1997 CHEVROLET CAMARO Owners Manual

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Don’t attach anythmg to, or put anytnmg
between, an occupant and an air bag.
If
something is between an occupant and an air bag,
the bag might not inflate properly or it might
force the object into you and cause injury. The
path
of an inflating air bag must be kept clear, so
don’t attach or put anything on the steering
wheel hub or on or near any air bag covering.
When should an air bag inflate?
An air bag is designed to inflate in a moderate to severe
frontal or near-frontal crash. 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
how quickly the vehicle slows down in frontal or
near-frontal impacts.
What makes an air bag inflate?
In an impact of sufficient severity, the air bag sensing
system detects that the vehicle is in a crash. The sensing
system triggers a release of gas from the inflator, which
inflates the air bag. The inflator, air bag and related
hardware
are all part of the air bag modules inside the
steering wheel and in the instrument panel in front of the
right front passenger.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 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.
Air bags supplement 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 those
air bags. Air
bags should never be regarded as anything more than a
supplement to safety belts, and then only in moderate to
severe frontal or near-frontal collisions.
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.
What will you see after an air bag inflates?
After an air bag inflates, it quickly deflates, 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 parts of the bag that come
into contact with you may be warm, but not too hot to
touch. There will be some smoke and dust coming from
vents in the deflated air bags. Air bag inflation doesn’t
prevent the driver from seeing or from being able
to
steer the vehicle, nor does it stop people from leaving
the vehicle. 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.
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.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 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.
0 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.
Servicing Your Air Bag-Equipped
Chevrolet
Air bags affect how your Chevrolet 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 Chevrolet dealer and the Camaro 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.
NOTICE:
If you damage the covering for the driver’s or the
right front passenger’s
air bag, the bag 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 coverings. 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.
The air bag system does not need regular maintenance.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Rear Seat Passengers
It’s very important for rear seat passengers to buckle up!
Accident statistics show that unbelted 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.
I
Lap-Shoulder Belt
The rear seats have lap-shoulder belts. Here’s how to
wear one properly.
1. Pick up the latch plate and pull the belt across you.
Don’t let
it get twisted.
On convertible models, 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.
2. Push the latch plate into the buckle until it clicks.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine If the belt stops before it reaches the buckle, tilt 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.
3. To make the lap part tight, pull down on the buckle
end
of the belt as you pull up on the shoulder part.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine I I
The lap part of the belt should be worn low and snug on
the hips,
just touching the thighs. In a crash, this applies
force to the
strong pelvic bones. And you’d be less likely
to slide under the lap belt.
If you slid under it, the
belt would apply force at your abdomen. This could
cause serious
or even fatal injuries. The shoulder belt
should
go over the shoulder and across the chest.
These parts
of the body are best able to take belt
restraining forces.
The safety belt locks
if there’s a sudden stop or a crash.
On convertible models, the safety belt also locks
if you
pull the belt very quickly out of the retractor.
r
A CAUTION:
You can be seriously hurt if your shoulder belt is
too loose. In a crash, you would move forward
too much, which could increase injury. The
shoulder
belt should fit against your body.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Children
Everyone in a vehicle needs protection! That includes
infants and all children smaller than adult size. In fact,
the law in every state in
the United States and in every
Canadian province says children up
to some age must be
restrained while in
a vehicle.
To unlatch the belt, just push the button on the buckle.
I
Smaller children and babies should always be
restrained in a child or infant restraint. The
instructions
for the restraint will say whether it
is the right type and size for your child. A very
young child's hip bones
are so small that a
regular belt might not stay low on the hips, as it
should. Instead, the belt will likely be over the
child's abdomen. In a crash, the belt would apply
force right on the child's abdomen, which could
cause serious
or fatal injuries. So, be sure that
any child small enough for one is always properly
restrained in
a child or infant restraint.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Never hold a baby in your arms while riding in a
vehicle.
A baby doesn’t weigh much -- until a
crash. During a crash a baby will become so
CAUTION: (Continued) CAUTION: (Continued)
heavy
you can’t hold it. For example, in a crash
at only
25 mph (40 km/h), a 12-1b. (5.5 kg) baby
will suddenly become a 240-1b. (110
kg) force on
your arms. The baby would be almost impossible
to
hold.
Secure the baby in an infant restraint.
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