PONTIAC GTO 2004 Workshop Manual

6. To tighten the belt, push down on the child restraint,
pull the shoulder portion of the belt to tighten the
lap portion of the belt and feed the shoulder
belt back into the retractor. You may find it helpful
to use your knee to push down on the child
restraint as you tighten the belt.
7. Push and pull the child restraint in different
directions to be sure it is secure.
To remove the child restraint, just unbuckle the vehicle’s
safety belt and let it go back all the way. The safety
belt will move freely again and be ready to work for an
adult or larger child passenger.
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Air Bag Systems
This part explains the air bag system.
Your vehicle has a frontal air bag for the driver and
another frontal air bag for the right front passenger.
Frontal air bags are designed to help reduce the risk of
injury from the force of an inflating frontal air bag.
But these air bags must inflate very quickly to do their
job and comply with federal regulations.
Here are the most important things to know about the
air bag system:{CAUTION:
You can be severely injured or killed in a crash
if you are not wearing your safety belt — even
if you have air bags. Wearing your safety belt
during a crash helps reduce your chance of
hitting things inside the vehicle or being
ejected from it. Air bags are designed to work
with safety belts, but do not replace them. Air
bags are designed to deploy only in moderate
to severe frontal and near frontal crashes.
They are not designed to inate in rollover,
rear or low-speed frontal crashes, or in many
side crashes. And, for some unrestrained
occupants, air bags may provide less
protection in frontal crashes than more
forceful air bags have provided in the past.
Everyone in your vehicle should wear a safety
belt properly — whether or not there is an air
bag for that person.
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{CAUTION:
Air bags inate with great force, faster than the
blink of an eye. If you’re too close to an
inating air bag, as you would be if you were
leaning forward, it could seriously injure you.
Safety belts help keep you in position before
and during a crash. Always wear your safety
belt, even with air bags. The driver should sit
as far back as possible while still maintaining
control of the vehicle.
{CAUTION:
Anyone who is up against, or very close to,
any air bag when it inates can be seriously
injured or killed. Air bags plus lap-shoulder
belts offer the best protection for adults, but
not for young children and infants.
CAUTION: (Continued)
CAUTION: (Continued)
Neither the vehicle’s safety belt system nor its
air bag system is designed for them. Young
children and infants need the protection that a
child restraint system can provide. Always
secure children properly in your vehicle. To
read how, see the part of this manual called
“Older Children” or “Infants and Young
Children.”
There is an air bag
readiness light on the
instrument panel, which
shows the air bag symbol.
The system checks the air bag electrical system for
malfunctions. The light tells you if there is an electrical
problem. SeeAir Bag Readiness Light on page 3-26
for more information.
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Where Are the Air Bags?
The driver’s frontal air bag is in the middle of the
steering wheel.The right front passenger’s frontal air bag is in the
instrument panel on the passenger’s side.
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{CAUTION:
If something is between an occupant and an
air bag, the bag might not inate properly or it
might force the object into that person causing
severe injury or even death. The path of an
inating air bag must be kept clear. Don’t put
anything between an occupant and an air bag,
and don’t attach or put anything on the
steering wheel hub or on or near any other air
bag covering.
When Should an Air Bag Inate?
The driver’s and right front passenger’s frontal air bags
are designed to inflate in moderate to severe frontal
or near-frontal crashes. But they are designed to inflate
only if the impact speed is above the system’s
designed “threshold level”.
If the front of your vehicle goes straight into a wall that
does not move or deform, the threshold level is about
11 to 17 mph (18 to 28 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 driver’s and right front passenger’s frontal air bags
are not designed to inflate in rollovers, rear impacts,
or in many side impacts because inflation would not help
the occupant.
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 how quickly the vehicle slows down in frontal and
near-frontal impacts.
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What Makes an Air Bag Inate?
In an impact of sufficient severity, the air bag sensing
system detects that the vehicle is in a crash. The
sensing system triggers a release of gas from the
inflator, which inflates the air bag. The inflator, air bag,
and related hardware are all part of the air bag
modules inside the steering wheel and in the instrument
panel in front of the right front 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. Air bags supplement 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, rear impacts and many
side impacts, primarily because an occupant’s motion is
not toward those air bags. 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.
What Will You See After an Air Bag
Inates?
After the air bag inflates, it quickly deflates, so quickly
that some people may not even realize the air bag
inflated. Some components of the air bag module will be
hot for a short time. These components include the
steering wheel hub for the driver’s frontal air bag and the
instrument panel for the right front passenger’s frontal
air bag. The parts of the bag that come into contact with
you may be warm, but not too hot to touch. There will
be some smoke and dust coming from the vents in
the deflated air bags. Air bag inflation does not prevent
the driver from seeing or being able to steer the
vehicle, nor does it stop people from leaving the vehicle.
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{CAUTION:
When an air bag inates, there is dust in the
air. This dust could cause breathing problems
for people with a history of asthma or other
breathing trouble. To avoid this, everyone in
the vehicle should get out as soon as it is safe
to do so. If you have breathing problems but
can’t get out of the vehicle after an air bag
inates, then get fresh air by opening a
window or a door. If you experience breathing
problems following an air bag deployment, you
should seek medical attention.
Your vehicle has a feature that will automatically unlock
the doors, turn off the engine, turn off the fuel pump,
and turn the interior lamps on when the air bags inflate
(if battery power is available). You can operate these
features by switching the ignition OFF and then ON.
In many crashes severe enough to inflate an air
bag, windshields are broken by vehicle deformation.
Additional windshield breakage may also occur from the
right front passenger air bag.
•Air bags are designed to inflate only once. After an
air bag inflates, you will need some new parts for
your air bag system. If you do not get them, the air
bag system will not 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 crash sensing and
diagnostic module, which records information
about the frontal air bag system. The module
records information about the readiness of the
system, when the system commands air bag
inflation and driver’s safety belt usage at
deployment. The module also records speed,
engine rpm, brake and throttle data.
•Let only qualified technicians work on your air bag
systems. Improper service can mean that an air
bag system will not work properly. See your dealer
for service.
Notice:If you damage the covering for the driver’s
or the right front passenger’s air bag, the bag
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 right front passenger’s air bag. Do not open or
break the air bag coverings.
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Servicing Your Air Bag-Equipped
Vehicle
Air bags affect how your vehicle 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
dealer and the service manual have information
about servicing your vehicle and the air bag system. To
purchase a service manual, seeService Publications
Ordering Information on page 7-11.
{CAUTION:
For up to 10 seconds after the ignition key is
turned off and the battery is disconnected, an
air bag can still inate during improper
service. You can be injured if you are close to
an air bag when it inates. Avoid yellow wires,
wires wrapped with yellow tape or yellow
connectors. They are probably part of the air
bag system. Be sure to follow proper service
procedures, and make sure the person
performing work for you is qualied to do so.
The air bag system does not need regular maintenance.
Restraint System Check
Checking Your Restraint Systems
Now and then, make sure the safety belt reminder light
and all your belts, buckles, latch plates, retractors
and anchorages are working properly. Look for any other
loose or damaged safety belt system parts. If you see
anything that might keep a safety belt system from doing
its job, have it repaired.
Torn or frayed safety belts may not protect you in a
crash. They can rip apart under impact forces. If a belt
is torn or frayed, get a new one right away.
Also look for any opened or broken air bag covers, and
have them repaired or replaced. (The air bag system
does not need regular maintenance.)
1-52

Replacing Restraint System Parts
After a Crash
{CAUTION:
A crash can damage the restraint systems in
your vehicle. A damaged restraint system may
not properly protect the person using it,
resulting in serious injury or even death in a
crash. To help make sure your restraint
systems are working properly after a crash,
have them inspected and any necessary
replacements made as soon as possible.
If you have had a crash, do you need new belts or
LATCH system parts?
After a very minor collision, nothing may be necessary.
But if the belts were stretched, as they would be if
worn during a more severe crash, then you need
new parts.If the LATCH system was being used during a more
severe crash, you may need new LATCH system parts.
If belts are cut or damaged, replace them. Collision
damage also may mean you will need to have LATCH
system, safety belt or seat parts repaired or replaced.
New parts and repairs may be necessary even if the belt
or LATCH system was not being used at the time of
the collision.
If an air bag inflates, you will need to replace air bag
system parts. See the part on the air bag system earlier
in this section.
If the frontal air bags inflate, you will also need to
replace the driver’s and right front passenger’s safety
belt buckle assembly. Be sure to do so. Then the
new buckle assembly will be there to help protect you in
a collision.
After a crash you may need to replace the driver and
front passenger’s safety belt buckle assemblies, even if
the frontal air bags have not deployed. The driver
and front passenger’s safety belt buckle assemblies
contain the safety belt pretensioners. Have your safety
belt pretensioners checked if your vehicle has been
in a collision, or if your air bag readiness light stays on
after you start your vehicle or while you are driving.
SeeAir Bag Readiness Light on page 3-26.
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✍NOTES
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