2009 SATURN ASTRA belt
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Safety Belt Pretensioners
The vehicle has safety belt
pretensioners for the front
occupants. Although the
pretensioners cannot be seen,
they are part of the safety belt
assembly. They can help tighten
the safety belts during the early
stages of a moderate to severe
frontal or near frontal crash if
the threshold conditions for
pretensioner activation are met.
And, if the vehicle has side impact
airbags, safety belt pretensioners
can help tighten the safety belts in
a side crash.
Pretensioners work only once. If the
pretensioners activate in a crash,
they will need to be replaced,
and probably other new parts for
the vehicle’s safety belt system.
SeeReplacing Safety Belt System
Parts After a Crash on page 1-23.
Rear Safety Belt Comfort
Guides
Rear shoulder belt comfort guides
may provide added safety belt
comfort for older children who have
outgrown booster seats and for
some adults. When installed on a
shoulder belt, the comfort guide
positions the belt away from
the neck and head.
There is one guide for each
outboard passenger position in the
rear seat. Here is how to install
a comfort guide to the safety belt:
1. Pull the elastic cord out from the
side of the seatback to remove
the guide from its storage pocket.2. Place the guide over the belt and
insert the two edges of the belt
into the slots of the guide.
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3. Be sure that the belt is not
twisted and it lies at. The elastic
cord must be under the belt
and the guide on top.
{CAUTION
A safety belt that is not properly
worn may not provide the
protection needed in a crash.
The person wearing the belt could
be seriously injured. The shoulder
(Continued)
CAUTION (Continued)
belt should go over the shoulder
and across the chest. These parts
of the body are best able to take
belt restraining forces.
4. Buckle, position, and release
the safety belt as described
previously in this section.
Make sure that the shoulder belt
crosses the shoulder.To remove and store the comfort
guide, squeeze the belt edges
together so that the safety belt can
be removed from the guide.
Push the guide into the pocket on
the side of seatback.
Properly secure the guide loop
before folding the seatback.
The comfort guide and vehicle can
be damaged while closing a
door if it is not properly secured in
its storage location.
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Safety Belt Use During
Pregnancy
Safety belts work for everyone,
including pregnant women. Like all
occupants, they are more likely
to be seriously injured if they do not
wear safety belts.
A pregnant woman should wear a
lap-shoulder belt, and the lap portion
should be worn as low as possible,
below the rounding, throughout
the pregnancy.The best way to protect the fetus is
to protect the mother. When a
safety belt is worn properly, it is
more likely that the fetus will not be
hurt in a crash. For pregnant
women, as for anyone, the key to
making safety belts effective is
wearing them properly.
Safety Belt Extender
If the safety belt will fasten around
you, you should use it.
But if a safety belt is not long
enough, your dealer/retailer will
order you an extender. When you
go in to order it, take the heaviest
coat you will wear, so the extender
will be long enough for you.
To help avoid personal injury, do
not let someone else use it, and use
it only for the seat it is made to t.
The extender has been designed for
adults. Never use it for securing
child seats. To wear it, attach it to
the regular safety belt. For more
information, see the instruction
sheet that comes with the extender.
Safety Belt Check
Now and then, check that the safety
belt reminder light, safety belts,
buckles, latch plates, retractors and
anchorages are working properly.
Look for any other loose or
damaged safety belt system parts
that might keep a safety belt system
from doing its job. See your
dealer/retailer to have it repaired.
Torn or frayed safety belts may not
protect you in a crash. They can
rip apart under impact forces.
If a belt is torn or frayed, get a new
one right away.
Make sure the safety belt reminder
light is working. SeeSafety Belt
Reminders on page 4-13for more
information.
Keep safety belts clean and dry.
SeeCare of Safety Belts on
page 1-23.
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Care of Safety Belts
Keep belts clean and dry.
{CAUTION
Do not bleach or dye safety belts.
It may severely weaken them.
In a crash, they might not be able
to provide adequate protection.
Clean safety belts only with mild
soap and lukewarm water.
Replacing Safety Belt
System Parts After
a Crash
{CAUTION
A crash can damage the safety
belt system in the vehicle.
A damaged safety belt system
may not properly protect the
person using it, resulting in
serious injury or even death in a
crash. To help make sure the
safety belt systems are working
properly after a crash, have them
inspected and any necessary
replacements made as soon as
possible.After a minor crash, replacement of
safety belts may not be necessary.
But the safety belt assemblies
that were used during any crash
may have been stressed or
damaged. See your dealer/retailer
to have the safety belt assemblies
inspected or replaced.
New parts and repairs may be
necessary even if the safety belt
system was not being used at
the time of the crash.
Have the safety belt pretensioners
checked if the vehicle has been in
a crash, or if the airbag readiness
light stays on after you start
the vehicle or while you are driving.
SeeAirbag Readiness Light on
page 4-14.
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Airbag System
Your vehicle has the following
airbags:
A frontal airbag for the driver.
A frontal airbag for the right front
passenger.
A seat-mounted side impact
airbag for the driver.
A seat-mounted side impact
airbag for the right front
passenger.
A roof-rail airbag for the driver
and the passenger seated
directly behind the driver.
A roof-rail airbag for the right
front passenger and the
passenger seated directly behind
the right front passenger.
All of the airbags in your vehicle will
have the word AIRBAG embossed
in the trim or on an attached
label near the deployment opening.For frontal airbags, the word
AIRBAG will appear on the middle
part of the steering wheel for
the driver and on the instrument
panel for the right front passenger.
With seat-mounted side impact
airbags, the word AIRBAG
will appear on the side of the
seatback closest to the door.
With roof-rail airbags, the word
AIRBAG will appear along the
headliner or trim.
Airbags are designed to supplement
the protection provided by safety
belts. Even though today’s airbags
are also designed to help reduce
the risk of injury from the force of
an in ating bag, all airbags must
in ate very quickly to do their job.Here are the most important things
to know about the airbag system:
{CAUTION
You can be severely injured or
killed in a crash if you are not
wearing your safety belt — even if
you have airbags. Airbags are
designed to work with safety
belts, but do not replace them.
Also, airbags are not designed to
deploy in every crash. In some
crashes safety belts are your only
restraint. SeeWhen Should an
Airbag Inflate? on page 1-27.
Wearing your safety belt during a
crash helps reduce your chance
of hitting things inside the vehicle
or being ejected from it. Airbags
are “supplemental restraints” to
the safety belts. Everyone in your
vehicle should wear a safety belt
properly — whether or not there is
an airbag for that person.
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{CAUTION
Airbags in ate with great force,
faster than the blink of an eye.
Anyone who is up against, or very
close to, any airbag when it
in ates can be seriously injured or
killed. Do not sit unnecessarily
close to the airbag, as you would
be if you were sitting on the edge
of your seat or leaning forward.
Safety belts help keep you in
position before and during a
crash. Always wear your safety
belt, even with airbags. The driver
should sit as far back as possible
while still maintaining control of
the vehicle.
Occupants should not lean on or
sleep against the door or side
windows in seating positions with
seat-mounted side impact airbags
and/or roof-rail airbags.
{CAUTION
Children who are up against, or
very close to, any airbag when it
in ates can be seriously injured or
killed. Airbags plus lap-shoulder
belts offer protection for adults
and older children, 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 1-38orInfants and Young
Children on page 1-40.There is an airbag readiness light
on the instrument panel cluster,
which shows the airbag symbol.
The system checks the airbag
electrical system for malfunctions.
The light tells you if there is an
electrical problem. SeeAirbag
Readiness Light on page 4-14for
more information.
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The vehicle has seat-mounted
side impact and roof-rail airbags.
SeeAirbag System on page 1-24.
Seat-mounted side impact and
roof-rail airbags are intended
to in ate in moderate to severe
side crashes. Seat-mounted
side impact and roof-rail airbags will
in ate if the crash severity is above
the system’s designed threshold
level. The threshold level can vary
with speci c vehicle design.
Seat-mounted side impact and
roof-rail airbags are not intended to
in ate in frontal impacts, near-frontal
impacts, rollovers, or rear impacts.
A seat-mounted side impact airbag is
intended to deploy on the side of the
vehicle that is struck. A roof-rail
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 in ated simply because of the
damage to a vehicle or because
of what the repair costs were.For frontal airbags, in ation is
determined by what the vehicle hits,
the angle of the impact, and how
quickly the vehicle slows down.
For seat-mounted side impact and
roof-rail airbags, deployment is
determined by the location
and severity of the side impact.
What Makes an Airbag
In ate?
In a deployment event, the sensing
system sends an electrical signal
triggering a release of gas from the
in ator. Gas from the in ator lls
the airbag causing the bag to
break out of the cover and deploy.
The in ator, the airbag, and
related hardware are all part of the
airbag module.
Frontal airbag modules are located
inside the steering wheel and
instrument panel. For vehicles with
seat-mounted side impact airbags,
there are airbag modules in the side
of the front seatbacks closest tothe door. For vehicles with roof-rail
airbags, there are airbag modules
in the ceiling of the vehicle, near the
side windows that have occupant
seating positions.
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.
Airbags supplement the protection
provided by safety belts. Frontal
airbags distribute the force of the
impact more evenly over the
occupant’s upper body, stopping
the occupant more gradually.
Seat-mounted side impact and
roof-rail airbags distribute the force
of the impact more evenly over the
occupant’s upper body.
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But airbags would not help in
many types of collisions, primarily
because the occupant’s motion
is not toward those airbags.
SeeWhen Should an Airbag Inflate?
on page 1-27for more information.
Airbags should never be regarded
as anything more than a supplement
to safety belts.
What Will You See After
an Airbag In ates?
After the frontal airbags and
seat-mounted side impact airbags
in ate, they quickly de ate, so
quickly that some people may not
even realize an airbag in ated.
Roof-rail airbags may still be at least
partially in ated for some time after
they deploy. Some components of
the airbag module may be hot for
several minutes. For location of the
airbag modules, seeWhat Makes an
Airbag Inflate? on page 1-28.The parts of the airbag that come
into contact with you may be warm,
but not too hot to touch. There may
be some smoke and dust coming
from the vents in the de ated
airbags. Airbag in ation does not
prevent the driver from seeing out of
the windshield or being able to
steer the vehicle, nor does it prevent
people from leaving the vehicle.
{CAUTION
When an airbag in ates, there
may be dust in the air. This dust
could cause breathing problems
for people with a history of
asthma or other breathing trouble.
(Continued)
CAUTION (Continued)
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
in ates, 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.
The vehicle has a feature that may
automatically unlock the doors,
turn the interior lamps on, and turn
the hazard warning ashers on
when the airbags in ate. You can
lock the doors, turn the interior
lamps off, and turn the hazard
warning ashers off by using the
controls for those features.
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