
Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Supplement to the 1997 Chevrolet Lumina and Monte Carlo Owner’s Manuals
This is a correction to information found on page 2-34 and 2-35 (Lumina) and page 2-34 (Monte Carlo).
Daytime Running Lamps / Automatic
Headlamp Control
Daytime Running Lamps (DRL) can make it easier
for others to
see the front of your vehicle during the
day. DRL can be helpful in
many different dnving
conditions, but they can be especially helpful in the
short periods after dawn and before sunset.
A light sensor on top of the instrument panel makes
the DRL work,
so be sure it isn’t covered.
The DRL system will make your high-beam headlamps
come on at a reduced brightness when:
The ignition is on,
The headlamp switch is off and
The parking brake is released.
97LUMWCARL0001 When
the DRL
are on, only your reduced intensity
high-beam headlamps will be on. The taillamps,
sidemarker and other lamps won’t be on. Your
instrument panel won’t be
lit up either.
When it’s dark enough outside, your DRL will turn off
and your low-beam headlamps will turn on. The other
lamps that come on with your headlamps will also
come on.
When it’s bright enough outside, the low-beam
headlamps will go out and DRL turns on your
high-beam headlamps at reduced intensity.
To idle your vehicle with the DRL off, set the parking
brake while the ignition is in
OFF or LOCK. Then start
your vehicle. The DRL will stay off until you release
the parking brake.
As with any vehicle, you should turn on the regular
headlamp system when you need it.
1

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine This is a correction to information found on page 6-58 and 6-59 for Lumina and Monte Carlo.
Instrument Panel Fuse Block B Not Used
Circuit
Breaker Description
C Power Windows
D Power Seats
E Not Used
Fuse Rating Description
1
5
6
Cigar Lighter-- Instrument Panel and
Console Cigar Lighters
Not Used
Not Used
HVAC
-- HVAC Control Assembly
Solenoid Box, Mix Motor, DRL Module,
HVAC Control Head, Defogger Relay,
(S.E.O.) Digital Speedometer
nazard Flasher
R.H. Spot Lamp
(S.E.O.)
A
Not Used
2

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine I
' 't
The person keeps going until stopped by something.
In a real vehicle, it could be the windshield ...
or the instrument panel ...

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A CAI
m
1
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 before and during a
crash. Always wear your safety belt, even with
air
bags. The driver should sit as far back as possible
while still maintaining control of the vehicle.
A 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.
-1
There is an air bag readiness
light on the instrument
AIR BAG
panel, which shows AIR
BAG or the air bag symbol.
The system checks the air bag 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.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine How the Air Bag System Works
Where are the air bags?
The driver’s air bag is in the middle of the steering wheel. The
right front passenger’s air bag is in the instrument
panel
on the passenger’s side.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine If something is between an occupant and an air
bag, the bag might not inflate properly or it
might force the object into that person. The path
of an inflating air bag must be kept clear. Don’t
put anything between an occupant and an air
bag, and don’t attach or put anything on the steering wheel hub or on
or near any other 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 kmh). 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.

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.
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.
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.
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 readmess
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 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.
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 Monte Carlo 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 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.