1996 BUICK PARK AVENUE instrument panel

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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‘! CAUTION:
‘Air bags inflate with great force, faster than the
blink of an eye.
If you’re too close to an inflating
air bag, it could seriously. injure you. Safety belts
help keep you in position for an air bag inflation
in
a crash. Always wear your safety belt, even -
with an air bag. The driver should sit as far back
as possible while still maintaining control of
the vehicle.
An inflating air bag can seriously injure small
children. Always secure children properly in your
vehicle.
To read how, see, the part of this manual
called “Children” and the caution label on the
right front passenger’s safety belt.
/I LAUTION: ‘I
AIR BAG
AIR
BAG
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.
-
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How the __ Bag System Works
Where is the air bag?
The driver's air bag is in the middle of the steering wheel. The
right front passenger's air bag
is in the instrument
panel on the passenger's side.
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.-
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Don’t put anything on, or attach anything to, the
steering wheel or instrument panel. Also, don’t put anything (such
as pets or objects) between
any occupant and the steering wheel or
instrument panel. If something is between an
occupant and an air bag,
it could affect the
performance
of the air bag -- or worse, it could
cause injury.
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.
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 right front passenger.
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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, rear impacts 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.
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 right front passenger’s bag, will
be hot for a short time. The part
of the bag that comes
into contact with you may be warm, but it will never be
too hot to 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.
When an air bag inflates, there is dust in the air.
This dust could cause breathing problems for
people with a history of asthma or other
breathing trouble.
To avoid this, everyone in the
vehicle should get out as
soon as it is safe to do so.
If you have breathing problems but can’t get out
of the vehicle after an air bag inflates, then get
fresh air by opening a window or door.
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.
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I‘ and 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.
0 Let only qualified technicians work on your air bag
system. Improper service can mean that yoyr
air bag
syst,em 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 module in the steering wheel’or both the
air
bag module and the instrument panel for the right front passenger’s
air bag. Do not open or
break the
air bag covers.
Servicing Your Air Bag-Equipped Buick
Air bags affect how your Buick 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
Buick dealer and the Park Avenue Service Manual have
information about servicing your vehicle and the air bag
system.
To purchase a service manual, see “Service and
Owner Publications’’ in the Index.
For up to
10 seconds after the ignition key is
turned off and the battery is disconnected, an air
bag can still inflate during improper service. You
can be injured if you are close to an air bag when
it inflates. Avoid wires wrapped with ‘yellow tape
or yellow connectors. They are probably part of
the air bag system. Be sure to follow proper
service procedures, and make sure the person
performing work for you is qualified
to do so.
me air bag system does not need regular maintenance.
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Section 2 Features and Controls
Here you can learn about the many standard and
optional features on your Buick, and information on
I starting, shifting and braking. Also explained are the
instrument panel
and the warning systems that tell you if
everything is working properly -- and what to do if you
have a problem.
Keys
I A CAUTION:
Leaving young children in a vehicle with the
ignition key
is dangerous for many reasons. A child
or others could be badly injured or even killed.
They could operate power windows or other
controls or even make the vehicle move. Don’t
leave the keys in a vehicle with young children.
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Remote Trunk Release Lockout
The remote trunk release
lockout switch in the glove
box allows you to secure
items
in the trunk. Move the
trunk release lockout switch
to off, lock the glove
box
and take the key with you.
Now the remote TRUNK
release to the left
of the
steering column will not
open the trunk.
To allow the remote TRUNK release switch to the left of
the steering column to operate again, move the trunk
release lockout switch
to on.
Trunk Security Override
The optional Remote Keyless Entry transmitter will
open the trunk even if the trunk release lockout switch
is in the off position. It can
be dangerous to drive with the trunk lid
open because carbon monoxide (CO) gas can
come into your vehicle. You can’t see
or smell
CO.
It can cause unconsciousness and even death.
If you must drive with the trunk lid open or if
electrical wiring or other cable connections must
pass through the seal between the body and the
trunk lid:
Make sure all windows are shut.
0 Wrn the fan on your heating or cooling
system to its highest speed with the setting
on any airflow selection except RECIRC.
That will force outside air into your vehicle.
See “Comfort Controls” in the Index.
0 If you have air outlets on or under the
instrument panel, open them all the way.
See “Engine Exhaust” in the Index.
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