1996 CHEVROLET CORVETTE instrument panel

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 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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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.
e
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
passenger’s safety belt.
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 Air Bag System Works
The passenger’s air bag is in the instrument panel on the
passenger’s side.
Where is the air bag?
The driver’s air bag is in the middle of the steering wheel.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine .. I- ‘ ,
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
-9 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.
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 instiument
panel in front of the passenger.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 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 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.
n 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 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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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 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.
NOTICE:
If you damage the cover for the driver’s or the
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 passenger’s air bag.
Do not open or break the air bag covers.
Servicing Your Air Bag-Equipped Corvette
Air bags affect how your Corvette 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
Corvette dealer and‘the Corvette 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 two minutes 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 yellow wires, 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.
The air bag system does not need regular maintenance.
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e Section 2 Features and Controls
Here you can learn about the many standard and optional features on your Corvette, and information on
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
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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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine A CAUTION:
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It can be dangerous to drive with the hatch 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 hatch open or if
electrical wiring or other cable connections must
pass through the seal between the body and the
hatch:
Make sure all windows are shut.
0 Thrn the fan on your heating or cooling
system to its highest speed with the setting
on bi-level or vent. That will force outside
air into your vehicle. See “Comfort
Controls” in the Index.
If you have air outlets on or under the
instrument panel, open them all the
way.
See “Engine Exhaust” in the Index.
NOTICE:
If you put things in the hatchback area, be sure
they won’t break the glass when you close it.
Never slam the hatch down. You could break the
glass or damage the defogger grid.
When you close the hatch, make sure you pull
down from the center, not the sides.
If you pull
the hatch down from the side too often, the
weatherstrip can be damaged.