1994 PONTIAC FIREBIRD Owners Manual

Seats and Restraint Systems
AIR
BAG
Air Bag Readiness Light
There is an air bag readiness light on
the instrument panel, which shows
“AIR BAG” on it. 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.
How the Air Bag System Works
Where
is the air bag?
The driver’s air bag is in the middle
steering wheel. of th
... 24
ProCarManuals.com

i
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 Firebird 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? ;,
[n a frontal or near-frontal impact of
sufficient severity, the
air bag sensikg
system detects that the vehicle is suddenly
stopping as a result of a crash. The
sensing sytem triggers a chemical teaction
of the sodium azide sealed in the inflator.
The reaction produces nitrogen gas;
which inflates a cloth bag. The infktor,
210th 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?
[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
~.
25 . I
i
ProCarManuals.com

Seats and Restraint Systems
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
... 26
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.
0 Your vehicle is equipped with a
diagnostic module, which records
information about the air bag system if
the air bag deploys in 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 or the right-front passenger’s
air bag, they may not work properly.
You may have to replace the air bag
on the steering wheel or both the air
bag and the instrument panel for the
passenger’s air bag.
Do not open or
break the air bag covers.
1s 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.
ProCarManuals.com

Servicing Your Air Bag-Equipped
Pontiac
Air bags affect how your Pontiac 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
vehiele. Your Pontiac dealer and the
1994
Firebird Service Manual have information
about servicing your vehicle and the air
bag system. The air bag system does not
need regular maintenance.
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 making safety belts effective is wearing
them properly.
’assenger Positions
tight Front Passenger Position
:he right front passenger’s safety belt
vorks the same way as the driver’s safety
belt. See “Driver Position,” earlier
in this
kart.
27. .
ProCarManuals.com

Seats and Restraint Systems
IL
I
F
S
tl
F
C
C
c
I
1
I
tear Seat Passengers
t’s very important for rear seat
bassengers to buckle up! Accident
tatistics show that unbelted people in the
ear seat are hurt more often in crashes
han those who are wearing safety belts.
tear passengers who aren’t safety belted
:an be thrown out of the vehicle in a
:rash.
And they can strike others in the
rehicle who are wearing safety belts.
Lap-Shoulder Belt
The rear seats have lap-shoulder belts.
lere’s how to wear one properly.
. .28
1. Pick up the latch plate and pull the
belt across you. Don’t let it get
twisted.
2. Push the latch plate into the buckle
until it clicks.
If the belt stops before it reaches the
buckle, tilt the latch plate and keep
pulling until you can buckle it.
Pull up on the latch plate to make sure
it is secure.
If the belt is not 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.
ProCarManuals.com

r
3. To make the lap part tight, pull down
on the buckle end
of the belt as you
pull up on the shoulder part. The
lap part of the belt should be
worn
low and snug on the hps, just touching
the thighs. In a crash, this applies force tc
the strong pelvic bones. And you'd be
less likely to slide under the lap belt. If
you slid 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 shoulde:
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 a crash.
29. .
ProCarManuals.com

Seats and Restraint Systems
To unlatch the belt, just push the
button
on the buckle.
Everyone. in a vehicle needs protection!
That includes infants and
all children
smaller than adult size. In fact, the law in
every state in the United States and in
every Canadian province says children up
to some age must
be restrained while in a
vehicle.
Smaller Children and Babies
... 30
ProCarManuals.com

Child Restraints
Be sure to follow the instructions for
the restraint.
You may find these
instructions
on the restraint itself or in
a booklet, or both. These restraidi use
the belt system in your vehicle, bkt the
child also has to be secured within the
restraint to help reduce the chance of
personal injury. The instructions that
come with the infant or child restraint
will show you how to do that.
I
Where to Put the Restraint
4ccident statistics show that children
are safer if they are restrained in the
:ear rather than the front seat.
We qt
3eneral Motors therefore recommend
hat you put your child restraint in the
-ear seat.
NEVER put a rear-facing
:hild restraint in the front passenger
;eat. Here's why:
31 ...
ProCarManuals.com