CADILLAC CATERA 1998 1.G Service Manual

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Next Generation frontal air bags are designed to help
reduce
the risk of injury from the force of an inflating
frontal air
bag. But even these air bags must inflate very
quickly if they are to do their
job and comply with
federal regulations.
Here are the most important things to know about the air
bag systems:
You can be severely injured or killed in a crash if
you aren’t wearing your safety belt
-- even if you
have air bags. Wearing your safety belt during a
crash helps reduce your chance of hitting things
inside the vehicle or being ejected from it.
Air
bags are ‘(supplemental restraints” to the safety
belts. All air bags
-- even Next Generation air
bags
-- are designed to work with safety belts but
don’t replace them.
CAUTION: (Continued) Next
Generation frontal
air bags for the driver
and right front passenger 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. And, for unrestrained
occupants, Next Generation frontal air bags may
provide less protection in frontal crashed than
more forceful air bags have provided in the past.
The side impact air bags for the driver and right
front passenger are designed to inflate only in
moderate to severe crashes where something hits
the side of your vehicle. They aren’t designed to
inflate in frontal, in rollover or in rear crashes.
Everyone in your vehicle should wear a safety
belt properly
-- whether or not there’s an air bag
for that person.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine I A CAUTION:
Both frontal and side impact 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.
This is true even with Next
Generation frontal air bags. Safety belts help keep
you
in position for air bag inflation before and
during a crash. Always
wear your safety belt, even
with Next Generation frontal
air bags. The driver
should sit
as far back as possible while still
maintaining control of the vehicle. Front occupants
should not lean on or sleep against the door.
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A C WTION:
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Children who are up against, or very close to, any
air bag when it inflates can be seriously injured
or killed. This is true even though your vehicle
has Next Generation frontal air bags. Air bags
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 air bag 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, see the part of this manual called
“Children” and see the caution labels on the
sunvisors and the right front passenger’s
safety belt.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine I There is an air bag
readiness light on-the
instrument panel, which
shows the air bag symbol.
The system checks the
air bag 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.
How the Air Bag Systems Work
Where are the air bags?
The driver’s frontal air bag is in the middle of the
steering wheel.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine The right front passenger’s frontal air bag is in the
instrument panel on the passenger’s side. The
driver’s side impact air bag is in the side of the
driver’s seatback closest to the door.
The right front passenger’s side impact air bag is in the
side
of the passenger’s seatback closest to the door.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine If something is between an occupant and an air
bag, the bag might not inflate properly or it
might force the object into that person. The path
of an inflating air bag must be kept clear. Don’t
put anything between an occupant and an air
bag, and don’t attach or put anything on the
steering wheel hub or on or near any other air
bag covering and don’t let seat covers block the
inflation path of a side impact air bag. When should
an air bag inflate?
The driver’s and right front passenger’s frontal air bags
are designed to inflate in moderate to severe frontal or
near-frontal crashes. The frontal air bags are designed to
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 driver’s and right front passenger’s
frontal air bags are not designed to inflate in rollovers,
side impacts, or rear impacts, because inflation would
not help
the occupant.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine The driver’s and right front passenger’s side impact air
bags are designed to inflate in moderate to severe side
crashes involving a front door.
A side impact air bag
will inflate if the crash severity is above the system’s
designed “threshold level.” The threshold
level can
vary with specific vehicle design. Side impact air bags
are not designed to inflate in frontal or near-frontal
impacts, rollovers or rear impacts, because inflation
would not help the occupant.
A side impact air bag will
only deploy on the side of the vehicle that is struck.
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.
For frontal air bags, inflation is determined by the angle
of the impact and how quickly the vehicle slows down
in frontal and near-frontal impacts. For side impact air
bags, inflation is determined by the location of the
impact and how quickly the side of the vehicle deforms.
What makes an air bag inflate?
In an impact of sufficient severity, the air bag sensing
system detects that the vehicle is in a crash. For both
frontal and side impact air bags, the sensing system
triggers a release of gas from the inflator, which inflates
the air bag. The inflator, air bag and related hardware
are all part of the air bag modules inside the steering
wheel, instrument panel and the side of the front
seatbacks closest to the door.
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. In moderate to severe side
collisions, even belted occupants can contact the inside
of the vehicle. 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 the frontal 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. Side impact air bags would not help you in
many types of collisions, including frontal or near
frontal collisions, rollovers, and rear impacts, primarily
because an occupant’s motion is not toward those air
bags. 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 for
the driver’s and right front passenger’s frontal air bags,
and only in moderate to severe side collisions for the
driver’s and right front passenger’s side impact air bags.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine What will you see after an air bag inflates?
After an air bag inflates, it quickly deflates,
so quickly
that some people may not even realize the air bag
inflated. Some components of the air bag module
-- the
steering wheel hub for the driver’s air bag, the
instrument panel for the right front passenger’s bag, the
side of the seatback closest
to the door for the driver and
right front passenger’s side impact air bags
-- will be
hot for a short time. The parts of the bag that come into
contact with you may be warm, but not too hot to touch.
There will be some smoke and dust coming from the
vents in the deflated air bags. Air bag inflation doesn’t
prevent
the driver from seeing or being able to steer the
vehicle, nor does it stop people from leaving the vehicle. 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 a
door.
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In many crashes severe enough to inflate an air bag,
windshields are broken by vehicle deformation.
Additional windshield breakage may also occur
from the
right front passenger air bag.
Air bags are designed to inflate only once. After an
air bag 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 air bag modules
and possibly other parts. The service manual for your
vehicle covers the need to replace other parts.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 0
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Your vehicle is equipped with a crash sensing and
diagnostic module, which records information about
the frontal 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 systems. Improper service
can mean that an
air bag system won’t work properly. See your dealer
for service.
NOTICE:
If you damage the covering for the driver’s or
the right front passenger’s
air bag, or the air
bag covering on the driver’s and right front
passenger’s seatback, the bag may not work
properly. You may have
to replace the air bag
module in the steering wheel, both the air bag
module and the instrument panel for the right
front passenger’s air bag, or both the
air bag
module and seatback for the driver’s and right
front passenger’s side impact air bag.
Do not
open or break the
air bag coverings. Servicing
Your
Air Bag-Equipped Vehicle
Air bags affect how your vehicle should be serviced.
There are parts of the air bag systems in several places
around your vehicle. Your dealer and the Catera Service
Manual have information about servicing your vehicle
and the air bag systems.
To purchase a service manual,
see “Service and Owner Publications” in the Index.
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For up to 10 seconds 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
felt, wires wrapped with yellow tape or yellow
connectors. They are probably part of the air
bag systems. Be sure to follow proper service
procedures, and make sure the person
performing work for you
is qualified to do so.
The air bag systems do not need regular maintenance.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 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 Passenger Positions
Lap-Shoulder Belt
All three rear seating positions have lap-shoulder belts.
Here’s how to wear one properly.
1. Pick up the latch plate and pull the belt across you.
Don’t let it get twisted.
The shoulder belt may lock
if you pull the belt across
you very quickly. If this happens, let the belt go back
slightly to unlock it. Then pull the belt across you
more slowly.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 2. Push the latch plate into the buckle until it clicks.
Pull up on the latch plate to make sure it is secure.
When the shoulder belt is pulled out all the way, it
will lock.
If it does, let it go back all the way and
start again.
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 is positioned
so you
would be able to unbuckle the safety belt quickly
if
you ever had to.
3. To make the lap part tight, pull down on the buckle
end of the belt as you pull up on the shoulder part.
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