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60 Seats and Restraints
of the impact. In addition, these
roof-rail airbags are designed to
inflate during a rollover. Roof-rail
airbags are not designed to inflate in
frontal, near-frontal, or rear impacts.
All roof-rail airbags will inflate when
either side of the vehicle is struck or
if the sensing system predicts that
the vehicle is about to roll over on
its side.
In any particular crash, no one can
say whether an airbag should have
inflated simply because of the
vehicle damage or repair costs.
What Makes an Airbag
Inflate?
In a deployment event, the sensing
system sends an electrical signal
triggering a release of gas from the
inflator. Gas from the inflator fills the
airbag causing the bag to break out
of the cover. The inflator, the airbag,
and related hardware are all part of
the airbag module.
For airbag locations, seeWhere Are
the Airbags? 057.
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 by
distributing the force of the impact
more evenly over the
occupant's body.
Rollover capable roof-rail airbags
are designed to help contain the
head and chest of occupants in the
outboard seating positions in the
first, second, and third rows,
if equipped. The rollover capable
roof-rail airbags are designed to
help reduce the risk of full or partial
ejection in rollover events, although
no system can prevent all such
ejections.
But airbags would not help in many
types of collisions, primarily
because the occupant's motion is not toward those airbags. See
When Should an Airbag Inflate?
0
59.
Airbags should never be regarded
as anything more than a supplement
to safety belts.
What Will You See after
an Airbag Inflates?
After the frontal airbags and
seat-mounted side impact airbags (if
equipped) inflate, they quickly
deflate, so quickly that some people
may not even realize an airbag
inflated. Roof-rail airbags (if
equipped) may still be at least
partially inflated for some time after
they deploy. Some components of
the airbag module may be hot for
several minutes. For location of the
airbag modules, see Where Are the
Airbags? 057.
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 deflated
airbags. Airbag inflation does not
prevent the driver from seeing out of
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Driving and Operating 199
Caution (Continued)
.Fuel containing metals such
as methylcyclopentadienyl
manganese tricarbonyl
(MMT), which can damage
the emissions control
system and spark plugs.
. Fuel with a posted octane
rating of less than the
recommended fuel. Using
this fuel will lower fuel
economy and performance,
and may decrease the life of
the emissions catalyst.
California Fuel
Requirements
If the vehicle is certified to meet
California Emissions Standards, it is
designed to operate on fuels that
meet California specifications. See
the underhood emission control
label. If this fuel is not available in
states adopting California Emissions
Standards, the vehicle will operate
satisfactorily on fuels meeting
federal specifications, but emission control system performance may be
affected. The malfunction indicator
lamp could turn on and the vehicle
may not pass a smog-check test.
See
Malfunction Indicator Lamp
(Check Engine Light) 0102. If this
occurs, return to your authorized
dealer for diagnosis. If it is
determined that the condition is
caused by the type of fuel used,
repairs may not be covered by the
vehicle warranty.
Fuels in Foreign
Countries
The U.S., Canada, and Mexico post
fuel octane ratings in anti-knock
index (AKI). For fuel not to use in a
foreign country, see “Prohibited
Fuels” inFuel 0198.
Fuel Additives
To keep fuel systems clean, TOP
TIER®detergent gasoline is
recommended. See Fuel0198.
If TOP TIER detergent gasoline is
not available, one bottle of GM Fuel
System Treatment Cleaner added to
the fuel tank at every engine oil change, can help. GM Fuel System
Treatment Cleaner is the only
gasoline additive recommended by
General Motors. It is available at
your dealer.
If your vehicle is able to use E85 or
FlexFuel, GM Fuel System
Treatment Cleaner - FlexFuel is the
only recommended additive for use.
Do not use any other additives with
an E85 or FlexFuel vehicle. See
E85 or FlexFuel
0199.
E85 or FlexFuel
Vehicles with a yellow fuel cap can
use either unleaded gasoline or fuel
containing up to 85% ethanol (E85).
All other vehicles should use only
the unleaded gasoline as described
in Fuel 0198.
The use of E85 or FlexFuel is
encouraged when the vehicle is
designed to use it. E85 or FlexFuel
is made from renewable sources.
To help locate fuel stations that
carry E85 or FlexFuel, the U.S.
Department of Energy has an
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Driving and Operating 201
Warning (Continued)
.Fuel can spray out if the fuel
cap is opened too quickly.
This spray can happen if the
tank is nearly full, and is
more likely in hot weather.
Open the fuel cap slowly
and wait for any hiss noise
to stop, then unscrew the
cap all the way.
The fuel cap is behind a hinged fuel
door on the driver side of the
vehicle. If the vehicle has E85 fuel capability,
the fuel cap will be yellow and state
that E85 or gasoline can be used.
See
E85 or FlexFuel 0199.
To remove the fuel cap, turn it
slowly counterclockwise.
While refueling, hang the tethered
fuel cap from the hook on the
fuel door.
{Warning
Overfilling the fuel tank by more
than three clicks of a standard fill
nozzle may cause: . Vehicle performance issues,
including engine stalling and
damage to the fuel system.
. Fuel spills.
. Potential fuel fires.
Be careful not to spill fuel. Wait a
few seconds after you have finished
pumping before removing the
nozzle. Clean fuel from painted
surfaces as soon as possible. See
Exterior Care 0288. When replacing the fuel cap, turn it
clockwise until it clicks. Make sure
the cap is fully installed. The
diagnostic system can determine if
the fuel cap has been left off or
improperly installed. This would
allow fuel to evaporate into the
atmosphere. See
Malfunction
Indicator Lamp (Check Engine
Light) 0102.
{Warning
If a fire starts while you are
refueling, do not remove the
nozzle. Shut off the flow of fuel by
shutting off the pump or by
notifying the station attendant.
Leave the area immediately.
Caution
If a new fuel cap is needed, be
sure to get the right type of cap
from your dealer. The wrong type
of fuel cap may not fit properly,
may cause the malfunction
(Continued)
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240 Vehicle Care
Caution (Continued)
the vehicle warranty. Do not allow
the wiper arm to touch the
windshield.
1. Lift the wiper arm away from the windshield.
2. Push the release lever (2) to
disengage the hook and push
the wiper arm (1) out of the
blade assembly (3).
3. Push the new blade assembly securely on the wiper arm until
the release lever clicks into
place.
Headlamp Aiming
Headlamp aim has been preset and
should need no further adjustment.
If the vehicle is damaged in a crash,
the headlamp aim may be affected.
If adjustment to the headlamps is
necessary, see your dealer.
Bulb Replacement
For the proper type of replacement
bulbs, see Replacement Bulbs
0 245.
For any bulb-changing procedure
not listed in this section, contact
your dealer.
Halogen Bulbs
{Warning
Halogen bulbs have pressurized
gas inside and can burst if you
drop or scratch the bulb. You or
others could be injured. Be sure
to read and follow the instructions
on the bulb package.
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268 Vehicle Care
of grease, gasoline or other
substances that can deteriorate
rubber.
Parking for an extended period can
cause flat spots on the tires that
may result in vibrations while
driving. When storing a vehicle for
at least a month, remove the tires or
raise the vehicle to reduce the
weight from the tires.
Buying New Tires
GM has developed and matched
specific tires for the vehicle. The
original equipment tires installed
were designed to meet General
Motors Tire Performance Criteria
Specification (TPC Spec)
system rating. When
replacement tires are needed,
GM strongly recommends
buying tires with the same TPC
Spec rating.
GM's exclusive TPC Spec
system considers over a dozen
critical specifications that impact
the overall performance of thevehicle, including brake system
performance, ride and handling,
traction control, and tire
pressure monitoring
performance. GM's TPC Spec
number is molded onto the tire's
sidewall near the tire size. If the
tires have an all-season tread
design, the TPC Spec number
will be followed by MS for mud
and snow. See
Tire Sidewall
Labeling 0254 for additional
information.
GM recommends replacing worn
tires in complete sets of four (six
for dual rear wheels). Uniform
tread depth on all tires will help
to maintain the performance of
the vehicle. Braking and
handling performance may be
adversely affected if all the tires
are not replaced at the same
time. If proper rotation and
maintenance have been done,
all four tires (six for dual rear
wheels) should wear out at about the same time. See
Tire
Rotation 0265 for information
on proper tire rotation. However,
if it is necessary to replace only
one axle set of worn tires, place
the new tires on the rear axle
(two for single rear wheels, four
for dual rear wheels).
{Warning
Tires could explode during
improper service. Attempting
to mount or dismount a tire
could cause injury or death.
Only your dealer or authorized
tire service center should
mount or dismount the tires.
{Warning
Mixing tires of different sizes,
brands, or types may cause
loss of control of the vehicle,
resulting in a crash or other
(Continued)