1996 GMC SAVANA Owners Manual

What's wrong with this?
A: The belt is buckled in the wrong place. 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.
1-17
ProCarManuals.com

&.' What's wrong with this?
A: The belt is over an armrest.
You can be seriously injured if your belt goes
over an armrest like this. The belt would be much
too high. In
a crash, you can slide under the belt.
The belt force would then be applied at the
abdomen, not at the pelvic bones, and that could
cause serious
or fatal injuries. Be sure the belt
goes under the armrests.
1-18
ProCarManuals.com

@ What's wrong with this?
A: The shoulder belt is worn under the arm. It should
be worn over the shoulder at all times.
11
You can be seriously injured if' you "ear 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.
1-19
ProCarManuals.com

What’s wrong with this? 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.
I I I I I I I I I I I
A: The belt is twisted across the body.
1-20
ProCarManuals.com

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 baL Q :y stem.
If it says SUPPLEMENTAL
INFLATABLE RESTRAINT
on the middle
part of the
steering wheel and there's
a right f1-ant passenger seat,
your vehicle has
two air
bags -- one air bag for the
driver and another air bag for
the right front passenger.
1-21
ProCarManuals.com

If it says SUPPLEMENTAL INFLATABLE
RESTRAINT on the middle part
of the steering wheel
but there is
no right front passenger seat, your vehicle
has an air bag for the driver only.
.If it doesn't say SUPPLEMENTAL 'INFLATABLE
RESTRAINT on the middle part
of the steering wheel,
your vehicle doesn't have air bags.
Here are the most important things to know about the
air bag system:
Air bags are designed to work anly- in moderate. to
severe crashes where the front of your vehicle
hits
something. They aren't.designed to inflate at all in
rillover, rear, side dr .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 fbr that person.
I
Yon can be severely injured or killed in a crash if
you aren't wearing yow.sa€ety belt I- even if you
have an air bag. Wearing
your safety belt during
a crash
'hdps- reduce, your chance of hitting things
inside the vehicle or being ejected from
it. The air
bag
is only-a "supplementa1,restraint.)' That is, it -
'works'witb safety belts but doesn't replace them.
' - CAUTION: (Continued)
L
Air bags inflate with great force, faster than the
blink
af an eye. If yoltl'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.
1
D
I/
1-22
1
ProCarManuals.com

If your vehicle has an air bag for the right front
passr
, please read this:
A CAUTION:
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
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.
1 -23
ProCarManuals.com

How the Air Bag System Works
The right front passenger’s air bag is
panel
on the passenger’s side. in
the instrument
Where is the air bag?
The driver’s air bag is in the middle of the steering wheel.
1-24 .
ProCarManuals.com