1993 CADILLAC FLEETWOOD Owners Manual

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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 INFMTABLE
RESTMNT 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.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Here’s the most important thing to know:
I A CAUTION:
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Even with an air bag, if you’re not wearing a safety belt and
you’re in a crash, your injuries may be much worse. Air bags are
r-
not designed to inflate in rollovers or in rear, side or low-speed
hntal crashes. You need
to wear your safety belt to reduce the
chance
of hitting things inside the vehicle or being’ejected from
it. Always wear your safety belt, even with an air bag.
A CAUTION
Air bags inflate with great force, faster than the blink of an eye.
If you’re too close ta 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
air bag, and the driver should sit as far back as possible while
still maintaining control
of the vehicle.
A CAUTION:
An inflating ais bag can seriously injure small children. Always
secure children properly in your vehide. To read how, tee the
“Children and Safety Belts” section
of this manual, and read
I the caution label on the front-passenger’s safety belt.
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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.
1
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.
A CAUTION:
If the air bag readiness light doesn’t come on when you start
your vehicle, or stays on, or comes on when you are driving, your
air bag system may not work properly. Have your vehicle
’ serviced right away.
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How The Air Bag System Works
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Where is the air bag?
The driver’s air bag is in the middle of the steering wheel. Your vehicle
has a 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
GM vehicles is between 9 and 14 mph (14 and 23 kmk). 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
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine vehicle@). 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. 2-
_I 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.
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 panel. 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
and near-frontal collisions.
What will you see after an air bag inflation?
__ than a supplement to safety belt protection in moderate to severe frontal
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
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
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
-
-- for the driver’s air bag or the instrument panel for the passenger’s bag
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 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.
A CAUTION:
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0
0
0
Don’t attach anything to the steering wheel pad. It might
injure the driver if the air bag inflates.
Don’t set anything on or attach anything to the instrument
panel. It might injure the passenger if the air bag inflates.
The air bags are designed to inflate only once. After they
inflate, you’ll need some new parts for your air bag system.
If
you don’t get them, the air bag system won’t be there to help
protect you in another crash.
A new system will include air
bag modules and possibly other parts
Let only qualified technicians work on your air bag system.
Improper service can mean that your air bag system won’t
work properly. See your dealer for service.
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LY OTICE.
you damage the cover for the right-front passenger’s air bag,
it may not work properly. You may have to replace both the ai1 :.:...a:. .-_ ,
-.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Servicing 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 the air bag system in several places
around your vehicle. You don’t want the system to inflate while someone
is working on your vehicle. The air bag system does not need regular
maintenance. Your Cadillac dealer and the
1993 Cadillac Service Manual
have information about the air bag system, including repair or disposal.
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A CAUTION: I
I For up to 2 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
procedures.
I
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 a driver’s air bag and a right front passenger’s air bag.
Both air bags must be disconnected
if the ignition has to be on for
electrical work or if the steering column is to be disassembled.
Disconnect both air bags like this:
Turn off the ignition.
Remove the SIR (air bag) fuse (see “Fuses and Circuit Breakers” in
Disconnect both yellow connectors at the base of the steering column.
the
Index).
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.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine SMETYBELT 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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The best way to protect the fetus is to protect the mother. When a safety
belt is worn properly, it’s more likely that the fetus won’t be hurt
in a
crash. For pregnantwomen, as for anyone, the key to making safety belts
effective is wearing them properly. --
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