CADILLAC ELDORADO 1995 10.G Service Manual

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 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.
SUPPLEMENTA INFLATABLE
RESTMNT SYSTEM (SIR)
This part explains the Supplemental Inflatable Restraint (SIR), or air bag,
system.
Your Cadillac has two air bags -- one air bag for the driver and another air
bag for the right front passenger.
Here are the most important things
to know about the air bag system:
1-22

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine .. ..
1-23

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 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.
How the Air Bag System Works
.A
1-24

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 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 thc 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 modules packed inside the steering wheel and in the instrument
panel in front of the right front 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 help
you 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 belts, and then only in moderate to severe frontal or near-frontal
collisions.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 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 for the driver’s air bag, or
the instrument panel for the right front passenger’s bag, wiIl be hot for a
short time, but the part
of the bag that comes into contact with you will
not be hot to the touch. There will be some smoke and dust coming from
vents
in the deflated air bags. 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.
LI
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.
0
0
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 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.
1-27

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 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 module
in the steering wheel or both the
air bag module and the instrument panel
for the right front
passenger’s air bag.
Do not open or break the air bag covers.
Servicing Your Air Bag-Equipped Cadillac
Air bags affect how your Cadillac 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
Cadillac dealer and the 1995 Eldorado Service Manual have information
about servicing
your vehicle and the air bag system. To purchase a service
manual, see “Service Publications” in the Index.
The air
bag system does not need regular maintenance.
A CAUTION:
For up to 10 seconds after the ignition key is turned off and the
battery
is disconnected, an air bag can stili 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.
i
1-28

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine c
SAFETYBELT 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.
ZUGHT 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 section.
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.
1-29

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 Outside Passenger Positions
Lap-Shoulder Belt
The positions next to the windows have lap-shoulder belts. Here’s how to
wear one properly.
1-30

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine ;'; ',? q; >' I 1. Pick UP the latch
plate ind pull the
belt across you. Don't let it get
twisted.
p'
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.
2. Push the latch plate into the buckle until it clicks.
1-31