt go back all the way and start again. 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. 1-23 Center Front Passenger Position Lap Belt If your vehicle has a front bench seat, someone can sit in the center position. When you sit in the center front seating position, you have a lap safety belt, which has no retractor. To make the belt longer, tilt the latch plate and pull it along the belt. 1-24 To make the belt shorter, pull its free end as shown until the belt is snug. Buckle, position and release it the same way as the lap part of a lap-shoulder belt. If the belt is not long enough, see Safety Belt Extender on page 1-30. 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. 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 rear seat positions 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. If the belt is not long enough, see Safety Belt Extender on page 1-30. 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. 1-25 3. To make the lap part tight, pull down on the buckle end of the belt as you pull up on the shoulder part. The lap part of the belt should be worn low and snug on the hips, just touching the thighs. In a crash this applies force to the strong pelvic bones. And you would be less likely to slide under the lap belt. If you slid under it, the belt would apply force at your abdomen. This could cause serious or even fatal injuries. The shoulder belt should go over the shoulder and across the chest. These parts of the body are best able to take belt restraining forces. 1-26 The safety belt locks if there is a sudden stop or a crash, or if you pull the belt very quickly out of the retractor. {CAUTION: You can be seriously hurt if your shoulder belt is too loose. In a crash, you would move forward too much, which could increase injury. The shoulder belt should ﬁt against your body. Rear Safety Belt Comfort Guides Rear shoulder belt comfort guides may provide added safety belt comfort for older children who have outgrown booster seats and for some adults. When installed on a shoulder belt, the comfort guide positions the belt away from the neck and head. There is one guide for each outside passenger position in the rear seat. Here is how to install a comfort guide and use the safety belt: To unlatch the belt, just push the button on the buckle. 1. Pull the elastic cord out from between the edge of the seatback and the interior body to remove the guide from its storage clip. 1-27 2. Slide the guide under and past the belt. The elastic cord must be under the belt. Then, place the guide over the belt, and insert the two edges of the belt into the slots of the guide. 3. Be sure that the belt is not twisted and it lies ﬂat. The elastic cord must be under the belt and the guide on top. 1-28 {CAUTION: A safety belt that is not properly worn may not provide the protection needed in a crash. The person wearing the belt could be seriously injured. The shoulder belt should go over the shoulder and across the chest. These parts of the body are best able to take belt restraining forces. 4. Buckle, position and release the safety belt as described in Rear Seat Passengers on page 1-25. Make sure that the shoulder belt crosses the shoulder. To remove and store the comfort guides, squeeze the belt edges together so that you can take them out of the guides. Pull the guide upward to expose its storage clip, and then slide the guide onto the clip. Turn the guide and clip inward and slide them between the seatback and the interior body, leaving only the loop of the elastic cord exposed. 1-29 Safety Belt Pretensioners Your vehicle has safety belt pretensioners. They are on the buckle end of the safety belts for the driver and right front passenger. They help the safety belts reduce a person’s forward movement in a moderate to severe frontal and near frontal crash. Pretensioners work only once. If they activate in a crash, you will need to get new ones, and probably other new parts for your safety belt system. See Replacing Restraint System Parts After a Crash on page 1-65. 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 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. 1-30 Child Restraints Older Children Older children who have outgrown booster seats should wear the vehicle’s safety belts. Q: What is the proper way to wear safety belts? A: If possible, 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 ﬁt snugly below the hips, just touching the top of the thighs. It should never be worn over the abdomen, which could cause severe or even fatal internal injuries in a crash. Accident statistics show that children are safer if they are restrained in the rear seat. 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. 1-31 Q: What if a child is wearing a lap-shoulder belt, but the child is so small that the shoulder belt is very close to the child’s face or neck? A: If the child is sitting in a seat next to a window, move the child toward the center of the vehicle. Also see Rear Safety Belt Comfort Guides on page 1-27. If the child is sitting in the center rear seat passenger position, move the child toward the safety belt buckle. In either case, be sure that the shoulder belt still is on the child’s shoulder, so that in a crash the child’s upper body would have the restraint that belts provide. {CAUTION: Never do this. Here two children are wearing the same belt. The belt can not properly spread the impact forces. In a crash, the two children can be crushed together and seriously injured. A belt must be used by only one person at a time. 1-32 Wherever the child sits, the lap portion of the belt should be worn low and snug on the hips, just touching the child’s thighs. This applies belt force to the child’s pelvic bones in a crash. 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. Every time infants and young children ride in vehicles, they should have the protection provided by appropriate restraints. Young children should not use the vehicle’s adult safety belts alone, unless there is no other choice. Instead, they need to use a child restraint. 1-33 {CAUTION: Never do this. Here a child is sitting in a seat that has a lap-shoulder belt, but the shoulder part is behind the child. If the child wears the belt in this way, in a crash the child might slide under the belt. The belt’s force would then be applied right on the child’s abdomen. That could cause serious or fatal injuries. {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. 1-34 {CAUTION: Children who are up against, or very close to, any airbag when it inﬂates 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. 1-35 {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. 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. 1-36 Child Restraint Systems {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. 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. 1-37 A rear-facing infant seat (B) 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. A forward-facing child seat (C-E) provides restraint for the child’s body with the harness and also sometimes with surfaces such as T-shaped or shelf-like shields. 1-38 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. 1-39 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. 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. Never put 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 inﬂates. This is because the back of the rear-facing child restraint would be very close to the inﬂating 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. General Motors recommends that rear-facing child restraints be secured in the rear seat, even if the airbag is off. 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. 1-40 Top Strap Some child restraints have a top strap, or “top tether.” It can help restrain the child restraint during a collision. For it to work, a top strap must be properly anchored to the vehicle. Some top strap-equipped child restraints are designed for use with or without the top strap being anchored. Others require the top strap always to be anchored. Be sure to read and follow the instructions for your child restraint. If yours requires that the top strap be anchored, do not use the restraint unless it is anchored properly. If the child restraint does not have a top strap, one can be obtained, in kit form, for many child restraints. Ask the child restraint manufacturer whether or not a kit is available. {CAUTION: A child in a child restraint in the center front seat can be badly injured or killed by the right front passenger’s airbag if it inﬂates. Never secure a child restraint in the center front seat. It is always better to secure a child restraint in the rear seat. If you need to secure a forward-facing child restraint in the right front passenger 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. 1-41 {CAUTION: Each top tether bracket is designed to anchor only one child restraint. Attaching more than one child restraint to a single bracket could cause the anchor to come loose or even break during a crash. A child or others could be injured if this happens. To help prevent injury to people and damage to your vehicle, attach only one child restraint per bracket. Once you have the top strap anchored, you will be ready to secure the child restraint itself. Tighten the top strap when and as the child restraint manufacturer’s instructions say. In Canada, the law requires that forward-facing child restraints have a top strap, and that the strap be anchored. In the United States, some child restraints also have a top strap. If your child restraint has a top strap, it should be anchored. Anchor the top strap to an anchor point speciﬁed in Top Strap Anchor Location on page 1-43. Be sure to use an anchor point located on the same side of the vehicle as the seating position where the child restraint will be placed. 1-42 Top Strap Anchor Location The vehicle has top strap anchors installed for the rear seating positions. They are located under trim covers on the rear seatback ﬁller panel. Do not secure a child restraint with a top strap in the right front passenger’s position if a national or local law requires that the top strap be anchored, or if the instructions that come with the child restraint say that the top strap must be anchored. There is no place to anchor the top strap in this position. If your child restraint is equipped with the LATCH system, Lower Anchorages and Top Tethers for Children (LATCH System) on page 1-43. Lower Anchorages and Top Tethers for Children (LATCH System) The vehicle has the LATCH system. You will ﬁnd anchors in all three rear seating positions. This system, designed to make installation of child restraints easier, does not use the vehicle’s safety belts. Instead it uses vehicles anchors and child restraint attachments to secure the restraints. Some restraints also use another vehicle anchor to secure a top tether strap. 1-43 A. Lower Anchorage B. Lower Anchorage In order to use the LATCH system in your vehicle, you need a child restraint designed for that system. A. Lower Anchorage B. Lower Anchorage C. Top Tether 1-44 To assist you in locating the lower anchors for this child restraint system, each seating position with the LATCH system has a label on the seatback at each lower anchor position. The labels are located near the base of all three rear seating positions. {CAUTION: If a LATCH-type child restraint is not attached to its anchorage points, the restraint will not be able to protect the child correctly. In a crash, the child could be seriously injured or killed. Make sure that a LATCH-type child restraint is properly installed using the anchorage points, or use the vehicle’s safety belts to secure the restraint, following the instructions that came with that restraint, and also the instructions in this manual. Securing a Child Restraint Designed for the LATCH System 1. Find the LATCH anchorages for the seating position you want to use, where the bottom of the seatback meets the back of the seat cushion. See Lower Anchorages and Top Tethers for Children (LATCH System) on page 1-43. 2. Put the child restraint on the seat. 3. Attach and tighten the LATCH attachments on the child restraint to the LATCH anchorages in the vehicle. The child restraint instructions will show you how. 4. If the child restraint is forward-facing, attach and tighten the top tether to the top tether anchorage. The child restraint instructions will show you how. Also see Top Strap on page 1-41. 5. Push and pull the child restraint in different directions to be sure it is secure. To remove the child restraint, simply unhook the top tether from the top tether anchorage and then disconnect the LATCH attachments from the LATCH anchorages. 1-45 Securing a Child Restraint in a Rear Seat Position If your child restraint is equipped with the LATCH system, see Lower Anchorages and Top Tethers for Children (LATCH System) on page 1-43. See Top Strap on page 1-41 if the child restraint has one. If your child restraint does not have the LATCH system, 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. Put the child restraint on the seat. 2. 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. 1-46 3. 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. 4. Pull the rest of the shoulder belt all the way out of the retractor to set the lock. 5. 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 ﬁnd it helpful to use your knee to push down on the child restraint as you tighten the belt. 6. Push and pull the child restraint in different directions to be sure it is secure. 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. 1-47 Securing a Child Restraint in the Right Front Seat Position Your vehicle has a right front passenger airbag. A rear seat is a safer place to secure a forward-facing child restraint. See Where to Put the Restraint on page 1-40. In addition, your vehicle has 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 1-60 and Passenger Airbag Status Indicator on page 3-34 for 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. Securing a Child Restraint in the Center Front Seat Position {CAUTION: A child in a child restraint in the center front seat can be badly injured or killed by the right front passenger’s airbag if it inﬂates. Never secure a child restraint in the center front seat. It is always better to secure a child restraint in the rear seat. If you need to secure a forward-facing child restraint in the right front passenger 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. Do not secure a child restraint in the center front seat position. 1-48 {CAUTION: A child in a rear-facing child restraint can be seriously injured or killed if the right front passenger’s airbag inﬂates. This is because the back of the rear-facing child restraint would be very close to the inﬂating 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. General Motors recommends that rear-facing child restraints be secured in the rear seat, even if the airbag is off. 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. See Manual Seats on page 1-3 or Six-Way Power Seats on page 1-4. If your child restraint is equipped with the LATCH system, see Lower Anchorages and Top Tethers for Children (LATCH System) on page 1-43. You will be using the lap-shoulder belt to secure the child restraint in this position. See Top Strap on page 1-41 if your child restraint has one. 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. See Passenger Sensing System on page 1-60. General Motors recommends 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. See Manual Seats on page 1-3 or Six-Way Power Seats on page 1-4. 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. See Passenger Airbag Status Indicator on page 3-34. 2. Put the child restraint on the seat. 1-49 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. 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. 1-50 5. 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 ﬁnd 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. 6. Push and pull the child restraint in different directions to be sure it is secure. 7. If 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 dealer. 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. Airbag System Your vehicle has a frontal airbag for the driver and another frontal airbag for the right front passenger. Your vehicle may also have roof mounted side impact airbags. Roof mounted side impact airbags are available for the driver and the passenger seated directly behind the driver and for the right front passenger and the passenger seated directly behind that passenger. If your vehicle has side impact airbags, the word AIRBAG will appear on the airbag covering on the ceiling near the side windows. Frontal airbags are designed to help reduce the risk of injury from the force of an inﬂating frontal airbag. But these airbags must inﬂate very quickly to do their job and comply with federal regulations. 1-51 Here are the most important things to know about the airbag system: CAUTION: (Continued) {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. Frontal airbags for the driver and right front passenger are designed to deploy only in moderate to severe frontal and near frontal crashes. They are not designed to inﬂate in rollover, rear or low-speed frontal 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. The roof-mounted side impact airbags CAUTION: (Continued) 1-52 are designed to inﬂate only in moderate to severe crashes where something hits the side of your vehicle. They are not designed to inﬂate 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. {CAUTION: Both frontal and side impact airbags inﬂate with great force, faster than the blink of an eye. If you are too close to an inﬂating airbag, as you would be if you were leaning forward, it could seriously injure you. Safety belts help keep you in position for airbag inﬂation 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 inﬂates 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, see Older Children on page 1-31 or Infants and Young Children on page 1-33. There is an airbag readiness light on the instrument panel cluster, which shows the airbag symbol. The system checks the airbag electrical system for malfunctions. The light tells you if there is an electrical problem. See Airbag Readiness Light on page 3-33 for more information. Where Are the Airbags? The driver’s airbag is in the middle of the steering wheel. 1-53 The right front passenger’s airbag is in the instrument panel on the passenger’s side. If your vehicle has a side impact airbag for the driver and the person seated directly behind the driver, it is located in the ceiling above the side windows. 1-54 If your vehicle has a side impact airbag for the right front passenger and the person directly behind that passenger, it is located in the ceiling above the side windows. {CAUTION: If something is between an occupant and an airbag, the bag might not inﬂate properly or it might force the object into that person causing severe injury or even death. The path of an inﬂating 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. And, if your vehicle has roof-mounted side impact airbags, never secure anything to the roof of your vehicle by routing the rope or tiedown through any door or window opening. If you do, the path of an inﬂating side impact airbag will be blocked. The path of an inﬂating airbag must be kept clear. 1-55 The threshold level can vary, however, with speciﬁc vehicle design, so that it can be somewhat above or below this range. Airbags may inﬂate at different crash speeds. For example: If the vehicle hits a stationary object, the airbag could inﬂate at a different crash speed than if the object were moving. If the object deforms, the airbag could inﬂate at a different crash speed than if the object does not deform. If the vehicle hits a narrow object (like a pole) the airbag could inﬂate 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 airbag could inﬂate at a different crash speed than if the vehicle goes straight into the object. Frontal airbags (driver and right front passenger) are not intended to inﬂate during vehicle rollovers, rear impacts, or in many side impacts. When Should an Airbag Inﬂate? The driver’s and right front passenger’s frontal airbags are designed to inﬂate in moderate to severe frontal or near-frontal crashes. But they are designed to inﬂate 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 inﬂate and help restrain the occupants. Whether your frontal airbags will or should deploy is not based on 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 inﬂate at a level less than full deployment. For more severe frontal impacts, full deployment occurs. If the front of your vehicle goes straight into a wall that does not move or deform, the threshold level for the reduced deployment is about 12 to 16 mph (19 to 26 km/h), and the threshold level for a full deployment is about 18 to 24 mph (29 to 38.5 km/h). 1-56 (cid:127) (cid:127) (cid:127) (cid:127) Your vehicle may or may not have side impact airbags. See Airbag System on page 1-51. Side impact airbags are intended to inﬂate in moderate to severe side crashes. A side impact airbag will inﬂate if the crash severity is above the system’s designed threshold level. The threshold level can vary with speciﬁc vehicle design. Side impact airbags are not intended to inﬂate in frontal or near-frontal impacts, rollovers or rear impacts. A side impact airbag is intended to deploy on the side of the vehicle that is struck. In any particular crash, no one can say whether an airbag should have inﬂated simply because of the damage to a vehicle or because of what the repair costs were. For frontal airbags, inﬂation is determined by the angle of the impact and how quickly the vehicle slows down in frontal or near-frontal impacts. For side impact airbags, inﬂation is determined by the location and severity of the impact. What Makes an Airbag Inﬂate? In an impact of sufficient severity, the airbag sensing system detects that the vehicle is in a crash. For both frontal and side impact airbags, the sensing system triggers a release of gas from the inﬂator, which inﬂates the airbag. The inﬂator, airbag, and related hardware are all part of the airbag modules inside the steering wheel and in the instrument panel in front of the right front passenger. For vehicles with side impact airbags, the airbag modules are located in the ceiling of the vehicle, near the side windows. How Does an Airbag Restrain? In moderate to severe frontal or near frontal collisions, even belted occupants can contact the steering wheel or the instrument panel. In moderate to severe side collisions, even belted occupants can contact the inside of the vehicle. The airbag supplements the protection provided by safety belts. Airbags distribute the force of the impact more evenly over the occupant’s upper body, stopping the occupant more gradually. But the frontal airbags would not help you in many types of collisions, including rollovers, rear impacts, and many side impacts, primarily because an occupant’s motion is not toward the airbag. Side impact airbags would not help you in many types of collisions, including frontal or near frontal collisions, rollovers, and rear impacts, primarily because an occupant’s motion is not toward those airbags. Airbags should never be regarded as anything more than a supplement to safety belts, and then only in moderate to severe frontal or near-frontal collisions for the driver’s and right front passenger’s frontal airbags, and only in moderate to severe side collisions for side impact airbags. 1-57 What Will You See After an Airbag Inﬂates? After an airbag inﬂates, it quickly deﬂates, so quickly that some people may not even realize the airbag inﬂated. Some components of the airbag module — the steering wheel hub for the driver’s airbag, the instrument panel for the right front passenger’s airbag, or the ceiling of your vehicle near the side windows — will be hot for a short time. The parts of the bag that come into contact with you may be warm, but not too hot to touch. There will be some smoke and dust coming from the vents in the deﬂated airbags. Airbag inﬂation does not prevent the driver from seeing or being able to steer the vehicle, nor does it stop people from leaving the vehicle. {CAUTION: When an airbag inﬂates, there is 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 inﬂates, 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. 1-58 Your vehicle has a feature that will automatically unlock the doors, turn the interior lamps on, and ﬂash the hazard warning ﬂashers when the airbag inﬂates, if battery power is available. You can lock the doors and turn the interior lamps and hazard warning ﬂashers off by using the controls for those features. In many crashes severe enough to inﬂate an airbag, windshields are broken by vehicle deformation. Additional windshield breakage may also occur from the right front passenger airbag. (cid:127) Airbags are designed to inﬂate only once. After an airbag inﬂates, you will need some new parts for your 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 other parts that need to be replaced. (cid:127) Your vehicle is equipped with a crash sensing and diagnostic module which records information after a crash. See Vehicle Data Collection and Event Data Recorders on page 7-9. Let only qualiﬁed technicians work on your airbag system. Improper service can mean that your airbag system will not work properly. See your GM dealer for service. If you damage the covering for the driver’s Notice: or the right front passenger’s airbag, or the side impact airbag covering on the ceiling near the side windows, the airbag may not work properly. You may have to replace the airbag module in the steering wheel, both the airbag module and the instrument panel for the right front passenger’s airbag, or side impact airbag module and ceiling covering for roof-mounted side impact airbags. Do not open or break the airbag coverings. 1-59 (cid:127) Passenger Sensing System Your vehicle has a passenger sensing system. The passenger airbag status indicator on the instrument panel will be visible when you turn your ignition key to RUN or START. The words ON and OFF will be visible during the system check. If you use 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, will be visible. See Passenger Airbag Status Indicator on page 3-34. The passenger sensing system will turn off the right front passenger’s frontal airbag under certain conditions. The driver’s airbag and the side 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 passenger’s frontal airbag should be enabled (may inﬂate) or not. Accident statistics show that children are safer if they are restrained in the rear rather than the front seat. General Motors recommends 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. Passenger Airbag Status Indicator 1-60 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:

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2005 Buick Lacrosse Owners Manual