1996 PONTIAC BONNEVILLE Owners Manual

How the Air Bag System Works
-_
Where is the air bag?
The driver’s air bag- is in the middle of the steering
wheel.
I The right fmnt passe&er’s air bag is in the instrument
panel on the passenger’s side.
1-18
ProCarManuals.com

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 -- 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
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 instrument
panel
in front of the right front passenger.
vehicle strikes something tha$
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.
-. . -’ , . . sa.-. . ’ : , <.;: .:,, 44,. ?>z?.;,c ”.;) ’ -.‘i - .! .- ~. ~. , 3, , I -i<,.y*< , . ,I ,, >.-,-?. , i-. a-7 .. . . . . .>.*. . , ., . “2- .. . b, .,,- , .J :!- .“ -’ r,’ -” .’ . :<:!-:- ,:. ,.; , . :;. ’. ’ - 5 ,%,-,-:..;, .*. ., “,;L :..~~~.~.~.~!,~~~~~~-. .>’,..,’<.. ,.. . ,, : .. . , , ’. . .‘ .’/ ,’ .
L-i9
ProCarManuals.com

How does an air bag restrain?
In moderate to severe fiontd 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 anythng 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 b& inffates?
After the air bag Mates, 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 right front 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 nev'er 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.
In many crashes severe enough to inflate an air bag,
windshields are broken by vehicle deformation.
Additional
windshield breakage may also occur from the
right front passenger air bag.
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.
1-20 .- _. I ,. .' ProCarManuals.com

0 Your vehicle is equipped with a crash sensing and
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
right front 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
right front passenger’s air bag.
Do not open or
break the air bag covers.
Servicing Your Air Bag-Equipped Pontiac
Air bags affect how your Pontiac 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
Pontiac dealer and the Bonneville 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 10 seconds 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 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.
ProCarManuals.com

Safety Belt Use During Pregnancy
Safety belts work for everyone, including pregnant
women.
Like all occupants, they are more likely to be
seriously injured
if they don’t we& safety b’elts.
A pregnant woman, should wear a lap-shoulder belt, and
the lap portion should be worn as low as possible, below
the rounding, throughout the pregnancy.
The best way to protect the fetus is to protect the
mother. When a safety belt
is worn properly, it’s more
likely that the fetus won’t be hurt in a crash. For
pregnant women, as for anyone, the key to
making
safety belts effective is wearing them properly.
Right Front Passenger Position
The right front passenger’s safety belt works the same
way as the driver’s safety belt. See “Driver Position,”
earlier
in this section.
When the lap portion of the belt is pulled out
all the
way, it will lock.
If it does, let it go back all the way and
start again.
If YOU vehicle has a center passenger position, be sure
to use the correct buckle when buckling
your
lap-shoulder belt. If you find that the latch plate will not
go fully into the buckle, see if you are using the buckle
for the center passenger position.
ProCarManuals.com

Center Passenger Position
Lap Belt
If your vehicle has front and rear bench seats, someone
can sit in the center positions. When you sit in a center seating position, you have a lap
safety belt, which has no retractor.
To make the belt
longer, tilt the latch plate
and pull it along the belt.
ProCarManuals.com

To make the belt shorter, pull its free end as shown’until
the belt is snug.
Rear Seat Passengers
It’s very important for rear seat passengers to buckle up!
‘Accident statistics show that ‘anbelted people in the rear
seat are hurt more often in .crashes than those who are
wearing safety belts.
Rear passengers
who aren’t safety belted can be thrown
out
of the vehicle in a crash. And they can strike others
in the vehicle who are wearing safety belts.
Rear Seat Outside Passenger Positions
Buckle, position and release it the same way as the lap
part of a lap-shoulder belt. If the belt isn’t long enough,
see ‘“Safety Belt Extender” at the knd of this section. The positions next to the windows have lap-shoulder
Lap-Shoulder Belt
Make sure the release button on the buckle is positioned belts.
Here’s how to wear one properly.
so you would be able to unbuckle the safety belt quickly
if you ever had to.
ProCarManuals.com

1. Pick up the latch plate and pull the belt across you.
2. Push the latch plate into the buckle until it clicks. Don’t let it get twisted.
If the belt stops before it reaches the buckle,
ti1.t the
latch plate and keep pulling until you can buckle it.
Pull up on the latch plate to make sure it is secure.
If the belt is not 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.
1-25
ProCarManuals.com