Buick Enclave: How to Wear Safety Belts Properly. Lap-Shoulder Belt. Safety Belt Use During Pregnancy

How to Wear Safety Belts Properly

This section is intended for occupants who are adult-sized and able to use the vehicle safety belt system as designed.

Safety belt use for children requires special attention, because children and infants must be restrained differently from adults.

If a child will be riding in the Buick Enclave, see Older Children or Infants and Young Children. Follow the appropriate instructions carefully so every passenger is protected as effectively as possible.

It is very important for every occupant to buckle up before the vehicle begins moving. Crash statistics show that people who do not wear safety belts are injured more often than those who are properly restrained.

There are several important points to remember when wearing a safety belt correctly.

► Sit upright and keep your feet on the floor in front of you.

► Always use the correct buckle for your seating position.

► Wear the lap portion of the belt low and snug across the hips, just touching the thighs. In a crash, this helps direct the force to the strong pelvic bones and reduces the chance of sliding under the lap belt. If you slide under the belt, the belt can press against the abdomen and cause serious or even fatal injuries.

► Wear the shoulder belt over the shoulder and across the chest.

These areas of the body are best able to handle safety belt restraining forces. The shoulder belt is designed to lock during a sudden stop or crash.

WARNING
You can be seriously injured, or even killed, if a safety belt is not worn correctly.

► Never allow the lap belt or shoulder belt to become loose or twisted.

► Never wear the shoulder belt under both arms or behind your back.

► Never route the lap belt or shoulder belt over an armrest.

Lap-Shoulder Belt

All seating positions in the vehicle are equipped with a lap-shoulder belt.

If a rear seating position has a detachable safety belt and the belt is not attached, see “Returning the Seat to the Seating Position” under Third Row Seats for instructions on reconnecting the belt to the mini-buckle.

The following instructions explain how to wear a lap-shoulder belt properly in the Buick Enclave.

1. Adjust the seat, if it is adjustable, so you can sit upright with your back against the seatback. To learn more, see “Seats” in the Index.

2. Pick up the latch plate and pull the belt across your body. Do not allow the belt to twist.

The lap-shoulder belt may lock if it is pulled across the body too quickly.

If this happens, allow the belt to retract slightly to unlock it, then pull it across more slowly.

If the shoulder portion of a passenger belt is pulled out completely, the child restraint locking feature may engage.

If this occurs, allow the belt to retract all the way, then begin again.

3. Push the latch plate into the buckle until it clicks.
4. Pull up on the latch plate to make sure it is secure. If the belt is not long enough, see Safety Belt Extender.

Position the release button on the buckle so the safety belt can be unbuckled quickly if needed.

5. If the seating position is equipped with a shoulder belt height adjuster, move it to the correct height for the occupant.

See “Shoulder Belt Height Adjuster” later in this section for operating instructions and important safety information.

6. To tighten the lap portion of the belt, pull upward on the shoulder belt.

For smaller occupants, it may be necessary to pull the stitching on the safety belt through the latch plate to fully tighten the lap belt.

To unlatch the belt, press the button on the buckle. The belt should return to its stowed position. When the safety belt is not being used, slide the latch plate upward on the belt webbing. The latch plate should rest on the stitching near the guide loop on the side wall.

Before closing a door, make sure the safety belt is clear of the door opening.

If a door is slammed against a safety belt, both the belt and the vehicle can be damaged.

The Buick Enclave has a shoulder belt height adjuster for the driver and right front passenger seating positions.

Set the height so the shoulder portion of the belt rests on the shoulder without falling off it.

The belt should be close to the neck but should not touch it. An incorrect shoulder belt height adjustment can reduce the effectiveness of the safety belt in a crash. See How to Wear Safety Belts Properly.

To move the height adjuster down, press release button (A) and move the adjuster to the desired position. To move the adjuster up, push upward on the shoulder belt guide.

After setting the adjuster, try to move it downward without pressing the release button to confirm that it is locked into position.

Safety Belt Pretensioners

This vehicle has safety belt pretensioners for the front outboard occupants. Although they are not visible, the pretensioners are built into the safety belt assemblies and are designed to help tighten the belts during the early stages of certain moderate to severe frontal, near-frontal, or rear crashes, if the activation conditions are met.

On vehicles equipped with side impact airbags, the safety belt pretensioners can also help tighten the belts during certain side impacts or rollover events.

Pretensioners are designed to work only once.

If the pretensioners activate in a crash, they must be replaced. Other parts of the Buick Enclave safety belt system may also need replacement.

See Replacing Safety Belt System Parts after a Crash.

Rear Safety Belt Comfort Guides

This vehicle may have rear safety belt comfort guides. If not equipped, they are available through your dealer.

The guides can improve safety belt comfort for older children who have outgrown booster seats and for some adults. When installed and adjusted correctly, the comfort guide helps position the shoulder belt away from the neck and head.

Use the following procedure to install a comfort guide on the safety belt:

Outboard Positions

1. For the outboard positions, remove the guide from its storage clip on the interior body.

For the third row center position, locate the comfort guide stored in the pocket at the top of the seat, under the headrest on the driver side of the vehicle.

To access the comfort guide, first move the headrest forward by pulling the handle behind the seatback.

The comfort guide can now be reached.

Third Row Center Position

Pull the comfort guide out of its storage location, then return the headrest to the upright position.

2. Place the guide over the belt and insert both edges of the belt into the slots of the guide.

3. Make sure the belt is not twisted and lies flat.

The elastic cord must be under the belt, with the guide positioned on top.

WARNING
A safety belt that is not worn correctly may not provide the protection needed in a crash.

The person using the belt could be seriously injured. The shoulder belt should pass over the shoulder and across the chest, because these areas are best able to absorb safety belt restraining forces.

4. Buckle, position, and release the safety belt as described earlier in this section. Make sure the shoulder portion of the belt rests on the shoulder and does not fall off. The belt should be close to the neck, but not touching it.

To remove and store the comfort guide, squeeze the belt edges together so the safety belt can be removed from the guide. Slide the guide back into its storage location or onto its storage clip.

For daily Buick Enclave use, take a moment before every trip to confirm that each passenger has the belt routed flat, buckled correctly, and positioned across the hips, shoulder, and chest. A properly worn safety belt is one of the simplest and most important protections in the vehicle.

Safety Belt Use During Pregnancy

Safety belts are important for every occupant, including pregnant women. As with all passengers, the risk of serious injury is greater when a safety belt is not worn correctly.

► A pregnant woman should wear a lap-shoulder belt, with the lap portion positioned as low as possible below the rounding of the abdomen throughout pregnancy.

The best way to help protect the unborn child is to protect the mother. When the safety belt is worn properly, the chance of injury to the fetus in a crash is reduced. For pregnant women, as for every Buick Enclave occupant, the key is correct belt position: low across the hips, snug, and never across the abdomen.