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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. 
Supplemental  Restraint  System (SRS) 
This part explains  the  Supplemental  Restraint  System (SRS) 
or  air  bag  system. 
Your  Oldsmobile has two  air bags 
-- one  air bag  for the 
driver  and another  air bag  for the  right  front  passenger. 
Here are the most  important things to 
know about the 
air  bag  system: 
You can  be severely  injured  or  kill--  in a crash if 
you aren’t  wearing  your  safety  belt -- even  if you 
have  air  bags. Wearing  your  safety  belt  during 
a 
crash  helps  reduce  your  chance  of hitting  things 
inside  the  vehicle or being  ejected  from  it.  Air 
bags  are  “supplemental  restraints’’  to  the  safety 
belts. 
All air  bags  are designed  to  work  with 
safety  belts,  but  don’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 all 
in  rollover,  rear,  side  or  low-speed frontal 
crashes.  Everyone 
in your  vehicle  should  wear a 
safety  belt  properly -- whether  or not  there’s  an 
air  bag  for  that  person.  
         
        
        
     
        
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Your vehicle  is  equipped  with a crash  sensing and 
diagnostic  module,  which  records  information  about 
the 
air bag  system. The module  records  mformation 
about  the  readiness  of  the system,  when  the  sensors  are 
activated  and  driver’s  safety  belt  usage  at  deployment. 
system.  Improper  service  can mean  that  your 
air bag 
system  won’t  work  properly.  See your  retailer  for service. 
0 Let only qualified  technicians  work  on your air bag 
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 
Oldsmobile 
Air  bags  affect  how your Oldsmobile 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  Oldsmobile retailer and the Achieva  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.  
         
        
        
     
        
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Section 2 Features  and  Controls 
Here you can learn about  the many standard  and optional  features  on your Oldsmobile,  and information on starting, 
shifting  and braking. 
Also explained  are the  instrument  panel  and the warning systems that tell you if everything is 
working properly -- and what  to  do if you have a  problem. 
2-2  2-4 
2-7 
2-10 
2-12 2-12 
2-13  2-14 
2- 
16 
2-19 
2-2 
1 
2-25  2-28  2-29 
2-3 
1 
Keys 
Door  Locks 
Remote Lock  Control (If Equipped) 
Trunk 
Theft  Passlock 
TM 
New  Vehicle  “Break-In” 
Ignition  Positions 
Starting  Your Engine 
Engine  Coolant Heater  (If Equipped) 
Automatic  Transaxle Operation 
Manual  Transaxle  Operation 
Parking  Brake 
Shifting  Into  PARK (P) (Automatic  Transaxle 
Models Only)  Shifting  Out 
of PARK  (P) (Automatic 
Transaxle)  2-3 
1 
2-32 
2-32 
2-33 
1 2-34 
1, 2-35 
2-35 
2-43 
2-46 
2-49 
2-50 
2-54 
2-55 
2-56 
2-60  Parking 
Your  Vehicle 
(Manual Transaxle) 
Parking  Over Things  That Burn 
Engine Exhaust 
Running  Your Engine While  You’re Parked 
(Automatic Transaxle) 
Windows 
Tilt Wheel 
Turn  SignalMultifunction  Lever 
Exterior  Lamps 
Interior  Lamps 
Mirrors 
Storage  Compartments 
Accessory Power  Outlet 
Sunroof (If Equipped) 
Instrument  Panel 
Warning  Lights, Gages and  Indicators  
         
        
        
     
        
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1- 
A CAUTION: 
- 
Leaving  young  children  in  a  vehicle  with  the 
ignition  key  is dangerous  for many  reasons. 
A child  or others  could  be badly  injured  or 
even  killed. 
They  could  operate  power  windows 
or other 
controls or  even  make  the  vehicle  move.  Don't 
leave  the  keys  in 
a vehicle  with  young  children. 
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One key is used  for the 
ignition,  the doors 
and all 
other  locks. 
When  a  new Oldsmobile is  delivered, the retailer 
removes  the key  tag  from  the keys,  and gives  them 
to 
the first  owner. 
Each  tag  has  a  code  on it that  tells your retailer  or  a 
qualified  locksmith  how 
to make extra  keys.  Keep the 
tags 
in a safe  place. If you  lose  your  keys,  you’ll  be able 
to have new ones  made easily  using  these  tags. 
If you need a new  key, go to your Oldsmobile  retailer 
for  the  correct  key 
code. 
NOTICE: 
Your Oldsmobile  has a number  of new features 
that  can help  prevent  theft,  therefore  you 
can 
have  a  lot  of  trouble  getting  into your  vehicle  if 
you  ever  lock  your  keys  inside.  You may  even 
have  to damage 
your vehicle  to get  in. So be  sure 
you  have  extra keys.  
         
        
        
     
        
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Door Locks 
Unlocked doors  can  be dangerous. 
Passengers 
-- especially  children -- can  easily 
open  the  doors  and 
fall out.  When a door  is 
locked,  the  inside  handle  won’t  open  it. 
Outsiders  can  easily enter  through  an  unlocked 
door  when  you slow  down 
or stop  your  vehicle. 
This  may  not  be 
so obvious: You increase  the 
chance  of being  thrown  out 
of the  vehicle  in a 
crash if the  doors  aren’t  locked.  Wear  safety  belts 
properly,  lock your  doors,  and  you will be far 
better 
off whenever  you drive  your  vehicle. 
There are several ways  to lock and unlock your vehicle. 
From the outside, use your door  key or Remote Lock 
Control, if your vehicle has this  option. 
From the inside, to lock the door,  slide the locking 
lever  rearward. 
To unlock the door, slide the locking lever forward. 
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Power Door Locks 
With power  door  locks,  you 
can lock  or unlock  all  the 
doors  of your  vehicle  from 
the  driver  or  front  passenger 
door  lock switch. 
Automatic Door Locks 
Just close  your doors  and turn on the  ignition. If you 
have an automatic  transaxle, all 
of the  doors will lock 
when  you move your  shift lever  out 
of PARK (P) 
or NEUTRAL (N). If  you  have a manual transaxle, 
all 
of the  doors  will lock when the  vehicle  reaches  about 
8 mph (13  km/h).  If someone needs  to  get  out  while  the 
vehicle 
is running, have that person use the  manual  or 
power  lock. When the door  is closed  again,  it will lock 
automatically when  you move your shift  lever  out 
of 
PARK (P) or NEUTRAL (N). If you have a manual 
transaxle,  the doors  will lock when the vehicle  reaches 
about 
8 mph (13 km/h).  All doors  will automatically 
unlock when the key  is turned to  the 
OFF position. 
If  you  don’t want the  doors  to automatically unlock 
when 
the key  is  turned to the OFF position,  you can 
remove the 
DR UNLK fuse. For fuse  location,  see 
“Fuses  and Circuit Breakers”  in the Index. 
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Rear Door Security Locks 
Your Oldsmobile is 
equipped with rear door  security locks that help 
prevent  passengers from 
opening the rear  doors 
of  your vehicle 
from 
the  inside. 
To  use  one 
of these locks: 
1. Use a  key to move the lock all the  way up. 
2. Close  the door. 
3. Do the same thing  to the other rear door lock. 
The  rear  doors 
of your vehicle cannot be opened from 
inside when this  feature is in use. 
If you  want to open a 
rear  door when the security lock is  on: 
1. Unlock the door from the inside. 
2. Then open the door from the outside. If  you 
don't cancel  the security lock  feature, adults or 
older children who  ride 
in the rear  won't be able to open 
the  rear  door from  the inside. 
You should let adults  and 
older  children know  how these security locks work, and 
how  to cancel the locks. 
To cancel the  rear door locks: 
1. Unlock the door from the inside  and open the door 
from the outside. 
2. Use a key to move the lock all  the way  down. 
3. Do the same  for  the  other  rear  door. 
The rear door locks will now work normally. 
Leaving Your Vehicle 
If you  are leaving the vehicle, open your door and  set 
the locks from inside, then get  out and close the door. 
2-6