2001 Oldsmobile Aurora Owner's Manuals

1-21
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
pregnant women, as for anyone, the key to making
safety belts effective is wearing them properly.
Right Front Passenger Position
To learn how to wear the right front passenger's
safety belt properly, see ªDriver Positionº 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 lap 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 Systems
This part explains the frontal and side impact
air bag systems.
Your vehicle has four air bags
-- a frontal air bag
for the driver, another frontal air bag for the right front
passenger, a side impact air bag for the driver, and
another side impact air bag for the right front passenger.
Frontal air bags are designed to help reduce the risk of
injury from the force of an inflating frontal air bag. But
these air bags must inflate very quickly to do their job
and comply with federal regulations.

1-22
Here are the most important things to know about the
air bag systems:
CAUTION:
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 ªsupplemental restraintsº to the safety
belts. All air bags are designed to work with
safety belts but don't replace them.
CAUTION: (Continued)
CAUTION: (Continued)
Frontal air bags for the driver and right front
passenger 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, frontal
air bags may provide less protection in frontal
crashes than more forceful air bags have provided
in the past. The side impact air bags for the driver
and right front passenger are designed to inflate
only in moderate to severe crashes where
something hits the side of your vehicle. They
aren't designed to inflate in frontal, in rollover
or in rear crashes. Everyone in your vehicle
should wear a safety belt properly
-- whether or
not there's an air bag for that person.

1-23
CAUTION:
Both frontal and side impact air bags inflate
with great force, faster than the blink of an eye.
If you're too close to an inflating air bag, as you
would be if you were leaning forward, it could
seriously injure you. Safety belts help keep you in
position for air bag inflation before and during a
crash. Always wear your safety belt, even with
frontal air bags. The driver should sit as far back
as possible while still maintaining control of the
vehicle. Front occupants should not lean on or
sleep against the door.
CAUTION:
Anyone who is up against, or very close to, any
air bag when it inflates can be seriously injured
or killed. Air bags plus lap
-shoulder belts offer
the best protection for adults, but not for young
children and infants. Neither the vehicle's safety
CAUTION: (Continued)
CAUTION: (Continued)
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 ªChildren.º
There is an air bag readiness
light on the instrument
panel, which shows the
air bag symbol.
The system checks the air bag electrical system for
malfunctions. The light tells you if there is an electrical
problem. See ªAir Bag Readiness Lightº in the Index
for more information.

1-24 How the Air Bag Systems Work
Where are the air bags?
The driver's frontal air bag is in the middle of the
steering wheel.
The right front passenger's frontal air bag is in the
instrument panel on the passenger's side.
The driver's side impact air bag is in the side of the
driver's seatback closest to the door.

1-25
The right front passenger's side impact air bag is in the
side of the passenger's seatback closest to the door.
CAUTION:
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 let seat covers block the
inflation path of a side impact air bag.

1-26
When should an air bag inflate?
The driver's and right front passenger's frontal air bags
are designed to inflate in moderate to severe frontal or
near
-frontal crashes. The frontal air bags are designed
to inflate only if the impact speed is above the system's
designed ªthreshold level.º 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 driver's and right front passenger's
frontal air bags are not designed to inflate in rollovers,
side impacts, or rear impacts, because inflation would
not help the occupant.
The side impact air bags are designed to inflate in
moderate to severe side crashes involving a front door.
A side impact air bag will inflate if the crash severity
is above the system's designed ªthreshold level.º
The threshold level can vary with specific vehicle
design. Side impact air bags are not designed to inflate
in frontal or near
-frontal impacts, rollovers or rear
impacts, because inflation would not help the occupant.
A side impact air bag will only deploy on the side of the
vehicle that is struck.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.
For frontal air bags, inflation is determined by the angle
of the impact and how quickly the vehicle slows down
in frontal and near
-frontal impacts. For side impact
air bags, inflation is determined by the location and
severity of the impact.
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. For both
frontal and side impact air bags, 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, instrument panel and the side of the front
seatbacks closest to the door.

1-27
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. In moderate to severe side
collisions, even belted occupants can contact the inside
of the vehicle. The air bag supplements 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 the frontal
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
the air bag. Side impact air bags would not help you in
many types of collisions, including frontal or near
frontal collisions, rollovers, and rear 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 for
the driver's and right front passenger's frontal air bags,
and only in moderate to severe side collisions for the
driver's and right front passenger's side impact air bags.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, the instrument panel for the right front passenger's
bag, the side of the seatback closest to the door for
the driver and right front passenger's side impact air
bags
-- 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 the vents in the deflated air bags. Air bag
inflation doesn't prevent the driver from seeing or being
able to steer the vehicle, nor does it stop people from
leaving the vehicle.

1-28
CAUTION:
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 a door.
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 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. Some modules also
record 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.