BUICK CENTURY 1996 Owner's Guide

@ What’s wrong with this?
A
A: The shoulder belt is worn under the arm. It should
be worn over the shoulder at all times.
A C TION:
You can be seriously injured if you wear the
shoulder belt under your arm. In a crash, your
body would move too far forward, which would
increase the chance of head and neck injury.
Also, the belt would apply
too much force to the
ribs, which aren’t
as strong as shoulder bones.
You could also severely injure internal organs
like your liver or spleen.
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&.’ What’s wrong with this?
A: The belt is twisted across the body.
A I- QUTION:
You can be seriously injured by a twisted belt. In
a crash,
you wouldn’t have the full width of the
belt
to take impact forces. If a belt is twisted,
make it straight
so it can work properly, or ask
your dealer to
fix it.
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Supplemental Restraint System (SRS)
This part explains the Supplemental Restraint System
(SRS) or air bag system.
Your Buick
has an air bag for the driver.
Here are the most important things to
know about the air
bag system:
/11 CAU I ION:
1
You can be severely injured or killed in a crash if
you aren’t wearing your safety belt -- even if you
have an air. bag. Wearing your safety belt during a
crash helps reduce your chance
of hitting things
inside the vehicle or being ejected from it. The air
’
bag is only a “supplemental restraint.” That is, it
works with safety belts but doesn’t replace them.
Air bags are designed to work only in moderate to
severe crashes where the front of your vehicle
hits
something. They aren’t designed to inflate at all in
rollover,
rear, side or low-speed frontal crashes.
Everyone
in your vehicle, including the driver,
should wear a safety belt properly -- whether or
not there’s an
.-air bag for that person.
J’
L
Air bags inflate with great force, faster than the
blink
of an eye. If you’re too close to an inflating
air bag,
it could seriously injure you. Safety belts
help keep you in position
for an air bag inflation
in a crash. Always wear your safety belt, even
with an air bag, and sit as far back as you can
while still maintaining control of your vehicle.
AIR
BAG
There is an air bag
readiness light on the
instrument panel, which
shows AIR BAG.
-
The system checks the air bag’s electrical system for
malfunctions. The light tells you if there is an electrical
problem. See “Air Bag Readiness Light” in the Index
for more information.
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Ha th Air Bag bystc 1 Works Where is the air bag?
The driver’s air bag is in the middle of the steering wheel.
~
~~ ~~ ~ ~ ~~
I,CAUTION:
Don’t put anything on, or attach anything to, the
steering wheel. Also, don’t put anything (such as
pets or objects) between the driver and the
steering wheel.
If something is between an
occupant and an air bag, it could affect the
performance of the air bag
-- or worse, it could
cause injury.
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When should an air bag inflate?
The air bag is designed to inflate in moderate to severe
frontal or near-frontal crashes. The air bag will inflate
only if the impact speed is above the system’s designed
“threshold level.’’
If your vehicle goes straight into a
wall that doesn’t move or deform, the threshold level is
about
9 to 15 mph (14 to 24 km/h). The threshold level
can vary, however, with specific vehicle design,
so that
it can be somewhat above or below this range.
If your
vehicle strikes something that will move or deform, such
as a parked car, the threshold level will be higher. The
air bag is not designed to inflate in rollovers, side
impacts or rear impacts, because inflation would not
help the occupant.
In any particular crash, no one can say whether an air
bag should have inflated simply because of the damage
to a vehicle or because of what the repair costs were.
Inflation is determined by the angle of the impact and
the vehicle’s deceleration. Vehicle damage is only one
indication of this.
What makes an air bag inflate?
In a frontal or near-frontal impact of sufficient severity,
the air bag sensing system detects that the vehicle is
suddenly stopping as a result of a crash. The sensing
system triggers a chemical reaction of the sodium azide
sealed in the inflator. The reaction produces nitrogen
gas, which inflates the air bag. The inflator, air bag and
related hardware are all part of the air bag module
packed inside the steering wheel.
How does an air bag restrain?
In moderate to severe frontal or near-frontal collisions,
even belted occupants can contact the steering wheel.
The air bag supplements the protection provided by
safety belts. Air bags distribute the force of the impact
more evenly over the occupant’s upper body, stopping
the occupant more gradually. But air bags would not
help you in many types
of collisions, including
rollovers, rear impacts and side impacts, primarily
because an occupant’s motion
is not toward the air bag.
Air bags 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.
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What will you see after an air bag inflates?
After the air bag inflates, it quickly deflates. This occurs
so quickly that some people may not even realize the air
bag inflated. Some components of the air bag module
in
the steering wheel hub will be hot for a short time. The
part of the bag that comes into contact with you may be
warm, but it will never be too hot to touch. There will be
some smoke and dust coming from vents in the deflated
air bag. Air bag inflation will not prevent the driver
from seeing or from being able to steer the vehicle, nor
will it stop people from leaving the vehicle.
r
When an air bag inflates, there is 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 can’t get out
of the vehicle after an air bag inflates, then get
fresh air by opening
a window or door.
0
a
0
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 for your
vehicle covers the need to replace other parts.
Your vehicle is equipped with a diagnostic module,
which records information about the air bag system.
The module records information about the readiness
of the system, when the sensors are activated and
driver’s safety belt usage at deployment.
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.
NOTICE:
If you damage the cover for the driver’s air bag,
it may not work properly. You may have to
replace the air bag module.
Do not open or break
the air bag cover.
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Servicing Your Air Bag-Equipped Buick
The air bag affects how your Buick should be serviced.
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. Your
Buick dealer and the Century Service Manual have
information about servicing your vehicle and the air bag
system. To purchase a service manual,
see “Service and
Owner Publications” in the Index.
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.
For up to two minutes after the ignition key is
turned
off and the battery is disconnected, an air
bag can still inflate during improper service.
You
can be injured if you are close to an air bag when
it inflates. Avoid wires wrapped with yellow tape,
or yellow connectors. They are probably part of
the air bag system. Be sure to follow proper
service procedures, and make sure the person
performing work for you is qualified to do
so.
The air bag system does not need regular maintenance.
A pregnant woman should wear a lap-shoulder belt, and
the
lap portion should be worn as low as possible, below
the rounding, throughout the pregnancy.
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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
Was your Buick first sold, when new, in Canada? (If it
was, a sticker on the driver’s door will say “conforms to
all applicable Canada motor vehicle
. . . ” etc.) If so,
then this “Right Front Passenger Position” part doesn’t
apply to your vehicle.
To learn how to use your right
front passenger position safety belts, read the Canadian
Owner’s Manual Safety Belt Supplement. It comes with
every
new Century first sold in Canada.
The right front passenger’s safety belt works the same
way as the driver’s safety belt. See “Driver Position,”
earlier in this section.
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 car that is
called the “toeboard” (A). That way you’d be less
likely
to slide under the lap belt in a crash.
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Center Passenger Position and
Any Station Wagon Third Seat
Passenger Position Lap Belt
If your vehicle has a front split seat and a rear bench
seat; someone can sit in the center positions.
When you sit in a center seating position or in a station
wagon third seat, you.have a lap safety belt, which has
no retractor.
To make the belt longer, ,tilt the latch plate
and pull it along the belt.
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To make the belt shorter, pull its free end as shown until
the belt is snug.
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
is positioned
so you would be able to unbuckle the safety belt quickly
if you ever had to.
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
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