1998 BUICK PARK AVENUE Owners Manual

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
pregnane women,
as for anyone, the key to making
safety belts effective
is wearing them properly.
To Bern how io wear the right front passenger’s
safety belt properly, see “Driver
Po~itiod’ earlier in
this section.
The right
front passenger’s safety beit works the same
way as the driver’s safety belt -- except for one thing. If
you ever pull the lap p~rtio~~ of the belt out all the way,
you will engage the child restraint locking feature. If
this happens, just let the belt go back all the way and
stat again.
hf your vehicle has a center passenger position, be sure
to use the correct buckie when buckhg your
fap-shoulder belt.
If you find that the latch plate will not
go fully irrto the buckle, see if you are using the buckle
for the center passenger position.
This part explains the Supplemental Restraint System
(SRS) or ais bag system. Your vehicle
has “Next Generation” reduced-force
frontal air bags -- one air bag ~QI“ Fhe driver 2nd another
air bag
for the right front passenger. Reduced-force
frontal
air bags are designed to help seduce the risk of
injury from the force of an inflating frontal air bag. Bst
even these air bags xmst inflate very quickly if they ae
to do their job and comply with federal regulations.
Here are the most important things to know about the
air bag system:
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CAmHoN: (CQdIIUd)
Young children and infants need the protection that
a child restraint system can provide. Always
secure children properly in your vehicle.
To
read how, see the part of this manual called
“Children”
and see the caution labels on the
smvisoss and the right front passenger’s
safety belt.
There is an air bag
readiness light
on the
instrument panel, which
BAG
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.
..
... ... .; ........
Where are the air bags?
The driver’s air bag is in the middle of the
steering wheel.
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’ ”I
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.
The right front passenger’s air bag is in the instrument
panel
an the passenger’s side.
When should an air bag inflate?
An air bag is designed to inflate in a moderate to severe
frontal or near-fiontal 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.
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In any particular crash, no one can say whether an air
bag
should have inflated simply because ofthe 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.
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 YQU 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 -- the
steering wheel hub
for the driver’s air bag, or the
instmrnent panel for the right front passenger’s
bag
-- will be hot for a short time. $he parts of the
bag that corne into contact
with you rnrty be warm,
but not too hot to touch. Therc will bc some smoke
and dust corning
from vents in tlrc rtcBlated air bags. Air
bag inflation doesn’t prevent the ch-iver li.om seeing or
from being able
to steer the vehick. IICX does it stop
people from leaving the vehicic.
When an air bag inflates, there is dust. in the ais.
This dust could cause breathing problerns for
people with a history of asthma or other
breathing trouble. ab 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.
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,:’tin. haps arc designed to inflate oniy once. After they
ienr’i;rtc, yuu’II need some new puts for your air bag
systern. 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.
@ Your vehicle is equipped with a crash sensing and
diagnostic module,
which records information about
eke
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
depioyment.
@ 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. Air
bags afFect how your vehicle 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 dealer and the Park Avenue Service Manual
have inforrnaeion about servicing your vehicle and the
air bag system. To purchase a service manual, see
“Service and Owner Publications”
in the Index.
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FI
If ~UI- vehicle has a front split seat and a rear bench
seat, SQ~~OIE can sit in the center positions,
Wen you sit in a center seating position, you have a Hap
safety belt, which has no retractor. To make the belt
longer, tilt the latch plate slnd pull it along the belt.
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To make the belt shorter, pull its free end as shown until
the belt is snug.
Buckle, position
and release it the same way as the lap
part of a lap-shoulder belt. If the belt isn’t long enough,
see “Safety Belt Extender”
at the end of this section.
&ggp Sea& passq3ers
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.
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.
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