1996 CADILLAC ELDORADO Owners Manual

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 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 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.
Servicing Your Air Bag-Equipped Cadillac
Air bags affect how your Cadillac 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
Cadillac dealer and the Cadillac 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
1 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.
The air bag system does not need regular maintenance.
1-26

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 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, below
the rounding, 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.
Right Front Passenger Positio-
The right front passenger’s safety belt works the same
way as the driver’s safety belt. See “Driver Position,”
earlier in this section.
When the lap portion of the belt is pulled out all the
way, it will lock. If it does, let it go back all the way and
start again.
1-27

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Rear Seat Passengers
It’s very important for rear seat passengers to buckle up!
Accident statistics show that unbelted people in the rear
seat are hurt more often in crashes than those who are
wearing safety belts.
Rear passengers who aren’t safety belted can be thrown
out of the vehicle in a crash. And
they can strike others
in the vehicle who are wearing safety belts.
Rear Seat Outside Passenger Positions
n
I
u
Lap-Shoulder Belt
The positions next to the windows have lap-shoulder
belts. Here’s how to wear one properly.
L
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.
1-28

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 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.
3. To make the lap part tight, pull down on the buckle
end
of the belt as you pull up on the shoulder part.
1-29

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 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.
The safety belt
locks if there’s a sudden stop or a crash,
or if you pull the belt very quickly oul of the retractor.
You can be seriously hurt if your shoulder belt is
too loose. In a crash, you would move forward
too much,
which could increase injury. The
shoulder belt should fit against pour body.
To unlatch the belt, just push the button on the buckle.
1-30

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Center Passenger Position
-
Y
Lap Belt
When you sit in the center seating position, you have a
lap safety belt, which has no retractor.
To &e the belt
longer, tilt
the latch plate and pull it along the belt.
..

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine To make the belt shorter, pull its free end as shown until
the belt is snug.
Buckle, position and release it the same way as the lap
part of a lap-shoulder belt.
If the belt isn’t 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.
Children
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.
Sm -1er
Smaller children and babies should always be
restrained in
a child or infant restraint. The
instructions for the restraint will say whether it is
the right type and size for your child.
A very
young child’s hip bones are
so small that a
regular belt might not stay low on the hips, as it
should. Instead, the belt will likely be over the
child’s abdomen. In
a crash, the belt would apply
force right on the child’s abdomen, which could
cause serious or fatal injuries.
So, be sure that
any child small enough for one
is always properly
restrained in
a child or infant restraint.
1-32

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine I
I
A CAUTION:
Never hold a baby in your arms while riding in a
vehicle. A baby doesn’t weigh much -- until a
crash. During a crash a baby will become so
heavy you can’t hold it. For example, in a crash
CAUTION: (Continued) at
only 25 mph (40 km/h),
a 12-1b. (5.5 kg) baby
will suddenly become
a 240-lb. (110 kg) force on
your arms. The baby would be
almost impossible
to hold.
Secure the baby in an infant restraint.
1-33