2005 Pontiac VIBE Owners Manual

Download PDF Manual
2005 Pontiac Vibe Owner Manual M Seats and Restraint Systems ........................... 1-1 Front Seats ............................................... 1-2 Rear Seats ............................................... 1-7 Safety Belts .............................................. 1-8 Child Restraints ....................................... 1-26 Airbag System ......................................... 1-46 Restraint System Check ............................ 1-62 Features and Controls ..................................... 2-1 ........................................................ 2-2 ....................................... 2-7 ................................................. 2-13 ............................ 2-15 ........... 2-17 .................................................... 2-34 ...................................... 2-35 ......................................... 2-37 .................................................. 2-40 Instrument Panel ............................................. 3-1 .......................... 3-4 ...................................... 3-20 ........ 3-25 ....................................... 3-42 Keys Doors and Locks Windows Theft-Deterrent Systems Starting and Operating Your Vehicle Mirrors OnStar® System Storage Areas Sunroof Instrument Panel Overview Climate Controls Warning Lights, Gages, and Indicators Audio System(s) Your Driving, the Road, and Your Vehicle Towing Driving Your Vehicle ....................................... 4-1 ........ 4-2 ................................................... 4-37 Service and Appearance Care .......................... 5-1 Service ..................................................... 5-3 Fuel ......................................................... 5-5 Checking Things Under the Hood ............... 5-10 All-Wheel Drive ........................................ 5-48 Bulb Replacement .................................... 5-49 Windshield Wiper Blade Replacement ......... 5-56 Tires ...................................................... 5-57 Appearance Care ..................................... 5-87 Vehicle Identiﬁcation ................................. 5-95 Electrical System ...................................... 5-95 Capacities and Speciﬁcations ................... 5-100 Normal Maintenance Replacement Parts ...... 5-102 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 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. ©Copyright General Motors Corporation 04/26/04 All Rights Reserved GENERAL MOTORS, GM, the GM Emblem, PONTIAC, the PONTIAC Emblem and the name VIBE are registered trademarks 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 further notice. For vehicles ﬁrst sold in Canada, substitute the name “General Motors of Canada Limited” for Pontiac Division whenever it appears in this manual. Keep this manual in the vehicle, so it will be there if it is needed when on the road. If the vehicle is sold, leave this manual in it so the new owner can use it. Litho in U.S.A. Part No. 05VIBE A First Edition 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 ......................................................1-2 Manual Seats ................................................1-2 Driver Seat Height Adjuster ..............................1-3 Reclining Seatbacks ........................................1-3 Head Restraints .............................................1-5 Passenger Folding Seatback ............................1-5 Rear Seats .......................................................1-7 Rear Seat Operation .......................................1-7 Safety Belts .....................................................1-8 Safety Belts: They Are for Everyone .................1-8 Questions and Answers About Safety Belts ......1-13 How to Wear Safety Belts Properly .................1-14 Driver Position ..............................................1-14 Shoulder Belt Height Adjustment .....................1-20 Safety Belt Use During Pregnancy ..................1-21 Right Front Passenger Position .......................1-21 Rear Seat Passengers ..................................1-21 Safety Belt Pretensioners ...............................1-24 Safety Belt Extender .....................................1-25 Child Restraints .............................................1-26 Older Children ..............................................1-26 Infants and Young Children ............................1-28 Child Restraint Systems .................................1-31 Where to Put the Restraint .............................1-34 Top Strap ....................................................1-35 Top Strap Anchor Location .............................1-37 Lower Anchorages and Top Tethers for Children (LATCH System) ...........................1-38 Securing a Child Restraint Designed for the LATCH System ....................................1-39 Securing a Child Restraint in a Rear Seat Position ....................................1-40 Securing a Child Restraint in the Right Front Seat Position ............................1-42 Airbag System ...............................................1-46 Where Are the Airbags? ................................1-49 When Should an Airbag Inﬂate? .....................1-51 What Makes an Airbag Inﬂate? .......................1-53 How Does an Airbag Restrain? .......................1-53 What Will You See After an Airbag Inﬂates? .........................................1-54 Passenger Sensing System ............................1-56 Servicing Your Airbag-Equipped Vehicle ...........1-60 Adding Equipment to Your Airbag-Equipped Vehicle .............................1-61 Restraint System Check ..................................1-62 Checking Your Restraint Systems ...................1-62 Replacing Restraint System Parts After a Crash ............................................1-63 1-1 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. 1-2 Lift the bar located under the front seat to unlock it. Slide the seat to where you want it and release the bar. Try to move the seat with your body, to make sure the seat is locked into place. Don’t put anything under the front seats. Items under the seats could keep the seats from locking into place properly. Driver Seat Height Adjuster Reclining Seatbacks The manual driver seat height adjuster is located on the outboard side of the seat. To raise the seat, ratchet the lever upward until the seat is at the desired height. To lower the seat, ratchet the lever downward until the seat is at the desired height. It is easier to use the adjuster when the seat is unoccupied. Make sure the vehicle is in PARK (P) before adjusting the seat. To adjust the seatback, lift the lever located on the outboard side of the seat. Release the lever to lock the seatback where you want it. Push on the seat to make sure it is locked into position. Pull up on the lever without pushing on the seatback, and the seat will go to its original upright position. 1-3 {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. 1-4 Head Restraints Passenger Folding Seatback {CAUTION: If you fold the seatback forward to carry longer objects, such as skis, be sure any such cargo is not near an airbag. In a crash, an inﬂating airbag might force that object toward a person. This could cause severe injury or even death. Secure objects away from the area in which an airbag would inﬂate. For more information, see Where Are the Airbags? on page 1-49 and Loading Your Vehicle on page 4-32. Adjust your head restraint so that the top of the restraint is closest to the top of your head. This position reduces the chance of a neck injury in a crash. Press the release button near the base of the restraint to lower and raise the restraint to a comfortable position. {CAUTION: Things you put on this seatback can strike and injure people in a sudden stop or turn, or in a crash. Remove or secure all items before driving. 1-5 You can fold the front passenger’s seatback down to allow for more cargo space or as a temporary table while the vehicle is stopped. To fold the seatback down, do the following: 1. Lower the head restraint to the lowest position and make sure the seatback is at the most upright position and locked. 2. Pull up on one of the levers located on either side of the back of the passenger’s seatback. 1-6 3. Fold the seatback down. To raise the seatback, do the following: 1. Pull the seatback up and push it back to lock it into place. Make sure the safety belt is not twisted or caught in the seatback. 2. Push and pull the top of the seatback to be sure it is locked into position. 3. Use the reclining front seatback lever to adjust the seatback to a comfortable position. Rear Seats Rear Seat Operation You can fold either side of the seatback down for more cargo space. The rear right side seatback can also be used as a temporary table while the vehicle is stopped. Make sure the front seatback isn’t reclined or in the rearward most position. If it is, the rear seatback won’t fold down all the way. {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. {CAUTION: {CAUTION: A rear seatback folded forward, or any other object contacting or pressing the front seatback may affect the proper functioning of the passenger sensing system. See Passenger Sensing System on page 1-56. 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. 1-7 To fold either seatback down, do the following: Safety Belts 1. Pull up on the lock release knob, located on the top of the seatbacks. 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. 2. Fold the seatback down. Each seatback can be folded separately. To raise the seatback, do the following: 1. Pull the seatback up and push it back to lock it into place. Make sure the safety belts are not twisted or caught in the seatback. 2. Push and pull the top of the seatback to be sure it is locked into position. {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. 1-8 {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. 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! Your vehicle has a light that comes on as a reminder to buckle up. See Safety Belt Reminder Light on page 3-28. 1-9 Why Safety Belts Work When you ride in or on anything, you go as fast as it goes. Put someone on it. Take the simplest vehicle. Suppose it is just a seat on wheels. 1-10 Get it up to speed. Then stop the vehicle. The rider does not stop. The person keeps going until stopped by something. In a real vehicle, it could be the windshield... 1-11 or the instrument panel... 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. 1-12 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. 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. 1-13 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 1-26 or Infants and Young Children on page 1-28. 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 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. 1-14 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. If the belt is not long enough, see Safety Belt Extender on page 1-25. 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. 5. To make the lap part tight, pull down on the buckle end of the belt as you pull up on the shoulder belt. 6. 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. 1-15 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. 1-16 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. 1-17 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. 1-18 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. 1-19 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, squeeze the button and 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 button 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. 1-20 Safety Belt Use During Pregnancy Safety belts work for everyone, including pregnant women. Like all occupants, they are more likely to be seriously injured if they do not wear safety belts. A pregnant woman should wear a lap-shoulder belt, and the lap portion should be worn as low as possible, below the rounding, throughout the pregnancy. The best way to protect the fetus is to protect the mother. When a safety belt is worn properly, it is more likely that the fetus will not be hurt in a crash. For pregnant women, as for anyone, the key to making safety belts effective is wearing them properly. Right Front Passenger Position To learn how to wear the right front passenger’s safety belt properly, see Driver Position on page 1-14. 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. 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. 1-21 Lap-Shoulder Belt All rear seating positions have lap-shoulder belts. Here is how to wear one properly. 2. Push the latch plate into the buckle until it clicks. Pull up on the latch plate to make sure it is secure. If the buckle does not click, check to be sure that you are using the correct buckle. The buckle for the center rear passenger position has the word CENTER on it. 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 1-25. 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. 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. 1-22 3. 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 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. 1-23 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. Safety Belt Pretensioners Your vehicle has safety belt pretensioners. Although you cannot see them, they are located on the retractor part 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 or near frontal crash. If the passenger sensing system detects that there is not a passenger in the right front passenger position, the safety belt pretensioner for that position will not activate. See Passenger Sensing System on page 1-56. 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 1-63. To unlatch the belt, just push the button on the buckle. 1-24 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. Always disconnect the extender from the safety belt after you use it so that the airbag will work properly the next time someone uses that seat. When you use a safety belt extender in the right front passenger’s seat, make sure the passenger airbag status indicator shows “ON”. See Passenger Airbag Status Indicator on page 3-30. If the indicator shows “OFF”, disconnect the extender’s latch from the buckle then reconnect the safety belt. Make sure the indicator light shows “ON, then reconnect the safety belt extender. If you use the safety belt extender while the indicator light shows “OFF”, the right front passenger’s frontal and seat-mounted side impact airbags (if equipped) may not activate correctly. See Airbag System on page 1-46 for important safety information about your airbags. 1-25 Child Restraints Older Children 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. Older children who have outgrown booster seats should wear the vehicle’s safety belts. 1-26 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. 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 the belts provide. 1-27 {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. 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 the appropriate restraint. Young children should not use the vehicle’s safety belts, unless there is no other choice. {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. 1-28 {CAUTION: {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. 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. 1-29 {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. 1-30 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. 1-31 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. 1-32 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. 1-33 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. 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. 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 air bag deploys. {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 and seat-mounted side impact airbag (if equipped) under certain conditions, 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. CAUTION: (Continued) 1-34 CAUTION: (Continued) If you need to secure a forward-facing child restraint in the right front seat, always move the front passenger seat as far back as it will go. It is better to secure the child restraint in a rear seat. 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. 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. 1-35 {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. Anchor the top strap to one of the following anchor points. 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. Raise the head restraint and route the top strap under it. See Head Restraints on page 1-5. 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. 1-36 Top Strap Anchor Location To access the anchors, open the compartment doors marked with the child restraint anchor symbol. Anchor the top strap to one of the top strap anchors. Your vehicle has top strap anchors for the rear seating positions. You will ﬁnd three top strap anchors in a covered compartment on the ﬂoor of the rear cargo area. 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. 1-37 Lower Anchorages and Top Tethers for Children (LATCH System) Your vehicle has the LATCH system. You will ﬁnd anchors for the outside rear seat positions. This system, designed to make installation of child restraints easier, does not use the vehicle’s safety belts. Instead, it uses vehicle anchors and child restraint attachments to secure the restraints. Some restraints also use another vehicle anchor to secure a top tether strap. A. Lower Anchorage B. Lower Anchorage C. Top Tether 1-38 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. 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. To assist you in locating the anchors for this child restraint system, place your hand in a palm-up position and reach up between the seat cushion and the seatback, just under the label. {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 1-38. 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 1-35. 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. 1-39 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 1-38. See Top Strap on page 1-35 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. 1-40 3. Buckle the belt. If the buckle does not click, check to be sure that you are using the correct buckle. The buckle for the center rear passenger position has the word CENTER on it. 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. 1-41 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 1-34. 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 and seat-mounted side impact airbag (if equipped) when a child in a child restraint or booster seat is detected. See Passenger Sensing System on page 1-56 and Passenger Airbag Status Indicator on page 3-30 for more information about the conditions that could affect the passenger sensing system and other important safety information. A label on your sun visor says, “Never put a rear-facing child seat in the front.” This is because the risk to the rear-facing child is so great, if the airbag deploys. {CAUTION: A child in a rear-facing child restraint can be seriously injured or killed if the right front passenger’s airbag 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 and seat-mounted side impact airbag (if equipped) under certain conditions, 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. 1-42 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 1-2. If your child restraint is equipped with the LATCH system, see Lower Anchorages and Top Tethers for Children (LATCH System) on page 1-38. There is no top strap anchor at the right front seating position. Do not secure a child seat in this 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. See Top Strap on page 1-35 if your child restraint has one. You will be using the lap-shoulder belt to secure the child restraint in this position. Be sure to follow the instructions that came with the child restraint. Secure the child in the child restraint when and as the instructions say. 1. Your vehicle has airbags. See Passenger Sensing System on page 1-56. 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 1-2. When the passenger sensing system has turned off the right front passenger’s frontal airbag and seat-mounted side impact airbag (if equipped), the off indicator in the passenger airbag status indicator should light and stay lit when you turn the ignition to ON. See Passenger Airbag Status Indicator on page 3-30. 2. Put the child restraint on the seat. 1-43 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. 1-44 5. Pull the rest of the shoulder belt all the way out of the retractor to set the lock. 6. To tighten the belt, push down on the child restraint, pull the shoulder portion of the belt to tighten the lap portion of the belt and feed the shoulder belt back into the retractor. If you are using a forward-facing child restraint, you may 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. 7. Push and pull the child restraint in different directions to be sure it is secure. 8. If the passenger sensing system has turned off the right front passenger’s frontal airbag and seat-mounted side impact airbag (if equipped), the off indicator in the passenger airbag status indicator will be lit and stay lit when the key is turned to ON. If a child restraint has been installed and the on indicator is lit, turn the vehicle off. Remove the child restraint from the vehicle and reinstall the child restraint with the ignition key in the ACC or LOCK position. If after reinstalling the child restraint and restarting the vehicle, the on indicator is still lit, check to make sure that the vehicle’s seatback is not pressing the child restraint into the seat cushion. If this happens, slightly recline the 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. 1-45 If the on indicator is still lit, secure the child in the child restraint in a rear seat position in the vehicle and check with your dealer. If the airbag readiness light and the OFF light in the passenger airbag status indicator come on together, it may mean there is a malfunction in the passenger sensing system. Secure the child in the child restraint in a rear seat position in the vehicle and check with your dealer. To remove the child restraint, 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 a frontal airbag for the right front passenger. Your vehicle may also have seat-mounted side impact airbags for the driver and right front passenger. Your vehicle may also have roof-mounted side impact airbags 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, it will say SRS-SIDE AIR BAG on a label on the side of the driver’s and right front passenger’s seat closest to the door. If your vehicle has roof-mounted side impact airbags, it will say SRS CURTAIN AIRBAG on the trim on the side of the windshield. 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. 1-46 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 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, CAUTION: (Continued) or in many side crashes. And, for some unrestrained occupants, frontal airbags may provide less protection in frontal crashes than more forceful airbags have provided in the past. Side impact airbags are designed to 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. 1-47 {CAUTION: {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. 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 1-26 or Infants and Young Children on page 1-28. 1-48 There is an airbag readiness light on the instrument panel, which shows the airbag symbol. Where Are the Airbags? 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 3-29 for more information. The driver’s frontal airbag is in the middle of the steering wheel. 1-49 If your vehicle has a roof-mounted side impact airbag for the driver and the person seated directly behind the driver, it is in the ceiling above the side windows. If your vehicle has a roof-mounted side impact airbag for the right front passenger and the person seated directly behind that passenger, it is in the ceiling above the side windows. {CAUTION: If something is between an occupant and an airbag, the 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. Do not let seat covers block the inﬂation path of a side impact airbag. The right front passenger’s frontal airbag is in the instrument panel on the passenger’s side. If your vehicle has a seat-mounted side impact airbag for the driver, it is in the side of the driver’s seatback closest to the door. If your vehicle has a seat-mounted side impact airbag for the right front passenger, it is in the side of the passenger’s seatback closest to the door. 1-50 {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 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. 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. 1-51 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. The frontal airbags for the driver and right front passenger may also deploy if a serious impact occurs to the underside of your vehicle such as hitting a curb, falling into a deep hole, or landing hard. The frontal airbags (driver and right front passenger) are not intended to inﬂate during vehicle rollovers, rear impacts, or in many side impacts because inﬂation would not likely help the occupants. The side impact airbags are designed 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 designed to inﬂate in frontal or near-frontal impacts, rollovers or rear impacts, because inﬂation would not likely help the occupant. Your vehicle has sensors which detect side impacts. These sensors signal the appropriate side airbag to inﬂate. A side impact airbag will only deploy on the side of the vehicle that is struck. It is possible that, in a crash involving the front of your vehicle, only one of the two frontal airbags in your vehicle will deploy. This is rare, but it can happen in a crash just severe enough to make a frontal airbag inﬂate. 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 and near-frontal impacts. For side impact airbags, inﬂation is determined by the location and severity of the impact. 1-52 (cid:127) (cid:127) (cid:127) (cid:127) 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, the airbag and related hardware are all part of the airbag modules. Frontal airbag modules are located inside the steering wheel and instrument panel. For vehicles with seat-mounted side impact airbags, the airbag modules are located in the seatback closest to the driver’s and/or right front passenger’s door. For vehicles with roof-mounted 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. Airbags supplement 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 a frontal airbag 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 a frontal airbag. A side impact airbag 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 a side airbag. 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 frontal airbags, and only in moderate to severe side collisions for side impact airbags. 1-53 What Will You See After an Airbag Inﬂates? After the 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 bag, the side of the seatback closest to the front doors for the seat-mounted side impact airbags (if equipped), and the ceiling of your vehicle near the side windows for the roof-mounted side impact airbags (if equipped) – 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 can not 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. 1-54 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 the need to replace other parts. (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 an airbag system will not work properly. See your dealer for service. If you damage the covering for the frontal Notice: airbags, the airbag covering on the driver’s and right front passenger’s seatback or the airbag covering on the ceiling near the side windows, the airbags 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 the airbag modules, the seatback, and the ceiling covering for the side impact airbags (if equipped). Do not open or break the airbag coverings. If your vehicle ever gets into a lot of water – such as water up to the carpeting or higher – or if water enters your vehicle and soaks the carpet, the airbag controller can be soaked and ruined. If this ever happens, and then you start your vehicle, the damage could make the frontal and side impact airbags inﬂate and safety belt pretensioners activate, even if there is no crash. You would have to replace the airbags, all the sensors and related parts, parts of the safety belt system and parts of the driver and right front passenger’s seatbacks. If your vehicle is ever in a ﬂood, or if it is exposed to water that soaks the carpet, you can avoid needless repair costs by turning off the vehicle immediately and disconnecting the battery cables. Do not let anyone start the vehicle under any circumstances. See your dealer for service. 1-55 (cid:127) Passenger Sensing System Your vehicle has a passenger sensing system. A passenger airbag status indicator on the instrument panel will be visible when you turn your ignition key to ON. The words ON and OFF will be visible in the passenger airbag status indicator during 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 3-30. The passenger sensing system will turn off the right front passenger’s frontal airbag and seat-mounted side impact airbag (if equipped) under certain conditions. The passenger sensing system will also turn off the right front passenger’s safety belt pretensioner if it detects that there is no occupant in that position. The driver’s airbag and the roof-mounted side impact 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 assembly and safety belt assembly. The sensors are designed to detect the presence of a properly-seated occupant and determine if the passenger’s frontal airbag and seat-mounted side impact airbag (if equipped) and safety belt pretensioner 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. 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. 1-56 {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 and seat-mounted side impact airbag (if equipped) under certain conditions, 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. The passenger sensing system is designed to turn off the right front passenger’s frontal airbag and seat-mounted side impact airbag (if equipped) if: the right front passenger seat is unoccupied the system determines that a small child is present in a child restraint the system determines that a small child is present in a booster seat a right front passenger takes his/her weight off of the seat for a period of time the right front passenger seat is occupied by a smaller person, such as a child who has outgrown child restraints or if there is a critical problem with the airbag system or the passenger sensing system. When the passenger sensing system has turned off the passenger’s frontal airbag and seat-mounted side impact airbag (if equipped), the off indicator will light and stay lit to remind you that the airbag is off. If a child restraint has been installed and the on indicator is lit, turn the vehicle off. Remove the child restraint from the vehicle and reinstall the child restraint with the ignition key in the ACC or LOCK position, following the child restraint manufacturer’s directions and refer to Securing a Child Restraint in the Right Front Seat Position on page 1-42. 1-57 (cid:127) (cid:127) (cid:127) (cid:127) (cid:127) (cid:127) 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. An object, person or child in the rear seat contacting or pressing the right front passenger’s seatback, or objects stowed under the right front passenger’s seat, may affect the proper functioning of the passenger sensing system. When you use a safety belt extender in the right front passenger’s seat, make sure the passenger airbag status indicator shows “ON”. If the indicator shows “OFF”, disconnect the extender’s latch from the buckle then reconnect the safety belt. Make sure the indicator light shows “ON”, then reconnect the safety belt extender. If you use the safety belt extender while the indicator light shows “OFF”, the right front passenger’s frontal airbag and seat-mounted side impact airbag (if equipped) may not activate correctly. See Airbag System on page 1-46 for important safety information about your airbags. The passenger sensing system is designed to enable (may inﬂate) the right front passenger’s frontal airbag and seat-mounted side impact airbag (if equipped) and safety belt pretensioner anytime the system senses that a person of adult size is sitting properly in the right front passenger’s seat. When the passenger sensing system has allowed the airbags and pretensioner to be enabled, the on indicator will light and stay lit to remind you that the airbags and pretensioners are active. For some children who have outgrown child restraints and for very small adults, the passenger sensing system may or may not turn off the right front passenger’s frontal airbag and seat-mounted side impact airbag (if equipped), depending upon the person’s seating posture and body build. Everyone in your vehicle who has outgrown child restraints should wear a safety belt properly — whether or not there is an airbag for that person. 1-58 If a person of adult-size is sitting in the right front passenger’s seat, but the off indicator is lit, it could be because that person is not sitting properly in the seat. If this happens, turn the vehicle off and ask the person to place the seatback in the fully upright position, then sit upright in the seat, centered on the seat cushion, with the person’s legs comfortably extended. Restart the vehicle and have the person remain in this position for about two minutes. This will allow the system to detect that person and then enable the passenger’s airbag. If the airbag readiness light and the OFF light in the passenger airbag status indicator come on together, it may mean there is a malfunction in the passenger sensing system. Secure the child in the child restraint in a rear seat position in the vehicle and check with your dealer. {CAUTION: If the airbag readiness light in the instrument panel cluster ever comes on and stays on, it means that something may be wrong with the airbag system. If this ever happens, have the vehicle serviced promptly, because an adult-size person sitting in the right front passenger’s seat may not have the protection of the frontal airbag. See Airbag Readiness Light on page 3-29 for more on this, including important safety information. 1-59 Aftermarket equipment, such as seat covers or seat backpacks can affect how well the passenger sensing system operates. You may want to consider not using seat covers, seat backpacks or other aftermarket equipment if your vehicle has the passenger sensing system. See Adding Equipment to Your Airbag-Equipped Vehicle on page 1-61 for more information about modiﬁcations that can affect how the system operates. {CAUTION: Stowing of articles under the passenger’s seat or between the passenger’s seat cushion and seatback may interfere with the proper operation of the passenger sensing system. Servicing Your Airbag-Equipped Vehicle Airbags affect how your vehicle should be serviced. There are parts of the airbag system in several places around your vehicle. Your dealer and the service manual have information about servicing your vehicle and the airbag system. To purchase a service manual, see Service Publications Ordering Information on page 7-11. {CAUTION: For up to two minutes after the ignition key is turned off and the battery is disconnected, an airbag can still inﬂate during improper service. You can be injured if you are close to an airbag when it inﬂates. Avoid wires wrapped with yellow tape or yellow connectors. They are probably part of the airbag systems. Be sure to follow proper service procedures, and make sure the person performing work for you is qualiﬁed to do so. The airbag system does not need regular maintenance. 1-60 Adding Equipment to Your Airbag-Equipped Vehicle Q: Is there anything I might add to the vehicle that could keep the airbags from working properly? A: Yes. If you add things that change your vehicle’s frame, bumper system, front end or side sheet metal or height, they may keep the airbag system from working properly. Also, the airbag system may not work properly if you relocate any of the airbag sensors. If you have any questions about this, you should contact Customer Assistance before you modify your vehicle. The phone numbers and addresses for Customer Assistance are in Step Two of the Customer Satisfaction Procedure in this manual. See Customer Satisfaction Procedure on page 7-2. Do not perform any of the following changes without consulting your dealer. Such changes can interfere with the proper operation of the airbag system, passenger sensing system and/or safety belt pretensioners. (cid:127) Repairs on or near the front seat belt retractor assemblies (cid:127) Modiﬁcation of the suspension system (cid:127) Attachment of a grille guard (bull bar, kangaroo bar, etc), snowplow, winches or any other equipment to the front end (cid:127) Repairs made on or near the front fenders, front end structure or console Installation of electronic devises such as a mobile two-way radio, cassette tape player or compact disc player (cid:127) Modiﬁcation of the suspension system (cid:127) Modiﬁcation of the front end structure or the side structure of the passenger compartment (cid:127) Repairs made on or near the console of the front seat 1-61 (cid:127) Q: Because I have a disability, I have to get my vehicle modiﬁed. How can I ﬁnd out whether this will affect my advanced airbag system? A: Changing or moving any parts of the front seats, safety belts, the airbag sensing and diagnostic module (located under the driver’s seat), or the instrument panel can affect the operation of the advanced airbag system. If you have questions, call Customer Assistance. The phone numbers and addresses for Customer Assistance are in Step Two of the Customer Satisfaction Procedure in this manual. See Customer Satisfaction Procedure on page 7-2. Restraint System Check Checking Your Restraint Systems Now and then, make sure the safety belt reminder light and all your belts, buckles, latch plates, retractors and anchorages are working properly. Look for any other loose or damaged safety belt system parts. If you see anything that might keep a safety belt system from doing its job, have it repaired. Torn or frayed safety belts may not protect you in a crash. They can rip apart under impact forces. If a belt is torn or frayed, get a new one right away. Also look for any opened or broken airbag covers, and have them repaired or replaced. (The airbag system does not need regular maintenance.) 1-62 Replacing Restraint System Parts After a Crash {CAUTION: A crash can damage the restraint systems in your vehicle. A damaged restraint system may not properly protect the person using it, resulting in serious injury or even death in a crash. To help make sure your restraint systems are working properly after a crash, have them inspected and any necessary replacements made as soon as possible. If you have had a crash, do you need new belts or LATCH system parts? After a very minor collision, nothing may be necessary. But if the belts were stretched, as they would be if worn during a more severe crash, then you need new parts. If the LATCH system was being used during a more severe crash, you may need new LATCH system parts. If belts are cut or damaged, replace them. Collision damage also may mean you will need to have LATCH system, safety belt or seat parts repaired or replaced. New parts and repairs may be necessary even if the belt or LATCH system was not being used at the time of the collision. If the frontal airbags inﬂate, you will also need to replace the driver’s and right front passenger’s safety belt retractor assembly. Be sure to do so. Then the new retractor assembly will be there to help protect you in a collision. After a crash you may need to replace the driver and front passenger’s safety belt retractor assemblies, even if the frontal airbags have not deployed. The driver and front passenger’s safety belt retractor assemblies contain the safety belt pretensioners. Have your safety belt pretensioners checked if your vehicle has been in a collision, or if your airbag readiness light stays on after you start your vehicle or while you are driving. See Airbag Readiness Light on page 3-29. If an airbag inﬂates, you will need to replace airbag system parts. See the part on the airbag system earlier in this section. 1-63 ✍ NOTES 1-64 Section 2 Features and Controls Keys ...............................................................2-2 Remote Keyless Entry System .........................2-4 Remote Keyless Entry System Operation ...........2-5 Doors and Locks .............................................2-7 Door Locks ....................................................2-7 Power Door Locks ..........................................2-8 Programmable Automatic Door Locks ................2-9 Rear Door Security Locks ..............................2-10 Liftgate/Liftglass ............................................2-11 Windows ........................................................2-13 Manual Windows ..........................................2-14 Power Windows ............................................2-14 Sun Visors ...................................................2-14 Theft-Deterrent Systems ..................................2-15 .................................2-15 Starting and Operating Your Vehicle ................2-17 New Vehicle Break-In ....................................2-17 Ignition Positions ..........................................2-18 Starting Your Engine .....................................2-19 Engine Coolant Heater ..................................2-21 Automatic Transaxle Operation .......................2-22 Overdrive Off ...............................................2-24 Manual Transaxle Operation ...........................2-25 Parking Brake ..............................................2-28 Content Theft-Deterrent Shifting Into Park (P) (Automatic Transaxle) ........2-28 Shifting Out of Park (P) (Automatic Transaxle) .....2-30 Parking Your Vehicle (Manual Transaxle) .........2-31 Parking Over Things That Burn .......................2-32 Engine Exhaust ............................................2-32 Running Your Engine While You Are Parked .......2-33 Mirrors ...........................................................2-34 Manual Rearview Mirror .................................2-34 Manual Rearview Mirror with OnStar® ..............2-34 Outside Remote Control Mirrors ......................2-34 Outside Convex Mirror ...................................2-35 OnStar® System .............................................2-35 Storage Areas ................................................2-37 Glove Box ...................................................2-37 Cupholder(s) ................................................2-37 Coinholder(s) ................................................2-37 Instrument Panel Storage Area .......................2-37 Center Console Storage Area .........................2-37 Floor Mats ...................................................2-38 Rear Storage Area ........................................2-38 Rear Cargo Accessory Track System ................2-39 Cargo Cover ................................................2-39 Cargo Tie Downs ..........................................2-40 Sunroof .........................................................2-40 2-1 Keys {CAUTION: Leaving children in a vehicle with the ignition key is dangerous for many reasons. They could operate the power windows or other controls or even make the vehicle move. The children or others could be badly injured or even killed. Do not leave the keys in a vehicle with children. 2-2 One key is used for the ignition, the doors and all other locks. Each tag has a code on it that tells your dealer or a qualiﬁed locksmith how to make extra keys. Keep the tag in a safe place. If you lose your key, you’ll be able to have a new one made easily using this code. If you need a new key, contact your dealership to obtain the correct key code. See Roadside Assistance Program on page 7-6 for more information. Notice: you may have to damage the vehicle to get in. Be sure you have spare keys. If you ever lock your keys in your vehicle, When a new vehicle is delivered, the dealer removes the key tag from the key and gives it to the ﬁrst owner. 2-3 Remote Keyless Entry System If equipped, the keyless entry system operates on a radio frequency subject to Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Rules and with Industry Canada. This device complies with Part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the following two conditions: 1. This device may not cause interference, and 2. This device must accept any interference received, including interference that may cause undesired operation of the device. This device complies with RSS-210 of Industry Canada. Operation is subject to the following two conditions: 1. This device may not cause interference, and 2. This device must accept any interference received, including interference that may cause undesired operation of the device. Changes or modiﬁcations to this system by other than an authorized service facility could void authorization to use this equipment. At times you may notice a decrease in range. This is normal for any remote keyless entry system. If the transmitter does not work or if you have to stand closer to your vehicle for the transmitter to work, try this: (cid:127) Check the distance. You may be too far from your vehicle. You may need to stand closer during rainy or snowy weather. (cid:127) Check the location. Other vehicles or objects may be blocking the signal. Take a few steps to the left or right, hold the transmitter higher, and try again. (cid:127) Check to determine if battery replacement is necessary. See “Battery Replacement” under Remote Keyless Entry System Operation on page 2-5. If you are still having trouble, see your dealer or a qualiﬁed technician for service. 2-4 (cid:127) Remote Keyless Entry System Operation If your vehicle has this feature, you can lock and unlock your doors from about 3 feet (1 m) up to 30 feet (9 m) away using the remote keyless entry transmitter supplied with your vehicle. The remote keyless entry transmitter will look different if your vehicle was purchased in Canada, however it will operate the same. LOCK: Press this button to lock all of the doors. The turn signal lights will ﬂash once to conﬁrm that the doors have locked. The remote keyless entry system will not operate while the doors are open, the key is in the ignition or if the liftglass or hatch are not completely closed and latched. UNLOCK: Press this button once to unlock the driver’s door. The turn signal lights will ﬂash twice and the interior lamps will come on to conﬁrm that the door has unlocked. If the UNLOCK button is pressed again within three seconds, all remaining doors will unlock. The interior lamps will stay on for 15 seconds or until the ignition is turned on. If the UNLOCK button is pressed and no door is opened, the doors will lock automatically after 30 seconds. HATCH: Press this button to open the rear liftglass. If the ignition key is in the ON position, the liftglass cannot be opened by the HATCH button on the transmitter. 2-5 Matching Transmitter(s) to Your Vehicle Each remote keyless entry transmitter is coded to prevent another transmitter from unlocking your vehicle. If a transmitter is lost or stolen, a replacement can be purchased through your dealer. Remember to bring any remaining transmitters with you when you go to your dealer. When the dealer matches the replacement transmitter to your vehicle, any remaining transmitters must also be matched. Once your dealer has coded the new transmitter, the lost transmitter will not unlock your vehicle. Each vehicle can have a maximum of four transmitters matched to it. Battery Replacement Under normal use, the battery in your remote keyless entry transmitter should last about three years. You can tell the battery is weak if the transmitter won’t work at the normal range in any location. If you have to get close to your vehicle before the transmitter works, it’s probably time to change the battery. Notice: When replacing the battery, use care not to touch any of the circuitry. Static from your body transferred to these surfaces may damage the transmitter. 2-6 To replace the battery, do the following: 1. Insert a small coin or similar object to separate the bottom half from the top half of the transmitter. 2. Remove the battery and replace it with the new one. Make sure the positive side of the battery faces upward. For battery replacement, use a three-volt battery, type CR2032, or equivalent. 3. Snap the transmitter back together tightly to be sure no moisture can enter. Doors and Locks Door Locks {CAUTION: Unlocked doors can be dangerous. (cid:127) Passengers — especially children — can easily open the doors and fall out of a moving vehicle. When a door is locked, the handle will not open it. You increase the chance of being thrown out of the vehicle in a crash if the doors are not locked. So, wear safety belts properly and lock the doors whenever you drive. (cid:127) Young children who get into unlocked vehicles may be unable to get out. A child

Boost Classifieds - Car Advice, Reviews, Events & Classifieds

2005 Pontiac VIBE Owners Manual