wheel SATURN AURA 2007 Owners Manual

You never know if you will be in a crash. If you do
have a crash, you do not 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
would not 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 40 years of safety belts in
vehicles, the facts are clear. In most crashes
buckling up does matter... a lot!Why Safety Belts Work
When you ride in or on anything, you go as fast
as it goes.
Take the simplest vehicle. Suppose it is just a
seat on wheels.
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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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{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. 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 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, these airbags inate at a level less
than full deployment. For more severe frontal
impacts, full deployment occurs.
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What Makes an Airbag Inate?
In an impact of sufficient severity, the airbag
sensing system detects that the vehicle is
in a crash. The sensing system triggers a release
of gas from the inator, which inates the
airbag. The inator, airbag and related hardware
are all part of the airbag modules. Frontal
airbag modules are located inside the steering
wheel and the instrument panel. For vehicles with
seat-mounted side impact airbags, there are
also airbag modules in the side of the front
seatbacks closest to the door. For vehicles with
roof-mounted side impact airbags, there are
also airbag modules in the ceiling of the vehicle,
near the side window.
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. Airbags distribute the force of the
impact more evenly over the occupant’s upper
body, stopping the occupant more gradually. But
the frontal airbags 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 the airbag.
Side impact airbags would not help you in many
types of collisions, including many frontal or
near frontal collisions, rollovers, and rear impacts.
Airbags 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 for the driver’s and right front
passenger’s frontal airbags, and only in moderate
to severe side collisions for vehicles with side
impact airbags.
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What Will You See After an Airbag
Inates?
After 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-mounted side impact airbags
may still be at least partially inated minutes after
the vehicle comes to rest. Some components
of the airbag module — the steering wheel hub for
the driver’s airbag, the instrument panel for the
right front passenger’s bag, the side of the
seatback closest to the door for the seat-mounted
side impact airbags, and the area along the
ceiling of your vehicle near the side windows for
roof-mounted side impact airbags — may be
hot for a short time. 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.
Your vehicle has a feature that may automatically
unlock the doors, turn the interior lamps on,
and turn the hazard warning ashers on when the
airbags inate. You can lock the doors, turn the
interior lamps off, and turn the hazard warning
ashers off by using the controls for those
features.
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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:Changing or moving any parts of the
front seats, safety belts, the airbag sensing
and diagnostic module, steering wheel,
instrument panel, overhead console, ceiling
headliner, ceiling and pillar garnish trim,
roof-mounted airbag modules, or airbag wiring
can affect the operation of the airbag
system. 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 372.
Restraint System Check
Checking the 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. Keep safety belts clean and dry.
SeeCare of Safety Belts on page 335for more
information.
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 airbag
covers, and have them repaired or replaced. The
airbag system does not need regular maintenance.
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Notice:If you damage the covering for the
driver’s or the right front passenger’s airbag,
or the airbag covering on the driver’s and
right front passenger’s seatback, or the side
impact airbag covering on the ceiling near the
side windows, the bag may not work properly.
You may have to replace the airbag module
in the steering wheel, both the airbag module
and the instrument panel for the right front
passenger’s airbag, the airbag module
and seatback for the driver’s and right front
passenger’s seat-mounted side impact airbags,
or side impact airbag module and ceiling
covering for the roof-mounted side impact
airbag. Do not open or break the airbag
coverings.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.
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Automatic Transaxle Operation
The shift lever is located on the console between
the seats.
There are several
different positions for
the automatic transaxle.
PARK (P):This position locks the front wheels. It
is the best position to use when you start the
engine because your vehicle cannot move easily.{CAUTION:
It is dangerous to get out of your vehicle
if the shift lever is not fully in PARK (P)
with the parking brake rmly set. Your
vehicle can roll.
Do not leave your vehicle when the engine
is running unless you have to. If you have
left the engine running, the vehicle can
move suddenly. You or others could be
injured. To be sure your vehicle will not
move, even when you are on fairly level
ground, always set your parking brake
and move the shift lever to PARK (P). See
Shifting Into PARK (P) on page 120.
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Make sure the shift lever is fully in PARK (P)
before starting the engine. Your vehicle has an
automatic transaxle shift lock control system. You
have to fully apply the regular brakes rst and
then press the shift lever button before shifting
from PARK (P) while the ignition key is in RUN. If
you cannot shift out of PARK (P), ease pressure
on the shift lever and push the shift lever all
the way into PARK (P) while maintaining brake
application. Then press the shift lever button and
move the shift lever into another gear. See
Shifting Out of PARK (P) on page 122.
REVERSE (R):Use this gear to back up.
Notice:Shifting to REVERSE (R) while your
vehicle is moving forward could damage
the transaxle. The repairs would not be
covered by your warranty. Shift to
REVERSE (R) only after your vehicle is
stopped.
To rock your vehicle back and forth to get out of
snow, ice or sand without damaging your
transaxle, seeIf Your Vehicle is Stuck in Sand,
Mud, Ice, or Snow on page 241.NEUTRAL (N):In this position, the engine does
not connect with the wheels. To restart the engine
while your vehicle is already moving, use
NEUTRAL (N) only. Also, use NEUTRAL (N) when
your vehicle is being towed.
{CAUTION:
Shifting into a drive gear while the engine
is running at high speed is dangerous.
Unless your foot is rmly on the brake
pedal, your vehicle could move very
rapidly. You could lose control and hit
people or objects. Do not shift into a drive
gear while your engine is running at high
speed.
Notice:Shifting out of PARK (P) or
NEUTRAL (N) while the engine is running at
high speed may damage the transaxle.
The repairs would not be covered by your
warranty. Be sure the engine is not running at
high speeds when shifting your vehicle.
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OnStar®Virtual Advisor
OnStar®Virtual Advisor is a feature of OnStar®
Hands-Free Calling that uses your minutes to
access location-based weather, local traffic reports,
and stock quotes. By pressing the phone button
and giving a few simple voice commands, you can
browse through the various topics. See the OnStar
®
Owner’s Guide for more information (Only available
in the continental U.S.).
OnStar®Steering Wheel Controls
Your vehicle may have a Talk/Mute button that
can be used to interact with OnStar®Hands-Free
Calling. SeeAudio Steering Wheel Controls on
page 206for more information.
On some vehicles, you may have to hold the
button for a few seconds and give the command
“ONSTAR” in order to activate the OnStar
®
Hands-Free Calling feature.
On some vehicles, the mute button can be used to
dial numbers into voicemail systems, or to dial
phone extensions. See the OnStar
®Owner’s
Guide for more information.
How OnStar®Service Works
In order to provide you with OnStar®services,
your vehicle’s OnStar®system has the capability
of recording and transmitting vehicle information.
This information is automatically sent to an
OnStar
®Call Center at the time of an OnStar®
button press, Emergency button press or if
your airbags or AACN system deploys. The vehicle
information usually includes your GPS location
and, in the event of a crash, additional information
regarding the accident that your vehicle has
been involved in (e.g. the direction from which
your vehicle was hit). When you use the Virtual
Advisor feature of OnStar
®Hands-Free Calling,
your vehicle also sends OnStar®your GPS
location so that we can provide you with
location-based services.
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