Page 25 of 386
Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine @ What’s  wrong  with  this? 
n 
A: The belt is buckled in the wrong place. 
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        Page 26 of 386
Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 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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        Page 27 of 386
Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine @ What's wrong with this? 
A: The belt is twisted across the body. 
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        Page 28 of 386
Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 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. 
Air Bag System 
This part explains  the  air  bag  system. 
Your  Corvette  has two air bags 
-- one  air bag for the 
driver and  another  air  bag for  the  passenger. 
Here  are the most  important  things 
to know about  the  air 
bag  system: 
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        Page 29 of 386
Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine There is an air  bag  readiness light on the instrument 
panel, which shows 
AIR BAG . The system checks  the 
air bag’s  electrical  system for malfunctions.  The light 
tells you if there  is an electrical problem. See “Air  Bag 
Readiness Light”  in the  Index  for more information. 
How the Air Bag System Works 
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        Page 30 of 386
Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Where is  the air bag? 
The  driver's  air bag  is  in  the middle of the  steering 
wheel.  The  passenger's  air bag  is  in the  instrument  panel 
on the  passenger's  side. 
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        Page 31 of 386

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine When  should an air  bag  inflate? 
The  air  bag is designed  to  inflate  in  moderate  to  severe 
frontal  or  near-frontal  crashes.  The  air  bag will  inflate 
only 
if the  impact speed  is above  the system’s  designed 
“threshold  level.” If your vehicle  goes  straight  into  a 
wall  that  doesn’t move  or  deform,  the  threshold level  is 
about 
9 to  15  mph  (14 to 24 km/h). The  threshold  level 
can  vary,  however,  with  specific  vehicle  design, 
so that 
it  can  be  somewhat above  or below 
this range. If your 
vehicle  strikes  something that will  move  or  deform,  such 
as  a  parked  car, the threshold  level will be higher.  The 
air  bag is  not designed  to inflate  in  rollovers,  side 
impacts,  or  rear impacts,  because  inflation  would not 
help  the  occupant. 
It  is  possible  that in a  crash  only one of the  two air bags 
in  your Corvette will  deploy. 
This is  rare, but can 
happen  in a crash  just severe  enough  to make  an air  bag 
inflate. 
In  any  particular  crash,  no one  can  say whether  an air 
bag  should  have inflated  simply because  of the  damage 
to  a  vehicle  or  because of what  the  repair  costs  were. 
Inflation  is determined  by the  angle  of the  impact  and 
the  vehicle’s  deceleration.  Vehicle damage is only  one 
indication  of this. 
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  the  air  bag. The inflator,  air bag,  and 
related  hardware  are all part  of  the air  bag  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 help  you 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  belts, and  then  only  in 
moderate  to  severe frontal  or  near-frontal  collisions. 
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine What will you see  after an air  bag  inflates? 
After  the air bag inflates,  it quickly deflates. This occurs 
so quickly  that  some people  may  not even realize  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, will be hot  for 
a  short  time,  but  the part  of  the bag that comes  into 
contact  with  you  will  not  be hot to the touch. There will 
be some smoke and  dust coming  from vents  in the 
deflated  air  bags.  Air bag inflation  will not prevent  the 
driver from  seeing or from  being able to steer the 
vehicle,  nor  will  it stop  people  from leaving the vehicle.  In many crashes severe enough to 
inflate an air  bag, 
windshields are broken  by vehicle deformation. 
Additional windshield breakage may  also occur  from the 
passenger air bag. 
0 
0 
0 
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  for your 
vehicle covers the need  to replace other parts. 
Your  vehicle  is equipped  with a diagnostic  module, 
which records information about the air bag  system. 
The  module records information about the readiness 
of the system, when the sensors  are activated and 
driver’s safety belt usage at deployment. 
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. 
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