yellowblue The 2000 Buick LeSabre Owner’s Manual

1-1 Seats and Restraint Systems This section tells you how to use your seats and safety belts properly. It also explains the air bag system. 2-1 Features and Controls This section explains how to start and operate your vehicle. 3-1 Comfort Controls and Audio Systems This section tells you how to adjust the ventilation and comfort controls and how to operate your audio system. 4-1 Your Driving and the Road Here you’ll find helpful information and tips about the road and how to drive under different conditions. 5-1 Problems on the Road This section tells you what to do if you have a problem while driving, such as a flat tire or overheated engine, etc. 6-1 Service and Appearance Care Here the manual tells you how to keep your vehicle running properly and looking good. 7-1 Maintenance Schedule This section tells you when to perform vehicle maintenance and what fluids and lubricants to use. 8-1 Customer Assistance Information This section tells you how to contact Buick for assistance and how to get service and owner publications. It also gives you information on “Reporting Safety Defects” on page 8-9. 9-1 Index Here’s an alphabetical listing of almost every subject in this manual. You can use it to quickly find something you want to read. i yellowblue

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GENERAL MOTORS, GM, the GM Emblem, BUICK, the BUICK Emblem and the name LESABRE 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 in the product after that time without further 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. For Canadian Owners Who Prefer a Please keep this manual in your vehicle, so it will be French Language Manual: there if you ever need it when you’re on the road. If you Aux propriétaires canadiens: Vous pouvez vous sell the vehicle, please leave this manual in it so the new procurer un exemplaire de ce guide en français chez owner can use it. votre concessionaire ou au: DGN Marketing Services Ltd. 1577 Meyerside Dr. Mississauga, Ontario L5T 1B9

Litho in U.S.A. ECopyright General Motors Corporation 1998 Part No. 25694050 B First Edition All Rights Reserved ii yellowblue

How to Use this Manual Many people read their owner’s manual from beginning CAUTION: to end when they first receive their new vehicle. If you do this, it will help you learn about the features These mean there is something that could hurt and controls for your vehicle. In this manual, you’ll you or other people. find that pictures and words work together to explain things quickly. 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 don’t, you or others could be hurt.

You will also find a circle Safety Warnings and Symbols with a slash through it in this book. This safety You will find a number of safety cautions in this book. symbol means “Don’t,” We use a box and the word CAUTION to tell you “Don’t do this” or “Don’t about things that could hurt you if you were to ignore let this happen.” the warning.

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Vehicle Damage Warnings In the notice area, we tell you about something that can damage your vehicle. Many times, this damage would Also, in this book you will find these notices: not be covered by your warranty, and it could be costly. But the notice will tell you what to do to help NOTICE: avoid the damage. When you read other manuals, you might see These mean there is something that could CAUTION and NOTICE warnings in different colors or in different words. damage your vehicle. You’ll also see warning labels on your vehicle. They use the same words, CAUTION or NOTICE.

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Vehicle Symbols These are some of the symbols you may find on your vehicle.

For example, These symbols These symbols These symbols These symbols Here are some these symbols are important have to do with are on some of are used on other symbols are used on an for you and your lamps: your controls: warning and you may see: original battery: your passengers indicator lights: whenever your vehicle is MASTER WINDSHIELD CAUTION driven: LIGHTING WIPER POSSIBLE SWITCH ENGINE FUSE INJURY COOLANT TEMP DOOR LOCK TURN PROTECT WINDSHIELD UNLOCK SIGNALS EYES BY WASHER BATTERY LIGHTER SHIELDING CHARGING PARKING SYSTEM CAUSTIC LAMPS WINDSHIELD BATTERY FASTEN HORN DEFROSTER ACID COULD SEAT BRAKE CAUSE BELTS HAZARD BURNS WARNING FLASHER REAR COOLANT SPEAKER AVOID WINDOW SPARKS OR POWER DEFOGGER FLAMES DAYTIME WINDOW RUNNING ENGINE OIL LAMPS PRESSURE FUEL SPARK OR FLAME VENTILATING COULD FAN EXPLODE AIR BAG FOG LAMPS ANTI-LOCK BATTERY BRAKES

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✍ NOTES

vi yellowblue Section 1 Seats and Restraint Systems

Here you’ll find information about the seats in your vehicle and how to use your safety belts properly. You can also learn about some things you should not do with air bags and safety belts.

1-2 Seats and Seat Controls 1-28 Center Front Passenger Position 1-7 Safety Belts: They’re for Everyone 1-30 Rear Seat Passengers 1-11 Here Are Questions Many People Ask 1-33 Children About Safety Belts -- and the Answers 1-36 Child Restraints 1-12 How to Wear Safety Belts Properly 1-47 Larger Children 1-12 Driver Position 1-50 Safety Belt Extender 1-19 Safety Belt Use During Pregnancy 1-50 Checking Your Restraint Systems 1-20 Right Front Passenger Position 1-50 Replacing Restraint System Parts 1-20 Air Bag Systems After a Crash

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Seats and Seat Controls Power Seat This section tells you about the power seats -- how to adjust them and also about reclining seatbacks, lumbar adjustments, heated seats and head restraints. Manual Lumbar Support

The power seat controls are located on the outboard side of each front seat cushion. D Raise or lower the front of the seat cushion by holding the front part of the horizontal control up or down. D Raise or lower the rear of the seat cushion by holding The knob that controls this feature is located on the outer the rear part of the horizontal control up or down. edge of the seat. Turn the knob towards the front of the vehicle to increase lumbar support. Turn the knob towards the rear of the vehicle to decrease lumbar support.

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D Raise or lower the entire seat cushion by holding the Power Lumbar Control (If Equipped) whole horizontal control up or down. D The lumbar control is Move the seat forward or back by pushing the located on the outboard side horizontal control to the front or back. of each front seat. Use the D Push the vertical control forward to bring the seat to power seat control first to a more upright position. Push it rearward to recline get the proper position. the seatback. See “Reclining Front Seatbacks” Then continue with the later in this section. lumbar adjustment.

To reshape the lower seatback, press the lumbar control forward to increase support and rearward to decrease support. Press the control up or down to raise or lower the support mechanism. 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.

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Memory Seat and Mirrors (Option) When your vehicle is in PARK (P) and a memory button is pressed, a single beep will sound through the audio system and the memory position will be recalled. You can also store an exit position for each driver. The exit position is programmed by moving the seat to the desired exit position and then holding the exit button for five seconds. The exit position set will be for the most recently selected driving position (1 or 2). The exit position will be recalled when the exit button is pressed and will correspond to the driving position that was recalled last. Note that selecting a new position with the memory button The controls for the memory seat and mirrors are located will change all other personal choice settings that you have on the driver’s door panel, and are used to program and previously programmed also. See “Personal Choice recall previous settings that have been stored. Programming” in the Index for further information. Adjust the driver’s seat (including the lumbar Memory recall will only work when the automatic adjustments) and both outside mirrors to the position transaxle is in PARK (P). you would like for driving. Then press and hold memory button 1 for five seconds. A double beep will sound when the memory is set. To set the seat and mirror positions for a second driver, follow the previous steps, but press button 2 instead.

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Heated Seats (Option) Reclining Front Seatbacks The heated seat controls The vertical control are located on the driver’s described previously and front passenger’s in this section reclines door panel. the front seatbacks.

Push the button once for a high setting, twice for a low setting, and a third time to turn off the heated seat. The LO setting warms the seatback and cushion until the seat approximates body temperature. The HI setting heats the seat to a slightly higher temperature. The heated seats can only be used when the ignition is turned on. The heating elements in the seats automatically turn off when the vehicle’s ignition is turned off.

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CAUTION:

Sitting in a reclined position when your vehicle is in motion can be dangerous. Even if you buckle up, your safety belts can’t do their job when you’re reclined like this. The shoulder belt can’t do its job. In a crash you could go into it, receiving neck or other injuries. The lap belt can’t 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 But don’t have a seatback reclined if your vehicle back in the seat and wear your safety belt properly. is moving. Head Restraints Slide the head restraint up or down so that the top of the restraint is closest to the top of your ears. This position reduces the chance of a neck injury in a crash.

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Safety Belts: They’re for Everyone This part of the manual tells you how to use safety belts CAUTION: properly. It also tells you some things you should not do with safety belts. It is extremely dangerous to ride in a cargo area, And it explains the air bag system. 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 CAUTION: ride in any area of your vehicle that is not equipped with seats and safety belts. Be sure Don’t let anyone ride where he or she can’t wear everyone in your vehicle is in a seat and using a a safety belt properly. If you are in a crash and safety belt properly. you’re 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 Your vehicle has a light that injured or killed. In the same crash, you might comes on as a reminder not be if you are buckled up. Always fasten your to buckle up. (See “Safety Belt Reminder Light” in safety belt, and check that your passengers’ belts the Index.) are fastened properly too.

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In most states and Canadian provinces, the law says to Why Safety Belts Work wear safety belts. Here’s why: They work. When you ride in or on anything, you go as fast You never know if you’ll be in a crash. If you do have a as it goes. crash, you don’t 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 wouldn’t 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’s just a seat on wheels.

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Put someone on it. Get it up to speed. Then stop the vehicle. The rider doesn’t stop.

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The person keeps going until stopped by something. or the instrument panel ... In a real vehicle, it could be the windshield ...

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Here Are Questions Many People Ask About Safety Belts -- and the Answers Q: Won’t I be trapped in the vehicle after an accident if I’m wearing a safety belt? A: You could be -- whether you’re wearing a safety belt or not. But you can unbuckle a safety belt, even if you’re 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 air bags, why should I have to wear safety belts? A: Air bags are in many vehicles today and will be in most of them in the future. But they are or the safety belts! supplemental systems only; so they work with With safety belts, you slow down as the vehicle does. safety belts -- not instead of them. Every air bag You get more time to stop. You stop over more distance, system ever offered for sale has required the use of and your strongest bones take the forces. That’s why safety belts. Even if you’re in a vehicle that has air safety belts make such good sense. bags, you still have to buckle up to get the most protection. That’s true not only in frontal collisions, but especially in side and other collisions.

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Q: If I’m a good driver, and I never drive far from How to Wear Safety Belts Properly home, why should I wear safety belts? Adults A: You may be an excellent driver, but if you’re in an accident -- even one that isn’t your fault -- you and This part is only for people of adult size. your passengers can be hurt. Being a good driver Be aware that there are special things to know about doesn’t protect you from things beyond your safety belts and children. And there are different rules control, such as bad drivers. for smaller children and babies. If a child will be riding in your vehicle, see the part of this manual Most accidents occur within 25 miles (40 km) of called “Children.” Follow those rules for home. And the greatest number of serious everyone’s protection. injuries and deaths occur at speeds of less than First, you’ll want to know which restraint systems 40 mph (65 km/h). your vehicle has. Safety belts are for everyone. We’ll start with the driver position. Driver Position This part describes the driver’s restraint system.

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Lap-Shoulder Belt 3. Pick up the latch plate and pull the belt across you. Don’t let it get twisted. The driver has a lap-shoulder belt. Here’s how to wear it properly. The lap-shoulder belt may lock if you pull the belt across you very quickly. If this happens, let the belt 1. Close and lock the door. go back slightly to unlock it. Then pull the belt 2. Adjust the seat (to see how, see “Seats” in the Index) across you more slowly. so you can sit up straight. 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 isn’t long enough, see “Safety Belt Extender” at the end of this section. Make sure the release button on the buckle is positioned so you would be able to unbuckle the safety belt quickly if you ever had to.

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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’d 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’s a sudden stop or crash, or if you pull the belt very quickly out of the retractor.

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Q: What’s 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 won’t give nearly as much protection this way.

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Q: What’s 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.

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Q: What’s 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 aren’t 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.

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Q: What’s wrong with this? CAUTION:

You can be seriously injured by a twisted belt. In a crash, you wouldn’t 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.

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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 don’t wear safety belts.

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. 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.

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The best way to protect the fetus is to protect the If your vehicle has a center passenger position, mother. When a safety belt is worn properly, it’s more be sure to use the correct buckle when buckling your likely that the fetus won’t be hurt in a crash. For lap-shoulder belt. If you find that the latch plate will not pregnant women, as for anyone, the key to making go fully into the buckle, see if you are using the buckle safety belts effective is wearing them properly. for the center passenger position. Right Front Passenger Position Air Bag Systems To learn how to wear the right front passenger’s This part explains the frontal and side impact safety belt properly, see “Driver Position” earlier in air bag systems. this section. Your vehicle has four air bags -- a frontal air bag The right front passenger’s safety belt works the same for the driver, another frontal air bag for the right front way as the driver’s safety belt -- except for one thing. passenger, a side impact air bag for the driver, and If you ever pull the lap portion of the belt out all the another side impact air bag for the right front passenger. way, you will engage the child restraint locking feature. Frontal air bags are designed to help reduce the risk of If this happens, just let the belt go back all the way and injury from the force of an inflating frontal air bag. But start again. these air bags must inflate very quickly to do their job and comply with federal regulations.

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Here are the most important things to know about the air bag systems: CAUTION: (Continued) designed to inflate only in moderate to severe crashes CAUTION: where something hits the side of your vehicle. They aren’t designed to inflate in frontal, in rollover or in You can be severely injured or killed in a crash if rear crashes. Everyone in your vehicle should wear a you aren’t wearing your safety belt -- even if you safety belt properly -- whether or not there’s an have air bags. Wearing your safety belt during a air bag for that person. crash helps reduce your chance of hitting things inside the vehicle or being ejected from it. Air bags are “supplemental restraints” to the safety belts. All air bags are designed to work with CAUTION: safety belts but don’t replace them. Frontal air bags for the driver and right front Both frontal and side impact air bags inflate with passenger are designed to work only in moderate great force, faster than the blink of an eye. If to severe crashes where the front of your vehicle you’re too close to an inflating air bag, as you hits something. They aren’t designed to inflate at would be if you were leaning forward, it could all in rollover, rear, side or low-speed frontal seriously injure you. Safety belts help keep you in crashes. And, for unrestrained occupants, frontal position for air bag inflation before and during a air bags may provide less protection in frontal crash. Always wear your safety belt, even with crashes than more forceful air bags have frontal air bags. The driver should sit as far back provided in the past. The side impact air bags for the driver and right front passenger are as possible while still maintaining control of the vehicle. Front occupants should not lean on or CAUTION: (Continued) sleep against the door.

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There is an air bag CAUTION: readiness light on the instrument panel, which shows Anyone who is up against, or very close to, any AIR BAG. air bag when it inflates can be seriously injured or killed. Air bags plus lap-shoulder belts offer the best protection for adults, but not for young children and infants. Neither the vehicle’s safety The system checks the air bag electrical system for belt system nor its air bag system is designed for malfunctions. The light tells you if there is an electrical them. Young children and infants need the problem. See “Air Bag Readiness Light” in the Index protection that a child restraint system can for more information. provide. Always secure children properly in your vehicle. To read how, see the part of this manual called “Children.”

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How the Air Bag Systems Work Where are the air bags?

The right front passenger’s frontal air bag is in the instrument panel on the passenger’s side. The driver’s side impact air bag is in the side of the The driver’s frontal air bag is in the middle of the driver’s seatback closest to the door. steering wheel.

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CAUTION:

If something is between an occupant and an air bag, the bag might not inflate properly or it might force the object into that person. The path of an inflating air bag must be kept clear. Don’t put anything between an occupant and an air bag, and don’t attach or put anything on the steering wheel hub or on or near any other air bag covering and don’t let seat covers block the inflation path of a side impact air bag.

The right front passenger’s side impact air bag is in the side of the passenger’s seatback closest to the door.

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When should an air bag inflate? In any particular crash, no one can say whether an air The driver’s and right front passenger’s frontal air bags bag should have inflated simply because of the damage are designed to inflate in moderate to severe frontal or to a vehicle or because of what the repair costs were. For near-frontal crashes. The frontal air bags are designed to frontal air bags, inflation is determined by the angle of inflate only if the impact speed is above the system’s the impact and how quickly the vehicle slows down in designed “threshold level.” If your vehicle goes straight frontal and near-frontal impacts. For side impact air into a wall that doesn’t move or deform, the threshold bags, inflation is determined by the location of the level is about 11 to 16 mph (18 to 26 km/h). The impact and how quickly the side of the vehicle deforms. threshold level can vary, however, with specific vehicle What makes an air bag inflate? design, so that it can be somewhat above or below this range. If your vehicle strikes something that will move In an impact of sufficient severity, the air bag sensing or deform, such as a parked car, the threshold level will system detects that the vehicle is in a crash. For both be higher. The driver’s and right front passenger’s frontal and side impact air bags, the sensing system frontal air bags are not designed to inflate in rollovers, triggers a release of gas from the inflator, which inflates side impacts, or rear impacts, because inflation would the air bag. The inflator, air bag and related hardware not help the occupant. are all part of the air bag modules inside the steering wheel, instrument panel and the side of the front The side impact air bags are designed to inflate in seatbacks closest to the door. moderate to severe side crashes involving a front door. A side impact air bag 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 air bags are not designed to inflate in frontal or near-frontal impacts, rollovers or rear impacts, because inflation would not help the occupant. A side impact air bag will only deploy on the side of the vehicle that is struck.

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How does an air bag restrain? What will you see after an air bag inflates? In moderate to severe frontal or near frontal collisions, After an air bag inflates, it quickly deflates, so quickly that even belted occupants can contact the steering wheel or some people may not even realize the air bag inflated. the instrument panel. In moderate to severe side Some components of the air bag module -- the steering collisions, even belted occupants can contact the inside wheel hub for the driver’s air bag, the instrument panel for of the vehicle. The air bag supplements the protection the right front passenger’s bag, the side of the seatback provided by safety belts. Air bags distribute the force of closest to the door for the driver and right front the impact more evenly over the occupant’s upper body, passenger’s side impact air bags -- will be hot for a short stopping the occupant more gradually. But the frontal air time. The parts of the bag that come into contact with you bags would not help you in many types of collisions, may be warm, but not too hot to touch. There will be including rollovers, rear impacts, and side impacts, some smoke and dust coming from the vents in the primarily because an occupant’s motion is not toward deflated air bags. Air bag inflation doesn’t prevent the the air bag. Side impact air bags would not help you in driver from seeing or being able to steer the vehicle, nor many types of collisions, including frontal or near does it stop people from leaving the vehicle. frontal collisions, rollovers, and rear impacts, primarily because an occupant’s motion is not toward those air bags. Air bags should never be regarded as anything CAUTION: more than a supplement to safety belts, and then only in moderate to severe frontal or near-frontal collisions for When an air bag inflates, there is dust in the air. the driver’s and right front passenger’s frontal air bags, This dust could cause breathing problems for and only in moderate to severe side collisions for the people with a history of asthma or other driver’s and right front passenger’s side impact air bags. 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’t get out of the vehicle after an air bag inflates, then get fresh air by opening a window or a door.

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Your vehicle has a feature that will automatically unlock D Let only qualified technicians work on your the doors and turn the interior lamps on when the air air bag systems. Improper service can mean that bags inflate (if battery power is available). You can lock an air bag system won’t work properly. See your the doors again and turn the interior lamps off by using dealer for service. the door lock and interior lamp controls. In many crashes severe enough to inflate an air bag, windshields are broken by vehicle deformation. NOTICE: Additional windshield breakage may also occur from the right front passenger air bag. If you damage the covering for the driver’s or the right front passenger’s air bag, or the air bag D Air bags are designed to inflate only once. After an covering on the driver’s and right front air bag inflates, you’ll need some new parts for your passenger’s seatback, the bag may not work air bag system. If you don’t get them, the air bag system won’t be there to help protect you in another properly. You may have to replace the air bag crash. A new system will include air bag modules module in the steering wheel, both the air bag and possibly other parts. The service manual for your module and the instrument panel for the right vehicle covers the need to replace other parts. front passenger’s air bag, or both the air bag module and seatback for the driver’s and right D Your vehicle is equipped with a crash sensing and diagnostic module, which records information about front passenger’s side impact air bag. Do not the frontal air bag system. The module records open or break the air bag coverings. information about the readiness of the system, when the system commands air bag inflation and driver’s safety belt usage at deployment. Some modules also record speed, engine rpm, brake and throttle data.

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Servicing Your Air Bag-Equipped Vehicle Center Front Passenger Position Air bags affect how your vehicle should be serviced. There are parts of the air bag systems in several places around your vehicle. Your dealer and the service manual have information about servicing your vehicle and the air bag systems. To purchase a service manual, see “Service and Owner Publications” in the Index.

CAUTION: Lap Belt For up to 10 seconds after the ignition key is If your vehicle has a front bench seat, someone can sit in turned off and the battery is disconnected, an the center position. air bag can still inflate during improper service. You can be injured if you are close to an air bag when it inflates. Avoid yellow connectors. They are probably part of the air bag systems. Be sure to follow proper service procedures, and make sure the person performing work for you is qualified to do so.

The air bag systems do not need regular maintenance.

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When you sit in the center front seating position, you To make the belt shorter, pull its free end as shown until have a lap safety belt, which has no retractor. To make the belt is snug. the belt longer, tilt the latch plate and pull it along Buckle, position and release it the same way as the lap the belt. part of a lap-shoulder belt. If the belt isn’t long enough, see “Safety Belt Extender” at the end of this section. Make sure the release button on the buckle is positioned so you would be able to unbuckle the safety belt quickly if you ever had to.

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Rear Seat Passengers It’s 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 aren’t 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. Rear Seat Passenger Positions

1. Pick up the latch plate and pull the belt across you. Don’t let it get twisted. The shoulder belt may lock if you pull the belt across Lap-Shoulder Belt you very quickly. If this happens, let the belt go back All three rear seating positions have lap-shoulder belts. slightly to unlock it. Then pull the belt across you Here’s how to wear one properly. more slowly.

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2. Push the latch plate into the buckle until it clicks.

3. To make the lap part tight, pull down on the buckle If the belt stops before it reaches the buckle, tilt the end of the belt as you pull up on the shoulder part. latch plate and keep pulling until you can buckle it. Pull up on the latch plate to make sure it is secure. If the belt is not long enough, see “Safety Belt Extender” at the end of this section. 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. 1-31 yellowblue

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’d 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’s 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.

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Children Everyone in a vehicle needs protection! That includes infants and all children smaller than adult size. 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. Smaller Children and Babies

CAUTION:

Children who are up against, or very close to, any air bag when it inflates can be seriously injured To unlatch the belt, just push the button on the buckle. or killed. Air bags 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 air bag 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.

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Infants need complete support, including support for the CAUTION: head and neck. This is necessary because an infant’s neck is weak and its head weighs so much compared with the rest of its body. In a frontal crash, an infant in a Smaller children and babies should always be rear-facing restraint settles into the restraint, so the crash restrained in a child or infant restraint. The forces can be distributed across the strongest part of the instructions for the restraint will say whether it is infant’s body, the back and shoulders. A baby should be the right type and size for your child. A very secured in an appropriate infant restraint. This is so young child’s hip bones are so small that a important that many hospitals today won’t release a regular belt might not stay low on the hips, as it newborn infant to its parents unless there is an infant should. Instead, the belt will likely be over the restraint available for the baby’s first trip in a child’s abdomen. In a crash, the belt would apply motor vehicle. force right on the child’s abdomen, which could cause serious or fatal injuries. So, be sure that any child small enough for one is always properly restrained in a child or infant restraint.

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CAUTION: (Continued)

at only 25 mph (40 km/h), a 12-lb. (5.5 kg) baby will suddenly become a 240-lb. (110 kg) force on your arms. The baby would be almost impossible to hold. Secure the baby in an infant restraint.

CAUTION:

Never hold a baby in your arms while riding in a vehicle. A baby doesn’t weigh much -- until a crash. During a crash a baby will become so heavy you can’t hold it. For example, in a crash CAUTION: (Continued)

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Child Restraints Every time infants and young children ride in vehicles, they should have protection provided by appropriate restraints. Q: What are the different types of add-on child restraints? A: Add-on child restraints are available in four basic types. When selecting a child restraint, take into consideration not only the child’s weight and size, but also whether or not the restraint will be compatible with the motor vehicle in which it will be used.

An infant car bed (A) is a special bed made for use in a motor vehicle. It’s an infant restraint system designed to restrain or position a child on a continuous flat surface. With an infant car bed, make sure that the infant’s head rests toward the center of the vehicle.

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A rear-facing infant restraint (B) positions an infant to face the rear of the vehicle. Rear-facing infant restraints are designed for infants of up to about 20 lbs. (9 kg) and about one year of age. This type of restraint faces the rear so that the infant’s head, neck and body can have the support they need in a frontal crash. Some infant seats come in two parts -- the base stays secured in the vehicle and the seat part is removable.

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A forward-facing child restraint (C-E) positions a child upright to face forward in the vehicle. These forward-facing restraints are designed to help protect children who are from 20 to 40 lbs. (9 to 18 kg) and about 26 to 40 inches (66 to 102 cm) in height, or up to around four years of age. One type, a convertible restraint, is designed to be used either as a rear-facing infant seat or a forward-facing child seat.

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When choosing a child restraint, be sure the child restraint is designed to be used in a vehicle. If it is, it will have a label saying that it meets federal motor vehicle safety standards. Then follow the instructions for the restraint. You may find these instructions on the restraint itself or in a booklet, or both. These restraints use the belt system in your vehicle, but the child also has to be secured within the restraint to help reduce the chance of personal injury. The instructions that come with the infant or child restraint will show you how to do that. Both the owner’s manual and the child restraint instructions are important, so if either one of these is not available, obtain a replacement copy from the manufacturer.

A booster seat (F) is designed for children who are about 40 to 60 lbs., or even up to 80 lbs. (18 to 27 kg, or even up to 36 kg), and about four to eight years of age. A booster seat is designed to improve the fit of the vehicle’s safety belt system. Booster seats with shields use lap-only belts; however, booster seats without shields use lap-shoulder belts. Booster seats can also help a child to see out the window.

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Where to Put the Restraint Accident statistics show that children are safer if they CAUTION: are restrained in the rear rather than the front seat. We at General Motors therefore recommend that you put your A child in a child restraint in the center front seat child restraint in the rear seat. Never put a rear-facing can be badly injured or killed by the right front child restraint in the front passenger seat. Here’s why: passenger air bag if it inflates. Never secure a child restraint in the center front seat. It’s always better to secure a child restraint in the rear seat. CAUTION: You may secure a forward-facing child restraint in the right front passenger seat, but before you A child in a rear-facing child restraint can be do, always move the front passenger seat as far seriously injured or killed if the right front back as it will go.