GM Service Manual Online
For 1990-2009 cars only

Restraint System

Caution: To help avoid personal injury from unrepaired crash damage to a restraint system, perform the seat belt check for each seat belt system. Replace the seat belt system if there is any doubt about the condition of system components.

Seat belts are the primary means of occupant restraint. Seat belts help to keep the occupant inside the passenger compartment in order to reduce impact forces more gradually during the following events:

    • The frontal impact
    • The rear impact
    • The side impact
    • The rollover

All seat belts, except for the second row center bucket, have emergency locks in the retractors. The retractors remain unlocked in order to allow easy movement of the occupant's upper body under normal driving conditions during normal operation. The seat belt webbing locks into position through a ball sensor that causes a locking bar to engage a cog on the spool of the retractor mechanism under the following conditions.

    • Rapid extraction of the seat belt webbing from the retractor.
    • The speed of the vehicle changes abruptly.
    • The direction of the vehicle changes abruptly.
    • The vehicle is on a steep upgrade or the vehicle is on a steep downgrade.

Seat belts have an automatic cinch locking feature. The cinch feature activates when the seat belt webbing completely extends from the retractor. The cinch feature does not allow webbing to extend beyond the required retraction position. Use the cinch feature in order to secure a child seat. The cinch feature cancels in order to allow the webbing to completely wound back into the required retraction position. The webbing unlocks and extends from the retractor after the cinch feature cancels.

This vehicle is equipped with a Supplemental Inflatable Restraint (SIR) System in conjunction with the seat belts. Refer to SIR in Restraints for more information on the SIR system.

Front Seat System

The front seat belts are equipped with an adjustable shoulder belt guide adjuster. A release switch located at the center pillar can adjust the shoulder belt to one of four positions according to a person's height. The front seat retractors are dual sensitivity/dual mode type. The retractors are equipped with emergency locking and automatic locking features. Use the automatic cinch feature with a child seat.

The front seat belt system includes the following components:

    • The driver and the passenger's retractor side belts are located on the B-pillar posts. The driver and the passenger's retractor side belts attach on the B-pillar posts.
    • The front seat driver and the passenger's buckle belts are located on the inside of the two front seats. The front seat driver and the passenger's buckle belts attach to the front seat cushion frame.

The driver's seat belt system includes a seat belt switch in the driver's seat buckle belt. The seat belt switch controls the remainder lamp and a tone alarm. The following events occur when the driver's seat belt buckles, the driver's door closes and the ignition switch turns to the ON position:

    • The tone alarm will not operate.
    • The reminder lamp will not operate.

The following events occur when the driver's seat belt is not buckled, the driver's door closes and the ignition switch turns to the ON position:

    • The tone alarm operates for 4 to 8 seconds before the tone alarm turns to the OFF position.
    • The reminder lamp remains turned ON until the driver seat belt is buckled.
    • To diagnose a failure of the seat belt indicator lamp or the audio alarm, refer to Symptoms in Instrument Panel, Gauges and Console.

Rear Seat System

The rear seat system includes the following components:

    • The second and the third row seat belt retractors are located under the C-pillar lower trim panels.
    • The second and the third row seat belt retractors are located under the D-pillar lower trim panels.
    • The second and the third row seat buckle belts are located on the seat cushion frames in all seating options.

Child Restraint

Caution: A child in a rear-facing child restraint can be seriously injured if the right front passenger's air bag inflates. This is because the back of a rear facing child restraint would be very close to the inflating air bag. It is always better to secure a child restraint in the rear seat. If a forward-facing child seat is suitable for your child, ALWAYS move the front passenger seat as far back as it will go and then install the child restraint. Be sure the child restraint position does not conflict with any additional requirements provided by the manufacturer. For more information, refer to the vehicle owners manual and the instructions that came with the child restraint.

Use the manufacturer's directions in order to properly install and secure a child seat with the automatic locking cinch feature. Anchor the child seat if the child seat has a top strap. Refer to Child Seat Tether Outer Hardware Kit in this section. Do not allow passenger's to sit at locations where the seat belts are being used to secure the child seat.