BUICK CENTURY 1996 User Guide

Vehicle Damage Warnings
Also, in this book you will find these notices:
I NOTICE:
These mean there is something that could
damage your vehicle.
not be covered by your warranty, and it could be
costly.
But the notice will tell you what to do to help
avoid
the damage.
When you read other manuals, you might
see
CAUTION and NOTICE warnings in different
colors
or in different words.
You’ll also see warning labels on your vehicle. They use
the same words,
CAUTION or NOTICE.
In the notice area, we tell you about something that can
damage your vehicle. Many times, this damage would
ix
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Vehicle Symbols
These are some of the symbols you may find on your vehicle.
For example,
these symbols
are used on an
original battery:
POSSIBLE A
CAUTION
INJURY
PROTECT EYES BY
SHIELDING
CAUSTIC
ACID COULD BATTERY
CAUSE
BURNS
SPARK
OR ,111,
COULD FLAME
EXPLODE BATTERY
These symbols
are important
for you and
your passengers
whenever your
vehicle is
driven:
DOOR LOCK
UNLOCK
POWER
WINDOW
These symbols have
to do with
your lights:
SIGNALS e e3
TURN
RUNNING
* ' 0
DAYTIME - a
LAMPS '
FOG LAMPS # 0
These symbols
are on some of
your controls:
WINDSHIELD
WIPER
WINDSHIELD DEFROSTER
VENTILATING FAN
These symbols are used on
warning and
indicator lights:
COOLANT
TEMP
-
CHARGING I-1
BATTERY
SYSTEM
BRAKE
(a)
COOLANT a
ENGINE OIL w,
PRESSURE
ANTI-LOCK
(@)
BRAKES
Here are some
other
symbols
you may see:
FUSE
P
LIGHTER
HORN
SPEAKER FUEL
p3
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Section 1 Seats and Restraint Systems
Here you’ll find information about the seats in your
Buick and how to use
your safety belts properly. You
can also learn about some things you should
not do with
air bags and safety belts.
Seats and Seat Controls
This section tells you about the seats -- how to adjust
them, and also about reclining front seatbacks, head
restraints and folding seats.
Manual Front Seat
/c CAUTION: I
You can lose control of the vehicle if you try to
adjust a manual driver’s seat while the vehicle is moving. The sudden movement could startle and
confuse you, or make you
push a pedal when you
don’t want to. Adjust the driver’s seat only when
l the vehicle is not moving.
1
Move the lever under tne
front seat to the left to
unlock it.
Slide the seat to
I where you want it, then
release the lever to lock.
Try
to move the seat with your
body to make sure the seat
is locked into place.
I
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-ewer aeaI: (uption,
The power seat controls are located on the front of the
seat. To adjust the power seat:
Front Control (F): Raise the front of the seat by
holding the switch up. Hold the switch down to lower
the front of the seat.
Center Control (C): Move the seat forward or
backward by holding the control to the right or left.
Raise or lower the seat by holding the control up
or down.
Rear Control (R): Raise the rear of the seat by holding
the switch up. Hold the switch down to lower
the rear of
the seat.
x1
-
tE
The switch is located on the
front
of the seat. To recline
the seatback, hold the
switch up. Hold the switch
down
to raise the seatback.
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But don't have a seatback reclined if your vehicle
is moving.
Sitting in a reclined position when your vehicle is
in motion can be dangerous. Even if you buckle
up, your safety belts can't do their job when
you're reclined like this.
The shoulder belt can't do its job-because it
won't be against your body. Instead,
it will be in
front of you. In a crash you could go inta it,
receiving neck or other injuries.
The lap. belt can't do its job either.
In a crash the
belt could
go up over your abdomen. The belt
forces would be there, not at your pelvic bones.
This could cause serious internal injuries.
For proper protection when the vehicle is in
motion, have the seatback upright. Then sit
well back in the seat and wear your safety
belt properly.
4
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Yead Restraints
Slide the head restraint up or down so that the top of the
.restraint is closest to the top
of your ears. This position
reduces the chance of a neck injury in a crash.
Folding Ret Seats I
To add more cargo room, the seatback of your rear
second and optional rear-facing third seats can be easily
folded down. Be sure
to check your seatback latches
now and then by pushing the seatback back and forth.
If they do not latch properly, have them checked by
your dealer.
Remember to keep
safety belts clear of seat hinges and
latches
so they are not damaged when you raise and
lower the seatbacks.
Folding Second Seat
L
To lower the split second seatback:
Each seat has its own release button. Hold the release
button down and pull the seatback forward and down.
To raise the split second seatback:
Lift the seatback until it locks
in the upright position.
Push back and forth on the seatback to
be sure it is
locked
in place.
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Folding Third Seat (Option)
To lower the rear-facing third seatback:
I. Open the liftgate and lift the seat release lever
located
at the lower corner of the storage
compartment on
the passenger side.
2. Pull the seatback toward the rear of the vehicle, then
push it down to the locked position.
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3. Lower the storage compartment lid. To raise the rear-facing third seatback:
If your vehicle is equipped with a roll-up cargo cover, it
must be removed before raising the seatback.
1. Open the liftpate and lift the storage compartment lid.
2. Fold it forward against the seatback.
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I
3. Press down on the seat release levers (one on each
side of the seat), and allow the seatback to pop up. 4. Push the seatback all the way up until it locks in the
upright position. Push back and forth on the seatback
to be sure
it is locked in place.
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Safety Belts: They’re for Everyone
This part of the manual tells you how to use safety belts
properly. It also tells you some things you should not do
with safety belts.
And it explains the Supplemental Restraint System
(SRS),
or air bag system.
Don’t let anyone ride where he or she can’t wear
a safety belt properly.
If you are in a crash and
you’re not wearing
a safety belt, your injuries
can be much worse.
You can hit things inside the
vehicle or be ejected from it. You can be seriously
injured or killed. In the same crash, you might
not be if you are buckled up. Always fasten your
safety belt, and check that your passengers’ belts
are fastened properly too.
Your car has a light that
comes on as a reminder
to buckle up. (See “Safety
Belt Warning Light” in
the Index
.)
In most states and Canadian provinces, the law says to
wear safety belts. Here’s why:
They work.
You never know if you’ll be in a crash. If you do have a
crash, you don’t 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 wouldn’t 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
25 years of safety belts in vehicles,
the facts are clear. In most crashes buckling up does
matter
.. . a lot!
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