1997 Oldsmobile Achieva ECU

Rear Seats
Folding the Rear Seat (If Equipped)
To fold down the rear seat, pull forward
on the seat tab.
Push the seatback up to return it to its original position.
To make sure the seatback is secure, push it into a
Mly
upright position. A loose seatback can cause an injury in
a sudden stop.
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.
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.
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If the belt stops before it reaches the buckle, tilt the
latch plate and keep pulling until
you can buckle
the belt.
Pull up on the latch plate to make sure it
is secure.
If the belt isn’t 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.
5. To make the lap part tight, pull down on the buckle
end of the belt as you pull up on the shoulder belt.
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r -
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.
/d 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.
AIR
BAG
There is an air bag readiness
light
on the instrument
panel, which shows
AIR BAG.
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.

If the belt stops before it reaches the buckle, tilt the
latch plate and keep pulling until you can buckle it.
hll 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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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) heavy
you can't hold
it. For example, in a crash
at only 25 mph (40 km/h), a 12-lb. (5.5 kg) baby
will suddenly become a 240-lb. (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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Child Restraints
Be sure the child restraint is designed to be used in a
vehicle. If it is, it will have a label saying that it meets
Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards.
Then follow the instructions for the restraint. You may
find these instructions on the restraint itself or in a
booklet, or both. These restraints use the belt system in
your vehicle, but the child also has
to be secured within
the restraint to help reduce the chance of personal injury.
The instructions that come with the infant or child
restraint will show you how to do that.
Where to Put the Restraint
Accident statistics show that children are safer if they
are restrained
in the rear rather than the front seat. We at
General Motors therefore recommend that you put your
child restraint in the rear seat.
Never put a rear-facing
child restraint in the front passenger seat. Here’s why:
A child in a rear-facing child restraint can be
seriously injured if the right front passenger’s
air bag inflates. This
is because the back of a
rear-facing child restraint would be very close to
the inflating
air bag. Always secure a rear-facing
child restraint in the rear seat.
You may, however, secure a forward-facing child
restraint in the right front seat. Before
you secure
a forward-facing child restraint, always move the
front passenger seat
as far back as it will go. Or,
secure the child restraint in the rear seat.
Wherever you install
it, be sure to secure the child
restraint properly.
Keep in mind that
an unsecured child restraint can move
around in
a collision or sudden stop and injure people in
the vehicle. Be SUI-e to properly secure any child
restraint
in your vehicle -- even when no child is in it.

Top Strap If your child restraint has a top strap, your retailer can
obtain a kit with anchor hardware and installation
instructions designed for this vehicle. The retailer can
then install the anchor for you. In Canada, this work will
be done for you free
of charge. Or, you may install
the anchor hardware using the instructions provided
in the kt.
Securing a Child Restraint in a Rear
Outside Seat Position
If your child restraint has a top strap, it should be
anchored.
If you need to have an anchor installed, you
can ask your Oldsmobile retailer
to put it in for you. If
you want to install an anchor yourself, your retailer can
tell you how to do
it.
Canadian law requires that child restraints have a top
strap, and that strap be anchored. You’ll
be using the lap-shoulder belt. See the earlier part
about the top strap if the child restraint has one.
1. Put the restraint on the seat. Follow the instructions
for the child restraint.
2. Secure the child in the child restraint as the
instructions say.

5. To tighten the belt, pull up on the shoulder belt while
you push down on the child restraint.
6. Push and pull the child restraint in different
directions to be sure it is secure.
To remove the child restraint, just unbuckle the vehicle’s
safety belt
and let it go back all the way. The safety belt
will move freely again and be ready to work for an adult
or larger child passenger.
Securing a Child Restraint in the Center
Rear Seat Position
U
You’ll be using the lap belt.
See the earlier part about the top strap if the child
restraint has one.
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