1994 BUICK PARK AVENUE Owners Manual

Q." What's wrong with this?
A: The belt is buckled in the wrong place.
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@ What's wrong with this?
A: The shoulder belt is worn under the arm. It should
be worn over the shoulder at all times.
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@ What’s wrong with this?
1 I I I I I
A: The belt is twisted across the body.
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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 Restraint System
(Air Bags)
This section explains the Supplemental Restraint System
(SRS), or “air bag,” system. Your Buick has an air bag
for the driver and for the right-front passenger.
Here’s the most important thing to know:
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Air Bag Readiness Light
There is an air bag readiness light on the instrument
panel, which shows INFLATABLE RESTRAINT. The
system checks for electrical malfunctions, and the light
tells you if there is a problem.
INFL.
REST.
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.
Remember, 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.
How The Air Bag System Works
A. .. .. .
!
E
1
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Where is the air bag?
The driver’s air bag is in the middle of the steering
wheel. The right-front passenger’s air bag 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 15 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.
It is possible that
in a crash, only one of the two air bags
in your Park Avenue will deploy. This is rare, but can
happen
in a crash just severe enough to make an air bag
inflate.
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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,
the air bag sensing system detects that the vehicle
is
suddenly stopping as a result of a crash. The sensing
system triggers 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 than a supplement to safety belt
protection
in moderate to severe frontal and near-frontal
collisions.
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