1996 PONTIAC FIREBIRD Owners Manual

Q: 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.
A: The belt is twisted acros’s the body.
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Supplemental Restraint (SRS) System
This part explains the Supplemental Restraint (SRS)
system or air bag system.
Your Pontiac has two air bags
-- one air bag for the
I driver and another air bag for the right front passenger.
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.
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Mere are the most important things to know about the air
bag system:
You can be severely injured or killed in a crash if
you aren’t wearing your safety belt -- even if you
have an air bag. Wearing your safety belt during a
crash helps reduce your chance of hitting things
inside the vehicle
or being ejected from it. The air
bag is only a %upplemental restraint,’’ That is, it
works with safety belts but doesn’t replace them,
Air ,bags are designed to work only in moderate to
severe crashes where the front of your vehicle hits
something. They aren’t designed to inflate at dl in
rollover, rear, side or 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 for that person.
I
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. The driver should sit as far
back as possible while still maintaining control
of the vehicle.
I /II 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.
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AIR
BAG
There is an air bag
readiness light on the
instrument panel, which
shows AIR BAG.
How the Air Bag System Works
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.
Where is the air bag?
The driver’s air bag is in the middle of the steering whee\
l.
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A
A
The right front passenger's air bag is in the instrument
panel on the passenger's side.
I
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
oc-cupant and an air bag, it could affect the
performance
of the air bag -- or worse, it could
cause injury.
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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
vehicle strikes something that 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.
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.
How does an air bag restrain?
In moderate to severe frontal 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 anythmg more than a
supplement to safety belts, and then only in moderate to
severe frontal or near-frontal collisions.
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What will you see after an air bag inflates?
After the air bag inflates, 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 never 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.
I A CAUTION:
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.
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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 Firebird Service
Manual have
information about servicing your vehicle and the air bag
system.
To purchase a service manual, see “Seririce and
Owner Publications” in the Index.
I A CAUTION:
II
For up to 10 minutes 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.
’he air bag system does not need regular maintenance.
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