1994 CADILLAC FLEETWOOD Owners Manual

Q: What's wrong with this?
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A: The shoulder belt is worn under the arm. It should be worn over the
shoulder at all times.
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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.
SUPPLEMENTL INFLATABLE
RESTUNT SYSTEM
(AIR BAGS)
This section explains the Supplemental Inflatable Restraint (SIR), or “air
bag,” system. Your Cadillac has an air bag for both the driver and 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. The system
checks for electrical malfunctions, and the light tells you if there is a
problem.
AIR
BAG
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.
Re.member,
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 l"he Air Bag System Works
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A
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Where is the air bag?
t
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
Fleetwood will deploy. This is rare, but can happen in a crash just severe
enough to make an air bag inflate.
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.
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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.
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.
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. There will be small amounts of
smoke and dust coming from vents in the deflated air bags. 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.
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.
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.
The service manual has information about the need to replace
other parts.
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