2009 SATURN ASTRA Owners Manual

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 inating bag, all airbags must
inate 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 inate with great force,
faster than the blink of an eye.
Anyone who is up against, or very
close to, any airbag when it
inates 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
inates 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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Where Are the Airbags?
The driver frontal airbag is in the
middle of the steering wheel.
The right front passenger frontal
airbag is in the instrument panel on
the passenger’s side.The seat-mounted side impact
airbags for the driver and right front
passenger are in the side of the
seatbacks closest to the door.
The roof-rail airbags for the driver,
right front passenger, and second
row outboard passengers are in the
ceiling above the side windows.
{CAUTION
If something is between an
occupant and an airbag, the
airbag 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.
Do not use seat accessories that
block the ination path of a
seat-mounted side impact airbag.
Never secure anything to the roof
of a vehicle with roof-rail airbags
by routing a rope or tie down
through any door or window
opening. If you do, the path of an
inating roof-rail airbag will be
blocked.
Driver Side shown, Passenger
Side similar
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When Should an Airbag
Inate?
Frontal airbags are designed to
inate in moderate to severe frontal
or near-frontal crashes to help
reduce the potential for severe
injuries mainly to the driver’s or right
front passenger’s head and chest.
However, they are only designed to
inate if the impact exceeds a
predetermined deployment
threshold. Deployment thresholds
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 the 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.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.Thresholds can also vary with
specic vehicle design.
Frontal airbags are not intended to
inate during vehicle rollovers, rear
impacts, or in many side impacts.
In addition, the vehicle has
dual-stage frontal airbags.
Dual-stage airbags adjust the
restraint according to crash severity.
The vehicle has electronic frontal
sensors, which help the sensing
system distinguish between a
moderate frontal impact and a more
severe frontal impact. For moderate
frontal impacts, dual-stage airbags
inate at a level less than full
deployment. For more severe frontal
impacts, full deployment occurs.
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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 inate in moderate to severe
side crashes. Seat-mounted
side impact and roof-rail airbags will
inate if the crash severity is above
the system’s designed threshold
level. The threshold level can vary
with specic vehicle design.
Seat-mounted side impact and
roof-rail airbags are not intended to
inate 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 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 seat-mounted side impact and
roof-rail airbags, deployment is
determined by the location
and severity of the side impact.
What Makes an Airbag
Inate?
In a deployment event, the sensing
system sends an electrical signal
triggering a release of gas from the
inator. Gas from the inator lls
the airbag causing the bag to
break out of the cover and deploy.
The inator, 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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