1997 PONTIAC GRAND AM Owners Manual

Seats and Seat Controls
This section tells you about the seats -- how to
adjust them
-- and also about reclining seatbacks and
head restraints.
Manual Seats
You can lose control of the vehicle if you try to
adjust
a manual driver’s seat while the vehicle is
moving. The sudden movement could startle and
confuse you, or make you push
a pedal when you
don’t want to. Adjust the driver’s seat only when
the vehicle is not moving. Move the control lever under the front
of the seat to
unlock
it. Slide the seat to where you want it. Then
release the lever and
try to move the seat with your
I body, to make sure the-seat is locked into place.
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Manual Lumbar Support (If Equipped) Power
Seat Controls (If Equipped)
Turn the knob on the right front of the driver’s seat
cushion clockwise or counterclockwise to adjust support
for the lower back. To adjust the power seat on some models:
FRONT CONTROL (A): Raise the front of the seat by
holding the switch up. Lower the front
of the seat by
holding the switch down.
CENTER CONTROL (B): Move the seat forward or
back
by holding the control to the front or back.
Move the seat higher by holding the control up. Lower
the seat by holding the control down.
REAR CONTROL (C): Raise the rear of the seat by
holding the switch up. Lower the rear of the seat by
holding the switch down.
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Reclining Front Seatbacks
To adjust the seatback, lift the lever on the outer side of
the seat and move the seatback to where you want it.
Release the lever to lock the seatback. Pull up
on the
lever and the seat will go to an upright position. But don’t have
a seatback reclined
if your vehicle
is moving.
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A CAUTION:
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Sitting in a reclined position when your vehicle is
in motion can be dangerous, Even if you buckle
up, your safety belts can’t do their job when
you’re reclined like this.
The shoulder belt can’t do its job because it
won’t be against your body. Instead, it will be in
front of you. In a crash you could go into it,
receiving neck or other injuries.
The lap belt can’t do its job either. In
a crash the
belt could
go up over your abdomen, The belt
forces would be there, not at your pelvic bones.
This could cause serious internal injuries.
For proper protection when the vehicle is in
motion, have the seatback upright. Then sit well
back in the seat and wear your safety belt properly.
Head Restraints
Slide the head restraint up or down so that the top of the
restraint is closest
to the top of your ears. This position
reduces the chance
of a neck injury in a crash.
Seatback Latches (2-Door Models)
The front seatback folds forward to let people get into
the back seat.
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To fold a front seatback forward, lift the seatback latch.
When you return the seatback to its original position, the
seatback will lock.
If the seatback isn’t locked, it could move
forward in
a sudden stop or crash. That could
cause injury to the person sitting there. Always
press rearward on the seatback
to be sure it
is locked.
Easy Entry Seat (2-Door Models)
The right front seat of your vehicle makes it easy to get
in
and out of the rear seat.
Tilt the right front seatback completely forward and
Move the right front seatback to its original position
the whole seat will
slide forward.
after someone gets into the rear seat area. Then move
the seat rearward until
it locks.
Tilt the seatback completely forward again to
get out.
I 6h CAUTION: I
If an easy entry right front seat isn’t locked, it
can move.
In a sudden stop or crash, the person
sitting there could be injured. After you’ve used
it, be sure to push rearward on an easy entry seat
to be sure it
is locked.
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Rear Seats
Folding the Rear Seat (If Equipped)
To open, pull forward on the seat tab.
To close, push the seatback up to its original position.
Push the seatback completely up against the back plate
to ensure that the latch will hook.
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.
A CAUTION:
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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It is extremely dangerous to ride in a cargo area,
inside or outside
of a vehicle. In a collision,
people riding in these areas are more likely
to be
seriously injured or killed.
Do not allow people to
ride in any area of your vehicle that
is not
equipped with seats and safety belts. Be sure
everyone in your vehicle is in
a seat and using a
safety belt properly.
Your vehicle has a light
that comes on as a reminder
to buckle up. (See “Safety
Belt Reminder Light” in
the Index.)
In most states and Canadian provinces, the law says to
wear safety belts. Here’s why:
They work.
You never know if you’ll be in a crash. If you do have a
crash, you don’t know if it will be a bad one.
A few crashes are mild, and some crashes can be so
serious that even buckled up a person wouldn’t survive.
But
most crashes are in between. In many of them, people
who buckle up can survive
and sometimes walk away.
Without belts they could have
been badly hurt or killed.
After more than 25 years of safety belts in vehicles,
the facts are clear. In most crashes buckling up does
matter
... a lot!
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Why Safety Belts Work
When you ride in or on anything, you go as fast as
it goes.
Take the simplest vehicle. Suppose it's
just a seat
on wheels. Put someone
on it.
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