2006 BUICK LUCERNE Owner's Manual

When Should an Airbag Inate?
The driver’s and right front passenger’s frontal airbags
are designed to inate in moderate to severe frontal
or near-frontal crashes. But they are designed to inate
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 inate 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.
Your vehicle has a “dual stage” driver airbag, which
adjusts the restraint according to crash severity using
electronic frontal sensor(s) which help the sensing
system distinguish between a moderate frontal impact
and a more severe frontal impact. The “dual stage”
driver airbag inates to a level less than full deployment
for moderate frontal impacts and to a full deployment
for more severe frontal impacts.Your vehicle is also equipped with a “dual depth”
passenger airbag that adjusts the restraint according to
crash severity, seat location, and safety belt status
using electronic frontal sensor(s) and other special
sensors which enable the sensing system to monitor
the status of the front passenger safety belt and
the position of the front passenger seat. The passenger
airbag inates to a reduced depth when the passenger
seat is in a forward position. For more rearward
front seating positions, the passenger airbag may inate
to an increased depth (a full deployment), based on
safety belt status and the crash severity measured early
in the event. (Always wear your safety belt, even with
frontal airbags.)
If the front of your vehicle goes straight into a wall
that does not move or deform, the threshold level
for the reduced deployment is about 12 to 16 mph
(19 to 26 km/h), and the threshold level for a full
deployment is about 17 to 22 mph (27 to 35 km/h)
if the other sensors do not over-ride this. The threshold
level can vary, however, with specic vehicle design,
so that it can be somewhat above or below this range.
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Frontal airbags may inate at different crash speeds.
For example:
If the vehicle hits a stationary object, the airbags
could inate at a different crash speed than if the
vehicle hits a moving object.
If the vehicle hits an object that deforms, the
airbags could inate at a different crash speed than
if the vehicle hits an object that does not deform.
If the vehicle hits a narrow object (like a pole) the
airbags could inate 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
airbags could inate 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 inate during vehicle rollovers, rear
impacts, or in many side impacts.Your vehicle has special sensors which enable the
sensing system to monitor the position of the right front
passenger’s seat and whether the occupant is buckled
or unbuckled. The passenger seat position sensor
and passenger safety belt buckle switch provide
information which is used to determine if the airbags
should deploy at a reduced level or full deployment.
Side impact airbags are intended to inate in moderate to
severe side crashes. A side impact airbag will inate if the
crash severity is above the system’s designed “threshold
level.” The threshold level can vary with specic vehicle
design. Side impact airbags are not intended to inate in
frontal or near-frontal impacts, rollovers or rear impacts.
A side impact airbag is intended to deploy on the side of
the vehicle that is struck.
In any particular crash, no one can say whether an
airbag should have inated simply because of the
damage to a vehicle or because of what the repair costs
were. For frontal airbags, ination is determined by
what the vehicle hits, the angle of the impact, and how
quickly the vehicle slows down. For side impact
airbags, ination is determined by the location and
severity of the impact.
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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
inator, which inates the airbag. The inator, airbag and
related hardware are all part of the airbag modules
inside the steering wheel, instrument panel, the side
of the front seatbacks closest to the door and the ceiling
of the vehicle, near the side windows.
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. In moderate to severe side
collisions, even belted occupants can contact the inside
of the vehicle. The airbag supplements 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 the frontal 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 the airbag. Side impact airbags
would not help you in many types of collisions, including
many frontal or near frontal collisions, and rear 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 for the driver’s and right front passenger’s
frontal airbags, and only in moderate to severe
side collisions for side impact airbags.
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What Will You See After an
Airbag Inates?
After the airbags inate, they quickly deate, so quickly
that some people may not even realize the airbags
inated. Some components of the airbag module — the
steering wheel hub for the driver’s airbag, the instrument
panel for the right front passenger’s bag, the side of the
seatback closest to the door for seat-mounted side
impact airbags, and the area along the ceiling of your
vehicle near the side windows for roof-mounted side
impact airbags — may 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 deated airbags. Airbag
ination does not prevent the driver from seeing out of the
windshield 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 cannot
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.
Your vehicle has a feature that may automatically unlock
the doors and turn the interior lamps on when the airbags
inate (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. The hazard warning
ashers will also come on when the airbags deploy. If you
want to turn them off, press the hazard warning asher
button twice.
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In many crashes severe enough to inate the airbag,
windshields are broken by vehicle deformation.
Additional windshield breakage may also occur from
the right front passenger airbag.
Airbags are designed to inate only once. After an
airbag inates, 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 qualied technicians work on your airbag
system. Improper service can mean that an airbag
system will not work properly. See your dealer
for service.
Passenger Sensing System
Your vehicle has a passenger sensing system.
The passenger airbag status indicator on the overhead
console will be visible when you turn your ignition
key to RUN or START. The words ON and OFF or
the symbol for on and off, will be visible during
the system check. When the system check is
complete, either the word ON or the word OFF, or the
symbol for on or the symbol for off will be visible.
SeePassenger Airbag Status Indicator on page 3-37.
The passenger sensing system will turn off the right
front passenger’s frontal airbag and seat-mounted side
impact airbag under certain conditions. The driver’s
airbags are not part of the passenger sensing system.United States
Canada
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The passenger sensing system works with sensors that
are part of the right front passenger’s seat and safety
belt. The sensors are designed to detect the presence of
a properly-seated occupant and determine if the right
front passenger’s frontal airbag and seat-mounted
side impact airbag should be enabled (may inate)
or not.
Accident statistics show that children are safer if they
are restrained in the rear rather than the front seat.
General Motors recommends that child restraints
be secured in a rear seat, including an infant riding in a
rear-facing infant seat, a child riding in a forward-facing
child seat and an older child riding in a booster seat.
Your vehicle has a rear seat that will accommodate
a rear-facing child restraint. A label on your sun visor
says, “Never put a rear-facing child seat in the front.”
This is because the risk to the rear-facing child is
so great, if the airbag deploys.
{CAUTION:
A child in a rear-facing child restraint can be
seriously injured or killed if the right front
passenger’s airbag inates. This is because
the back of the rear-facing child restraint
would be very close to the inating airbag.
Even though the passenger sensing system is
designed to turn off the right front passenger’s
frontal and seat-mounted side impact airbag if
the system detects a rear-facing child restraint,
no system is fail-safe, and no one can
guarantee that an airbag will not deploy under
some unusual circumstance, even though it is
turned off. General Motors recommends that
rear-facing child restraints be secured in the
rear seat, even if the airbags are off.
If you need to secure a forward-facing child
restraint in the right front seat, always move
the front passenger seat as far back as it will
go. It is better to secure the child restraint in a
rear seat.
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The passenger sensing system is designed to turn off
the right front passenger’s frontal airbag and
seat-mounted side impact airbag if:
the right front passenger seat is unoccupied
the system determines that an infant is present in a
rear-facing infant seat
the system determines that a small child is present
in a forward-facing child restraint
the system determines that a small child is present
in a booster seat
a right front passenger takes his/her weight off of
the seat for a period of time
the right front passenger seat is occupied by a
smaller person, such as a child who has outgrown
child restraints
or if there is a critical problem with the airbag
system or the passenger sensing system.
When the passenger sensing system has turned off the
right front passenger’s frontal airbag and seat-mounted
side impact airbag, the off indicator will light and
stay lit to remind you that the airbags are off.If a child restraint has been installed and the on
indicator is lit, turn the vehicle off. Remove the child
restraint from the vehicle and reinstall the child restraint
following the child restraint manufacturer’s directions
and refer toSecuring a Child Restraint in the Right Front
Seat Position on page 1-49.
If after reinstalling the child restraint and restarting the
vehicle, the on indicator is still lit, check to make
sure that the vehicle’s seatback is not pressing the child
restraint into the seat cushion. If this happens, slightly
recline the vehicle’s seatback and adjust the seat
cushion if possible. Also make sure the child restraint is
not trapped under the vehicle head restraint. If this
happens, adjust the head restraint.
If the on indicator is still lit, secure the child in the child
restraint in a rear seat position in the vehicle and
check with your dealer.
The passenger sensing system is designed to enable
(may inate) the right front passenger’s frontal airbag
and seat-mounted side impact airbag anytime the
system senses that a person of adult size is sitting
properly in the right front passenger’s seat. When the
passenger sensing system has allowed the airbags to
be enabled, the on indicator will light and stay lit to
remind you that the airbags are active.
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For some children who have outgrown child restraints
and for very small adults, the passenger sensing system
may or may not turn off the right front passenger’s
frontal airbag and seat-mounted side impact airbag,
depending upon the person’s seating posture and
body build. Everyone in your vehicle who has
outgrown child restraints should wear a safety belt
properly — whether or not there is an airbag for
that person.
If a person of adult-size is sitting in the right front
passenger’s seat, but the off indicator is lit, it could be
because that person is not sitting properly in the seat.
If this happens, turn the vehicle off and ask the person to
place the seatback in the fully upright position, then
sit upright in the seat, centered on the seat cushion,
with the person’s legs comfortably extended. Restart the
vehicle and have the person remain in this position
for about two minutes. This will allow the system
to detect that person and then enable the right front
passenger’s frontal airbag and seat-mounted side
impact airbag.
{CAUTION:
If the airbag readiness light in the instrument
panel cluster ever comes on and stays on,
it means that something may be wrong with
the airbag system. If this ever happens, have
the vehicle serviced promptly, because an
CAUTION: (Continued)
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