1993 CADILLAC ELDORADO Owners Manual

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine To unlatch the belt,
just push the button
on the buckle. The
belt should go back
out of the way.
Before you close the door, be sure the belt is out of the way. If you slam
the door on it, you can damage both the belt and your
vehicle.
SUPPLEMENTAL INFUTMLE
RESTUNT SYSTEM (AIR BAGS)
This section explains the Supplemental Inflatable Restraint (SIR), or “air
bag,” system. Your Cadillac has an air bag for the driver and for the
right-front passenger.
Here’s the most important thing
to know:
Even with an air‘ bag, if youk not wearing ;a safety Jjelt and
you’re in a crash, your injuries may be much worse. Air, bags are
* not designed to’ inflate in rollovers or in rear, side or low-speed
frontal crashes. You need to wear your safety belt to reduce the
chance of hitting things inside the vehicle or being ejected Prom
it. Always wear your safety belt9 even with an air bag.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine A CAUTION
Air bags inflate with great force, faster than the blink of an eye. :
If you’re too close to an inflating air bag, it could- seriously
injure
you. Safety belts help keep you in position for an air bag
inflation in a crash, Always wear your safety belt, even with -an-
;74
-+< . v
, . .4:2
- fair bag, and the driver should sit as far back as possible 2.
-‘r I -. r: ’ still maintaining control of the vehicle.
An inflating air bag can seriously injure small children.. -Always
.secure children properly in your vehicle, To read how, see the
“Children
and Safety Belts” section of this manual, andmad
the caution label
on the front-passenger’s safety belt,
Air Bag System Light
There is an air bag readiness light on the instrument panel. The system
checks itself and the light tells you
if there is a problem.
INFL.
REST.
INFLATABLE
RESTRAINT
You will see this light
flash
for a few seconds
when you
turn your
ignition to
“Run” or
“Start.” Then the light
should
go out, which
means the system
is
ready.
1
1
1
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine I
How The Air Bag System Works
Where is the air bag?
The driver’s air bag is in the middle of the steering wheel. If your vehicle
has a right-front passenger air bag, it
is located in the instrument panel on
the passenger’s side.
When is an air bag expected to inflate?
The air bag is designed to inflate in moderate to severe frontal or
near-frontal crashes. The air bag
will only inflate if the velocity of the
impact
is above the designed threshold level. When impacting straight
into a wall that does
not move or deform, the threshold level for most
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine GM vehicles is between 9 and 14 mph. However, this velocity threshold
depends on the vehicle design and may be several miles-per-hour faster
or slower. In addition, this threshold velocity
will be considerably higher if
the vehicle strikes an object such as a parked car which will move and
deform
on impact. The air bag is also not designed to inflate in rollovers,
side impacts, or rear impacts where the inflation would provide
no
occupant protection benefit.
In any particular crash, the determination
of whether the air bag should
have inflated cannot be based solely on the level
of damage on the
vehicle(s). Inflation is determined by the angle
of the impact and the
vehicle’s deceleration,
of which vehicle damage is only one indication.
Repair cost is not a good indicator
of whether an air bag should have
deployed.
What makes an air bag inflate?
In a frontal or near-frontal impact of sufficient severity, sensors
strategically located
on the vehicle detect that the vehicle is suddenly
stopping as a result
of a crash. These sensors complete an electrical
circuit, triggering a chemical reaction
of the sodium azide sealed in the
inflator. The reaction produces nitrogen gas, which inflates a cloth bag.
The inflator, cloth bag, and related hardware are all part
of the air bag
inflator modules packed inside the steering wheel and in the instrument
panel in front of the passenger
if there is a passenger air bag.
How does an air bag restrain?
In moderate to severe frontal or near-frontal collisions, even belted
occupants can contact the steering wheel or the instrument pane\
l. The air
bag supplements the protection provided by safety belts. Air bags
distribute the force of the impact more evenly over the occupant’s upper
body, stopping the occupant more gradually. But air bags would not
provide protection
in many types of collisions, including rollovers and
rear and side impacts, primarily because an occupant’s motion is not
toward the air bag. Air bags should never be regarded as anything more
than a supplement to safety belt protection in moderate to severe frontal
and near-frontal collisions.
What will you see after an air bag inflation?
After the air bag has inflated, it will then quickly deflate. This occurs so
quickly that some people may not even realize that the air bag inflated.
The air bag
will not impede the driver’s vision or ability to steer the
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine vehicle, nor will it hinder the occupants from exiting the vehicle. There
will be small amounts of smoke coming from vents in the deflated air
bags. Some components
of the air bag module in the steering wheel hub
for the driver's
air bag or the instrument panel for the passenger's bag
may be hot for a short time, but the portion of the bag that comes into
contact
with you will not be hot to the touch. The nitrogen gas used to
inflate the air bag
will have vented into the passenger compartment, and
the
bag will be deflated within seconds after the collision. Nitrogen makes
up about
80% of the air we breathe and is not hazardous. As the nitrogen
vents from the bag, small particles are also vented into the passenger
compartment.
In many crashes severe enough to inflate an air bag, windshields are
broken
by vehicle deformation. Additional windshield breakage may
occur in vehicles with passenger air bags because the windshield acts as a
reaction surface
for the inflating air bag.
.. .i. ,<- -
Don't set anything on or attach anything to the instrument L;::,::.:;
': -2:
. _. - . ..
panel. It might injure the passenger if the air bag inflates.1-1.:6:..:.--r~ ._ -., :.<'.:.,..::--. ..-;; . ;:*
The air bags are designed to inflate only once. After thed .- G.-~~;,>.:i8
inflate, you'll need some new parts for your air bag system. If 'i2. 2:
you don't get them, the air bag system won't he there to help -.,is::,-:.::
protect you in another crash. A new system ,~.ill include air . -.
bag modules and possibly other parts .~~ p;. - . . -- :. - - -- - . - yj-;-.. ;c:=g.* - , :. .- .-
.- -. .: __ ..I . -, -- . .: .
- - $-.
.I , :>.:-
' : ~ :-- - .r- . Yx
~ .? : . .; _. r- I-. , -
. 2- *.:= ,,-L . . -- . . .-
Let
only qualified technicians work on your air bag system . - : -.- :.
Improper service can mean that your air bao cvctem wnn'fc--;- . ':.? >,
work properly. See your dealer for service.
..
:.. - . .. -- - .- .. ,, .. .. . - .- ~.
, . . .:---, , . . .- -- ., - ~ .. ,. -.
. .- - .. . .- , - - -. .. . .-- - ,. -.-
.. . .- ,. - .-x- - .. .
.. . .-
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine L
If you damage the cove Dr ! righ roI-- I Ssenger’ ir baL,
it may not work properly. You may have to redace both the air
ag and le
i trument panel. non’t onen (1 weak the sir hw
cover
-
Sewicing Your Cadillac with the Air Bag System
Please tell or remind anyone who works on your Cadillac that it has the
air bag system. There are parts
of thc air bag system in several places
around your vehicle.
You don’t want thc systcm to inflate while someonc
is working on your vchicle.Tl1e air bag system docs not need regular
maintenance. Your Cadillac dcalcr and the
1993 Cadillac Service Manual
have information about the air bag system, including repair or disposal.
A CAUTION:
For up to 10 minutes after the ignition key is turned off and the
battery disconnected, an air bag can still inflate during
improper service.
You can be injured if you are close to an air
bag when it inflates. Be sure to follow the proper service
nrocedu -
When electrical work is done under the hood or inside your vehicle, the
ignition should be
in “Lock” if possible. Avoid wires wrapped with yellow
tape,
or yellow connectors. They are probably part of the air bag system.
Your vehicle has the driver’s air
bag only. The driver’s air bag must be
disconnected
if the ignition has to be on for electrical work or if the the
steering column is
to be disassembled. Disconnect the driver’s air bag like
this:
Turn off the ignition.
Remove the SIR (air bag) fuse (see “Fuses and Circuit Breakers” in
the Index).
Disconnect the yellow connector at the base of the steering column.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Your vehicle also has the right-front passenger’s air bag. Both the driver’s
air bag and the right-front passenger’s air bag must
be disconnected if the
ignition
has to be on for electrical work, or if thc steering column or
instrument panel
is to be disasscmbled.
Your vehicles with both a driver’s air bag and
a right-front passenger’s air
bag, you must disconnect both air bags. Follow the procedure above for
the driver’s air bag,
then disconnect the right-front passenger’s air bag
like this:
Turn off ignition.
Remove the SIR (air bag) fuse (see “Fuses and Circuit Breakers” in
the Index).
Remove the trap door located inside the glove
box.
Disconnect the yellow connector.
When the work is complete,
if the air bag system was disconnected, be
sure to reattach everything and replace the fuse. before turning the
ignition
on. When you turn the ignition key on, be sure you see the
inflatable restraint light on the instrument panel. If you don’t see this
light
flash and then go out as usual, have your air bag system repaired.
SAFETYBELT USE DURING PREGNANCY
Safety belts work for everyone, including pregnant women. Like all
occupants, they are more likely
to be seriously injured if they don’t wear
safety belts.
A pregnant woman should wear a lap-shoulder belt, and the lap portion
should be worn
as low as possible throughout the pregnancy.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine I
.. ..
The best way to protect the fetus is to protect the mother. When a safety
belt is worn
properly, it’s more likely that tlw fctus won’t be hurt in a
crash. For pregnant womcn,
as for anyone, the key to making safety bclts
effective
is wearing them properly.
RIGHT FRONT PASSENGER POSITION
The right front passenger’s safety belt works thc same way as the driver’s
safety belt. See “Driver Position,” earlier
in this part.
When the
lap portion of the bclt is pullcd out all the way, it will lock. If it
does, let it go back all the way and start again.
34