1998 CHEVROLET EXPRESS Owners Manual

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Right Front Passenger Position
To learn how to wear the right front passenger’s safety belt
properly,
see “Driver Position” earlier in this section.
The right front passenger’s safety belt works the same
way as the driver’s safety belt
-- except for one thing. If
you ever pull the shoulder portion
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
start again.
Air Bag System
This part explains the air bag system.
If it says AIR
BAG on the middle part of the steering
wheel and AIR BAG on
the instrument panel in front of
the right front passenger’s seat, your vehicle has two air
bags
-- one air bag for the driver and another air bag for
the right front passenger.
If it says
AIR BAG on the middle part of the steering
wheel but it doesn’t say AIR BAG on the instrument
panel in front of the right front passenger’s
seat, your
vehicle has an air bag for the driver only.
If
it says AIR BAG on the middle part of the steering
wheel, but there is no right front passenger seat, your
vehicle has an air bag for the driver only.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine If it doesn’t say AIR BAG on the middle part of the
steering wheel, your vehicle doesn’t have air bags.
If your vehicle has an air bag for the driver, the air bag
is a “Next Generation’’ reduced-force frontal air bag. If
your vehicle has an air bag
for the right front passenger
and there’s a label on the driver’s side window, then
your vehicle has a “Next Generation” reduced-force
frontal air bag for the right front passenger.
If your
vehicle has an air bag for the right front passenger but
it
doesn’t have a label, then the right front passenger’s air
bag isn’t reduced-force.
Reduced-force frontal air bags are designed
to help
reduce the risk
of injury from the force of an inflating
air bag. But even these air bags must inflate very
quickly
if they are to do their job and comply with
federal regulations. Here
are
the most important things to know about the air
bag system:
You can be severely injured
or killed 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
-- even reduced-force 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. And, for unrestrained
occupants, reduced-force air bags may provide
less protection
in frontal crashes than more
forceful air bags have provided in the past..
Everyone in your vehicle should wear a safety
belt properly
-- whether or not there’s an air bag
for that person.
1-27

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 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. This is true
even with reduced-force frontal air bags. Safety
belts help’keep you in position before and during
a crash. Always wear your safety belt, even with
reduced-force air bags. The driver should sit as
far back as possible while still maintaining
control of the vehicle.
If your vehicle has an air bag for the right front
passenger, please read this:
r
A CAUTION:
Children who are up against, or very close to,
an air bag when it inflates can be seriously
injured or killed. This is true even
if your vehicle
has reduced-force frontal air bags. Air bags plus
CAUTION: (Continued)
CAUTION: (Continued)
lap-shoulder belts offer the best protection for
adults, but not for young children and infants.
Neither the vehicle’s safety belt system nor its
air bag system is designed for them. 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 sunvisors and 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.
I 1-28

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.
c
The right front passenger's air bag is in the instrument
panel
on the passenger's side.
1-29

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. And don’t hang anything from the
assist handle on the passenger’s side
of the
instrument panel.
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 11 to 16 mph (18 to 26 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.
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.
1-30

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 -- 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.
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.
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 readiness
of the system, when the sensors are
activated and driver’s safety belt usage at deployment.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 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.
If your vehicle ever gets into a lot
of water -- such as
water up to the carpeting or higher
-- or if water enters
your vehicle and soaks the carpet, the air bag controller
can be soaked and ruined.
If this ever happens, and then
you start your vehicle, the damage could make the air
bags inflate, even if there’s no crash. You would have to
replace the air bags as well as
the sensors and related
parts. If your vehicle
is ever in a flood, or if it’s exposed
to water
that soaks the carpet, you can avoid needless
repair costs by turning
off the vehicle immediately. Don’t let anyone
start the vehicle, even to tow it, unless
the battery cables are first disconnected.
Servicing Your Air Bag-Equipped Vehicle
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
GM 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.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Adding Equipment to Your Air
Bag-Equipped Vehicle
Q: If I add a push bumper or a bicycle rack to the
front of my vehicle, will it keep the air bags
from working properly?
A: As long as the push bumper or bicycle rack is
attached to your vehicle
so that the vehicle’s basic
structure isn’t changed, it’s not likely to keep the
air bags from working properly in a crash.
Q: Is there anything I might add to the front of the
vehicle that could keep the air bags from
working properly?
A: Yes. If you add things that change your vehicle’s
frame, bumper system, front end sheet metal or
height, they may keep the air bag system from
working properly. Also, the air bag system may not
work properly if you relocate any of the air bag
sensors. If you have any questions about this, you
should contact Customer Assistance before you
modify your vehicle. (The phone numbers and
addresses for Customer Assistance are in Step Two
of the Customer Satisfaction Procedure in this
manual. See “Customer Satisfaction Procedure”
in the Index.)