1996 BUICK CENTURY belt

The 1996 Buick Century Owner’s Manual
Seats and Restraint Systems .............................................................
This section tells you how to use your seats and safety belts properly. It also explains “SRS” system.
This section explains how to start and operate your Buick.
This section tells you how to adjust the ventilation and comfort controls and how to operate your
audio system.
YourDrivingandtheRoad ..............................................................
Here you’ll find helpful information and tips about the road and how to drive under different conditions.
ProblemsontheRoad ..................................................................
This section tells you what to do if you have a problem while driving, such as a flat tire or
overheated engine, etc.
Here the manual tells you how to keep your Buick running properly and looking good.
This section tells you
when to perform vehicle maintenance and what fluids and lubricants to use.
This section tells you how to contact Buick for assistance and how to get service publications. It also
gives you information on “Reporting Safety Defects” on page
8-7.
Here’s an alphabetical listing of almost every subject in this manual. You can use it to quickly find something
you want to read.
FeaturesandControls ..................................................................
Comfort Controls and Audio Systems .....................................................
Service and Appearance Care ............................................................
Maintenanceschedule....... ...........................................................
Customer Assistance Information ........................................................
Index ........................................................................\
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Section 1 Seats and Restraint Systems
Here you’ll find information about the seats in your
Buick and how to use
your safety belts properly. You
can also learn about some things you should
not do with
air bags and safety belts.
Seats and Seat Controls
This section tells you about the seats -- how to adjust
them, and also about reclining front seatbacks, head
restraints and folding seats.
Manual Front Seat
/c CAUTION: I
You can lose control of the vehicle if you try to
adjust a manual driver’s seat while the vehicle is moving. The sudden movement could startle and
confuse you, or make you
push a pedal when you
don’t want to. Adjust the driver’s seat only when
l the vehicle is not moving.
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Move the lever under tne
front seat to the left to
unlock it.
Slide the seat to
I where you want it, then
release the lever to lock.
Try
to move the seat with your
body to make sure the seat
is locked into place.
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But don't have a seatback reclined if your vehicle
is moving.
Sitting in a reclined position when your vehicle is
in motion can be dangerous. Even if you buckle
up, your safety belts can't do their job when
you're reclined like this.
The shoulder belt can't do its job-because it
won't be against your body. Instead,
it will be in
front of you. In a crash you could go inta it,
receiving neck or other injuries.
The lap. belt can't do its job either.
In a crash the
belt could
go up over your abdomen. The belt
forces would be there, not at your pelvic bones.
This could cause serious internal injuries.
For proper protection when the vehicle is in
motion, have the seatback upright. Then sit
well back in the seat and wear your safety
belt properly.
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Yead Restraints
Slide the head restraint up or down so that the top of the
.restraint is closest to the top
of your ears. This position
reduces the chance of a neck injury in a crash.
Folding Ret Seats I
To add more cargo room, the seatback of your rear
second and optional rear-facing third seats can be easily
folded down. Be sure
to check your seatback latches
now and then by pushing the seatback back and forth.
If they do not latch properly, have them checked by
your dealer.
Remember to keep
safety belts clear of seat hinges and
latches
so they are not damaged when you raise and
lower the seatbacks.
Folding Second Seat
L
To lower the split second seatback:
Each seat has its own release button. Hold the release
button down and pull the seatback forward and down.
To raise the split second seatback:
Lift the seatback until it locks
in the upright position.
Push back and forth on the seatback to
be sure it is
locked
in place.
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Safety Belts: They’re for Everyone
This part of the manual tells you how to use safety belts
properly. It also tells you some things you should not do
with safety belts.
And it explains the Supplemental Restraint System
(SRS),
or air bag system.
Don’t let anyone ride where he or she can’t wear
a safety belt properly.
If you are in a crash and
you’re not wearing
a safety belt, your injuries
can be much worse.
You can hit things inside the
vehicle or be ejected from it. You can be seriously
injured or killed. In the same crash, you might
not be if you are buckled up. Always fasten your
safety belt, and check that your passengers’ belts
are fastened properly too.
Your car has a light that
comes on as a reminder
to buckle up. (See “Safety
Belt Warning Light” in
the Index
.)
In most states and Canadian provinces, the law says to
wear safety belts. Here’s why:
They work.
You never know if you’ll be in a crash. If you do have a
crash, you don’t know
if it will be a bad one.
A few crashes are mild, and some crashes can be so
serious that even buckled up a person wouldn’t survive.
But most crashes are
in between. In many of them,
people who buckle up can survive and sometimes
walk away. Without belts they could have been badly
hurt or killed.
After more than
25 years of safety belts in vehicles,
the facts are clear. In most crashes buckling up does
matter
.. . a lot!
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Why Safety Belts Work
When you ride in or on anything, you go as fast as
it goes.
Take the simplest vehicle. Suppose it's just a seat
on wheels. Put
someone
on it.
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or the instrument panel ... or the safety belts!
With safety belts, you slow down
as the vehicle does.
You get more time to stop. You stop over more distance,
and your strongest bones take the forces. That’s why
safety belts make such good sense.
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Here Are Questions Many People Ask
About Safety Belts -- and the Answers
QZ Won’t I be trapped in the vehicle after an
accident if
I’m wearing a safety belt?
A: You could be -- whether you’re wearing a safety
belt or not. But
you can unbuckle a safety belt,
even if you’re upside down. And your chance of
being conscious during and after an accident,
so
you can unbuckle and get out, is much greater if
you are belted.
QZ If my vehicle has air bags, why should I have to
wear safety belts?
&.’ If I’m a good driver, and I never drive far from
home, why should
I wear safety belts?
A: You may be an excellent driver, but if you’re in an
accident
-- even one that isn’t your fault -- you and
your passengers can be hurt. Being a
good driver
doesn’t protect you from things beyond your
control, such as bad drivers.
Most accidents occur within
25 miles (40 km)
of home. And the greatest number of serious
injuries and deaths occur at speeds
of less than
40 mph (65 km/h).
Safety belts are for everyone.
A: Air bags are in many vehicles today and will be in
most of them in the future. But they are
supplemental systems
only; so they work with
safety belts -- not instead of them. Every air bag
system ever offered
for sale has required the use of
safety belts. Even if you’re in a vehicle that has air
bags, you still have to buckle up to get the most
protection. That’s true not only
in frontal collisions,
but especially in side and other collisions.
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