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The 1999 Oldsmobile Cutlass Owner's Manual
1-1 Seats and Restraint SystemsThis section tells you how to use your seats and safety belts properly. It also explains the ªSRSº system.
2-1 Features and ControlsThis section explains how to start and operate your vehicle.
3-1 Comfort Controls and Audio SystemsThis section tells you how to adjust the ventilation and comfort controls and how to operate your audio system.
4-1 Your Driving and the RoadHere you'll find helpful information and tips about the road and how to drive under different conditions.
5-1 Problems on the RoadThis section tells you what to do if you have a problem while driving, such as a flat tire or overheated engine, etc.
6-1 Service and Appearance CareHere the manual tells you how to keep your vehicle running properly and looking good.
7-1 Maintenance ScheduleThis section tells you when to perform vehicle maintenance and what fluids and lubricants to use.
8-1 Customer Assistance InformationThis section tells you how to contact Oldsmobile for assistance and how to get service and owner publications.
It also gives you information on ªReporting Safety Defectsº on page 8-9.
9-1 IndexHere's an alphabetical listing of almost every subject in this manual. You can use it to quickly find
something you want to read.
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Section 1 Seats and Restraint Systems
Here you'll find information about the seats in your vehicle and how to use your safety belts properly. You can also
learn about some things you should not do with air bags and safety belts.
1
-2 Seats and Seat Controls
1
-6 Safety Belts: They're for Everyone
1
-11 Here Are Questions Many People Ask About
Safety Belts
-- and the Answers
1
-12 How to Wear Safety Belts Properly
1
-12 Driver Position
1
-19 Safety Belt Use During Pregnancy
1
-20 Right Front Passenger Position
1
-20 Supplemental Restraint System (SRS)
1
-27 Rear Seat Passengers1
-30 Rear Safety Belt Comfort Guides for
Children and Small Adults
1
-32 Center Passenger Position
1
-34 Children
1
-37 Child Restraints
1
-49 Larger Children
1
-52 Safety Belt Extender
1
-52 Checking Your Restraint Systems
1
-52 Replacing Restraint System Parts
After a Crash
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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
CAUTION:
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.
Lift the lever under the front seat to unlock it. Slide the
seat to where you want it. Then release the lever and try
to move the seat with your body, to make sure the seat is
locked into place.
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CAUTION:
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.
Rear Seats
Folding Rear Seat
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CAUTION:
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 ªSafety
Belt Reminder Lightº 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 30 years of safety belts in vehicles,
the facts are clear. In most crashes buckling up does
matter ... a lot!
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How to Wear Safety Belts Properly
Adults
This part is only for people of adult size.
Be aware that there are special things to know about safety
belts and children. And there are different rules for smaller
children and babies. If a child will be riding in your
vehicle, see the part of this manual called ªChildren.º
Follow those rules for everyone's protection.
First, you'll want to know which restraint systems your
vehicle has.
We'll start with the driver position.
Driver Position
This part describes the driver's restraint system.
Lap-Shoulder Belt
The driver has a lap-shoulder belt. Here's how to wear
it properly.
1. Close and lock the door.
2. Adjust the seat (to see how, see ªSeatsº in the Index)
so you can sit up straight.
3. Pick up the latch plate and pull the belt across you.
Don't let it get twisted.
The shoulder belt may lock if you pull the belt across
you very quickly. If this happens, let the belt go back
slightly to unlock it. Then pull the belt across you
more slowly.
4. Push the latch plate into the buckle until it clicks.
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A rear-facing infant restraint (B) positions an infant
to face the rear of the vehicle. Rear
-facing infant
restraints are designed for infants of up to about
20 lbs. (9 kg) and about one year of age. This type
of restraint faces the rear so that the infant's head,
neck and body can have the support they need in a
frontal crash. Some infant seats come in two
parts
-- the base stays secured in the vehicle and
the seat part is removable.
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A booster seat (F, G) is designed for children who
are about 40 to 60 lbs., or even up to 80 lbs. (18 to
27 kg, or even up to 36 kg), and about four to eight
years of age. A booster seat is designed to improve
the fit of the vehicle's safety belt system. Booster
seats with shields use lap
-only belts; however,
booster seats without shields use lap
-shoulder belts.
Booster seats can also help a child to see out
the window.