GM Service Manual Online
For 1990-2009 cars only

Object Number: 864392  Size: B2

If your child restraint is equipped with the LATCH system, see Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children (LATCH) .

There is no top strap anchor in the right front passenger's 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 if your child restraint has one.

Your vehicle has a right front passenger air bag. There is a switch on the instrument panel that you can use to turn off the right front passenger's air bag. See Airbag Off Switch for more on this, including important safety information.

United States


Object Number: 849548  Size: A3

Canada


Object Number: 854484  Size: A3

A rear seat is a safer place to secure a forward-facing child restraint.

Never put a rear-facing child restraint in the right front passenger's seat unless the air bag is off. Here is why:

Caution:  A child in a rear-facing child restraint can be seriously injured or killed if the right front passenger airbag inflates. This is because the back of the rear-facing child restraint would be very close to the inflating airbag. A child in a forward-facing child restraint can be seriously injured or killed if the right front passenger airbag inflates and the passenger seat is in a forward position.

Even if the airbag switch has turned off the right front passenger frontal airbag, no system is fail-safe. No one can guarantee that an airbag will not deploy under some unusual circumstance, even though it is turned off.

Secure rear-facing child restraints in a rear seat, even if the airbag is off. If you 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.

Caution: If the airbag readiness light ever comes on when you have turned off the air bag, it means that something may be wrong with the airbag system. The right front passenger's airbag could inflate even though the switch is off. If this ever happens, do not let anyone whom the national government has identified as a member of a passenger airbag risk group sit in the right front passenger's position (for example, do not secure a rear-facing child restraint in the right front passenger's seat) until you have your vehicle serviced. See "airbag Off Switch" for more on this, including important safety information.

You will be using a 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 air bag. See Airbag Off Switch . If your child restraint is forward-facing, move the seat as far back as it will go before securing the restraint in this seat. See "Seats" in the Index. If you need to use a rear-facing child restraint in this seat, make sure the air bag is off once the child restraint has been installed.
  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.

  4. Object Number: 849595  Size: B4
  5. 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.

  6. Object Number: 849606  Size: B4
  7. Pull the rest of the shoulder belt all the way out of the retractor to set the lock.

  8. Object Number: 849608  Size: B4
  9. To tighten the belt, feed the shoulder belt back into the retractor while you push down on the child restraint. 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.
  10. 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.

If you had turned the air bag off with the switch, remember to be sure to use the air bag off switch to turn on the right front passenger's air bag when you remove the child restraint from the vehicle unless the person who will be sitting there is a member of the passenger air bag risk group. See Airbag Off Switch .

Caution: If the right front passenger's airbag is turned off for a person who is not in a risk group identified by the national government, that person will not have the extra protection of an airbag. In a crash, the airbag will not be able to inflate and help protect the person sitting there. Do not turn off the passenger's airbag unless the person sitting there is in a risk group. See "airbag Off Switch" in the Index for more on this, including important safety information.