sensor PONTIAC VIBE 2006 Owners Manual

{CAUTION:
If something is between an occupant and an
airbag, the airbag might not inate properly or it
might force the object into that person causing
severe injury or even death. The path of an
inating airbag must be kept clear. Do not put
anything between an occupant and an airbag,
and do not attach or put anything on the
steering wheel hub or on or near any other
airbag covering. If your vehicle has
roof-mounted side impact airbags, never secure
anything to the roof of your vehicle by routing
the rope or tie-down through any door or
window opening. If you do, the path of an
inating airbag will be blocked. Do not let seat
covers block the ination path of a side impact
airbag. The path of an inating airbag must be
kept clear.
When Should an Airbag Inate?
The driver’s and right front passenger’s frontal airbags
are designed to inate in moderate to severe frontal
or near-frontal crashes. But they are designed to inate
only if the impact exceeds a predetermined deployment
threshold. Deployment thresholds take into account
a variety of desired deployment and non-deployment
events and are used to predict how severe a crash
is likely to be in time for the airbags to inate and help
restrain the occupants. Whether your frontal airbags
will or should deploy is not based on how fast your
vehicle is traveling. It depends largely on what you hit,
the direction of the impact and how quickly your
vehicle slows down.
In addition, your vehicle has “dual stage” frontal airbags,
which adjust the restraint according to crash severity.
Your vehicle is equipped with electronic frontal sensors,
which help the sensing system distinguish between a
moderate frontal impact and a more severe frontal
impact. For moderate frontal impacts, these airbags
inate at a level less than full deployment. For more
severe frontal impacts, full deployment occurs.
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Frontal airbags may inate at different crash speeds.
For example:
If the vehicle hits a stationary object, the airbags
could inate at a different crash speed than if the
vehicle hits a moving object.
If the vehicle hits an object that deforms, the
airbags could inate at a different crash speed than
if the vehicle hits an object that does not deform.
If the vehicle hits a narrow object (like a pole) the
airbags could inate at a different crash speed
than if the vehicle hits a wide object (like a wall).
If the vehicle goes into an object at an angle the
airbags could inate at a different crash speed
than if the vehicle goes straight into the object.
The frontal airbags for the driver and right front
passenger may also deploy if a serious impact occurs to
the underside of your vehicle such as hitting a curb,
falling into a deep hole, or landing hard.
The frontal airbags (driver and right front passenger)
are not intended to inate during vehicle rollovers,
rear impacts, or in many side impacts.The side impact airbags are intended to inate in
moderate to severe side crashes. A side impact airbag
will inate if the crash severity is above the system’s
designed “threshold level.” The threshold level can vary
with specic vehicle design. Side impact airbags are
not intended to inate in frontal or near-frontal impacts,
rollovers or rear impacts. Your vehicle has sensors
which detect side impacts. These sensors signal
the appropriate side airbag to inate. A side impact
airbag is intended to deploy on the side of the vehicle
that is struck.
It is possible that, in a crash involving the front of your
vehicle, only one of the two frontal airbags in your vehicle
will deploy. This is rare, but it can happen in a crash just
severe enough to make a frontal airbag inate.
In any particular crash, no one can say whether an
airbag should have inated simply because of the
damage to a vehicle or because of what the repair costs
were. For frontal airbags, ination is determined by
what the vehicle hits, the angle of the impact, and
how quickly the vehicle slows down in frontal and
near-frontal impacts. For side impact airbags, ination is
determined by the location and severity of the impact.
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The passenger sensing system works with sensors that
are part of the right front passenger’s seat assembly
and safety belt assembly. The sensors are designed to
detect the presence of a properly-seated occupant
and determine if the passenger’s frontal airbag
and seat-mounted side impact airbag (if equipped)
and safety belt pretensioner should be enabled
(may inate) or not.
Accident statistics show that children are safer if they
are restrained in the rear rather than the front seat.
General Motors recommends that child restraints
be secured in a rear seat, including an infant riding in a
rear-facing infant seat, a child riding in a forward-facing
child seat and an older child riding in a booster seat.
Your vehicle has a rear seat that will accommodate
a rear-facing child restraint. A label on your sun visor
says, “Never put a rear-facing child seat in the front.”
This is because the risk to the rear-facing child is
so great, if the airbag deploys.
{CAUTION:
A child in a rear-facing child restraint can be
seriously injured or killed if the right front
passenger’s airbag inates. This is because
the back of the rear-facing child restraint
would be very close to the inating airbag.
Even though the passenger sensing system is
designed to turn off the passenger’s frontal
airbag and seat-mounted side impact airbag
(if equipped) under certain conditions, no
system is fail-safe, and no one can guarantee
that an airbag will not deploy under some
unusual circumstance, even though it is
turned off. General Motors recommends that
rear-facing child restraints be secured in the
rear seat, even if the airbag is off.
If you need to secure a forward-facing child
restraint in the right front seat, always move
the front passenger seat as far back as it will
go. It is better to secure the child restraint in a
rear seat.
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Servicing Your Airbag-Equipped
Vehicle
Airbags affect how your vehicle should be serviced.
There are parts of the airbag system in several places
around your vehicle. Your dealer and the service manual
have information about servicing your vehicle and the
airbag system. To purchase a service manual, see
Service Publications Ordering Information on page 7-14.
{CAUTION:
For up to two minutes after the ignition key is
turned off and the battery is disconnected, an
airbag can still inate during improper service.
You can be injured if you are close to an airbag
when it inates. Avoid wires wrapped with
yellow tape or yellow connectors. They are
probably part of the airbag systems. Be sure to
follow proper service procedures, and make
sure the person performing work for you is
qualied to do so.
The airbag system does not need regular maintenance.
Adding Equipment to Your
Airbag-Equipped Vehicle
Q:Is there anything I might add to the vehicle that
could keep the airbags from working properly?
A:Yes. If you add things that change your vehicle’s
frame, bumper system, front end or side sheet metal
or height, they may keep the airbag system from
working properly. Also, the airbag system may not
work properly if you relocate any of the airbag
sensors. If you have any questions about this, you
should contact Customer Assistance before you
modify your vehicle. The phone numbers and
addresses for Customer Assistance are in Step Two
of the Customer Satisfaction Procedure in this
manual. SeeCustomer Satisfaction Procedure on
page 7-2.
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Headlamps on Reminder
If you turn the ignition to LOCK or ACC and leave
the lamps on, you’ll hear a tone when you open the
driver’s door.
Daytime Running Lamps (DRL)
Daytime Running Lamps (DRL) can make it easier for
others to see the front of your vehicle during the
day. DRL can be helpful in many different driving
conditions, but they can be especially helpful in the short
periods after dawn and before sunset. Fully functional
daytime running lamps are required on all vehicles
rst sold in Canada.
The DRL system will make your headlamps come on at
a reduced brightness when the following conditions
are met:
The ignition is on with the engine running.
The exterior lamps switch is off.
The parking brake is released.
When the DRL are on, only your headlamps will be on
at a reduced brightness. The taillamps, sidemarker
and other lamps won’t be on. Your instrument panel
won’t be lit up either.
When you turn the exterior lamp switch to the headlamp
position, your DRL will go off and your headlamps will
come on. The other lamps that come on with your
headlamps will also come on.When it begins to get dark, the headlamps will
automatically switch from DRL to the regular headlamps.
See “Automatic Headlamp System” following.
When you turn the exterior lamp switch off, the regular
lamps will go off and your headlamps will change to
the reduced brightness of DRL provided it is not
dark outside. DRL also comes on if only the parking
lamps are being used.
Automatic Headlamp System
Your vehicle is equipped with an automatic light sensor
on the top left corner of the instrument panel, so be sure it
is not covered or the headlamps will be on continuously.
When it is dark enough outside, your automatic
headlamp system will turn on your low-beam headlamps
at the normal brightness along with other lamps such
as the taillamps, sidemarker, parking lamps and
instrument panel lights. This is indicated by the
headlamp symbol on your instrument panel cluster. See
Instrument Panel Cluster on page 3-25.
If you are driving through a parking garage, overcast
weather, or a tunnel, the automatic headlamp system
may turn on your low-beam headlamps at a normal
brightness along with the taillamps, sidemarker, parking
lamps and the instrument panel lights. The radio
lights will be dimmer, and the instrument panel cluster
lights may dim. There will be a delay before the
lights will turn on when starting the car at night.
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When adding electrical equipment, be sure to
follow the proper installation instructions included
with the equipment.
Notice:Improper use of the power outlet can cause
damage not covered by your warranty. Do not
hang any type of accessory or accessory bracket
from the plug because the power outlets are
designed for accessory power plugs only.
Power Outlet 115 Volt
Alternating Current
With this power outlet, you can plug in auxiliary electrical
equipment with a maximum limit of 115 VAC. If you
try to use equipment that requires more than the limit, a
protection circuit will cut the power supply. The power
will automatically restart when equipment that operates
within the limit is plugged in.The power outlet is located near the center of the
instrument panel. Before using the outlet, turn on the
ignition and press the button next to the outlet. An
indicator light in the button will come on. After using the
outlet, press the button again to turn it off.
The power outlet is not designed for the following
electrical equipment and they may not work properly:
Equipment with high initial peak wattage:
cathode-ray tube type televisions,
compressor-driven refrigerators, electric
power tools.
Other equipment requiring an extremely stable
power supply: microcomputer-controlled electric
blankets, touch sensor lamps, etc.
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This light is located on
the center of the
instrument panel,
above the
audio system.
When the key is turned to ON or START, this light will
come on as a reminder for the right front passenger
to fasten the safety belt. The safety belt light will ash
until the right front passenger’s safety belt is buckled.
The passenger’s safety belt reminder light will not
illuminate if the right front passenger’s belt is already
buckled or if a sensor does not detect the weight
of a passenger in that seat.
If something is placed on the right front passenger’s
seat, the sensors in the seat may detect that object and
cause the right front passenger’s safety belt reminder
light to come on. If this ever happens, move the object
to the rear seat or place it in a rear storage area, if
at all possible.Airbag Readiness Light
There is an airbag readiness light on the instrument
panel, which shows the airbag symbol. The system
checks the airbag’s electrical system for malfunctions.
The light tells you if there is an electrical problem.
The system check includes the airbag sensors, the
airbag modules, the wiring and the diagnostic module.
For more information on the airbag system, see
Airbag System on page 1-49.
This light will come on for
about seven seconds
when you start your
vehicle. Then the light
should go out. This means
the system is ready.
If the airbag readiness light stays on after you start the
vehicle or comes on when you are driving, your
airbag system may not work properly. Have your vehicle
serviced right away.
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