1995 OLDSMOBILE SILHOUETTE belt

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 part explains the Supplemental Restraint System
(SRS), or air bag.
Your Oldsmobile has an air bag for the driver.
Here are the most important things to know about the air
bag system:
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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 kdh). 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.
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 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
help you in many types
of collisions, including rollovers
and rear and side impacts, primarily because an
occupant’s m.otion 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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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 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 bag. 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.
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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 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 retailer for
service.
I 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
module. Do not open or break
the air bag cover.
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Servicing Your Air Bag-Equipped
Oldsmobile
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 retailer and the
1995 Silhouette
Service Manual have information about servicing your
vehicle and the air bag system. To purchase a service
manual, see “Service Publications”
in the Index. 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.
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Lap-Shoulder Belt
The positions next to the windows have lap-shoulder
belts. Here's
how to wear one properly.
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1. Pick up the latch plate and pull the belt across you.
Don’t let
it get twisted.
The shoulder belt may lock if you pull
the belt across
you very quickly.
If this happens, let the belt go back
slightly to unlock it. Then pull the belt across you
more slowly.
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.
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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 hips, just touching the thighs.
In a crash, this applies
force to 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 shoulder and across the chest.
These parts
of the body are best able to take belt
restraining forces.
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The safety belt locks if there’s a sudden stop or a crash,
or if you pull the belt very quickly out of the retractor.
To unlatch the belt, just push the button on the buckle.
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