Oldsmobile Achieva 1998 s User Guide

4-Way Manual Seat
There are two levers at the front of the seat. The left
lever adjusts
the seat forward and back. The right lever
adjusts the angle of the front of the seat.
The lever near the outer side of the seat unlocks the seat
allowing
it to slide forward and back. Then release the
lever and try to move the seat to be certain that it
is
locked in place.
The lever on the right allows you to tilt the seat
up
and down.
Manual Lumbar Support (If Equipped)
Turn the knob on the right of the driver’s seat cushion
to the right or to the left to adjust support for the
lower back.
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Power Seat (If Equipped)
To adjust the power seat:
Front Control (A): Raise the front of the seat by
holding the switch up. Lower the front
of the seat by
holding the switch down.
Center Control (B): Move the seat forward or back by
holding the control to the front or back.
Move the seat higher by holding the control up. Lower
the seat by holding
the control down.
Rear Control (C): Raise the rear of the seat by holding
the switch up. Lower the rear
of the seat by holding the
switch down.
Reclining Front Seatbacks
To adjust the seatback, lift the lever on the outer side of
the seat and move the seatback where you want it.
Release
the lever to lock the seatback.
Pull up
on the lever and the seat will go to an
upright position.

But don’t have a seatback reclined if your vehicle
is moving.
Sitting in a reclined position when your vehicle is
in motion can be dangerous. Even if you buckle
up, your safety belts can’t do their job when
you’re reclined like this.
The shoulder belt can’t do its job because it
won’t be against your body. Instead, it will be in
front of you. In a crash you could go into
it,
receiving neck or other injuries.
The lap belt can’t do its job either. In a crash the
belt could go up over your abdomen. The belt
forces would be there, not at your pelvic bones.
This could cause serious internal injuries.
For proper protection when the vehicle
is in
motion, have the seatback upright. Then sit well
back
in the seat and wear your safety belt properly.
Head Restraints
Slide the head restraint up or down so that the top of the
restraint is closest to the top
of your ears. This position
reduces the chance
of a neck injury in a crash.

Rear Seats
Folding the Rear Seat
To fold down the rear seat, pull forward on
the seat tab.
Push the seatback up to return
it to its original position.
To make sure the seatback is secure, push it into a fully
upright position. A loose seatback can cause an injury in
a sudden stop.
Safety Belts: They’re for Everyone
This part of the manual tells you how to use safety belts
properly. It also tells you some things you should not
do
with safety belts.
And it explains the Supplemental Restraint System
(SRS), or air bag system.
I A CAUTION: I
Don’t let anyone ride where he or she can’t wear
a safety belt properly. If you are in a crash and
you’re not wearing a safety belt, your injuries can be much worse. You can hit things inside the
vehicle or be ejected from it.
You can be seriously
injured or killed. In the same crash, you might
not be if you are buckled up. Always fasten your
safety belt, and check that your passengers’ belts
are fastened properly too.
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/1 CAUTIOl!. .
It is extremely dangerous to ride in a cargo area,
inside or outside of
a vehicle. In a collision,
people riding in these areas are more likely to be
seriously injured or killed.
Do not allow people to
ride in any area of your vehicle that is not
equipped with seats and safety belts. Be sure
everyone in your vehicle is in a seat and using a
safety belt properly.
- Your vehicle has a light
that comes
on as a reminder
to buckle up. (See “Safety
Belt Reminder Light”
in
the Index.) In
most states and Canadian provinces, the law says to
wear safety belts. Here’s why:
They work.
You never know if you’ll be in a crash. If you do have a
crash, you don’t know if it will be a bad one.
A few crashes are mild, and some crashes can be so
serious that even buckled up a person wouldn’t survive.
But most crashes are in between. In many of them,
people who buckle up can survive and sometimes walk
away. Without belts they could have been badly hurt
or killed.
After more than
30 years of safety belts in vehicles,
the facts are clear. In most crashes buckling up does
matter
... a lot!
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Why Safety Belts Work
When you ride in or on anything, you go as fast as
it goes.
Take the simplest vehicle. Suppose it's just a seat
on wheels. Put someone
on it.
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Get it up to speed. Then stop the vehicle. The rider
doesn’t stop. The person keeps going until
stopped by something.
In a real vehicle, it could be the windshield ...
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or the instrument panel ... or the safety belts!
With safety belts, you
slow down as the vehicle does.
You get more time to stop. You stop over more distance,
and your strongest bones take the forces. That's why
safety belts make such good sense.
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Here Are Questions Many People Ask
About Safety Belts
-- and the Answers
Q.’ Won’t I be trapped in the vehicle after an
accident if I’m wearing a safety belt?
A: You could be -- whether you’re wearing a safety
belt or not. But you can unbuckle
a safety belt,
even
if you’re upside down. And your chance of
being conscious during and after an accident, so
you
can unbuckle and get out, is much greater if
you are belted.
If my vehicle has air bags, why should I have to
wear safety belts?
A: Air bags are in many vehicles today and will be in
most of them in the future. But they are
supplemental systems only;
so they work with
safety belts -- not instead of them. Every air bag
system ever offered
for sale has required the use of
safety belts. Even if you’re in a vehicle that has air
bags, you still have
to buckle up to get the most
protection. That’s true not only in frontal collisions,
but especially in side and other collisions.
If I’m a good driver, and I never drive far from
home, why should
I wear safety belts?
A: You may be an excellent driver, but if you’re in an
accident
-- even one that isn’t your fault -- you
and your passengers can be hurt. Being a good
driver doesn’t protect you from things beyond your
control, such as bad drivers.
Most accidents occur within
25 miles (40 km) of
home. And the greatest number of serious injuries
and deaths occur at speeds of less than
40 mph
(65 kmh).
Safety belts are for everyone.
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How to Wear Safety Belts Properly
Adults
This part is only for people of adult size.
Be aware that there are special things to know about
safety belts and children. And there are different
rules for smaller children and babies.
If a child
will be riding in your vehicle, see the part
of this
manual called “Children.” Follow those rules
for
everyone’s protection.
First, you’ll want to know which restraint systems your
vehicle has.
We’ll start with the driver position.
Driver Position
This part describes the driver’s restraint system.
Lap-Shoulder Belt
The driver has a lap-shoulder belt. Here’s how to wear
it properly.
1. Close and lock the door.
2. Adjust the seat (to see how, see “Seats” in the Index)
so you can sit up straight.
3. Pick up the latch plate and pull the belt across you.
4. Push the latch plate into the buckle until it clicks.
Don’t
let it get
twisted.
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