1993 CHEVROLET CAMARO steering

If the air bag readiness light
d b 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.
I
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How the Air Rag System Works
Where is the air bag?
The driver’s air bag is
in the middle of the
steering wheel.
Y
p
The right-front passenger’s air bag is located
in the instrument panel on the
passenger’s side.
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Seats & Safety Belts
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 km/h). 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 strategical
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.
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How does an air bag restrain?
[n 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 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 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
t
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t
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r >
ime, but the portion of the bag that comes
nto contact with you will not be hot to
he touch. The nitrogen gas used to inflate _._ .~ ~
he air bag will have vented into the
Iassenger compartment, and the bag will
Je deflated within seconds after the
:ollision. Nitrogen makes
up about 80%
3f 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. 29-9.
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Seats & Safety Belts
CAUTlON;
on’t attach anything to
~ :e steering wheel pad. It
0
0
0
-* 9 30
might injure thedriver 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 you# air bag system.
Improper service can mean
that your air bag system
won’t
work properly. See your dealer
for service.
I
may not work properly. You may
have
to replace both the air bag a
%ak the air bag cover.
: instrument panel. Don’ pen or
Servicing Your Chevrolet with the Air
Bag System
Please tell or remind anyone who works
on your Chevrolet 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 Chevrolet
dealer and the
1993 Camaro Service
Manual have information about the air
bag system, including repair
or disposal.
I A For up to 2 minutes after the
L 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.
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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 bags
must
be disconnected if the ignition has to
be on for electrical work or if the steering
column is to be disassembled. First,
disconnect the driver’s air bag like this:
1. Turn off the ignition.
2. Remove the SIR (air bag) fuse.
(See “Fuses and Circuit Breakers”
in the Index.)
3. Disconnect the yellow connector at the
base
of the steering column. After
you follow this procedure for the
jriver
’s air bag, then disconnect the
right-front passenger’s air bag like this:
1. Remove the cover under the instrument
2. Disconnect the small 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 air bag readiness light on the
instrument panel.
If you don’t see this lighl
flash and then go out as usual, have your
air bag system repaired.
panel.
below the glove box.
Safety Belt Use dumg
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.
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 pregnant
women, as for anyone, the key to making
safety belts effective is wearing them
properly.
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When you park your Chevrolet and open
the driver’s door, you’ll hear a tone
reminding you to remove your key from
the ignition and take
it with you. Always
do this. Your steering wheel
will be
locked, and
so will your ignition. If you
have an automatic transmission, taking
your key out also locks your transmission.
And remember to lock the doors.
Parking at Night: Park in a lighted spot,
close all windows and lock
your vehicle.
Remember
to keep your valuables out of
sight. Put them in a storage area, or take
them with you.
Parking Lots: If you park in a lot where
someone will be watching your vehicle,
it’s best to lock it up and take your keys.
But what if you have to leave your
ignition key? What
if you have to leave
something valuable
in your vehicle?
0 Put your valuables in a storage area,
like your glove box.
0 Lock the glove box.
0 Lock all the doors except the driver’s.
Then take the door key with you.
,I
Your vehicle is equipped with the
PASS-Key II@ (Personalized Automotive
Security System) theft-deterrent system.
PASS-Key II@ is
a passive theft-deterrent
system. This means you don’t have to do
anything different to arm or disarm the
system. It works when you insert or
remove the ke from the ignition.
PASS-Key I1 uses
a resistor pellet in
the ignition key that matches a decoder
in your vehicle.
When the PASS-Key
II@ system senses
that someone is using the wrong key,
it
shuts down the vehicle‘s starter and fuel
systems.
For about three minutes, the
starter won’t work and fuel won’t
go to
d
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Off (C): Unlocks the steering wheel,
ignition and automatic transmission, but
does not send electrical power to any
accessories. Use this position
if your
vehicle must be pushed or towed.
A
warning tone will sound if you open the
driver’s door when the ignition is
in Off
and the key is in the ignition.
Run (D): Position to which the switch
returns after you start your engine and
release the switch. The switch stays
in the
Run position when the engine is running.
But even when the engine is not running,
you can use
Run to operate your
electrical power accessories and to
display some instrument panel warning
and indicator lights.
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Features & Controls
Start (E): Starts the engine. When the
engine starts, release the key. The ignition
switch will return
to Run for normal
driving.
Note that even if the engine is not
running, Acc and Run allow you to
operate your electrical accessories. such
as the radio and ventilation fan.
Key Release Button: I1 you have a
manual transmission, your ignition lock
has a key release button. You must press
the button before you can take
your key
out of the ignition lock.
On manual transmission
1 vehicles, turning the key to
LOCK will lock the steering
column and result
in a loss of ability
to steer the vehicle. This could
cause a collision.
If you need to turn
the engine
off while the vehicle is
moving,
turn the key only to Off.
Don't press the key release button
while
the vehicle is moving.
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