1996 CHEVROLET S10 Owners Manual

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine What’s wrong with this?
I I
I
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 your body.
I I
A: The shoulder belt is too loose. It won’t give nearly
as
much protection this way.
,’ 4,;
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine &.' What's wrong with this?
A: The belt is buckled in the wrong place.
4 CAUTION:
You can be seriously injured if your belt is
buckled in the wrong place like this. In a
crash,
the belt would go up over your abdomen. The belt
forces would be there, not at the pelvic bones.
This
could cause serious internal injuries. Always
buckle your belt into the buckle nearest you.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine &: What’s wrong with this?
A: The shoulder belt is worn under the arm. It should
be
worn over the shoulder at all times.
k CAU’ION:
F-
You can be seriously injured if you wear the
shoulder belt under your arm. In a crash, your
body would move too
far forward, which would
increase the chance
of head and neck injury.
Also, the belt would apply too much force to the
ribs, which aren’t as strong as shoulder bones.
You could also severely injure internal organs
like your liver or spleen.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine @' What's wrong with this?
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You can be seriously injured by a twisted belt. In
a crash, you wouldn't have the full width of the
belt
to spread impact forces. If a belt is twisted,
make it straight
so it can work properly, or ask
your dealer to
fix it.
A: The belt is twisted across the body.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 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 Inflatable
Restraint
(SIR) System
This part explains the Supplemental Inflatable Restraint
(SIR) system or air bag system.
Your vehicle has an air bag for the driver.
Here
are the most ’important things to know about the
air
bag system:
g:
.-
I
CA
-
You can be severely injured or killed in a crash if
you aren’t wearing your safety .belt
-- even if you
have an
air bag. Wearing your safety belt during a
crash helps reduce your chance of hitting things
inside
the vehicle or being ejected from it. The. air
bag is only a “supplemental restraint.” That is, it
works with safety belts but doesn’t replace them.
CAUTION: (Continued)

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine P A 1 TTTf
Air bags are designed to work only in moderate to
severe crashes where the front of your vehicle hits
something. They aren’t designed to inflate at all in
rollover, rear, side or low-speed frontal crashes.
Everyone in your vehicle, including the driver,
should wear a safety belt properly
-- whether or
not there’s an air bag for that person.
A CArTTION:
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, and sit as far back as you can
while still maintaining control of your vehicle. 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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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine I How the Air Bag System Works
I
Don’t put anything on, or attach anything to, the
steering wheel.
Also, don’t put anything (such as
pets or objects) between the driver and the
steering wheel.
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 14 to 18 mph (23 to 29 km/h). The threshold level
can vary, however, with specific vehicle design,
so that
it can be somewhat above or below this range.
Where
is the air bag?
The driver’s air bag is in the middle
of the steering wheel.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 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.
The air bag system is designed to work properly under a
wide range
of conditions, including off-road usage.
Observe safe driving speeds, especially on rough terrain.
As always, wear your safety belt. See “Off-Road
Driving” in the Index for more tips
on off-road driving.
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, 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.
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