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The 1996 Oldsmobile  Cutlass  Supreme  Owner’s  Manual 
Seats  and  Restraint  Systems ............................................................. 
This section tells you  how  to  use  your seats and  safety  belts  properly.  It also explains  the  “SRS”  system. 
This  section  explains  how to 
start and  operate  your  Oldsmobile. 
This  section  tells  you  how to  adjust  the  ventilation  and  comfort  controls  and  how to operate  your 
audio  system. 
Here  you’ll  find  information  and  tips  about  the  road  and  how to drive  under  different  conditions. 
This  section  tells  you  what  to  do 
if you  have  a  problem  while  driving,  such  as  a  flat  tire  or 
overheated  engine,  etc. 
ServiceandAppearanceCare ............................................................ 
Here  the  manual  tells  you  how  to keep  your  Oldsmobile  running  properly  and  looking  good. 
Maintenance  Schedule .................................................................. 
This  section  tells  you  when to perform  vehicle  maintenance  and  what  fluids  and  lubricants to use. 
Customer  Assistance  Information ........................................................ 
This section  tells  you  how  to  contact  Oldsmobile  for  assistance  and \
 how to get  service  and owner publications. 
It also gives  you  information.on  “Reporting  Safety  Defects”  on  page\
 8-7. 
Index ........................................................................\
.......... 
Here’s  an  alphabetical  listing  of almost  every  subject  in  this  manual.  You can  use  it to quickly  find 
something  you  want  to read. 
FeaturesandControls .................................................................. 
Comfort  Controls  and  Audio  Systems .................. ’. .................................. 
YourDrivingandtheRoad .............................................................. 
ProblemsontheRoad .................................................................. 
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2-1 
3-1 
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5-1 
6- 1 
7-1 
8-1 
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J 
Vehicle Symbols 
These are some of the symbols you may find on  your vehicle. 
For example, these symbols 
are  used on an 
original battery: 
POSSIBLE A 
CAUTION 
INJURY 
PROTECT  EYES  BY 
SHIELDING 
Q 
CAUSTIC 
BURNS AVOID 
SPARKS 
OR 
FLAMES 
SPARK 
OR ,\I/, 
COULD  FLAME 
EXPLODE  BAllERY 
These symbols are important 
for  you  and 
your passengers 
whenever your 
vehicle  is 
driven: 
UNLOCK w. 
FASTEN 
SEAT 
BELTS 
POWER 
WINDOW 
These symbols 
have to  do with 
your lights: 
SIGNALS e e3 
TURN 
RUNNING 
* 0 
DAYTIME 
LAMPS 
FOG  LAMPS 
# 0 
These symbols 
are on some 
of 
your  controls: 
WINDSHIELD 
WIPER 
WINDOW 
DEFOGGER 
These symbols  are  used  on 
warning and 
indicator lights: 
COOLANT 
TEMP 
- 
CHARGING I-1 
BAllERY 
SYSTEM 
BRAKE 
(a) 
COOLANT a 
ENGINE OIL w, 
PRESSURE 
ANTI-LOCK 
(@) 
BRAKES 
Here are some 
other symbols 
you  may  see: 
FUSE 
LIGHTER 
m 
HORN )tr 
SPEAKER 
I@ 
FUEL la  
     
        
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R Section 1 Seats and  Restraint  Systems 
Here you’ll find information about  the seats  in your 
Oldsmobile  and  how  to  use  your  safety  belts properly. 
You  can also learn about some things  you should 
not do 
with  air bags  and  safety belts. 
Seats  and  Seat Controls 
This section tells  you  how  to adjust the seats  and explains 
reclining seatbacks, folding rear seats and head restraints. 
Manual  Front  Seat 
 CAUTION: 
You  can lose  control of the vehicle  if  you try to 
adjust 
a manual  driver’s seat  while the vehicle  is 
moving.  The sudden  movement  could  startle  and 
confuse  you,  or make  you push a pedal  when  you 
don’t  want to. Adjust  the driver’s seat  only  when 
the  vehicle  is  not  moving. Lift the bar  under the front of the  seat to unlock it. Slide 
the  seat 
to where  you  want  it and  release the  bar. Try to 
move  the seat  with  your  body  to  be  sure the seat is 
locked  in place. 
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Head  Restraints 
Sitting in a reclined  position  when  your vehicle  is 
in  motion  can be dangerous.  Even 
if you buckle 
up,  your  safety  belts  can’t  do their  job when 
you’re  reclined  like  this. 
The  shoulder  belt  can’t  do its job because  it 
won’t  be  against your  body. Instead, it  will  be  in 
front  of  you.  In a  crash  you  could  go  into it, 
receiving  neck  or other  injuries. 
The  lap belt  can’t  do its job either.  In a  crash  the 
belt  could  go up  over  your  abdomen.  The  belt 
forces  would  be  there, not at your  pelvic  bones. 
This  could  cause  serious internal  injuries. 
For  proper  protection when the vehicle  is  in 
motion,  have  the seatback  upright. phen sit 
well  back 
in the seat  and wear  your safety 
belt  properly. 
Slide  the head  restraint  up or down so that  the top  of the 
restraint  is closest to  the top  of your  ears. 
This position 
reduces the chance 
of a neck  injury  in a crash. 
Seatback  Latches (2-Door Models) 
The  front  seat folds forward 
to  let  people  get into the 
back seat.  Your seatback 
will  move  back and forth 
freely,  unless you come to a 
sudden  stop. Then  it will‘ 
lock in  place. 
If  your  vehicle  is parked  facing down a fairly steep  hill, 
the seatback  may  not fold without  some  help from you. 
To fold the locked seatback forward,  push  the  seatback 
toward  the rear  and lift this latch. Then the seatback  will 
fold  forward.  The latch  must be down  for the seat  to 
work  properly. 
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Split Folding Rear  Seat (Option) Safety Belts: They’re  for Everyone 
Pull  forward  on the  seat  tab  to  fold  the  seat  down. To 
return  the  seat  to  its  original  position,  push  it back  up 
and  make  sure  it latches.  This 
part 
of the  manual  tells  you  how  to  use  safety  belts 
properly.  It  also  tells  you  some  things  you  should  not  do 
. - 
with  safety  belts. 
And it explains  the  Supplemental  Restraint  System 
(SRS), or air  bag  system. 
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Don’t  let  anyone  ride where  he or she  can’t  wear 
a safety  belt  properly.  If  you are in  a  crash  and 
you’re  not  wearing 
a safety  belt,  your injuries 
can  be  much  worse.  You can hit things  inside the 
vehicle  or be  ejected  from 
it. You can be  seriously 
injured  or killed.  In the  same crash,  you might 
not  be 
if you  are buckled  up.  Always  fasten  your 
safety  belt,  and check  that your  passengers’  belts 
are  fastened  properly  too.  
     
        
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Your vehicle  has a  light 
that  comes  on as  a 
reminder  to  buckle  up.  (See  “Safety  Belt 
Reminder  Light”  in 
the  Index.) 
In  most  states  and  Canadian  provinces,  the law  says  to 
wear  safety  belts.  Here’s  why: 
They work. 
You never  know  if  you’ll  be  in  a  crash.  If  you  do have a 
crash,  you  don’t  know  if  it will  be  a  bad  one. 
A  few  crashes  are mild,  and  some crashes  can be 
so 
serious  that  even buckled  up  a  person  wouldn’t  survive. 
But  most  crashes  are in  between.  In  many  of  them, 
people  who  buckle  up can  survive  and sometimes  walk 
away.  Without  belts  they  could  have been  badly  hurt 
or  killed. 
After  more  than 
25 years  of  safety  belts  in  vehicles, 
the  facts 
are clear.  In  most  crashes  buckling  up  does 
matter 
... a  lot! 
Why Safety  Belts Work 
When  you  ride  in  or  on  anything,  you go as fast as 
it  goes. 
Take  the  simplest  vehicle.  Suppose  it’s  just a  seat 
on  wheels. 
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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. 
Here  ‘Are  Questions  Many  People  Ask 
About  Safety  Belts 
-- and  the  Answers 
12.. Won’t I be  trapped  in  the  vehicle  after  an 
accident  if 
I’m wearing  a  safety  belt? 
A: You could be -- whether  you’re wearing  a safety 
belt  or not.  But  you  can unbuckle a  safety belt, 
even  if  you’re  upside  down.  And  your  chance of 
being  conscious  during 
and after an accident, so 
you can unbuckle  and  get out, is much greater  if 
ypu are belted. 
@ If my vehicle  has  air bags, why  should I have  to 
A: Air bags are in many  vehicles  today  and  will be 
in  most  of  them  in the  future.  But  they are 
supplemental  systems  only; 
so they  work with 
safety belts -- not instead of them.  Every  air bag 
system ever  offered for sale  has  required  the use of 
wear  safety  belts? 
safety  belts.  Even  if  you’re  in  a vehicle  that has air 
bags,  you  still have  to buckle  up  to  get the most 
protection.  That’s  true not  only  in  frontal collisions, 
but  especially  in  side and  other  collisions.  
     
        
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If  I’m  a  good  driver,  and  I  never  drive  far  from 
home,  why  should  I  wear  safety  belts? 
A: You may  be an excellent driver, but  if you’re  in an 
accident 
-- even  one that isn’t  your fault -- you  and 
your  passengers can be hurt. Being a  good driver 
doesn’t protect  you from things  beyond  your 
control, such  as  bad drivers. 
Most  accidents  occur  within 
25 miles (40 km) of 
home.  And the greatest  number of serious injuries 
and  deaths occur  at speeds  of less  than 
40 mph 
(65 km/h). 
How to‘ Wear  Safety  Belts  Properly 
Adults 
This  part is only  for people  of adult size. 
Be aware that there  are’special things to  know  about 
safety belts  and children.  And  there  are different rules 
for  smaller children  and  babies. 
If a child will be riding 
in  your  Oldsmobile,  see  the part of this  manual 
called  “Children.”  Follow  those rules for 
everyone’s  protection. 
First, you’ll  want to know  which  restraint systems  your 
vehicle has. 
We’ll  start with  the driver  position. 
Safety 
belts are for everyone. 
Driver  Position 
This part describes  the driver’s restraint  system. 
Lap-Shoulder  Belt 
The driver  has a lap-shoulder belt.  Here’s  how to wear 
it  properly. 
i. Close  and  lock  the door. 
2.  Adjust  the seat (to  see how,  see “Seats” 
in the Index) 
so you  can sit up  straight. 
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