belt BUICK PARK AVENUE 1994 User Guide

i
1
L 1
To move it up or down, squeeze the release handle.
When you release the handle,
try to move it down a little
to make sure
it has locked into position.
You can move the adjuster up from a lower position by
pushing the bottom of the release handle. Adjust the height
so that the
shoulder portion of the belt
is properly positioned on your shoulder, away from your
face and neck.
To help you find a height that is right for you, follow
these guidelines:
For a tall person: Use the upper or upper-middle position.
For a person of average height: Use a position
somewhere
in the middle.
For a short person: Use the lower or lower-middle
position.
29
ProCarManuals.com

@ What’s wrong with this?
I
I I I I I I I I I I I
A: The shoulder belt is too loose. It won’t give nearly
as much protection this way.
30
ProCarManuals.com

Q." What's wrong with this?
A: The belt is buckled in the wrong place.
31
ProCarManuals.com

@ What's wrong with this?
A: The shoulder belt is worn under the arm. It should
be worn over the shoulder at all times.
32
ProCarManuals.com

@ What’s wrong with this?
1 I I I I I
A: The belt is twisted across the body.
33
ProCarManuals.com

To unlatch the belt, just push the button on the buckle.
The belt should
go back out of the way.
Before you close the door, be sure the belt is out of the
way.
If you slam the door on it, you can damage both
the belt and your vehicle.
Supplemental Restraint System
(Air Bags)
This section explains the Supplemental Restraint System
(SRS), or “air bag,” system. Your Buick has an air bag
for the driver and for the right-front passenger.
Here’s the most important thing to know:
34
I
ProCarManuals.com

In any particular crash, the determination of whether the
air bag should have inflated cannot be based solely on
the level of damage on the vehicle(s). Inflation is
determined by the angle
of the impact and the vehicle’s
deceleration, of which vehicle damage is only one
indication. Repair cost is not a good indicator of
whether an air bag should have deployed.
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 a cloth bag. The inflator,
cloth bag,
and related hardware are all part
of the air bag inflator
modules packed inside the steering wheel and
in the
instrument panel in front of the passenger.
how does an air bag restrain?
In moderate to severe frontal or near-frontal collisions,
even belted occupants can contact the steering wheel or
the instrument panel. 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 provide protection
in many types of
collisions, including rollovers and rear 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 belt
protection
in moderate to severe frontal and near-frontal
collisions.
38
ProCarManuals.com

What will you see after an air bag inflation?
After the air bag has inflated, it will then quickly
deflate. This occurs
so quickly that some people may
not even realize that the air bag inflated. Some
components of the air bag module
in the steering wheel
hub for the driver’s air bag or the instrument panel for
the passenger’s bag may be hot for a short time, but the
portion of the bag that comes into contact with you will
not be hot to the touch. There will be small amounts
of
smoke and dust coming from vents in the deflated air
bags. The air bag
will not impede the driver’s vision or
ability to steer the vehicle,
nor will it hinder the
occupants from exiting the vehicle.
In many crashes severe enough to inflate an air bag,
windshields are broken by vehicle deformation.
Additional windshield breakage may occur in vehicles
with passenger air bags because the windshield acts as a
reaction surface for the inflating air bag.
0 The air bags are designed to inflate only once. After
they inflate, 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 air bag modules and
possibly other parts. The service manual has
information about the need to replace other parts.
0
0
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
whether the driver’s safety belt was
in use.
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 or the
right-front passenger’s air bag, they may not
work properly. You may have to replace the air
bag on the steering wheel or both the air bag and
the instrument panel for the passenger’s air bag.
Do not open or break the air bag covers.
39
ProCarManuals.com

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
The right front passenger’s safety belt works the same
way as the driver’s safety belt. See “Driver Position,”
earlier
in this part.
When the lap portion
of the belt is pulled out all the
way, it will lock. If it does,
let it go back all the way and
start again.
41
ProCarManuals.com

If your vehicle has a center passenger position, be sure
to use the correct buckle when buckling your
lap-shoulder belt. If
you find that the latch plate will not
go fully into the buckle, see if you are using the buckle
for the center passenger position.
Center Passenger Position
f
1
Lap Belt
When you sit in a center seating position, 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.
ProCarManuals.com