2005 PONTIAC GRAND AM wheel

A few crashes are mild, and some crashes can be so
serious that even buckled up, a person would not
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!Why Safety Belts Work
When you ride in or on anything, you go as fast as
it goes.
Take the simplest vehicle. Suppose it is just a seat on
wheels.
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{CAUTION:
Anyone who is up against, or very close to, any
airbag when it inates can be seriously injured
or killed. Airbags plus 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 airbag 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, seeOlder Children
on page 1-30andInfants and Young Children on
page 1-32.
There is an airbag
readiness light on the
instrument panel, which
shows AIR BAG.The system checks the airbag electrical system for
malfunctions. The light tells you if there is an electrical
problem. SeeAirbag Readiness Light on page 3-25.Where Are the Airbags?
The driver’s airbag is in the middle of the steering
wheel.
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The right front passenger’s airbag is in the instrument
panel on the passenger’s side.
{CAUTION:
If something is between an occupant and an
airbag, the bag might not inate properly or it
might force the object into that person causing
severe injury or even death. The path of an
inating airbag must be kept clear. Do not put
anything between an occupant and an airbag,
and do not attach or put anything on the
steering wheel hub or on or near any other
airbag covering.
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When Should an Airbag Inate?
The driver’s and right front passenger’s frontal airbags
are designed to inflate in moderate to severe frontal or
near-frontal crashes. But they are designed to inflate only
if the impact exceeds a predetermined deployment
threshold. Deployment thresholds take into account a
variety of desired deployment and non-deployment
events and are used to predict how severe a crash is
likely to be in time for the airbags to inflate and help
restrain the occupants. Whether your frontal airbags will
or should deploy is not based on how fast your vehicle is
traveling. It depends largely on what you hit, the direction
of the impact and how quickly your vehicle slows down.
If your vehicle goes straight into a wall that does not
move or deform, the threshold level is about 9 to 14 mph
(14 to 23 km/h). (The threshold level can vary,
however, with specific vehicle design, so that it can be
somewhat above or below this range.)
Airbags may inflate at different crash speeds. For
example:
•If the vehicle hits a stationary object, the airbag
could inflate at a different crash speed than if
the object were moving.
•If the object deforms, the airbag could inflate at a
different crash speed than if the object does not
deform.
•If the vehicle hits a narrow object (like a pole) the
airbag could inflate at a different crash speed than if
the vehicle hits a wide object (like a wall).
•If the vehicle goes into an object at an angle the
airbag could inflate at a different crash speed than if
the vehicle goes straight into the object.
The frontal airbags (driver and right front passenger) are
not intended to inflate during vehicle rollovers, rear
impacts, or in many side impacts because inflation
would not likely help the occupants.
In any particular crash, no one can say whether an
airbag 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
and near-frontal impacts.
What Makes an Airbag Inate?
In an impact of sufficient severity, the airbag sensing
system detects that the vehicle is in a crash. The
sensing system triggers a release of gas from the
inflator, which inflates the airbag. The inflator, airbag,
and related hardware are all part of the airbag modules
inside the steering wheel and in the instrument panel
in front of the right front passenger.
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How Does an Airbag Restrain?
In moderate to severe frontal or near-frontal collisions,
even belted occupants can contact the steering wheel or
the instrument panel. Airbags supplement the protection
provided by safety belts. Airbags distribute the force of
the impact more evenly over the occupant’s upper body,
stopping the occupant more gradually. But airbags would
not help you in many types of collisions, including
rollovers, rear impacts and many side impacts, primarily
because an occupant’s motion is not toward those
airbags. Airbags 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 Airbag
Inates?
After an airbag inflates, it quickly deflates, so quickly that
some people may not even realize the airbag inflated.
Some components of the airbag module — the steering
wheel hub for the driver’s airbag 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 the vents in the
deflated airbags. Airbag inflation does not prevent the
driver from seeing or being able to steer the vehicle, nor
does it stop people from leaving the vehicle.
{CAUTION:
When an airbag inates, 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 not
get out of the vehicle after an airbag inates,
then get fresh air by opening a window or a
door. If you experience breathing problems
following an airbag deployment, you should
seek medical attention.
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In many crashes severe enough to inflate an airbag,
windshields are broken by vehicle deformation.
Additional windshield breakage may also occur from the
right front passenger airbag.
•Airbags are designed to inflate only once. After an
airbag inflates, you will need some new parts for your
airbag system. If you do not get them, the airbag
system will not be there to help protect you in another
crash. A new system will include airbag 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 after a
crash. SeeVehicle Data Collection and Event Data
Recorders on page 7-9.
•Let only qualified technicians work on your airbag
system. Improper service can mean that your airbag
system will not work properly. See your dealer for
service.Notice:If you damage the covering for the driver’s
or the right front passenger’s airbag, the bag
may not work properly. You may have to replace the
airbag module in the steering wheel or both the
airbag module and the instrument panel for the right
front passenger’s airbag. Do not open or break
the airbag coverings.
Servicing Your Airbag-Equipped
Vehicle
Airbags affect how your vehicle should be serviced.
There are parts of the airbag 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 service manual have information about
servicing your vehicle and the airbag system. To
purchase a service manual, seeService Publications
Ordering Information on page 7-11.
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Automatic Transaxle Operation
Your automatic transaxle
has a shift lever located on
the console between the
seats.
PARK (P):This position locks your front wheels. It is
the best position to use when you start your engine
because your vehicle cannot move easily.{CAUTION:
It is dangerous to get out of your vehicle if the
shift lever is not fully in PARK (P) with the
parking brake rmly set. Your vehicle can roll.
Do not leave your vehicle when the engine is
running unless you have to. If you have left the
engine running, the vehicle can move
suddenly. You or others could be injured. To
be sure your vehicle will not move, even when
you are on fairly level ground, always set your
parking brake and move the shift lever to
PARK (P). SeeShifting Into Park (P) on
page 2-24. If you are pulling a trailer, see
Towing a Trailer on page 4-38.
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Ensure the shift lever is fully in PARK (P) before starting
the engine. Your vehicle has an automatic transaxle
shift lock control system. You have to apply your regular
brake and press the shift lever button before you can
shift from PARK (P) while the ignition key is in ON. If you
cannot shift out of PARK (P), ease pressure on the
shift lever and push the shift lever all the way into
PARK (P) as you maintain brake application. Then move
the shift lever into another gear. SeeShifting Out of
Park (P) on page 2-25later in this section.
REVERSE (R):Use this gear to back up.
Notice:Shifting to REVERSE (R) while your vehicle
is moving forward could damage the transaxle.
The repairs would not be covered by your warranty.
Shift to REVERSE (R) only after your vehicle is
stopped.
To rock your vehicle back and forth to get out of snow,
ice or sand without damaging your transaxle, seeIf
You Are Stuck: In Sand, Mud, Ice or Snow on
page 4-29.
NEUTRAL (N):In this position, your engine does not
connect with the wheels. To restart when you are
already moving, use NEUTRAL (N) only. Also, use
NEUTRAL (N) when your vehicle is being towed.
{CAUTION:
Shifting into a drive gear while your engine is
running at high speed is dangerous. Unless
your foot is rmly on the brake pedal, your
vehicle could move very rapidly. You could
lose control and hit people or objects. Do not
shift into a drive gear while your engine is
running at high speed.
Notice:Shifting out of PARK (P) or NEUTRAL (N)
with the engine racing may damage the transaxle.
The repairs would not be covered by your warranty.
Be sure the engine is not racing when shifting
your vehicle.
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