2005 Saturn Relay Owners Manual

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2005 Saturn RELAY Owner Manual M Seats and Restraint Systems ........................... 1-1 Front Seats ............................................... 1-2 Rear Seats ............................................... 1-6 Safety Belts ............................................. 1-22 Child Restraints ....................................... 1-43 Airbag System ......................................... 1-64 Restraint System Check ............................ 1-79 Features and Controls ..................................... 2-1 Keys ........................................................ 2-3 Doors and Locks ...................................... 2-10 Windows ................................................. 2-23 Theft-Deterrent Systems ............................ 2-25 Starting and Operating Your Vehicle ........... 2-30 Mirrors .................................................... 2-41 OnStar® System ...................................... 2-43 HomeLink® Wireless Control System ........... 2-44 Storage Areas ......................................... 2-49 Instrument Panel ............................................. 3-1 .......................... 3-4 ...................................... 3-24 ........ 3-29 .................. 3-43 ....................................... 3-72 Instrument Panel Overview Climate Controls Warning Lights, Gages, and Indicators Driver Information Center (DIC) Audio System(s) Your Driving, the Road, and Your Vehicle Towing Driving Your Vehicle ....................................... 4-1 ..... 4-2 ................................................... 4-36 Service and Appearance Care .......................... 5-1 Service ..................................................... 5-3 Fuel ......................................................... 5-5 Checking Things Under the Hood ............... 5-10 All-Wheel Drive ........................................ 5-45 Bulb Replacement .................................... 5-47 Windshield Wiper Blade Replacement ......... 5-51 Tires ...................................................... 5-52 Appearance Care ..................................... 5-87 Vehicle Identiﬁcation ................................. 5-96 Electrical System ...................................... 5-97 Capacities and Speciﬁcations ................... 5-103 Maintenance Schedule ..................................... 6-1 ................................ 6-2 Customer Assistance and Information .............. 7-1 ........... 7-2 ............................ 7-8 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 retailer 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. SATURN and the SATURN Emblem are registered trademarks of Saturn Corporation and the name RELAY is a trademark of Saturn Corporation. GENERAL MOTORS and GM 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. Keep this manual in the vehicle, so it will be there if it is needed while you are on the road. If the vehicle is sold, leave this manual in the vehicle. Litho in U.S.A. Part No. 05RELAY B First Edition ©2004 General Motors Corporation. All Rights Reserved. ii Safety Warnings and Symbols There are a number of safety cautions in this book. We use a box and the word CAUTION to tell about things that could hurt you if you were to ignore the warning. {CAUTION: These mean there is something that could hurt you or other people. In the caution area, we tell you what the hazard is. Then we tell you what to do to help avoid or reduce the hazard. Please read these cautions. If you do not, you or others could be hurt. You will also ﬁnd a circle with a slash through it in this book. This safety symbol means “Do Not,” “Do Not do this” or “Do Not let this happen.” iii Vehicle Damage Warnings Also, in this manual you will ﬁnd these notices: Notice: These mean there is something that could damage your vehicle. A notice tells about something that can damage the vehicle. Many times, this damage would not be covered by your vehicle’s warranty, and it could be costly. But the notice will tell what to do to help avoid the damage. When you read other manuals, you might see CAUTION and NOTICE warnings in different colors or in different words. There are also warning labels on the vehicle. They use the same words, CAUTION or NOTICE. Vehicle Symbols The vehicle has components and labels that use symbols instead of text. Symbols are shown along with the text describing the operation or information relating to a speciﬁc component, control, message, gage, or indicator. If you need help ﬁguring out a speciﬁc name of a component, gage, or indicator, reference the following topics: (cid:127) Seats and Restraint Systems in Section 1 Features and Controls in Section 2 Instrument Panel Overview in Section 3 (cid:127) Climate Controls in Section 3 (cid:127) Warning Lights, Gages, and Indicators in Section 3 (cid:127) Audio System(s) in Section 3 (cid:127) Engine Compartment Overview in Section 5 iv (cid:127) (cid:127) These are some examples of symbols that may be found on the vehicle: ✍ NOTES vi Section 1 Seats and Restraint Systems Front Seats ......................................................1-2 Manual Seats ................................................1-2 Six-Way Power Seats .....................................1-3 Heated Seats .................................................1-3 Reclining Seatbacks ........................................1-4 Head Restraints .............................................1-6 Rear Seats .......................................................1-6 Rear Seat Operation .......................................1-6 Flip and Fold Feature (Bucket Seats) ................1-7 Bucket Seats .................................................1-8 Captain Chairs .............................................1-14 Third Row Seat ............................................1-18 Safety Belts ...................................................1-22 Safety Belts: They Are for Everyone ................1-22 Questions and Answers About Safety Belts ......1-26 How to Wear Safety Belts Properly .................1-27 Driver Position ..............................................1-28 Shoulder Belt Height Adjustment .....................1-35 Safety Belt Use During Pregnancy ..................1-36 Right Front Passenger Position .......................1-36 Rear Seat Passengers ..................................1-36 Rear Safety Belt Comfort Guides for Children and Small Adults .......................................1-39 Safety Belt Pretensioners ...............................1-42 Safety Belt Extender .....................................1-42 Child Restraints .............................................1-43 Older Children ..............................................1-43 Infants and Young Children ............................1-46 Child Restraint Systems .................................1-49 Where to Put the Restraint .............................1-52 Top Strap ....................................................1-53 Top Strap Anchor Location .............................1-54 Lower Anchorages and Top Tethers for Children (LATCH System) ...........................1-56 Securing a Child Restraint Designed for the LATCH System .........................................1-58 Securing a Child Restraint in a Rear Seat Position ............................................1-58 Securing a Child Restraint in the Right Front Seat Position ............................................1-60 Airbag System ...............................................1-64 Where Are the Airbags? ................................1-67 When Should an Airbag Inﬂate? .....................1-69 What Makes an Airbag Inﬂate? .......................1-71 How Does an Airbag Restrain? .......................1-71 What Will You See After an Airbag Inﬂates? .....1-72 Passenger Sensing System ............................1-74 Servicing Your Airbag-Equipped Vehicle ...........1-78 Adding Equipment to Your Airbag-Equipped Vehicle ....................................................1-78 Restraint System Check ..................................1-79 Checking the Restraint Systems ......................1-79 Replacing Restraint System Parts After a Crash ...................................................1-80 1-1 Front Seats Manual Seats Use the lever located on the front of the seat to adjust the seat forward or rearward. Pull up the lever to unlock the seat. Slide the seat to where you want it and release the lever. {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. To make sure the seat is locked into place, try to move the seat back and forth with your body. 1-2 Six-Way Power Seats Your vehicle may have this feature. If it does, the six-way power seat control is located on the outboard side of the driver’s seat. Your vehicle may also have a passenger’s six-way power seat. Heated Seats Your vehicle may have this feature. If it does, the heated seat buttons are located on the climate control panel. This feature will heat the lower cushions of the driver’s and front passenger’s seats. Press this button once to turn on the driver’s side heated seat to the high setting. (cid:127) Move the front of the control up or down to adjust the front portion of the cushion up or down. (cid:127) Move the rear of the control up or down to adjust the rear portion of the cushion up or down. Lift up or push down on the whole control to move the entire seat up or down. To move the whole seat forward or rearward, slide the control forward or rearward. Both indicator lights to the right of the symbol will be lit to indicate that it is on the high setting. Press the button a second time to go to the low setting. One indicator will be lit. Press the button a third time to turn the heated seat off. 1-3 (cid:127) (cid:127) Press this button once to turn on the front passenger’s heated seat to the high setting. Reclining Seatbacks Both indicator lights to the left of the symbol will be lit to indicate that it is on the high setting. Press the button a second time to go to the low setting. One indicator will be lit. Press the button a third time to turn the heated seat off. The heated seats will turn off when the ignition is turned to LOCK and will resume operation when the ignition is turned to RUN, unless the button is manually turned off. To adjust a seatback, pull up on the lever located on the outboard side of the driver’s or front passenger’s seats. Release the lever to lock the seatback where you want it. Push and pull on the seat to make sure it is locked into position. Pull up on the lever, and the seat will go to its original upright position. 1-4 But do not have a seatback reclined if your vehicle is moving. {CAUTION: Sitting in a reclined position when your vehicle is in motion can be dangerous. Even if you buckle up, your safety belts cannot do their job when you are reclined like this. The shoulder belt cannot 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 cannot 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. 1-5 Head Restraints Rear Seats Rear Seat Operation The rear seats in your vehicle have levers and straps used to adjust, remove, and reinstall the seats. By using the levers and straps in the correct order, you can easily remove the seats from the vehicle. When reinstalling the seats, make sure the seats are in the proper positions. If your vehicle has a second row center console, it can be removed. See Second Row Center Console on page 2-52. Do not put a seat in the center position because the safety belt cannot be worn properly in this position. See Safety Belts: They Are for Everyone on page 1-22. 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. The head restraints are adjustable on the ﬁrst and second row seats. They are not adjustable on the third row seat, if equipped. To adjust a head restraint, slide it up or down. 1-6 Flip and Fold Feature (Bucket Seats) The rear seats in your vehicle can be folded forward. Use this feature for exiting and entering third row seats. 1. Ensure the adjustable head restraints are fully down. 2. Fold the seatback ﬂat on the seat, by either pulling on the nylon strap on the rear of the seat or lifting up on the lever located on the front of the seatback. If the seat adjusts, slide it all the way back. 3. Release the rear set of hooks from the ﬂoor pins by pulling the nylon strap located at the base of the seat. Hang on to the strap to guide the seat forward. To return the seat(s) to the normal position, do the following: 1. Push the seat back and ﬁrmly push the rear hooks onto the rear ﬂoor pins by pushing down on the rear of the seat. 2. Try to raise the seat to check that it is locked down. 3. Lift the seatback recliner lever or pull the nylon strap on the back of the seat and raise the seatback until it locks upright. 4. Push and pull on the seatback to check that it is locked. 1-7 Bucket Seats If your vehicle has the bucket seats, the seatbacks can be folded down or reclined. The seats can also be adjusted forward or rearward, or removed. Adjusting the Bucket Seats There are two adjustment levers on each seat to adjust the seat forward or rearward. The other lever is located on the rear of the bucket seat. Lift up either lever and slide the seat forward or rearward. Release the lever. Push and pull on the seat to make sure it is locked into place. One is located below the center, in front of the bucket seats. 1-8 Folding or Reclining the Seatbacks {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. The seatback on a bucket seat can be either folded forward or reclined. The following explains how to use either the nylon strap or the lever to fold or recline the seatback. Nylon Strap Recliner Lever To fold the seatback forward, pull the nylon strap located on the rear of the seat or lift up on the recliner lever located on the front of the seatback. The seatback will lock into place. 1-9 To raise a seatback, pull the nylon strap or lift the recliner lever while raising the seatback until it locks upright. Push and pull on the seatback to check that it is locked into place. To recline the seatback, pull the nylon strap or lift the recliner lever. Press back on the seatback until you reach the desired position, then let go of the strap or lever. To return the seatback to an upright position, pull on the nylon strap or lift the recliner lever without putting any pressure on the seatback. Push and pull on the seatback to be sure it is locked into place. Removing the Bucket Seats Make sure the seatback is in the upright position. The head restraints should be fully down. 1. Lift the seatback recliner lever or pull the nylon strap on the back of the seat to fold the seatback forward. 2. Slide the seat all the way back by lifting either one of the adjuster levers and sliding the seat fully rearward. 1-10 3. From behind the seat, pull the nylon strap, located at the base of the seat, to release the rear latches from the ﬂoor pins. You can also lift the lever on the side of the seat to release the rear latches from the ﬂoor pins. Do not let go of the strap or lever until the seat is folded all the way forward. 4. To unlatch the front latches, with the seat folded forward, squeeze the angled bar toward the straight crossbar. 5. Remove the seat by rocking it slightly forward, then toward the rear of the vehicle and then pulling it out. This should be done in one motion. 1-11 {CAUTION: A safety belt that is improperly routed, not properly attached, or twisted will not provide the protection needed in a crash. The person wearing the belt could be seriously injured. After installing the seat, always check to be sure that the safety belts are properly routed and attached, and are not twisted. Do not put the seats in so they face rearward because they will not latch that way. If you want more storage room behind the seat, adjust the seat by sliding it forward. Replacing the Bucket Seats {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: A seat that is not locked into place properly can move around in a collision or sudden stop. People in the vehicle could be injured. Be sure to lock the seat into place properly when installing it. 1-12 Make sure the seats are in the full rear position before beginning this procedure. 1. With the seat folded, squeeze the angled bar toward the straight crossbar while placing the front hooks of the bucket seat onto the front two ﬂoor pins. 2. Make sure the bucket seat is angled so that the front hooks clear the ﬂoor pins. If the front hooks are not attached correctly, the rear hooks will not attach to the rear set of ﬂoor pins. If the front hooks are not attaching correctly, check that the seat is in the full rear position. 3. Firmly push the rear hooks onto the rear ﬂoor pins by pushing down the rear of the seat. 4. Try to raise the seat to check that it is locked down. 5. Lift the seatback recliner lever or pull the nylon strap on the back of the seat and raise the seatback until it locks upright. 6. Push and pull on the seatback to make sure that it is locked in place. 1-13 Captain Chairs If your vehicle has captain’s chairs, the chairs and seatbacks can be adjusted forward or rearward. Adjusting the Captain’s Chairs (Second Row) The second row captain’s chairs can be adjusted forward or rearward. There are two manual adjustment bars on each seat. One is located under the front of the seat cushion. The other one is located under the rear of the seat cushion. Lift up either bar to slide the seat forward or rearward. Release the lever. Push and pull on the seat to make sure it is locked into place. Folding or Reclining the Seatbacks {CAUTION: If the seatback is not locked, it could move forward in a sudden stop or crash. That could cause injury to the person sitting there. Always press rearward on the seatback to be sure it is locked. 1-14 Removing the Captain’s Chairs To recline the seatback, lift up on the recliner lever, located on the outboard side of the seat. Use the recliner lever to move the seatback to the desired position. It is easier to raise or lower the seatback if you lean forward, taking the weight off the seatback. Lift up on the recliner lever and fold the seatback forward. The seatback will lock into place when you push it back to the upright position. The armrests can be lowered or raised for entering or exiting the vehicle. 1. Pull the nylon strap behind the seat to release the rear hooks from the ﬂoor pins. 1-15 Replacing the Captain’s Chairs {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. 2. The seat can then be lifted off the front ﬂoor pins and removed from the vehicle. {CAUTION: A seat that is not locked into place properly can move around in a collision or sudden stop. People in the vehicle could be injured. Be sure to lock the seat into place properly when installing it. 1-16 {CAUTION: A safety belt that is improperly routed, not properly attached, or twisted will not provide the protection needed in a crash. The person wearing the belt could be seriously injured. After installing the seat, always check to be sure that the safety belts are properly routed and attached, and are not twisted. Do not put the seats in so they face rearward because they will not latch that way. For the second row, if you want more storage room behind the seat, adjust the seat by sliding it forward. Make sure the seatbacks are in the upright position, the seat belts are on the correct side of the seats and the seats are in the full rear position before beginning this procedure. 1. Hook the front latches over the front ﬂoor pins. 1-17 Third Row Seat Your vehicle may have a third row seat. It is a full bench seat and may come with hideaway rear storage bins. See Hideaway Rear Storage Bins on page 2-54 for more information. The third row seat can be removed and replaced, or with the seatback folded, it will lie ﬂat with the hideaway rear storage bins. Folding the Seatback(s) To fold down either side of the 50/50 split bench seat, pull up on the lever located on the back of the seat you want to fold, and push the seatback down until it is locked into place. Push and pull on the seatback to make sure that it is locked into place. 2. Push the rear of the seat down to lock the rear latches onto the rear set of ﬂoor pins. 3. Push and pull on the seat to be sure it is properly attached. 1-18 Removing the Third Row Seat 1. Remove the hideaway rear storage bins, if equipped. See Hideaway Rear Storage Bins on page 2-54 for more information. 2. Make sure all items are off the seat. 3. Put the seatback in its folded position before removing the seat. See “Folding the Seatback” previously. Returning the Seatback to an Upright Position {CAUTION: If the seatback is not locked, it could move forward in a sudden stop or crash. That could cause injury to the person sitting there. Always press rearward on the seatback to be sure it is locked. To raise the seatback, do the following: 1. Move the second row seat completely forward by using the manual adjustment bar under either the front or rear of the seat cushion. 2. From the passenger’s or driver’s side sliding door, pull up on the lever to release the seatback, then push up on the seatback to raise the seat. 3. Push and pull on the seatback to make sure that it is locked into the upright position. 1-19 Installing the Third Row Seat {CAUTION: A seat that is not locked into place properly can move around in a collision or sudden stop. People in the vehicle could be injured. Be sure to lock the seat into place properly when installing it. 4. From behind the seat, squeeze the release handle until the pin indicators are fully out. This indicates that the rear latches are released from the ﬂoor. For ease of removing the seat, squeeze the handle with the palm of your hand up. 5. Lift the seat slightly from the ﬂoor to ensure the latches are clear of the ﬂoor pins. 6. Pull the seat rearward and out of the vehicle. The release handle can be used to carry the seat. {CAUTION: A safety belt that is improperly routed, not properly attached, or twisted will not provide the protection needed in a crash. The person wearing the belt could be seriously injured. After installing the seat, always check to be sure that the safety belts are properly routed and attached, and are not twisted. 1-20 Do not put the third row seat in so it faces rearward because it will not latch that way. The seat has to go in before the hideaway rear storage bins. See Hideaway Rear Storage Bins on page 2-54 for more information. For ease of installing the seat, put the seat in the folded position before beginning this procedure. 1. From the rear of the vehicle, place the front hooks of the seat onto the front ﬂoor pins in the third row. To do this, the seat will need to be angled approximately 8-10 inches (20–25 cm) from the ﬂoor so the front hooks clear the rear ﬂoor pins and rear ﬂoor cups. Use the release handle to guide the seat into place. If the front hooks are not attached correctly, the rear latches will not attach to the rear set of ﬂoor pins. 2. Firmly push the rear latches into the rear ﬂoor pins by pushing down on the rear of the seat. 3. Try to raise the seat to make sure that it is locked down. The indicator pins will no longer stick out when the seat is properly latched into place. {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. 4. Return the seatback to its upright position. See “Returning the Seatback to an Upright Position” earlier in this section. 1-21 {CAUTION: It is extremely dangerous to ride in a cargo area, inside or outside of a vehicle. In a collision, people riding in these areas are more likely to be seriously injured or killed. Do not allow people to ride in any area of your vehicle that is not equipped with seats and safety belts. Be sure everyone in your vehicle is in a seat and using a safety belt properly. Your vehicle has indicators to remind you and your passengers to buckle your safety belts. See Safety Belt Reminder Light on page 3-31 and Passenger Safety Belt Reminder Light on page 3-32. Safety Belts Safety Belts: They Are for Everyone This part of the manual tells you how to use safety belts properly. It also tells you some things you should not do with safety belts. {CAUTION: Do not let anyone ride where he or she can not wear a safety belt properly. If you are in a crash and you are not wearing a safety belt, your injuries can be much worse. You can hit things inside the vehicle or be ejected from it. You can be seriously injured or killed. In the same crash, you might not be, if you are buckled up. Always fasten your safety belt, and check that your passengers’ belts are fastened properly too. 1-22 Why Safety Belts Work When you ride in or on anything, you go as fast as it goes. In most states and in all Canadian provinces, the law says to wear safety belts. Here is why: They work. You never know if you will be in a crash. If you do have a crash, you do not know if it will be a bad one. A few crashes are mild, and some crashes can be so serious that even buckled up, a person would not survive. But most crashes are in between. In many of them, people who buckle up can survive and sometimes walk away. Without belts they could have been badly hurt or killed. After more than 30 years of safety belts in vehicles, the facts are clear. In most crashes buckling up does matter...a lot! Take the simplest vehicle. Suppose it is just a seat on wheels. 1-23 Put someone on it. Get it up to speed. Then stop the vehicle. The rider does not stop. 1-24 The person keeps going until stopped by something. In a real vehicle, it could be the windshield... or the instrument panel... 1-25 Questions and Answers About Safety Belts Q: Will I be trapped in the vehicle after an accident if I am wearing a safety belt? A: You could be — whether you are wearing a safety belt or not. But you can unbuckle a safety belt, even if you are upside down. And your chance of being conscious during and after an accident, so you can unbuckle and get out, is much greater if you are belted. Q: If my vehicle has airbags, why should I have to wear safety belts? A: Airbags are in many vehicles today and will be in most of them in the future. But they are supplemental systems only; so they work with safety belts — not instead of them. Every airbag system ever offered for sale has required the use of safety belts. Even if you are in a vehicle that has airbags, you still have to buckle up to get the most protection. That is true not only in frontal collisions, but especially in side and other collisions. or the safety belts! With safety belts, you slow down as the vehicle does. You get more time to stop. You stop over more distance, and your strongest bones take the forces. That is why safety belts make such good sense. 1-26 Q: If I am a good driver, and I never drive far from home, why should I wear safety belts? A: You may be an excellent driver, but if you are in an accident — even one that is not your fault — you and your passengers can be hurt. Being a good driver does not protect you from things beyond your control, such as bad drivers. Most accidents occur within 25 miles (40 km) of home. And the greatest number of serious injuries and deaths occur at speeds of less than 40 mph (65 km/h). Safety belts are for everyone. How to Wear Safety Belts Properly This part is only for people of adult size. Be aware that there are special things to know about safety belts and children. And there are different rules for smaller children and babies. If a child will be riding in your vehicle, see Older Children on page 1-43 or Infants and Young Children on page 1-46. 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. 1-27 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. 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 1-42. Make sure the release button on the buckle is positioned so you would be able to unbuckle the safety belt quickly if you ever had to. 3. Pick up the latch plate and pull the belt across you. Do not let it get twisted. 1-28 5. To make the lap part tight, pull down on the buckle end of the belt as you pull up on the shoulder belt. The lap part of the belt should be worn low and snug on the hips, just touching the thighs. In a crash, this applies force to the strong pelvic bones. And you would be less likely to slide under the lap belt. If you slid under it, the belt would apply force at your abdomen. This could cause serious or even fatal injuries. The shoulder belt should go over the shoulder and across the chest. These parts of the body are best able to take belt restraining forces. The safety belt locks if there is a sudden stop or crash, or if you pull the belt very quickly out of the retractor. 1-29 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. 1-30 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. 1-31 {CAUTION: You can be seriously injured if your belt goes over an armrest like this. The belt would be much too high. In a crash, you can slide under the belt. The belt force would then be applied at the abdomen, not at the pelvic bones, and that could cause serious or fatal injuries. Be sure the belt goes under the armrests. Q: What is wrong with this? A: The belt is over an armrest. 1-32 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. 1-33 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 retailer to ﬁx it. A: The belt is twisted across the body. 1-34 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. Shoulder Belt Height Adjustment Before you begin to drive, move the shoulder belt height adjuster to the height that is right for you. Adjust the height so that the shoulder portion of the belt is centered on your shoulder. The belt should be away from your face and neck, but not falling off your shoulder. To move it down, push down on the button (A) and move the height adjuster to the desired position. You can move the height adjuster up by pushing up on the shoulder belt guide. After you move the height adjuster to where you want it, try to move it down without pushing the button down to make sure it has locked into position. 1-35 Right Front Passenger Position To learn how to wear the right front passenger’s safety belt properly, see Driver Position on page 1-28. 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. 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. 1-36 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. 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 1-42. 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. 3. To make the lap part tight, pull down on the buckle end of the belt as you pull up on the shoulder part. 1-37 {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. 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 a crash, or if you pull the belt very quickly out of the retractor. 1-38 To unlatch the belt, just push the button on the buckle. Rear Safety Belt Comfort Guides for Children and Small Adults Rear safety belt comfort guides may provide added safety belt comfort for older children who have outgrown booster seats and for some adults. When installed on a shoulder belt, the comfort guide positions the belt away from the neck and head. There may be one guide for each second row position. If your vehicle has a third row, there is one guide for each outboard position. Here is how to install a comfort guide and use the safety belt: 1. Remove the guide from its storage pocket on the side of the seatback. 1-39 2. Place the guide over the belt and insert the two edges of the belt into the slots of the guide. 3. Be sure that the belt is not twisted and it lies ﬂat. The guide must be on top of the belt. 1-40 {CAUTION: A safety belt that is not properly worn may not provide the protection needed in a crash. The person wearing the belt could be seriously injured. The shoulder belt should go over the shoulder and across the chest. These parts of the body are best able to take belt restraining forces. 4. Buckle, position and release the safety belt as described in Rear Seat Passengers on page 1-36. Make sure that the shoulder belt crosses the shoulder. To remove and store the comfort guides, squeeze the belt edges together so that you can take them out of the guides. Slide the guide into the storage pocket. 1-41 Safety Belt Pretensioners Your vehicle has safety belt pretensioners for the driver and right front passenger. Although you cannot see them, they are located on the retractor part of the safety belts. They help the safety belts reduce a person’s forward movement in a moderate to severe frontal or near frontal crash. Pretensioners work only once. If they activate in a crash, you will need to get new ones, and probably other new parts for your safety belt system. See Replacing Restraint System Parts After a Crash on page 1-80. Safety Belt Extender If the vehicle’s safety belt will fasten around you, you should use it. But if a safety belt is not long enough, your retailer will order you an extender. It is free. When you go in to order it, take the heaviest coat you will wear, so the extender will be long enough for you. To help avoid personal injury, do not let someone else use it, and use it only for the seat it is made to ﬁt. The extender has been designed for adults. Never use it for securing child seats. To wear it, just attach it to the regular safety belt. For more information see the instruction sheet that comes with the extender. 1-42 Child Restraints Older Children Older children who have outgrown booster seats should wear the vehicle’s safety belts. Q: What is the proper way to wear safety belts? A: If possible, an older child should wear a lap-shoulder belt and get the additional restraint a shoulder belt can provide. The shoulder belt should not cross the face or neck. The lap belt should ﬁt snugly below the hips, just touching the top of the thighs. It should never be worn over the abdomen, which could cause severe or even fatal internal injuries in a crash. Accident statistics show that children are safer if they are restrained in the rear seat. In a crash, children who are not buckled up can strike other people who are buckled up, or can be thrown out of the vehicle. Older children need to use safety belts properly. 1-43 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 a center rear seat position, move the child toward the safety belt buckle. In either case, be sure that the shoulder belt still is on the child’s shoulder, so that in a crash the child’s upper body would have the restraint that belts provide. If the child is sitting in a second row position or a third row outboard position (if equipped), see Rear Safety Belt Comfort Guides for Children and Small Adults on page 1-39. {CAUTION: Never do this. Here two children are wearing the same belt. The belt can not properly spread the impact forces. In a crash, the two children can be crushed together and seriously injured. A belt must be used by only one person at a time. 1-44 {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. Wherever the child sits, the lap portion of the belt should be worn low and snug on the hips, just touching the child’s thighs. This applies belt force to the child’s pelvic bones in a crash. 1-45 Infants and Young Children Everyone in a vehicle needs protection! This includes infants and all other children. Neither the distance traveled nor the age and size of the traveler changes the need, for everyone, to use safety restraints. In fact, the law in every state in the United States and in every Canadian province says children up to some age must be restrained while in a vehicle. Every time infants and young children ride in vehicles, they should have the protection provided by appropriate restraints. Young children should not use the vehicle’s adult safety belts alone, unless there is no other choice. Instead, they need to use a child restraint. 1-46 {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. CAUTION: (Continued) CAUTION: (Continued) {CAUTION: 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. 1-47 {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. 1-48 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. 1-49 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. 1-50 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. 1-51 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 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. Q: When securing an aftermarket child seat in a bucket seat, I am unable to get the seat fastened in snugly enough. What should I do? A: With some child seats, it may be difficult to tighten the vehicle belts so that there is less side-to-side or front-to-back movement of the child seat. A replacement buckle, which makes it easier to secure your child seat, is available from your retailer at no charge to you. 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 airbag deploys. 1-52 {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. 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 a child restraint, 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. 1-53 {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. In Canada, the law requires that forward-facing child restraints have a top strap, and that the strap be anchored. In the United States, some child restraints also have a top strap. If your child restraint has a top strap, it should be anchored. Anchor the top strap to an anchor point speciﬁed in Top Strap Anchor Location on page 1-54. 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. If the position you are using has an adjustable head restraint, route the top strap under it. See Head Restraints on page 1-6. 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. Top Strap Anchor Location Do not secure a child restraint in the right front passenger’s position or at the third row passenger’s-side 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 these positions. 1-54 Second Row In the second row, there is a top strap anchor for each seating position. The anchors are located at the rear base of the seat. Third Row A. Top Strap Anchor B. Seatback Release Latch In the third row (if equipped), there is a top strap anchor for the driver’s-side position or for the center position. The anchor is located on the back of the seat near the center of the seatback. The anchor can accommodate one top strap. 1-55 Lower Anchorages and Top Tethers for Children (LATCH System) Your vehicle has the LATCH system. There are anchors in each seating position in the second row. 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 A. Lower Anchorage B. Lower Anchorage C. Top Tether 1-56 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. The labels are located at each lower anchor position, near the base of each second row seating position. {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. 1-57 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 1-56. 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 1-53. 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. 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 1-56. See Top Strap on page 1-53 if the child restraint has a top strap or top tether. For vehicles with a third row, there is no top strap anchor in the passenger’s-side 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. If your child restraint does not have the LATCH system, you will be using the lap-shoulder belt to secure the child restraint. 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. 1-58 3. Buckle the belt. Make sure the release button is positioned so you would be able to unbuckle the safety belt quickly if you ever had to. 4. Pull the rest of the shoulder belt all the way out of the retractor to set the lock. 1-59 Securing a Child Restraint in the Right Front Seat Position Your vehicle has airbags. A rear seat is a safer place to secure a forward-facing child restraint. See Where to Put the Restraint on page 1-52. In addition, your vehicle has a passenger sensing system. The passenger sensing system is designed to turn off the right front passenger’s airbag or airbags when an infant in a rear-facing infant seat or a small child in a forward-facing child restraint or booster seat is detected. See Passenger Sensing System on page 1-74 and Passenger Airbag Status Indicator on page 3-33 for more information on this including important safety information. 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. 1-60 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 or Six-Way Power Seats on page 1-3. If your child restraint is equipped with the LATCH system, see Lower Anchorages and Top Tethers for Children (LATCH System) on page 1-56. 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 1-53 if your child restraint has one. 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. 1-61 You will be using the lap-shoulder belt to secure the child restraint in this position. Be sure to follow the instructions that came with the child restraint. Secure the child in the child restraint when and as the instructions say. 1. Your vehicle has a right front passenger’s airbags. See Passenger Sensing System on page 1-74. General Motors recommends that rear-facing child restraints be secured in a rear seat, even if the airbag or airbags are 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 or Six-Way Power Seats on page 1-3. When the passenger sensing system has turned off the right front passenger’s airbag or airbags, the off indicator in the passenger airbag status indicator should light and stay lit when you turn the ignition to RUN or START. See Passenger Airbag Status Indicator on page 3-33. 2. Put the child restraint on the seat. 3. Pick up the latch plate, and run the lap and shoulder portions of the vehicle’s safety belt through or around the restraint. The child restraint instructions will show you how. 1-62 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. 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 airbag or airbags are off, the off indicator on the instrument panel will be lit and stay lit when the key is turned to RUN or START. 1-63 If a child restraint has been installed and the on indicator is lit, turn the vehicle off. Remove the child restraint from the vehicle and reinstall the child restraint. If after reinstalling the child restraint and restarting the vehicle, the on indicator is still lit, check to make sure that the vehicle’s seatback is not pressing the child restraint into the seat cushion. If this happens, slightly recline the vehicle’s seatback and adjust the seat cushion if possible. Also make sure the child restraint is not trapped under the vehicle head restraint. If this happens, adjust the head restraint. If the on indicator is still lit, secure the child in the child restraint in a rear seat position in the vehicle and check with your retailer. To remove the child restraint, just unbuckle the vehicle’s safety belt and let it go back all the way. The safety belt will move freely again and be ready to work for an adult or larger child passenger. 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 side impact airbags. Side impact airbags are available for the driver and right front passenger. 1-64 If your vehicle has a side impact airbag for the driver and/or the right front passenger, the words AIR BAG will appear on the airbag covering on the side of the seatback closest to the door. 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. Here are the most important things to know about the airbag system: CAUTION: (Continued) Side impact airbags for the driver and right front passenger are designed to inﬂate in moderate to severe crashes where something hits the side of your vehicle. They are not designed to inﬂate in frontal, in rollover or in rear crashes. Everyone in your vehicle should wear a safety belt properly — whether or not there is an airbag for that person. {CAUTION: 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 in moderate to severe frontal and near frontal crashes. They are not designed to inﬂate in rollover, rear or low-speed frontal crashes, or in many side crashes. And, for some unrestrained occupants, frontal airbags may provide less protection in frontal crashes than more forceful airbags have provided in the past. CAUTION: (Continued) 1-65 {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. Front occupants should not lean on or sleep against the door. {CAUTION: Anyone who is up against, or very close to, any airbag when it inﬂates can be seriously injured or killed. Airbags plus lap-shoulder belts offer the best protection for adults, but CAUTION: (Continued) CAUTION: (Continued) 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 1-43 or Infants and Young Children on page 1-46. There is an airbag readiness light on the instrument panel cluster, which shows the airbag symbol. The system checks the airbag electrical system for malfunctions. The light tells you if there is an electrical problem. See Airbag Readiness Light on page 3-32 for more information. 1-66 Where Are the Airbags? The driver’s frontal airbag is in the middle of the steering wheel. The right front passenger’s frontal airbag is in the instrument panel on the passenger’s side. 1-67 If your vehicle has one, the driver’s side impact airbag is in the side of the driver’s seatback closest to the door. If your vehicle has one, the right front passenger’s side impact airbag is in the side of the passenger’s seatback closest to the door. 1-68 {CAUTION: If something is between an occupant and an airbag, the airbag 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. 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. For moderate frontal impacts, these airbags inﬂate at a level less than full deployment. 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 more severe frontal impacts, full deployment occurs. If the front of your vehicle goes straight into a wall that does not move or deform, the threshold level for the reduced deployment is about 12 to 18 mph (19 to 29 km/h), and the threshold level for a full deployment is about 18 to 25 mph (29 to 40.2 km/h). (The threshold level can vary, however, with speciﬁc vehicle design, so that it can be somewhat above or below this range.) 1-69 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 (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. Your vehicle may or may not have a side impact airbag. See Airbag System on page 1-64. 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. A side impact airbag will only deploy on the side of the vehicle that is struck. In any particular crash, no one can say whether an airbag should have inﬂated simply because of the damage to a vehicle or because of what the repair costs were. For frontal airbags, inﬂation is determined by the angle of the impact and how quickly the vehicle slows down in frontal and near-frontal impacts. For side impact airbags, inﬂation is determined by the location and severity of the impact. 1-70 (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 side impact airbags, the airbag modules are located in the seatback closest to the driver’s and/or right front passenger’s door. How Does an Airbag Restrain? In moderate to severe frontal or near frontal collisions, even belted occupants can contact the steering wheel or the instrument panel. In moderate to severe side collisions, even belted occupants can contact the inside of the vehicle. The airbag supplements the protection provided by safety belts. Airbags distribute the force of the impact more evenly over the occupant’s upper body, stopping the occupant more gradually. But the frontal airbags would not help you in many types of collisions, including rollovers, rear impacts, and many side impacts, primarily because an occupant’s motion is not toward the airbag. Side impact airbags would not help you in many types of collisions, including frontal or near frontal collisions, rollovers, and rear impacts, primarily because an occupant’s motion is not toward those airbags. Airbags should never be regarded as anything more than a supplement to safety belts, and then only in moderate to severe frontal or near-frontal collisions for the driver’s and right front passenger’s frontal airbags, and only in moderate to severe side collisions for vehicles with a driver’s and right front passenger’s side impact airbag. 1-71 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 will be hot for a short time. These components include the steering wheel hub for the driver’s frontal airbag and the instrument panel for the right front passenger’s frontal airbag. For vehicles with side impact airbags, the side of the seatback closest to the driver’s and/or right front passenger’s door will be hot. The parts of the bag that come into contact with you may be warm, but not too hot to touch. There will be some smoke and dust coming from the vents in the deﬂated airbags. Airbag inﬂation does not prevent the driver from seeing or being able to steer the vehicle, nor does it stop people from leaving the vehicle. {CAUTION: When an airbag inﬂates, there is dust in the air. This dust could cause breathing problems for people with a history of asthma or other breathing trouble. To avoid this, everyone in the vehicle should get out as soon as it is safe to do so. If you have breathing problems but cannot get out of the vehicle after an airbag inﬂates, then get fresh air by opening a window or a door. If you experience breathing problems following an airbag deployment, you should seek medical attention. 1-72 If you damage the covering for the driver’s Notice: or the right front passenger’s airbag, or the airbag covering on the driver’s and right front passenger’s seatback, the airbag may not work properly. You may have to replace the airbag module in the steering wheel, both the airbag module and the instrument panel for the right front passenger’s airbag, or both the airbag module and seatback for the driver’s and right front passenger’s side impact airbag. Do not open or break the airbag coverings. 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 7-6. Let only qualiﬁed technicians work on your airbag system. Improper service can mean that an airbag system will not work properly. See your retailer for service. 1-73 (cid:127) Passenger Sensing System Your vehicle has a passenger sensing system. The passenger airbag status indicator on the instrument panel will be visible when you turn your ignition key to RUN or START. The words ON and OFF or the symbol for on and off, will be visible during the system check. When the system check is complete, either the word ON or the word OFF, or the symbol for on or the symbol for off will be visible. See Passenger Airbag Status Indicator on page 3-33. Passenger Airbag Status Indicator – United States The passenger sensing system will turn off the right front passenger’s frontal airbag and side impact airbag (if equipped) under certain conditions. The driver’s airbag or 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 and safety belt. The sensors are designed to detect the presence of a properly-seated occupant and determine if the passenger’s airbag or airbags 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. Passenger Airbag Status Indicator – Canada 1-74 {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 airbag or airbags if: the right front passenger seat is unoccupied the system determines that an infant is present in a rear-facing infant seat the system determines that a small child is present in a forward-facing child restraint the system determines that a small child is present in a booster seat a right front passenger takes his/her weight off of the seat for a period of time the right front passenger seat is occupied by a smaller person, such as a child who has outgrown child restraints 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 airbag or airbags, the off indicator will light and stay lit to remind you that the airbag or airbags are off. 1-75 (cid:127) (cid:127) (cid:127) (cid:127) (cid:127) (cid:127) (cid:127) If a child restraint has been installed and the on indicator is lit, turn the vehicle off. Remove the child restraint from the vehicle and reinstall the child restraint following the child restraint manufacturer’s directions and refer to Securing a Child Restraint in the Right Front Seat Position on page 1-60. 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. The passenger sensing system is designed to enable (may inﬂate) the right front passenger’s airbag or airbags anytime the system senses that a person of adult size is sitting properly in the right front passenger’s seat. When the passenger sensing system has allowed the airbag or airbags to be enabled, the on indicator will light and stay lit to remind you that the airbag or airbags 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 airbag or airbags, depending upon the person’s seating posture and body build. Everyone in your vehicle who has outgrown child restraints should wear a safety belt properly — whether or not there is an airbag for that person. If a person of adult-size is sitting in the right front passenger’s seat, but the off indicator is lit, it could be because that person is not sitting properly in the seat. If this happens, turn the vehicle off and ask the person to place the seatback in the fully upright position, then sit upright in the seat, centered on the seat cushion, with the person’s legs comfortably extended. Restart the vehicle and have the person remain in this position for about two minutes. This will allow the system to detect that person and then enable the passenger’s airbag or airbags. 1-76 CAUTION: (Continued) 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 3-32 for more on this, including important safety information. Aftermarket equipment, such as seat covers, can affect how well the passenger sensing system operates. You may want to consider not using seat covers or other aftermarket equipment if your vehicle has the passenger sensing system. See Adding Equipment to Your Airbag-Equipped Vehicle on page 1-78 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. 1-77 {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 CAUTION: (Continued) Adding Equipment to Your Airbag-Equipped Vehicle Q: Is there anything I might add to the front or sides of the vehicle that could keep the

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2005 Saturn Relay Owners Manual