1996 PONTIAC BONNEVILLE belt

The 1996 Pontiac Bonneville Owner’s Manual
-
Seats and Restraint Systems ............................................................. 1-1
This section tells you how to use your seats and safety belts prop\
erly. It also explains the “SRS” system.
This section explains how to start and operate your Pontiac.
This section tells you how to adjust the ventilation and comfort co\
ntrols and how to operate your
audio system.
Here you’ll find helpful 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.
Here the manual tells
you how to keep your Pontiac running properly and looking good.
This section tellp you when to perform vehicle maintenance and what \
fluids and lubricants to use.
This section tells you how to contact Pontiac for assistance and how to get service and \
owner publications.
It also gives you information on “Reporting Safety Defects”\

on page 8-9.
Here’s an alphabetical listing of almost every subject in this manual. You can use it to quickly find
something
you. want to read.
Features and Controls ..................... ; ............................................ 2-1
Comfort Controls and Audio Systems ...................................................... 3-1
. Your Driving and the Road .............................................................. 4-1
ProblemsontheRoad
.................................................................. 5-1
Service and Appearance Care.. .......................................................... 6-1
Maintenanceschedule......... .......................................................... 7-1
Customer Assistance Information ... .#. ................................................... 8-1
Index ........................................................................\
.......... 9-1
ProCarManuals.com

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 AVOID
SPARKS
OR
FLAMES
SPARK
OR ,\I/,
COULD
RAM€
EXPLODE BATTERY
These symbols are
important
for you and
your passengers whenever your
vehicle
is
driven:
f-l DOOR LOCK
UNLOCK
FASTEN SEAT
BELTS
e?
AIR BAG p
These symbols
have to do with your lights:
SIGNALS e
TURN
PARKING
p$ LAMPS
FOG LAMPS
$0
These symbols are on some of
your controls:
WIPER Q
WINDSHIELD
DEFROSTER
VENTILATING
FAN - )
These symbols are used on
warning
and
indicator lights:
ENGINE
COOLANT
- e-
TEMP -
CHARGING I-1
BATTERY
SYSTEM
BRAKE
(0)
COOLANT a
ENGINE OIL e,
PRESSURE
ANTI~LOCK (@)
BRAKES
Here are some
other symbols
you
may see:
FUSE
LIGHTER
m
HORN )tr
SPEAKER
b
FUEL p3
v
ProCarManuals.com

Section, 1 Seats and -Restraint Systems
~~~~
Here you’ll find information about the seats in your Manual Front Seat
Pontiac and how to use your safety belts properly. You ~~ ._ can also learn about some thkgs you should not do with
air bags and safety belts.
Seats and Seat Controls
t ,. :’ This section,tells you about the seats -- how to adjust
them
-- and also about reclining seatbacks and head
restraints.
I
A 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.
Pull up on the control bar under the front of the seat to
unlock it. Slide the seat to where you want it. Then
release the bar and
try to move the seat with your body,
to make sure the seat is locked into place.
1-1
ProCarManuals.com

But don’t have a seatback reclined if your vehicle is
moving.
I
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. Then sit well
back
in the seat and wear your safety belt properly.
Head Restraints
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.
On some models, the head restraints tilt forward
and
rearward also.
1-4
ProCarManuals.com

Safety Belts: They’re for Everyone
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
I-
Your vehicle has a light that
comes on as a reminder to
buckle up. (See “Safety Belt
Reminder Light” in the
Index.)
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.
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 rnild, 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!
1-5
ProCarManuals.com

Why Safety Belts Work
When you ride in or on anythmg, you go as fast as it
goes.
c
Take the simplest vehicle. Suppose.it’s just a seat on
wheels. Put someone
on it.
ProCarManuals.com

or the instrument panel ... 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.
1-8
ProCarManuals.com

Here Are Questions Many People Ask
About Safety Belts -- and the Answers
Won’t I be trapped in the vehicle after an
accident
if I’m wearing a safety belt?
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
you are belted.
e.’ 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
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.
wear safety belts?
Q=
A:
If I’m a good driver, and I never drive far from
home, why should I wear safety belts?
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
Safety belts
are for everyone.
(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
Pontiac, 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.
ProCarManuals.com