PONTIAC GRAND-AM 1994 Owner's Manual

Seats & Restraint Systems
automatic Lap-Shoulder
3elt (CONT.)
3: What’s wrong with this?
k The shoulder belt is too loose. It won’t
give nearly as much protection this
way.
8
Q: What’s wrong with this?
A: The belt is buckled in the wrong
place.
Q: What’s wrong with this?
A: The shoulder belt is worn under the
arm. It
should be worn over the
shoulder at all times.
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Q: What’s wrong with this?
A: The belt is twisted across the body.
supplemental Restraint
System
(SRS)
This section explains the driver’s
Supplemental Restraint System
(SRS),
commonly referred to as an air bag. Here
are the most important things
to know:
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Seats & Restraint Systems
Supplemental Restraint
System (SRS)
(CONE)
AIR BAG
9ir Bag Readiness Light
:here is an air bag readiness light on the
nstrument panel, which shows “Air Bag”
’he system checks for electrical
nalfunctions, and the light tells you
if
here is a problem.
lou will see this light flash for a few
seconds when
you turn your ignition to
‘Run” or “Start.” Then the light should g
)ut, which means the system is ready.
Remember, if the air bag readiness light
ioesn’t come on when you start your
vehicle, or stays on,
or comes on when
you are driving, your air bag system may
not work properly. Have your vehicle
serviced right away.
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-.
How The Air Bag System
Works
Where is the air bag?
The driver’s air bag is in the middle of the
steering wheel.
When is an air bag expected to inflate?
The air bag is designed to inflate in
moderate to severe frontal or near-frontal
crashes. The air bag will only inflate
if the
velocity of the impact is above the
designed threshold level. When impacting
straight into a wall that does not move or
deform, the threshold level for most
GM
vehicles is between 9 and 15 mph (14 and
23 km/h). However, this velocity
threshold depends on the vehicle design
and may be several miles-per-hour faster
or slower. In addition, this threshold
velocity will be considerably higher
if the
vehicle strikes an object such as a parked
car which will move and deform on
impact. The air bag is also not designed to
inflate in rollovers, side impacts, or rear
impacts where the inflation would provide
no occupant protection benefit.
In any particular crash, the determination
of whether ‘the air bag should have inflated
cannot be based solely on the level of
damage on the vehicle(s), Inflation is
determined by the angle of the impact and
the vehicle’s deceleration, of which vehicle
damage
is only one indication. Repair cost
is not a good indicator of whether an air
bag should have deployed.
What makes an air bag inflate?
In a 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 cloth bag.
The inflator, cloth bag, and related
hardware are all part of the
air bag inklator
module packed inside the steering wheel.
How does an air bag restrain? ~
In moderate to severe frontal or
near-frontal collisions, even belted
occupants can contact the steering wheel.
The air bag supplements the protektion
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 provide protection 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 belt protection in
moderate to severe frontal and near-frontal
:ollisions.
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Seats & Restraint Systems
How The Air Bag System
Works (CONT)
What will you see after an air bag
inflation?
After the air bag has inflated, it will then
quickly deflate, This occurs
so quickly
that some people may not even realize
that the air bag inflated. Some
components of the air bag module
in the
steering wheel hub may be hot for a short
time, but the portion of the bag that comes
into contact with you will not be hot to
the touch. There will be small amounts of
smoke and dust coming from vents in the
deflated air bag. The air bag will
not
impede the driver’s vision or ability to
steer the vehicle, nor will it hinder the
occupants from exiting the vehicle.
0 The air bag is designed to inflate only
once. After it inflates, 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 the air bag module
and possibly other parts. The service
manual has information about the
need to replace other parts.
Your vehicle is equipped with a
diagnostic module, which records
information about the air bag system
if the air bag deploys during a crash.
The module records information about
the readiness .of the system, which
sensors activated the deployment, and
whether the driver’s safety belt was in
use.
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.
NOTICE:
If you damage the cover for the
driver’s air bag, it may not work
properly. You may have to replace
the air bag on the steering wheel.
Do not open or break the air bag
cover.
Is the smoke from an air bag inflation
harmful?
The particles emitted during air bag
inflation are not harmful to most people.
Some people with respiratory ailments
may experience difficulty breathing if
they’stay in the vehicle with the windows
closed’after air bag inflation.
So, if your
air bag inflates, you and any passengers
should exit the vehicle if and when it is
safe’to do
so. If you or your passengers
can’t get out of the vehicle, try to get
fresh air by opening a window, turning on
the fan, or opening
a door.
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Servicing Your Air
Bag-Equipped Pontiac
The air bag affects how your Pontiac
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 Pontiac dealer and the
1994 Grand Am Service Manual have
informati-on about servicing your vehicle
and the air bag system. The air bag
system does not need regular
maintenance.
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 don’t wear safety belts.
A pregnant woman should wear a
lap-shoulder belt, and the lap portion
should be worn as low as possible
throughout the pregnancy.
The best way to protect the fetus is to
protect the mother. When a safety belt is
worn properly, it’s more likely that the
fetus won’t be hurt
in a crash. For
pregnant women, as for anyone, the key
to making safety belts effective is wearing
them properly.
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Seats & Restraint Systems
U
I Right Front Passenger
Position
:he right front passenger’s safety belt
vorks the same way as the driver’s safety
)elt. See “Driver Position”, earlier
in this
)art.
Adjust the seat (to see how, see “Seats” in
the Index) so you can sit up straight.
Move your seat far enough forward that
your feet touch the part of the car that is
called the “toeboard” (A). That way you’d
be less likely
to slide under the lap belt in
a crash.
I Rear Seat Passengers
It’s very important for rear seat
passengers
to buckle up! Accident
statistics show that unbelted people
in the
rear seat are
hurt more often in crashes
than those who are wearing safety belts.
Rear passengers who aren’t safety belted
can be thrown out of the vehicle
in a
crash. And they can strike others
in the
vehicle who are wearing safety belts.
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U
I Center Passenger
.ap Belt
Position
our vehicle has a rear bench seat and
)meone can sit
in the center position.
When you sit in a center seating position,
you have a lap safety belt, which has no
retractor.
To make the belt longer, tilt the
latch plate and pull it along the belt.
To make the belt shorter, pull its free end
as shown until the belt is snug.
Buckle, position and release it the same
way as the lap part of a lap-shoulder belt.
If the belt isn’t long enough, see “Safety
Belt Extender” at the end of this section.
Make sure the release button on the
buckle is positioned
so you would be able
10 unbuckle the safety belt quickly if you
:ver had to.
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Seats & Restraint Systems
U
Pear Seat Outside
Dassenger Positions
,ap-Shoulder Belt
’he positions next to the windows have
sp-shoulder belts. Here’s how to wear
me properly.
1, Pick up the latch plate and pull the
belt across you. Don’t let
it get
twisted.
2. Push the latch plate into the buckle
until it clicks.
I
If the belt stops before it reaches the
buckle, tilt the latch plate and keep
pulling until you can buckle
it.
Pull up on the latch plate to make sure
it is secure.
If the belt is not long enough, see
“Safety Belt Extender” at the end of
this section. Make sure the release
button
on the buckle is positioned so
you would be able to unbuckle the
safety belt quickly
if you ever had to.
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Rear Seat Outside
Passenger Positions
(CONT.)
3. To make the lap part tight, pull down
on the buckle end of the belt as you
pull
up on the shoulder part.
The lap part of the belt should be worn
low and snug on the hips, just touching
the thighs. In a crash, this applies force
tc
the strong pelvic bones. And you’d be
less likely to slide under the lap belt. If
you slid under it, the belt
would apply
force at your abdomen. This could cause
serious or even fatal injuries. The
shoulder belt should go over the shoulder
and across the chest. These parts
of the
body are best able to take belt restraining
forces.
The safety belt locks if there’s a sudden
stop or a crash.
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