CADILLAC ELDORADO 1997 10.G Service Manual

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Air bags inflate with great force, faster than the
blink of an eye. If you’re e00 close to an inflating
air
bag, it could seriously injure you. Safety belts
help keep
you in position before and during a
crash. Always wear your safety belt, even with air
bags. The driver should sit as far bark as possible
while still maintaining control
of the vehicle.
An inflating
air bag can seriously injure small
children. Always secure children properly
in your
vehicle.
To read how, see the part of this manual
callled “Children” and the caution label on the
right front passenger’s safety belt.
AIR BAG
There is an air bag readiness
light
the instrument
panel, which shows
AIR BAG.
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.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine The right front passenger’s air bag is in the instrument
panel on the passenger’s side.
Where are the air bags?
The driver’s air bag is in the middle of the steering wheel.
I

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine .. . :; .... .. .. . . .. .
. . .. . .. . A-CAUTION.: . . .. . .
.. . - . .. e: ., . . , . .. , ... .. . . .. .. .. . .. . ..
.. . ,
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.
When should
an air bag inflate?
An air bag is designed to inflate in a moderate to severe
frontal or near-frontal crash. 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 Mh). 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
how quickly
the vehicle slows down in frontal or
near-frontal impacts.
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. 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 and
in the instrument panel in front of the
right front passenger.
-2

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine ow 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.
Air bags supplement 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 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.
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,
or the instrument panel for
the right front passenger’s
bag
-- 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 vents in the deflated air bags. Air bag
inflation doesn’t prevent the driver from seeing or from
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.
s dust could cause breathing probliems
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 $0 do so.
If you have breathing problems but can’t get out
of the vehicle after an air bag inflates, then get
fresh ah by OpeniIlg a WhdoW Or door*
Your vehicle has a feature that will automatically unlock
the doors and turn the interior lamps on when the air
bags inflate (if battery power is available). You can lock
the doors again and turn the interior
lamps off by using
the door lock and interior lamp controls.
In many crashes severe enough to inflate an air bag,
windshields are broken by vehicle deformation.
Additional windshield breakage may also
QCCUI- from
the right front passenger air bag.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 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 crash sensing and
diagnostic module, which records information about
the air bag system. The module records intormation
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.
If you damage the covering 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 covering.
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 Cadillac 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.
For up to 18 s&%,dds after the ignition key is
turned off and the battery is disconnected, an air
bag can still idate 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 procedums, and make sure the person
performing
work for you is qualified to do SQ.
The air bag system does not need regular maintenance.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 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.
U
The positions next to the windows 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.
2. Push the latch plate into the buckle until it clicks.
-27
I

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine If the belt stops before it reaches the buckle; tilt the
latch plate and keep pulling until you
can buckle it.
Pull up
on the latch plate to make sure it is secure.
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.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine The lap part of the belt should be worn low and snug on
the hips, just touching the thighs. In a crash, this applies
force
to the strong pelvic bones. And you’d be less likely
to slide under
the lap belt. If you slid under it, the belt
would apply force at your abdomen.
This could cause
serious or even fatal injuries. The shoulder belt should
go
over the shoulder and across the chest. These parts of the
body are best able to take belt restraining forces.
The safety belt locks
if there’s a sudden stop or a crash,
or if
you pull the belt very quickly out of the retractor.
You can be seriously hurt if your shoulder belt is
too loose. In a crash, you would move forward
too much,
which could increase injury. The
shoulder belt should fit against your body.
To unlatch the belt, just push the button on the buckle.
-29

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine assenger Lap Belt
U
When you sit in the 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.
-3

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine To make the belt shorter, pull, its free end as s-bwn 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
o€ 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.
Everyone in a vehicle needs protection! That includes
infants and all children smaller than adult siie. In fact,
the law in every state in the United States and in kvery
Canadian province. says children up to some age must be
restrained’while in a vehicle.
Smaller children and babies should always be
..restrained
in a child or infant restraint. The
i-&ructions
for the restraint will say whether it
is the right type and size for your child. A very
young
child’s hip bones are so small that a
regular belt might not stay low on the hips, as it
should. Instead, the belt will likely be over the
child’s abdomen.
In a crash, the belt would apply
force right
on the child’s abdomen, which could
cause serious or fatal injuries. So, be sure that
any
child small enough for one is always properly
restrained
in a child or infant restraint.