1993 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Owners Manual

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Seats & Safety Belts
Lap-Shoulder Belt (conrr.)
The lap part of the belt should be worn
low and snug on the hips, just touching
the thighs.
In a crash, this applies force
to
the strong pelvic bones. And you’d be
less likely to slide under the lap belt. If
you sfid under it, the belt would apply
force at
your abdomen. This could
cause serious
or even fatal injuries. The
shoulder belt should go over the
shoulder and across the chest. These
parts of the body are best able to take
belt restraining.forces.
The safety belt locks if there’s a sudden
stop or crash.
If-you do not want the lap belt to move
freely, push the “cinch” button. To
loosen the belt, unbuckle it, let it
retract,
and buckle up again.
Q: What’s wrong with this?
.A: The shoulder belt is too loose. It
won’t
give nearly as much protection
this way.
..
You can be seriously. hurt -if. :
your shoulder belt is ,tao
loose. In, a crash you would move
forward too much, which could
significantly increase injury.
‘Thg
shoulder belt should fit against your
body.

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Q: What's wrong with this?
A The belt is buckled in the wrong
place.
A .if. your.belt 'is buckldhthe
wrong place like this. .In a..crish,
the belt would go up over your
abdomen.
The belt forces would be
there, not
at the ,pelvic bones. This
could cause-. serious internal
. injuries. Always buckle your belt
into the buckle nearest you.
you be s&&ly.injured . .
Q: What's wrong with this?
A: The shoulder belt is worn under the
arm. It should be worn over the
shoulder at
all times. .-
- . _. . . . . ., .
You can he seriously injured.
if you wearthe shoulder belt
under
your 'am. In a crash, your.
body would move too far forward,
which would increase the chance of
head. and neck ,injury. Also, the belt
would apply too much force to the
ribs, which aren't as strong as
shoulder bones. You could also
severely
injure internal organs like
your
liver or spleen.
Q: What's wrong with this?
A3The belt is twisted across the body.

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Lap-Shuuider Belt (CONT.)
To unlatch the belt; just push the
button, 00 the. bwckle, The belt should
go back out of the-way.
Before:you close the door, be Sure the
belt is aut of the wqy. If yau slam the
door on it, you can darnage bath the
b,elt and your vehicle.
26
SupplementalZn@hble
Restraint ,System. (Air Bag)
This section explabs th.e driver's
Supplemental Inflatable Restraint (SIR)
system, commonly referred to-as an air
bag.
Here are: the Most Important Things
$0 Know:
I CAUTION
P

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A Air Bag System Ugh1
There is an air bag readiness light on
the Driver hfomation Center, which
shows WL. REST (Idlatable
Restraint)'. The system checks itself and
the light tells you if there is a problem.
You d.see this light flash for a few
seconds when you turn your ignition to
Run or Start. Then the tight should go
out, which means the system is ready.
I. .. .. -

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How the Air Bag System Works
Q: Where is the air bag?
A The driver's air bag is in the middle
of the steering wheel.
Q: When is an, air bag expected to
inflate?
A: 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 irito a
wall
that does not move or deform, the
tbeshold level for most GM vehicles
is between 9 and 14 mph (14 and
23 ldh). However, thi,s velocity
threshold depends on
the vehicle
design
and may be several miles-per-
hour faster
or slower. In addition,
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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 impacls where the
inflation would provide no occupant
protection benefit.
In any
particular ;crash, the
determination
of whetherthe ail bag
should have inflated cannot be based
solely on the level of dgrnage 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.
Q: What makes -an air bag inflate?
A: In a.frontal impact of sufficient
severity, sensors strategically located
an the vehicle. detect th& the vehicle
is. suddenly stopping .as a result of a
crash. These sensors complete an
electrical circuit, triggelling-
a
chemical reaction of the sodium-
az-ide sealed in the .inflator. The
reaction produces nitrogen
gas;
which inflates the cloth bag. The
inflator, cloth bag,
and related
hadwareare all
part of the air bag
inflator module packed inside the
steering wheel.

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Q: How does an air bag restrain?
A: In moderate to severe frontal or
near=frontal collisions, even belted
occupants
can contact the steering
wheel. 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 hoderate to
severe frontal
and near-frontal
collisions.
Q: What wiu you see after an air bag
Mation?
A: Mer the air bag has inflated, it will
then quickly
deffate. This occurs so
quickly that some people may not
even realize that the air bag Sated.
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 bag. 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 ventdinto
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 we also
vented into the passenger
compartment.
29

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How fhe Air Bag System Works
(CONT.)
CAUTION
Don’t attach .anything’to
A the steering wheel pad. It
might injure the driver if the air
bag
inflates.
The air bag isdesigned to inflate
only once. After it inflates, you”ll
.n~ed ‘some new parts €or
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
the:air bag.module and possibly
other
parts. The service manual
has. information about the need
to
replace other parts.
Let oniy qualified technicians
work on yow air bag system.
Improper service can mean that
your air bag system won’t work
properly. See your dealer
for
service.
30
Servicing Your Corvette with the
Air Bag System
Please tell or remind anyone who works
on your Corvette that
it fias 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 Corvette
Service Manual have information about
the air bag system, including repair or
disposal.
When electrical work is done under the
hood or inside your vehicle, the ignition
should be in
Lock, if possible.
Avoid yellow wires, wires wrapped with
yellow tape, or yellow connectors. They
are probably part
of the air bag system.
But if the ignition has to be on for
electrical work, or if the steering column
is to be disassembIed, the air bag system
must be disconnected.
-_ -.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine To do this:
Turn off the ignition,.
Remove the SIR (air bag) fuse (.see
the
Index under Fuses G Circuit
Breukers) .
Disconnect the yellow connector at-
the base
of the steering column..
Whe~ 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 Driver Information Center. If you
don’t see this light flash and thea go out
,as usual, have y0.u~ air bag system
repaired,
Safety Belt Use During Pregnancy
Safety -belts work for-everyone,
including pregnant women. We
all
-occupants, they are more likely to be
seriously injured -if? they don’t wear
safety belts I
,A pregrgmt woman should wear a lap-
shoulder belt, .and the lap p.ortiun
-should be.wolin as low as possible
,throughout the pregnancy.
The bestway t~ protect the fetus is to
protect the mother; men a safety belt is
worn properly, it’s. more l.ikely that the
fetus
won’t be hurt in.3 crash. For-
-pregnant women, .as for anyone, the key
.to making safety be1tseffective.is
wearing
them properly.
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