BUICK CENTURY 1993 Service Manual

A CAUTION:
Don’t attach anything to the steering wheel
pad.
It might injure the driver if the air bag
inflates.
The air bag
is designed to inflate only once.
After
it inflates, you’ll need some new parts for
your air bag system. If you
don’t get them, the
air bag system won’t be there
to help protect
you
in another crash. A new system will
include the air bag module and possibly other
parts. The service manual has information
about the need
to replace other parts.
Let only qualified technicians work
on your air
bag system. Improper service can mean that
your air bag system won’t work properly. See
your dealer for service.
Servicing Your Buick with the Air Bag
System
Please tell or remind anyone who works on your Buick
that it has
the air bag system. 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. The air bag system does not need regular maintenance. Your Buick
dealer and the
1993 Century Service Manual have information about the
air bag system, including repair
or disposal.
A CAUTION:
For up to 2 minutes after the ignition key is
turned
off and the battery disconnected, an air
bag can still inflate during improper service.
Yonn
can be injured if you are close to an air bag whc..
it inflates. Be sure to follow the proper service
procedures.
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When electrical work is done under the hood or inside
your vehicle, the ignition should be
in “Lock” if possible.
Avoid wires wrapped with yellow tape, or yellow
connectors. They are probably part of the air bag system.
But if the ignition has to be on for electrical work, or if
the steering column is
to be disassembled, the air bag
system must be disconnected.
To do this:
Turn off the ignition.
Remove the SIR (air bag) fuse (see “Fuses & Circuit
Disconnect the yellow connector at the base of the
Breakers” in the Index).
steering column.
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When the work is complete, if the air bag system was
disconnected, be sure to reattach everything and replace
the
fuse before turning the ignition on. When you turn
the ignition key on, be sure you see the inflatable
restraint light on the instrument panel. If you don’t see
this light flash and then go out as usual, have your air bag
system repaired.
Safety Belt Use During Pregnancy
Safety belts work for everyone, including pregnant
women. Like all occupants, they are more likely to be
seriously injured if they don’t wear safety belts.
A pregnant woman should wear a lap-shoulder belt, and
the lap portion should be worn as low as possible
throughout the pregnancy.
The best way to protect the fetus is to protect the mother.
When a safety belt is worn properly, it’s more likely that \
the fetus won’t be hurt in a crash. For pregnant women,
as for anyone, the key to making safety belts effective is
wearing them properly.
Right Front Passenger Position
fl
The right front passenger’s safety belt works the same
way as the driver’s safety belt. See “Driver Position:’
earlier in this part.
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Adjust the seat (to see how, see “Seats” in the Index) so’
you can sit up straight. Move your seat far enough
forward that your feet touch the part
of the vehicle that is
called the “toeboard” (A). That way you’d be less li\
kely
to slide under the lap belt in a crash.
Center Passenger Position and Any Station
Wagon Third Seat Passenger Position
If your vehicle has front and rear bench seats, someone
can sit in the center positions.
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.-
When you sit in a center seating position, or in a station To make the belt shorter, pull its free end as shown until
wagon third seat, you have a lap safety belt, which has no
the belt is snug.
retractor.
To make the belt longer, tilt the latch plate and pull it
along the belt. Buckle, position and release it the same
way as the lap
part of a lap-shoulder belt.
If
the belt isn’t long enough, see “Safety Belt Extender”
at the end of this section.
Make sure the release button on the buckle faces upward
or outward
so you would be able to unbuckle it quickly if
you ever had to.
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Rear Seat Passengers
It’s very important for rear seat passengers to buckle up!
Accident statistics show that unbelted people in the rear seat are hurt more often in crashes than those who are
wearing safety belts.
Rear passengers who aren’t safety belted
can be thrown
out of the vehicle in a crash. And they can strike others
in the vehicle who are wearing safety belts.
Rear Seat Outside Passenger Positions
The positions next to the windows have lap-shoulder
belts.
Here’s how to wear one properly:
1. Pick up the latch plate and pull it across you. Don’t let
it get twisted.
2. Push the latch plate into the buckle until it clicks. If
the belt stops before it reaches the buckle, tilt the latch
plate
and keep pulling until you can buckle it.
If the belt is not long enough,
see “Safety Belt Extender”
at the end of this section.
Make sure the release button on the buckle faces upward
or outward
so you would be able to unbuckle it quickly if
you ever had to.
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3. To make the lap part tight, pull down on the buckle
end of the belt as you pull up on the shoulder part. The lap part of the belt should be worn low and snug on
the hips, just touching the thighs. In a crash, this applies
force to the strong pelvic bones. And you'd be less likely
to slide under the lap belt. If you slid under it, the belt
would apply force at your abdomen. This could cause serious or even fatal injuries. The shoulder belt should go
over the shoulder and across the chest. These parts
of the
body are best able to take belt restraining forces.
The safety belt locks
if there's a sudden stop or a crash.
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A CAUTION:
Q
Y&u can be seriously hurt if your shoulder belt
Is too loose. In a crash you would move
forward too much, which could Increase
injury.
The shoulder belt should fit against
your body.
To unlatch the belt, just push the button on the buckle.
Children
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Everyone in a vehicle needs protection! That includes
infants and all children smaller than adult
size. In fact,
the law in every state and Canadian province
says
children up to some age must be restrained while in a
vehicle.
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Smaller Children and Babies
/i CAUTION:
Smaller children and babies should always be restrained
in a child or infant restraint. The
instructions
for the restraint will say whether it
is the right type and size for your child. A very
young chlld’s hip bones are
so small that a
regular belt might not
stay low on the hips, as
it should. Instead, the belt will likely be over
the child’s abdomen.
In a crash the belt would
apply
force right on the child’s abdomen,
which could cause serious or
fatal injuries. So,
be sure that any child small enough for one is
always properly restrained in a child or Infant
restraint.
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A CAUTION: -
Never hold a baby in your arms while riding in
a vehicle. A baby doesn’t welgh much-until a
crash. During a crash a baby will become so
heavy you can’t hold it. For example, in a crash
at
only 25 mph (40 km/h), a 12-pound (5.5 kg)
baby will suddenly become a 240-pound (110 kg)
force on your arms. The baby would be almost
impossible to hold.
A
-l
c
CAUTION (Continued) I
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CAUTION (Continued)
Secure the baby in an infant restraint.
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Child Restraints
Be sure to follow the instructions for the restraint. You
may find these instructions on the restraint itself or in a
booklet, or both. These restraints use the belt system
in
your vehicle, but the child also has to be secured within
the restraint to help reduce the chance
of personal injury.
The instructions that come with the infant or child
restraint will
show you how to do that.
Where to Put the Restraint
Accident statistics show that children are safer if they are
restrained in the rear rather than the front seat. We at
General Motors therefore recommend that you put your
child restraint
in the rear seat unless the child is an inht
and you’re the only adult in the vehicle.
In that case, you
might want to secure
the restraint in the front seat where
you can keep an eye on the baby.
Wherever you install it, be sure to secure
the child
restraint properly.
/r CAUTION:
An unsecured chlld restraint can mov8 around
in
I collision or sudden stop and injure people
In the vehicle. Be sure to properly 88cure any
chlld restraint In pur vehicle-ew-n when no
chlld is in it. I
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Top Strap Securing a Child Restraint in a Rear Outside
Position
You’ll be using the lap-shoulder belt. See the earlier
section about the top strap if the child restraint has one.
If your child restraint has a top strap, it should be
anchored. If you need to have
an anchor installed, you
can ask your Buick dealer to put it in for you.
If you want
to install an anchor yourself, your dealer can tell you how
to do it.
If you want
to use a child restraint with a top strap in the
second seat of a station wagon, have your dealer install a
combination anchor-tether belt to which the top strap can
be hooked. You’ll need
a safety locking clip to properly secure a
child restraint in this position. You can get a locking clip
where child restraints are sold, or from your Buick
dealer
(GM Part Number 94844571). The locking clip
must be the same as the one shown here.
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