1994 OLDSMOBILE SILHOUETTE Owners Manual

LapShoulder Belt
The driver has a lap-shoulder belt.
Here’s how to wear it properly.
1. Close and lock the door.
2. Adjust the seat (to see how, see Seats
in the Index) so you can sit up
straight.
3. Pick up the latch plate and pull the
belt across
you. Don’t let it get
twisted.
until it clicks.
4. Push the latch plate into the buckle
If the belt stops before it reaches the
buckle, tilt the latch plate and keep
pulling until you can buckle the belt.
Pull up on the latch plate to make sure
it is secure.
If the belt isn’t long enough, see Safety
Belt Extender
at the end of this section.
Make sure the release button on the
buckle is positioned
so you would be
able to unbuckle the safety belt quickly
if you ever had to.
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24
Seats di Restraint Systems
5. To make the lap part tight, pull down
on the buckle end
of the belt as you
pull up
on the shoulder belt. The
lap part of the belt should be worn
ow and snug on the hips, just touching
:he thighs. In a crash, this applies force
:o the strong pelvic bones. And you’d be
ess likely to slide under the lap belt. If
IOU slid under it, the belt would apply
orce at your abdomen. This could
:ause serious or even fatal injuries. The
ihoulder belt should
go over the
ihoulder and across the chest. These
)arts of the body are best able to take
lelt restraining forces.
The safety belt locks
if there’s a sudden
;top or a crash.
Q: What’s wrong with this?
A: The shoulder belt is too loose. It
won’t give nearly as much protection
this way.
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Q: What’s wrong with this?
i A: The belt is buckled in the wrong
~ place.
3: What’s wrong with this?
4: The belt is over an armrest.
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.
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Seats & Restraint Systems
26
I Illlllllllll
Q: What’s wrong with this?
A: The belt is twisted across the body. 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
(SRS)
This section explains the driver’s
Supplemental Restraint System (SRS),
commonly referred to as an air bag.
Here are the most important things
to
know:
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LOW
SERVICE
ENGINE SOON (BRAI
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Air Bag Readiness Light
There is an air bag readiness light on
the instrument panel, which shows
AIR
BAG. The system checks for electrical
malfunctions, and the light tells you
if
there is a problem.
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.
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Seats & Restraint Systems
28
How The Air Bag System Works
Where is the air bag?
The driver’s air bag is in the middle of
the steering wheel.
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 ltm/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 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 the cloth bag. The inflator, cloth
bag, and related hardware are all part of the
air bag inflator module packed
inside the steering wheel.
How does an air bag restrain?
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 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
quicldy that some people may not even
realize that the air bag inflated. Some
components of the air bag module in
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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. There will be
small amounts of smoke and dust
coming from vents in the deflated air
bag. 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.
The air bag is designed to inflate only
once. After
it inflates, 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 the air bag module
and possibly other parts. The service
manual has information about the
i need to replace other parts.
Your vehicle is equipped with a
diagnostic module, which records information about the air bag system
if the air bag deploys during a crash.
The module records information
about the readiness of the system,
which sensors activated the
deployment, and whether the driver’s
safety belt was in use.
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.
NOTICE:
If you damage the cover for the
driver’s air bag, it may not work
properly. You may have to replace
the air bag on the steering wheel.
Do not open or break the air bag
cover.
Is the smoke from an air bag inflation
harmful?
The particles emitted during air bag
inflation are not harmful to most people.
Some people with respiratory ailments
may experience difficulty breathing
if
they stay in the vehicle with the
windows closed after air bag inflation.
So, if your air bag inflates, you and any
passengers should exit the vehicle if and
when it is safe to do
so. If you or your
passengers can’t get out of the vehicle,
try to get fresh air by opening a window,
turning on the fan, or opening a door.
Servicing Your Oldsmobile with
the Air Bag System
The air bag affects how your Oldsmobile
should be serviced. 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. Your Oldsmobile
dealer and the
1994 Silhouette Service
Manual have information about
servicing your vehicle and the air bag
system. The air bag system does not
need regular maintenance.
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30
Safety Belt 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.
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 malting safety belts effective is
wearing them properly.
I Right Front Passenger
Position
The right front passenger’s safety belt
works the same way as the driver‘s
safety belt. See
Driver Position, earlier
in this part.
I Rear Seat Passengers
It‘s very important for rear seat
passengers to buckle up! Accident
statistics show that unbelted people
in
the rear seat are hurt more often in
crashes than those who are wearing
safety belts.
Rear passengers who aren’t safety
belted can be thrown out of the vehicle
in a crash. And they can strike others in
the vehicle who are wearing safety belts.
LJ
Center Passenger Position
Lap Belt
Someone can sit in the center position
mket seat.
When
you sit in the center position
mcltet seat‘ you have a lap safety belt
which has a retractor.
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