Page 7 of 372
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
CAUSTIC
BURNS
SPARK
OR ,\I/,
COULD FLAME
EXPLODE BAllERY
These symbols are important for you and
your passengers
whenever your
vehicle is
driven:
DOOR LOCK
UNLOCK
SEAT
BELTS
These symbols have to
do with
your lights:
SIGNALS TURN
FOG LAMPS
# 0
These symbols
are
on some of
your controls:
WINDSHIELD
WIPER
WINDOW
DEFOGGER
VENTILATING FAN
These symbols are used on
warning and
indicator lights:
ENGINE k
COOLANT - t6
TEMP -
CHARGING I-1
BAllERY
SYSTEM
BRAKE
(0)
h
COOLANT
ENGINE OIL
e,
PRESSURE
ANTI-LOCK
(@)
BRAKES
Here are some
other symbols
you may see:
FUSE
P
LIGHTER n
HORN b
SPEAKER
b
FUEL e3
V
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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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Page 26 of 372
3. 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.
4. Push the latch plate into the buckle until it clicks. If
the belt stops before
it reaches the buckle, tilt
the latch plate and keep pulling until you can buckle
the belt.
Pull up
on the latch plate to make sure it is secure. 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.
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Page 34 of 372
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.
AIR BAG
There is an air bag readiness
light on the instrument
panel, which shows the
words
AIR BAG.
I 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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Page 40 of 372
1. Pick up the latch plate and pull the belt across you.
Don’t
let it get twisted.
If the belt stops before it reaches the buckle, tilt the latch
plate and keep pulling until you can buckle it.
The shoulder belt may lock if you
pull the belt across Pull up on the latch plate to make sure it is secure.
You very quickly* If this let the go back If the belt is not long enough, see “Safety Belt
slightly to unlock it. Then pull the belt
across you
more slowly. Extender” at
the end of this section. Make sure the
release button on the buckle is positioned
so you would
2. Push the latch plate into the buckle until it clicks.
be able to unbuckle the safety belt quickly if you ever
had to.
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Page 57 of 372
d
Securing a Child Restraint in an Outside Seat Position
There’s a vinyl sleeve there; to get to the bracket, push
this vinyl sleeve aside slightly. Anchor the top strap to
the bracket. If you need to have an anchor bracket
installed for any additional passenger seat position, you
can ask your Oldsmobile retailer to put it in for you. If
you want to install an anchor bracket yourself, your
retailer can tell you how to do it.
Once you have the top strap anchored, you’ll be ready to
secure
the child restraint itself. You’ll
be using the lap-shoulder belt. See the earlier part
about the top strap if the child restraint has one.
1. Put the restraint on the seat. Follow the instructions
for the child restraint.
2. Secure the child in the child restraint as the
instructions say.
3. Pick up the latch plate, and run the lap and shoulder
portions of the vehicle’s safety belt through or
around the restraint. The child restraint instructions
will show you how.
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Page 64 of 372

Safety Belt Extender
If the vehicle’s safety belt will fasten around you, you
should use it.
But if a safety belt isn’t long enough to fasten, your
retailer will order
you an extender. It’s free. When you
go in to order it, take the heaviest coat you will wear,
so
the extender will be long enough for you. The extender
will be just for you, and just for the seat
in your vehicle
that you choose. Don’t
let someone else use it, and use it
only for the seat it is made to fit. To wear it, just attach it
to the regular safety belt.
Checking Your Restraint Systems
Now and then, make sure the safety belt reminder light
and all your belts, buckles, latch plates, retractors and
anchorages are working properly. If your vehicle has
a
built-in child restraint, also periodically make sure the
harness straps, latch plates, buckle, clip, child head
restraint and anchorages are working properly. Look for
any other loose or damaged safety belt and built-in child
restraint system parts.
If you see anything that might
keep a safety belt or built-in child restraint system from
doing its job, have
it repaired.
Torn
or frayed safety belts may not protect you in a
crash. They can rip apart under impact forces. If
a belt is
torn or frayed, get
a new one right away. If
your vehicle has the built-in child restraint, torn or
frayed harness straps can
rip apart under impact forces
just like torn or frayed safety belts can. They may not
protect a child in a crash. If
a harness strap is torn or
frayed, get
a new harness right away.
Also look for any opened or broken air bag covers, and
have them repaired or replaced. (The air bag system
does not need regular maintenance.)
Replacing Restraint System Parts
After
a Crash
If you’ve had a crash, do you need new safety belts or
built-in child restraint parts?
After a very minor collision, nothing may be necessary.
But if the safety belts or built-in child restraint harness
straps were stretched, as they would be if worn during a
more severe crash, then you need new safety belts or
harness straps.
If safety belts or built-in child restraint harness straps are \
cut or damaged, replace them. Collision damage also may
mean you will need
to have safety belt, built-in child
restraint or seat parts repaired or replaced. New
parts and
repairs may be necesscary even if the safety belt or built-in \
child restraint wasn’t being used at the time of the collis\
ion.
If an air bag inflates, you’ll need to replace air bag system
parts. See the part on the air bag system earlier in
this section.
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Page 79 of 372

When the key is in the ignition in the RUN position,
the power sliding door will only open if
the transaxle
is
in PARK (P). The transaxle does not have to be in
PARK (P) to close the door.
If the ON/OFF switch is in
the
ON position and the power sliding door is open or in
the process
of closing when you shift out of PARK (P), a
tone will sound and the power sliding door warning light
on your instrument panel will flash (see “Power Sliding
Door Warning Light”
in the Index). This is a warning
light that the sliding door is not completely closed.
IAC TION: I
If you shift the transaxle out of PARK (P) and
accelerate before the power sliding door latches
closed, the door may reverse to the open position.
A child or others could fall out of the vehicle and
be injured.
Always make sure the power sliding
door
is closed and latched before you drive away.
If anything obstructs the power sliding door while it is
closing, the door will automatically reverse to the open
position, provided it meets sufficient resistance. Resistance must be
as strong as the force of the closing
door, or stronger.
The force of the closing door increases
significantly
as the door approaches the latch position.
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