Roof rail SATURN ASTRA 2008 Owners Manual

Replacing Safety Belt
System Parts After
a Crash
{CAUTION
A crash can damage the safety
belt system in the vehicle.
A damaged safety belt system
may not properly protect the
person using it, resulting in
serious injury or even death
in a crash. To help make sure
the safety belt systems are
working properly after a crash,
have them inspected and any
necessary replacements made
as soon as possible.After a minor crash, replacement of
safety belts may not be necessary.
But the safety belt assemblies that
were used during any crash may
have been stressed or damaged.
See your dealer/retailer to have the
safety belt assemblies inspected or
replaced.
New parts and repairs may be
necessary even if the safety belt
system was not being used at
the time of the crash.
Have the safety belt pretensioners
checked if the vehicle has been in a
crash, or if the airbag readiness light
stays on after you start the vehicle or
while you are driving. SeeAirbag
Readiness Light on page 4-14.
Airbag System
Your vehicle has the following
airbags:
A frontal airbag for the driver.
A frontal airbag for the right front
passenger.
A seat-mounted side impact
airbag for the driver.
A seat-mounted side impact
airbag for the right front
passenger.
A roof-rail airbag for the driver
and the passenger seated
directly behind the driver.
A roof-rail airbag for the
right front passenger and the
passenger seated directly behind
the right front passenger.
All of the airbags in your vehicle will
have the word AIRBAG embossed in
the trim or on an attached label near
the deployment opening.
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For frontal airbags, the word
AIRBAG will appear on the middle
part of the steering wheel for
the driver and on the instrument
panel for the right front passenger.
With seat-mounted side impact
airbags, the word AIRBAG
will appear on the side of the
seatback closest to the door.
With roof-rail airbags, the word
AIRBAG will appear along the
headliner or trim.
Airbags are designed to supplement
the protection provided by safety
belts. Even though today’s airbags
are also designed to help reduce
the risk of injury from the force of
an inating bag, all airbags must
inate very quickly to do their job.Here are the most important things
to know about the airbag system:
{CAUTION
You can be severely injured or
killed in a crash if you are not
wearing your safety belt — even
if you have airbags. Wearing
your safety belt during a crash
helps reduce your chance of
hitting things inside the vehicle
or being ejected from it. Airbags
are “supplemental restraints” to
the safety belts. All airbags are
designed to work with safety
belts, but do not replace them.
{CAUTION
Frontal airbags are designed to
deploy in moderate to severe
frontal and near frontal crashes.
They are not designed to inate
in rollover, rear crashes, or in
many side crashes.
Seat-mounted side impact
airbags and roof-rail airbags are
designed to inate in moderate
to severe crashes where
something hits the side of your
vehicle. They are not designed
to inate in frontal, in rollover,
or in rear crashes.
Everyone in your vehicle
should wear a safety belt
properly — whether or not there
is an airbag for that person.
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{CAUTION
Airbags inate with great force,
faster than the blink of an eye.
Anyone who is up against, or
very close to, any airbag when
it inates can be seriously
injured or killed. Do not sit
unnecessarily close to the
airbag, as you would be if you
were sitting on the edge of your
seat or leaning forward. Safety
belts help keep you in position
before and during a crash.
Always wear your safety belt,
even with airbags. The driver
should sit as far back as
possible while still maintaining
control of the vehicle.
Occupants should not lean on
or sleep against the door or side
windows in seating positions
with seat-mounted side impact
airbags and/or roof-rail airbags.
{CAUTION
Airbags plus lap-shoulder
belts offer the best protection
for adults, but not for young
children and infants. Neither
the vehicle’s safety belt system
nor its airbag 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
Older Children on page 1-37or
Infants and Young Children on
page 1-38.
There is an airbag readiness light
on the instrument panel cluster,
which shows the airbag symbol.
The system checks the airbag
electrical system for malfunctions.
The light tells you if there is an
electrical problem. SeeAirbag
Readiness Light on page 4-14
for more information.
Where Are the Airbags?
The driver’s frontal airbag is in the
middle of the steering wheel.
The right front passenger’s frontal
airbag is in the instrument panel on
the passenger’s side.
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The seat-mounted side impact
airbags for the driver and right front
passenger are in the side of the
seatbacks closest to the door.
The roof-rail airbags for the driver,
right front passenger, and second
row outboard passengers are in the
ceiling above the side windows.
{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.
(Continued)
CAUTION (Continued)
Do not use seat accessories
that block the ination path of
a seat-mounted side impact
airbag.
Never secure anything to the
roof of a vehicle with roof-rail
airbags by routing a rope or
tie down through any door or
window opening. If you do, the
path of an inating roof-rail
airbag will be blocked. Driver Side shown,
Passenger Side similar
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When Should an Airbag
Inate?
Frontal airbags are designed to
inate in moderate to severe frontal
or near-frontal crashes to help
reduce the potential for severe
injuries mainly to the driver’s or right
front passenger’s head and chest.
However, they are only designed
to inate if the impact exceeds
a predetermined deployment
threshold. Deployment thresholds
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 the 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.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.
Thresholds can also vary with
specic vehicle design.
Frontal airbags are not intended to
inate during vehicle rollovers, rear
impacts, or in many side impacts.In addition, the vehicle has
dual-stage frontal airbags.
Dual-stage airbags adjust the
restraint according to crash severity.
The vehicle has electronic frontal
sensors, which help the sensing
system distinguish between a
moderate frontal impact and a
more severe frontal impact. For
moderate frontal impacts, dual-stage
airbags inate at a level less than full
deployment. For more severe frontal
impacts, full deployment occurs.
The vehicle has seat-mounted
side impact and roof-rail airbags.
SeeAirbag System on page 1-23.
Seat-mounted side impact and
roof-rail airbags are intended to
inate in moderate to severe side
crashes. Seat-mounted side impact
and roof-rail airbags will inate if
the crash severity is above the
system’s designed threshold level.
The threshold level can vary with
specic vehicle design.
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Seat-mounted side impact and
roof-rail airbags are not intended to
inate in frontal impacts, near-frontal
impacts, rollovers, or rear impacts.
A seat-mounted side impact
airbag is intended to deploy on
the side of the vehicle that is struck.
A roof-rail airbag is intended to
deploy on the side of the vehicle
that is struck.
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.
For seat-mounted side impact and
roof-rail airbags, deployment is
determined by the location and
severity of the side impact.What Makes an Airbag
Inate?
In a deployment event, the sensing
system sends an electrical signal
triggering a release of gas from the
inator. Gas from the inator lls the
airbag causing the bag to break out
of the cover and deploy. The inator,
the airbag, and related hardware are
all part of the airbag module.
Frontal airbag modules are located
inside the steering wheel and
instrument panel. For vehicles with
seat-mounted side impact airbags,
there are airbag modules in the side
of the front seatbacks closest to the
door. For vehicles with roof-rail
airbags, there are airbag modules in
the ceiling of the vehicle, near the
side windows that have occupant
seating positions.
How Does an Airbag
Restrain?
In moderate to severe frontal or
near frontal collisions, even belted
occupants can contact the steering
wheel or the instrument panel. In
moderate to severe side collisions,
even belted occupants can contact
the inside of the vehicle.
Airbags supplement the protection
provided by safety belts. Frontal
airbags distribute the force of the
impact more evenly over the
occupant’s upper body, stopping
the occupant more gradually.
Seat-mounted side impact and
roof-rail airbags distribute the force
of the impact more evenly over the
occupant’s upper body.
But airbags would not help in many
types of collisions, primarily because
the occupant’s motion is not toward
those airbags. SeeWhen Should
an Airbag Inflate? on page 1-27
for more information.
Airbags should never be regarded
as anything more than a supplement
to safety belts.
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What Will You See After
an Airbag Inates?
After the frontal airbags and
seat-mounted side impact airbags
inate, they quickly deate, so
quickly that some people may not
even realize an airbag inated.
Roof-rail airbags may still be at least
partially inated for some time after
they deploy. Some components of
the airbag module may be hot for
several minutes. For location of the
airbag modules, seeWhat Makes
an Airbag Inflate? on page 1-28.
The parts of the airbag that come
into contact with you may be warm,
but not too hot to touch. There may
be some smoke and dust coming
from the vents in the deated
airbags. Airbag ination does not
prevent the driver from seeing out
of the windshield or being able to
steer the vehicle, nor does it prevent
people from leaving the vehicle.
{CAUTION
When an airbag inates, there
may be 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
cannot get out of the vehicle
after an airbag inates, then get
fresh air by opening a window
or a door. If you experience
breathing problems following an
airbag deployment, you should
seek medical attention.
In many crashes severe enough
to inate the airbag, windshields
are broken by vehicle deformation.Additional windshield breakage
may also occur from the right
front passenger airbag.Airbags are designed to inate
only once. After an airbag inates,
you will need some new parts for
the airbag system. If you do not
get them, the airbag system will
not be there to help protect you
in another crash. A new system
will include airbag modules and
possibly other parts. The service
manual for your vehicle covers
the need to replace other parts.
The vehicle has a crash sensing
and diagnostic module which
records information after a crash.
SeeVehicle Data Recording and
Privacy on page 11-15andEvent
Data Recorders on page 11-16.
Let only qualied technicians work
on the airbag systems. Improper
service can mean that an airbag
system will not work properly.
See your dealer/retailer for
service.
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Adding Equipment to
Your Airbag-Equipped
Vehicle
Q:Is there anything I might add
to or change about the vehicle
that could keep the airbags
from working properly?
A:Yes. If you add things that
change the vehicle’s frame,
bumper system, height, front end
or side sheet metal, they may
keep the airbag system from
working properly. Changing or
moving any parts of the front
seats, safety belts, the airbag
sensing and diagnostic module,
steering wheel, instrument
panel, roof-rail airbag modules,
ceiling headliner or pillar
garnish trim, front sensors,
or airbag wiring can affect the
operation of the airbag system.
In addition, the vehicle has a
passenger sensing system for the
right front passenger position,which includes sensors that are
part of the passenger’s seat.
The passenger sensing system
may not operate properly if the
original seat trim is replaced
with non-GM covers, upholstery
or trim, or with GM covers,
upholstery or trim designed for a
different vehicle. Any object, such
as an aftermarket seat heater or a
comfort enhancing pad or device,
installed under or on top of the
seat fabric, could also interfere
with the operation of the
passenger sensing system.
This could either prevent proper
deployment of the passenger
airbag(s) or prevent the
passenger sensing system
from properly turning off the
passenger airbag(s). See
Passenger Sensing System
on page 1-30.
If you have any questions about
this, you should contact Customer
Assistance before you modify
your vehicle. The phone numbersand addresses for Customer
Assistance are in Step Two of the
Customer Satisfaction Procedure
in this manual. SeeCustomer
Satisfaction Procedure on
page 11-1.
Q:Because I have a disability,
I have to get my vehicle
modied. How can I nd out
whether this will affect my
airbag system?
A:If you have questions,
call Customer Assistance.
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 11-1.
In addition, your dealer/retailer and
the service manual have information
about the location of the airbag
sensors, sensing and diagnostic
module and airbag wiring.
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