steering CHEVROLET CORVETTE 1995 4.G Owners Manual

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Where is the air bag?
The driver's air bag is in the middle of the steering
wheel. The passenger's air bag is in the instrument panel
on the passenger's side.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine When should an air bag inflate?
The air bag is designed to inflate in moderate to severe
frontal or near-frontal crashes. The air bag will inflate
only
if the impact speed is above the system’s designed
“threshold level.” If your vehicle goes straight into a
wall that doesn’t move or deform, the threshold level is
about
9 to 15 mph (14 to 24 km/h). The threshold level
can vary, however, with specific vehicle design,
so that
it can be somewhat above or below
this range. If your
vehicle strikes something that will move or deform, such
as a parked car, the threshold level will be higher. The
air bag is not designed to inflate in rollovers, side
impacts, or rear impacts, because inflation would not
help the occupant.
It is possible that in a crash only one of the two air bags
in your Corvette will deploy.
This is rare, but can
happen in a crash just severe enough to make an air bag
inflate.
In any particular crash, no one can say whether an air
bag 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
the vehicle’s deceleration. Vehicle damage is only one
indication of this.
What makes an air bag inflate?
In a frontal or near-frontal impact of sufficient severity,
the air bag sensing system detects that the vehicle is
suddenly stopping as a result
of a crash. The sensing
system triggers a chemical reaction of the sodium azide
sealed in the inflator. The reaction produces nitrogen
gas, which inflates the air bag. The inflator, air bag, and
related hardware are all part of the air bag modules
packed inside the steering wheel and in the instrument
panel in front of the passenger.
How does an air bag restrain?
In moderate to severe frontal or near-frontal collisions,
even belted occupants can contact the steering wheel or
the instrument panel. The air bag supplements the
protection provided by safety belts. Air bags distribute
the force of the impact more evenly over the occupant’s
upper body, stopping the occupant more gradually. But
air bags would not help you in many types of collisions,
including rollovers and rear and side impacts, primarily
because an occupant’s motion
is not toward the air bag.
Air bags 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.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine What will you see after an air bag inflates?
After the air bag inflates, it quickly deflates. This occurs
so quickly that some people may not even realize the air
bag inflated. Some components of the air bag module in
the steering wheel hub for the driver’s air bag, or the
instrument panel for the passenger’s bag, will be hot for
a short time, but the part of the bag that comes into
contact with you will not be hot to the touch. There will
be some smoke and dust coming from vents in the
deflated air bags. Air bag inflation will not prevent the
driver from seeing or from being able to steer the
vehicle, nor will it stop people from leaving the vehicle. In many crashes severe enough to
inflate an air bag,
windshields are broken by vehicle deformation.
Additional windshield breakage may also occur from the
passenger air bag.
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The air bags are designed to inflate only once. After
they inflate, you’ll need some new parts for your air
bag system. If you don’t get them, the air bag system
won’t be there to help protect you in another crash.
A new system will include air bag modules and
possibly other parts. The service manual for your
vehicle covers the need to replace other parts.
Your vehicle is equipped with a diagnostic module,
which records information about the air bag system.
The module records information about the readiness
of the system, when the sensors are activated and
driver’s safety belt usage at deployment.
Let only qualified technicians work
on your air bag
system. Improper service can mean that your air bag
system won’t work properly. See your dealer for
service.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine NOTICE:
If you damage the cover for the driver’s or the
passenger’s air bag, they may not work properly.
You may have to replace the air bag module in
the steering wheel or both the air bag module and
the instrument panel for the passenger’s
air bag.
Do not open or break the air bag covers.
Servicing Your Air Bag-Equipped Corvette
Air bags affect how your Corvette should be serviced.
There are parts
of the air bag system in several places
around your vehicle. You don’t want the system to
inflate while someone is working on your vehicle. Your
Chevrolet dealer and the
1995 Corvette Service Manual
have information about servicing your vehicle and the
air bag system. To purchase a service manual, see
“Service Publications” in the Index.
The air bag system does not need regular maintenance.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine I NOTICE:
If you put things in the hatchback area, be sure
they won’t break the glass when you close
it.
Never slam the hatch down. You could break the
glass or damage the defogger grid.
When you close the hatch, make sure you pull
down from the center, not the sides.
If you pull
the hatch down from the side too often, the
weatherstrip can be damaged.
Theft
Vehicle theft is big business, especially in some cities.
Although your Corvette has a number of theft deterrent
features, we know that nothing we put on it can make it
impossible to steal. However, there
are ways you can
help.
Key in the Ignition
If you walk away from your vehicle with the keys
inside, it’s an easy target for joy riders
or professional
thieves
-- so don’t do it.
When you park your Corvette and open the driver’s
door, you’ll hear a tone reminding
you to remove your
key from the ignition and take it with
you. Always do
this. Your steering wheel will be locked, and
so will
your ignition. If you have an automatic transmission,
taking your key out also locks your transmission. And
remember to lock the doors.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Ignition Switch
With the ignition key in the ignition switch, you can turn
the switch to five positions:
ACC (A): Position in which you can operate your
electrical power accessories. Press in the ignition switch as you turn the top of it toward you.
LOCK (B): The only position in which you can remove
the key.
This locks your steering wheel, ignition and
automatic transmission. If
you have an automatic transmission, the ignition
switch can’t be turned to LOCK unless the shift lever is
in the PARK (P) position.
OFF (C): Unlocks the steering wheel, ignition and
automatic transmission, but does not send electrical
power to any accessories. Use this position
if your
vehicle. must be pushed or towed.
RUN (D): Position to which the switch returns after you
start your engine and release the switch. The switch
stays in the
RUN position when the engine is running.
But even when the engine is not running, you can use
RUN to operate your electrical power accessories and to
display some instrument panel warning and indicator
lights.
START (E): Starts the engine. When the engine starts,
release
the key. The ignition switch will return to RUN
for normal driving.
When
the engine is not running, ACC and RUN allow
you to operate your electrical accessories, such as the
radio.
A warning tone will sound if you open the driver’s door
when the ignition
is in OFF, LOCK or ACC and the key
is in the ignition.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Key Release Button
If you have a manual transmission, your ignition lock
has a key release button. You must press the button
before you can take your key out of the ignition lock.
~ NOTICE:
If your key seems stuck in LOCK and you can’t
turn it, be sure it is all the
way in. If it is, then
turn the steering wheel left and right while you
turn the key hard. But turn the key only with
your hand. Using
a tool to force it could break
the key or the ignition switch.
If none of this
works, then your vehicle needs service.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Horn Tilt Wheel
To sound the horn, press either horn symbol on your
steering wheel. A tilt steering wheel allows you to adjust the steering
wheel before you drive.
You can also raise it to the highest level to give your
legs
more room when you exit and enter the vehicle.
To tilt the wheel, hold the steering wheel and pull the
lever toward you. Move the steering wheel to a
comfortable level, then release the lever to lock the
wheel
in place.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine The Turn SignaVHeadlamp Beam
Lever
The lever on the left side of the steering column
includes your:
0 Thm Signal and Lane Change Indicator
0 Headlamp HighPLow Beam
0 Windshield Wipers
0 Windsheld Washer
0 Cruise Control
Tbrn Signal and Lane Change Indicator
The turn signal has two upward (for right) and two
downward (for left) positions. These positions allow you
to signal a tum or a lane change.
To signal a turn, move the lever all the way up or down.
When the turn
is finished, the lever will return
automatically.
A chime will remind you if you leave your turn signal
on for more than one mile
(1.6 km) of driving.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Control of a Vehicle
You have three systems that make your vehicle go where
you want it to
go. They are the brakes, the steering and
the accelerator. All three systems have to do their work
at the places where the tires meet the road.
Sometimes, as when you’re driving on snow or ice, it’s
easy
to ask more of those control systems than the tires
and road can provide. That means you can lose control
of your vehicle.
Braking
Braking action involves perception time and reaction
time.
First, you have to decide to push on the brake pedal.
That’s
perception time. Then you have to bring up your
foot and do it. That’s
reaction time.
Average reaction time is about 3/4 of a second. But
that’s only an average. It might be less with one driver
and as long as two or three seconds
or more with
another. Age, physical condition, alertness, coordination,
and eyesight all play a part.
So do alcohol, drugs and
frustration. But even in
314 of a second, a vehicle
moving at
60 mph (100 km/h) travels 66 feet (20 m).
That could be a lot
of distance in an emergency, so
keeping enough space between your vehicle and others
is important.
And, of course, actual stopping distances vary greatly
with the surface of the road (whether it’s pavement or
gravel); the condition
of the road (wet, dry, icy); tire
tread; and the condition
of your brakes.
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