belt SATURN OUTLOOK 2007 Workshop Manual

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 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. Rollover capable roof-rail airbags
are designed to inate in moderate to
severe crashes where something hits the
side of your vehicle, during a vehicle
rollover, or in a severe frontal impact.
They are not designed to inate in rear
crashes.
Everyone in your vehicle should wear a
safety belt properly — whether or not
there is an airbag for that person.
77
ProCarManuals.com

{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, seeOlder Children
on page 48orInfants and Young Children
on page 51.
78
ProCarManuals.com

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.
Rollover capable roof-rail airbags are designed to
help contain the head and chest of occupants
in the outboard seating positions in the rst,
second, and third rows. The rollover capable
roof-rail airbags are designed to help reduce the
risk of full or partial ejection in rollover events,
although no system can prevent all such ejections.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 82for more information.
Airbags should never be regarded as anything
more than a supplement to safety belts.
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 83.
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.
84
ProCarManuals.com

Passenger Sensing System
Your vehicle has a passenger sensing system for
the right front passenger’s position. The passenger
airbag status indicator will be visible on the
instrument panel when you start your vehicle.
The words ON and OFF, or the symbol for on and
off, will be visible during the system check. If
you are using remote start to start your vehicle
from a distance, if equipped, you may not see the
system check. When the system check is
complete, either the word ON or the word OFF, or
the symbol for on or the symbol for off, will be
visible. SeePassenger Airbag Status Indicator on
page 214.The passenger sensing system will turn off the
right front passenger’s frontal airbag and
seat-mounted side impact airbag under certain
conditions. The driver’s airbags are not part of the
passenger sensing system.
The passenger sensing system works with
sensors that are part of the right front passenger’s
seat. The sensors are designed to detect the
presence of a properly-seated occupant and
determine if the right front passenger’s frontal
airbag and seat-mounted side impact airbag
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.
We recommend that children be secured in a rear
seat, including: an infant or a child riding in a
rear-facing child restraint; a child riding in a
forward-facing child seat; an older child riding in a
booster seat; and children, who are large
enough, using safety belts.
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.
United StatesCanada
86
ProCarManuals.com

The passenger sensing system is designed to
enable (may inate) the right front passenger’s
frontal airbag and seat-mounted side impact airbag
anytime the system senses that a person of
adult size is sitting properly in the right front
passenger’s seat. When the passenger sensing
system has allowed the airbags to be enabled, the
on indicator will light and stay lit to remind you
that the airbags are active.
For some children who have outgrown child
restraints and for very small adults, the passenger
sensing system may or may not turn off the right
front passenger’s frontal airbag and seat-mounted
side impact airbag, depending upon the person’s
seating posture and body build. Everyone in your
vehicle who has outgrown child restraints should
wear a safety belt properly — whether or not there
is an airbag for that person.If a person of adult-size is sitting in the right front
passenger’s seat, but the off indicator is lit, it
could be because that person is not sitting properly
in the seat. If this happens, turn the vehicle off
and ask the person to place the seatback in
the fully upright position, then sit upright in the
seat, centered on the seat cushion, with the
person’s legs comfortably extended. Restart the
vehicle and have the person remain in this position
for two to three minutes. This will allow the
system to detect that person and then enable the
right front passenger’s frontal airbag and
seat-mounted side impact airbag.
89
ProCarManuals.com

Safety belts help keep the passenger in position
on the seat during vehicle maneuvers and braking,
which helps the passenger sensing system
maintain the passenger airbag status. See “Safety
Belts” and “Child Restraints” in the Index for
additional information about the importance of
proper restraint use.
{CAUTION:
If the airbag readiness light in the
instrument panel cluster ever comes on
and stays on, it means that something may
be wrong with the airbag system. If this
ever happens, have the vehicle serviced
promptly, because an adult-size person
sitting in the right front passenger’s seat
may not have the protection of the
airbag(s). SeeAirbag Readiness Light on
page 212for more on this, including
important safety information.
A thick layer of additional material, such as a
blanket or cushion, or aftermarket equipment such
as seat covers, seat heaters, and seat massagers
can affect how well the passenger sensing system
operates. Remove any additional material from the
seat cushion before reinstalling or securing the
child restraint and before a small occupant,
including a small adult, sits in the right front
passenger’s seat. You may want to consider not
using seat covers or other aftermarket equipment.
90
ProCarManuals.com

Adding Equipment to Your
Airbag-Equipped Vehicle
Q:Is there anything I might add to the
exterior of the vehicle that could keep the
airbags from working properly?
A:Yes. If you add things that change your
vehicle’s frame, bumper system, height,
front end or side sheet metal, 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 504.
If your vehicle has rollover roof-rail airbags,
seeDifferent Size Tires and Wheels on
page 442for additional important information.
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, roof-rail airbag modules,
ceiling headliner, and pillar garnish trim, side
impact sensors, rollover sensor module,
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 504.
Your dealer/retailer and the service manual have
information about the location of the airbag
sensors, sensing and diagnostic module and
airbag wiring.
92
ProCarManuals.com

Restraint System Check
Checking the Restraint Systems
Safety Belts
Now and then, make sure the safety belt reminder
light and all your belts, buckles, latch plates,
retractors, and anchorages are working properly.
SeeSafety Belt Reminder Light on page 211
for more information.
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. See
Care of Safety Belts on page 467for 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.
Airbag System
The airbag system does not need regularly
scheduled maintenance or replacement. Make
sure the airbag readiness light is working.
SeeAirbag Readiness Light on page 212for more
information.
Notice:If an airbag covering is damaged,
opened, or broken, the airbag may not work
properly. Do not open or break the airbag
coverings. If there are any opened or broken
airbag covers, have the airbag covering and/or
airbag module replaced. For the location of
the airbag modules, seeWhat Makes an Airbag
Inflate? on page 83. See your dealer/retailer
for service.
93
ProCarManuals.com

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 airbag inates, you will need to replace airbag
system parts. See the part on the airbag system
earlier in this section.
If any airbag inates, you will also need to replace
the driver and front passenger’s safety belt
assembly. Be sure to do so. Then the new
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 assemblies,
even if the frontal airbags have not deployed. The
driver and front passenger’s safety belt
assemblies contain the safety belt pretensioners.
Have your safety belt pretensioners checked if
your vehicle has been in a collision, or if your
airbag readiness light stays on after you start your
vehicle or while you are driving. SeeAirbag
Readiness Light on page 212.
94
ProCarManuals.com

Doors and Locks
Door Locks
{CAUTION:
Unlocked doors can be dangerous.
Passengers, especially children, can
easily open the doors and fall out of a
moving vehicle. When a door is
locked, the handle will not open it.
You increase the chance of being
thrown out of the vehicle in a crash if
the doors are not locked. So, wear
safety belts properly and lock the
doors whenever you drive.
Young children who get into unlocked
vehicles may be unable to get out. A
child can be overcome by extreme
CAUTION: (Continued)
CAUTION: (Continued)
heat and can suffer permanent injuries or
even death from heat stroke. Always lock
your vehicle whenever you leave it.
Outsiders can easily enter through an
unlocked door when you slow down
or stop your vehicle. Locking your
doors can help prevent this from
happening.
The vehicle’s doors can be manually locked or
unlocked in the following ways:
From the outside, use the key in the
driver’s door.
From the inside, use the lock control on
the door.
106
ProCarManuals.com