2001 CADILLAC SEVILLE Owners Manual

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Your vehicle has a feature that will automatically unlock
the doors and turn the interior lamps on when the air
bags inflate (if battery power is available). You can lock
the doors again and turn the interior lamps off by using
the door lock and interior lamp controls.
In many crashes severe enough to inflate an air bag,
windshields are broken by vehicle deformation.
Additional windshield breakage may also occur from
the right front passenger air bag.

Air bags are designed to inflate only once. After an
air bag inflates, 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 an electronic frontal
sensor, which helps the sensing system distinguish
between a moderate frontal impact and a more
severe frontal impact. Your vehicle is also equipped
with a crash sensing and diagnostic module, which
records information about the frontal air bag system. The module records information about the readiness
of the system, when the system commands air bag
inflation and driver's safety belt usage at
deployment. The module also records speed, engine
rpm, brake and throttle data.

Let only qualified technicians work on your air
bag systems. Improper service can mean that an
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, or the
air bag covering on the driver's and right front
passenger's seatback, the bag may not work
properly. You may have to replace the air bag
module in the steering wheel, both the air bag
module and the instrument panel for the right
front passenger's air bag, or both the air bag
module and seatback for the driver's and right
front passenger's side impact air bag. Do not
open or break the air bag coverings.

1-30 Automatic Occupant Sensor (AOS) System
Your vehicle may have an automatic system that will turn
off the right front passenger's frontal and side impact air
bags under certain conditions. The driver's frontal and
side impact air bags are not part of the AOS system.
United States CanadaIf the rearview mirror in your vehicle has PASSENGER
AIR BAG on it, your vehicle has the AOS system.
When you turn the key to ON or START, the words ON
and OFF will come on in the rearview mirror. See
ªPASSENGER AIR BAG ON/OFF Lightº in the Index.
If your rearview mirror doesn't have the words
PASSENGER AIR BAG on it, your vehicle doesn't
have the AOS system.
The AOS system works with sensors that are part of the
right front passenger's seat. The sensors are designed
to detect the presence of an occupant on the seat and
determine if the passenger's frontal and side impact
air bags should be on or off.

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The AOS system is designed to turn off the passenger's
frontal and side impact air bags if:

the right front passenger seat is unoccupied,

the system detects a rear
-facing infant seat,

the system detects a forward
-facing child restraint,

the right front passenger seat is occupied by a
smaller person, such as a child who has outgrown
child restraints or a very small adult.
If there is a critical problem with the frontal air bag
system or the AOS system, the system is designed
to turn the air bags off. If there is a problem with the
side impact air bag system, the side impact air bag
would be off but the passenger's frontal bag would
continue to operate normally.When the AOS system has turned off the passenger's
frontal and side impact air bags, the OFF light in the
rearview mirror will stay on to remind you that the air
bags are off.
United States Canada

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The right front passenger's frontal and side impact air
bags will be turned on anytime the AOS system senses
that a person of adult size is sitting in the right front
passenger seat. When the air bags are turned on,
the ON light in the rearview mirror will stay on to
remind you that the air bags are on.
United States Canada
CAUTION:
If the air bag readiness light on the instrument
panel ever comes on, it means that something
may be wrong with the air bag system. If this
ever happens, have the vehicle serviced promptly,
because an adult
-size person sitting there may
not have the protection of the air bags. See ªAir
Bag Readiness Lightº in the Index for more on
this, including important safety information.
Aftermarket equipment, such as seat covers, can affect
how well the AOS system operates. You may not want
to use seat covers or other aftermarket equipment if your
vehicle has the AOS system.

1-33 Servicing Your Air Bag-Equipped Vehicle
Air bags affect how your vehicle should be serviced.
There are parts of the air bag systems in several places
around your vehicle. Your dealer and the service manual
have information about servicing your vehicle and the
air bag systems. To purchase a service manual, see
ªService and Owner Publicationsº in the Index.
CAUTION:
For up to 10 seconds 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 yellow connectors.
They are probably part of the air bag systems.
Be sure to follow proper service procedures, and
make sure the person performing work for you is
qualified to do so.
The air bag systems do not need regular maintenance.
Safety Belt Pretensioners
Your vehicle has safety belt pretensioners. You'll find
them on the buckle end of the safety belts for the
driver and right front passenger. They help the safety
belts reduce a person's forward movement in a
moderate to severe crash in which the front of the
vehicle hits something.
Pretensioners work only once. If they activate in a crash,
you'll need to get new ones, and probably other new
parts for your safety belt system. See ªReplacing
Restraint System Parts After a Crashº in the Index.

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Rear Seat Passengers
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.
Rear Seat Passenger Positions
Lap-Shoulder Belt
All three rear seating positions have lap
-shoulder belts.
Here's how to wear one properly.
1. 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.
2. Push the latch plate into the buckle until it clicks.

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If the belt stops before it reaches the buckle, tilt the
latch plate and keep pulling until you can buckle it.
Pull up on the latch plate to make sure it is secure.
If the belt is not long enough, see ªSafety Belt
Extenderº 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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The lap part of the belt should be worn low and snug on
the hips, just touching the thighs. In a crash, this applies
force to the strong pelvic bones. And you'd be less
likely to slide under the lap belt. If you slid under it,
the belt would apply force at your abdomen. This could
cause serious or even fatal injuries. The shoulder belt
should go over the shoulder and across the chest.
These parts of the body are best able to take belt
restraining forces.
The safety belt locks if there's a sudden stop or a crash,
or if you pull the belt very quickly out of the retractor.
CAUTION:
You can be seriously hurt if your shoulder belt is
too loose. In a crash, you would move forward too
much, which could increase injury. The shoulder
belt should fit against your body.