Oldsmobile Cutlass 1998 s User Guide
Page 11 of 348
Vehicle Symbols 
These are some of the symbols  you may find on your vehicle. 
For  example, 
these  symbols  are  used  on  an 
original  battery: 
POSSIBLE A 
CAUTION 
INJURY 
PROTECT  EYESBY 
@ 
SHIELDING 
CAUSTIC 
ACID  COULD  BAllERY 
CAUSE 
BURNS 
AVOID 
SPARKS  OR 
FLAM€S 
SPARK  OR ,\I/, 
COULD  FLAME 
EXPLODE  BAllERY 
These  symbols 
are  important 
for  you  and 
your  passengers 
whenever  your  vehicle 
is 
driven: 
UNLOCK Pa 
SEAT 
BELTS 
POWER 
WINDOW 
.;/ 
AIR  BAG p 
These  symbols 
have to  do  with 
your  lamps: 
SIGNALS e 
TURN 
RUNNING 
* 0 
DAYTIME - 
LAMPS .** 
FOG  LAMPS $0 
These  symbols 
are  on  some 
of 
your  controls: 
WINDSHIELD 
wm Q 
WINDSHIELD 
DEFROSTER 
VENTILATING 
* 9 
FAN 4 
These  symbols 
are  used  on 
warning  and  indicator  lights: 
COOLANT 
TEMP 
- 
CHARGING I-1 
BAlTERY 
SYSTEM 
BRAKE 
(0) 
ENGINE  OIL e, 
PRESSURE 
ANTI-LOCK 
(@) 
BRAKES 
Here  are  some 
other  symbols 
you  may  see: 
FUSE 
LIGHTER 
m 
HORN )tr 
SPEAKER 
b 
FUEL p3 
V  
Page 12 of 348
:ka(n NOTES 
vi  
Page 13 of 348
Section 1 Seats  and  Restraint  Systems 
Here you’ll  find information  about  the seats in your  Oldsmobile and how  to  use  your  safety  belts  properly. You can 
also learn  about  some  things  you  should not do  with air bags  and  safety  belts. 
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1-6 
1-11 
1-12 
1-12 
1-19 
1-20 
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Seats  and Seat  Controls 
Safety  Belts:  They’re for Everyone 
Here  Are Questions  Many  People 
Ask About 
Safety  Belts 
-- and the  Answem 
How to Wear Safety  Belts  Properly 
Driver  Position 
Safety  Belt  Use  During  Pregnancy 
Right  Front  Passenger  Position  Supplemental  Restraint  System  (SRS) 
Rear  Seat Passengers 
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1-32 
1-34 
1-37 
1-49 
1-52 
1-52 
1-52 Rear  Safety  Belt  Comfort  Guides 
for  Children  and  Small  Adults 
Center  Passenger  Position 
Children 
Child  Restraints 
Larger  Children 
Safety  Belt  Extender 
Checking  Your Restraint  Systems 
Replacing  Restraint  System  Parts 
After  a Crash 
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Page 14 of 348
Seats  and  Seat  Controls 
This section  tells  you  about the seats -- how  to 
adjust  them 
-- and also about  reclining  seatbacks 
and  head  restraints. 
Manual Seats 
You  can  lose  control of the  vehicle  if  you  try  to 
adjust  a  manual  driver’s  seat  while  the  vehicle  is 
moving.  The  sudden  movement  could 
startle and 
confuse  you,  or  make  you  push  a  pedal  when  you 
don’t  want  to.  Adjust  the  driver’s  seat  only  when 
the  vehicle  is  not  moving. 
Lift  the  lever  under  the front seat  to  unlock it. Slide the 
seat  to  where  you  want  it.  Then  release  the  lever  and  try 
to  move  the  seat  with 
your body, to make  sure  the  seat is 
locked  into  place. 
c 
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Page 15 of 348
6-Way Power Seat (If Equipped) 
The  power  seat  button  is  located  on  the  lower,  left  side of  the  driver's  seat.  This  button  allows  you  to  move  the seat  up,  down,  forward  and  backward. 
It also  moves  the 
front  of  the  seat  up  or  down  and  the  rear  of  the  seat  up 
or  down.  Move  the  seat  higher  by  lifting  and  holding  the  bottom 
of  the  button.  Lower  the  seat  by  pushing  and  holding  the 
top  of  the  button. 
To move  the  seat  forward,  push  the  rear  of  the  button 
forward. 
To move  the  seat  backward,  push  the  front  of 
the  button  rearward. 
Raise  the  fiont 
of the  seat  by  lifting  and  holding  the 
bottom  front  end  of  the  button.  Lower  the  front  of  the  seat  by  pushing  and  holding  the  top  front  end  of 
the  button. 
Raise  the  rear  of  the  seat  by  lifting  and  holding  the 
bottom  rear  of  the  button.  Lower  the  rear  of  the  seat 
by  pushing  and  holding  the  top  rear  of  the  button. 
-. 
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Page 16 of 348
- 
, 8, , 
To adjust  the  seatback, lift the lever  on  the  outer  side of 
the seat  and  move  the  seatback  to  where  you  want  it. 
Release  the  lever 
and ensure  the  handle  returns  to  the 
original  position  and  the  seatback  is securely  locked. 
111 
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. 
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Page 17 of 348
Head  Restraints 
Slide  the  head  restraint up or  down so that the  top of the 
.re&@$ is closwt to the top of your ears. This position 
ieducei  the  chance 
of a neck injury in a crash. 
Rear Seats 
Folding Rear Seat 
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Page 18 of 348
To open  the folding  rear  seat,  open  the trunk and  pull 
one  or  both 
of the  tethers  located  on  the  left  side  of the 
trunk. The  left-hand  tether  will  open  the  larger  side  of 
the  seatback.  The  right-hand  tether will open  the  smaller 
side 
of the  seatback.  Once  a tether  is pulled,  the  seatback 
can  be  pushed  open  through  the 
tru& or  pulled  open 
from inside  the-  vehicle. 
To close  the  split  folding  rear  seat, push  the  seatback  up 
until 
you hear  a click.  Then  pull  on  the  seatback  to  make 
sure  it  is secure. 
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. 
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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Page 19 of 348
Your vehicle  has  a light 
that  comes  on  as  a  reminder 
to  buckle  up.  (See  “Safety 
Belt  Reminder  Light’’  in 
the  Index.) 
L 
4 r, 
‘I 
In most  stales  .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. Lf 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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Page 20 of 348
Take the  simplest  vehicle.  Suppose  it’s just a seat 
on wheels. 
Put someone on it. 
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