2011 Chevrolet Malibu Owner's Manual - Page 83

Seats and Restraints The passenger sensing system works with sensors that are part of the right front passenger seat. The sensors are designed to detect the presence of a properly-seated occupant and determine if the right front passenger frontal airbag and seat‐mounted side impact airbag should be enabled (may inflate) or not. According to accident statistics, children are safer when properly secured in a rear seat in the correct child restraint for their weight and size. We recommend that children be secured in a rear seat, including: an infant or a child riding in a rear-facing child restraint; a child riding in a forward-facing child seat; an older child riding in a booster seat; and children, who are large enough, using safety belts. A label on the 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. 3-33 WARNING (Continued) fail-safe. No one can guarantee that an airbag will not deploy under some unusual circumstance, even though the airbag(s) are off. Secure rear-facing child restraints in a rear seat, even if the airbag(s) are 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. The passenger sensing system is designed to turn off the right front passenger airbag and seat‐mounted side impact airbag if: . { WARNING 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 passenger sensing system has turned off the right front passenger frontal airbag and seat-mounted side impact airbag (if equipped), no system is (Continued) The right front passenger seat is unoccupied. The system determines that an infant is present in a rear-facing infant seat. .