Pontiac Grand Am (2002 year). Manual - part 3

1-31

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.

To unlatch the belt, just push the button on the buckle.

Rear Safety Belt Comfort Guides for
Children and Small Adults

Rear shoulder belt comfort guides will provide added
safety belt comfort for older children who have
outgrown booster seats and for small adults. When
installed on a shoulder belt, the comfort guide better
positions the belt away from the neck and head.

There is one guide for each outside passenger position in
the rear seat. To provide added safety belt comfort for
children who have outgrown child restraints and for
smaller adults, the comfort guides may be installed on
the shoulder belts.

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Here’s how to install a comfort guide and use the 
safety belt:

1. Pull the elastic cord out from between the edge of

the seatback and the interior body to remove the
guide from its storage clip.

2. Slide the guide under and past the belt. The elastic

cord must be under the belt. Then, place the guide
over the belt, and insert the two edges of the belt into
the slots of the guide.

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3. Be sure that the belt is not twisted and it lies flat. 

The elastic cord must be under the belt and the 
guide on top.

4. Buckle, position and release the safety belt as

described in “Rear Seat Outside Passenger Positions”
earlier in this section. Make sure that the shoulder
belt crosses the shoulder.

To remove and store the comfort guides, squeeze the belt
edges together so that you can take them out of the guides.
Pull the guide upward to expose its storage clip, and then
slide the guide onto the clip. Turn the guide and clip
inward and in between the seatback and the interior body,
leaving only the loop of the elastic cord exposed.

1-34

Center Passenger Position

Lap Belt

When you sit in the center seating position, you have a
lap safety belt, which has no retractor. To make the belt
longer, tilt the latch plate and pull it along the belt.

1-35

To make the belt shorter, pull its free end as shown until
the belt is snug.

Buckle, position and release it the same way as the lap
part of a lap

-

shoulder belt. If the belt 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.

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.

Infants and Young Children

Every time infants and young children ride in vehicles,
they should have the protection provided by the
appropriate restraint. Young children should not use the
vehicle’s safety belts, unless there is no other choice.

1-36

CAUTION:

People should never hold a baby in their arms
while riding in a vehicle. A baby doesn’t 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)

For example, in a crash at only 25 mph 
(40 km/h), a 12

-

lb. (5.5 kg) baby will suddenly

become a 240

-

lb. (110 kg) force on a person’s

arms. A baby should be secured in an
appropriate restraint.

1-37

CAUTION:

Children who are up against, or very close to, any
air bag when it inflates can be seriously injured
or killed. Air bags plus lap

-

shoulder belts offer

outstanding protection for adults and older
children, 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.

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.

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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.

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’s unprotected by any
bony structure. This alone could cause serious or
fatal injuries. Young children always should be
secured in appropriate child restraints.

1-39

Restraint Systems for Children

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.

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.

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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.

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.

1-41

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.

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.

1-42

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, therefore, recommends that child
restraints be secured in the rear seat including an infant
riding in a rear

-

facing infant seat, a child riding in a

forward

-

facing child seat and an older child riding in a

booster seat. Never put a rear

-

facing child restraint in

the front passenger seat. Here’s why:

CAUTION:

A child in a rear

-

facing child restraint can be

seriously injured or killed if the right front
passenger’s air bag inflates. This is because the
back of the rear

-

facing child restraint would be

very close to the inflating air bag. Always secure
a rear

-

facing child restraint in a rear seat.

You may secure a forward

-

facing child restraint

in the right front seat, but before you do, always
move the front passenger seat as far back as it
will go. It’s better to secure the child restraint in
a rear seat.

Wherever you install it, be sure to secure the child
restraint properly.

Keep in mind that an unsecured child restraint can 
move around in a collision or sudden stop and injure
people in the vehicle. Be sure to properly secure any
child restraint in your vehicle 

--

 even when no 

child is in it.

Top Strap

Some child restraints have a top strap, or “top tether.” 
It can help restrain the child restraint during a collision.
For it to work, a top strap must be properly anchored 
to the vehicle. Some top strap

-

equipped child restraints

are designed for use with or without the top strap being
anchored. Others require the top strap always to be
anchored. Be sure to read and follow the instructions 
for your child restraint. If yours requires that the top
strap be anchored, don’t 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.

1-43

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 one of the following anchor
points. Be sure to use an anchor point located on the
same side of the vehicle as the seating position where
the child restraint will be placed.

Once you have the top strap anchored, you’ll be ready to
secure the child restraint itself. Tighten the top strap
when and as the child restraint manufacturer’s
instructions say.

Your vehicle has top strap anchors already installed for
the rear seating positions. You’ll find them behind the
rear seat on the filler panel.

1-44

Lower Anchorages and Top Tethers for
Children (LATCH System)

Your vehicle has the LATCH system. You’ll find
anchors (A) in the rear outside seat positions.

To assist you in locating the lower anchors for this child
restraint system, each seating position with the LATCH
system will have a label sewn to the seatback at each
anchor position.

The labels are located near
the base of the two rear
outside seating positions.

In order to use the system, you need either a
forward

-

facing child restraint that has attaching 

points (B) at its base and a top tether anchor (C), or a
rear

-

facing child restraint that has attaching points (B),

as shown here.

1-45

With this system, use the LATCH system instead of the
vehicle’s safety belts to secure a child restraint.

CAUTION:

If a LATCH

-

type child restraint isn’t attached to

its anchorage points, the restraint won’t be able
to protect a child sitting there. 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. See “Securing a Child Restraint in a
Rear Outside Seat Position” in the Index for
information on how to secure a child restraint in
your vehicle using the vehicle’s safety belts.

1-46

Securing a Child Restraint Designed for the 
LATCH System

1. Find the anchors for the seating position you want to

use, where the bottom of the seatback meets the back
of the seat cushion.

2. Put the child restraint on the seat.

3. Attach the anchor points on the child restraint to the

anchors in the vehicle. The child restraint
instructions will show you how.

4. If the child restraint is forward

-

facing, attach the top

strap to the top strap anchor. See “Top Strap” in the
Index. Tighten the top strap according to the child
restraint instructions.

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
strap from the top tether anchor and then disconnect 
the anchor points.

Securing a Child Restraint in a Rear
Outside Seat Position

If your child restraint is equipped with the LATCH
system, see “Lower Anchorages and Top Tethers for
Children (LATCH)” in the Index.

You’ll be using the lap

-

shoulder belt. See the earlier part

about the top strap if the child restraint has one. Be sure
to follow the instructions that came with the child
restraint. Secure the child in the child restraint when and
as the instructions say.

1. Put the 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.