belt CHEVROLET ASTRO 1999 Owners Manual

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The 1999 Chevrolet Astro Owner's Manual
1-1 Seats and Restraint SystemsThis section tells you how to use your seats and safety belts properly. It also explains the air bag system.
2-1 Features and ControlsThis section explains how to start and operate your vehicle.
3-1 Comfort Controls and Audio SystemsThis section tells you how to adjust the ventilation and comfort controls and how to operate your audio system.
4-1 Your Driving and the RoadHere you'll find helpful information and tips about the road and how to drive under different conditions.
5-1 Problems on the RoadThis section tells you what to do if you have a problem while driving, such as a flat tire or overheated engine, etc.
6-1 Service and Appearance CareHere the manual tells you how to keep your vehicle running properly and looking good.
7-1 Maintenance ScheduleThis section tells you when to perform vehicle maintenance and what fluids and lubricants to use.
8-1 Customer Assistance InformationThis section tells you how to contact Chevrolet for assistance and how to get service and owner publications.
It also gives you information on ªReporting Safety Defectsº on page 8-10.
9-1 IndexHere's an alphabetical listing of almost every subject in this manual. You can use it to quickly find
something you want to read.

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For example,
these symbols
are used on an
original battery:
CAUTION
POSSIBLE
INJURY
PROTECT
EYES BY
SHIELDING
CAUSTIC
BATTERY
ACID COULD
CAUSE
BURNS
AVOID
SPARKS OR
FLAMES
SPARK OR
FLAME
COULD
EXPLODE
BATTERY
These symbols
are important
for you and
your passengers
whenever your
vehicle is
driven:
DOOR LOCK
UNLOCK
FASTEN
SEAT
BELTS
POWER
WINDOW
AIR BAG
These symbols
have to do with
your lamps:
MASTER
LIGHTING
SWITCH
TURN
SIGNALS
PARKING
LAMPS
HAZARD
WARNING
FLASHER
DAYTIME
RUNNING
LAMPS
FOG LAMPS
These symbols
are on some of
your controls:
WINDSHIELD
WIPER
WINDSHIELD
WASHER
WINDSHIELD
DEFROSTER
REAR
WINDOW
DEFOGGER
VENTILATING
FAN
These symbols
are used on
warning and
indicator lights:
ENGINE
COOLANT
TEMP
BATTERY
CHARGING
SYSTEM
BRAKE
COOLANT
ENGINE OIL
PRESSURE
ANTI-LOCK
BRAKES
Here are some
other symbols
you may see:
FUSE
LIGHTER
HORN
SPEAKER
FUEL
Vehicle Symbols
These are some of the symbols you may find on your vehicle.

1-
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1-1
Section 1 Seats and Restraint Systems
Here you'll find information about the seats in your vehicle and how to use your safety belts properly. You can also
learn about some things you should not do with air bags and safety belts.
1
-2 Seats and Seat Controls
1
-12 Safety Belts: They're for Everyone
1
-16 Here Are Questions Many People Ask About
Safety Belts
-- and the Answers
1
-17 How to Wear Safety Belts Properly
1
-17 Driver Position
1
-25 Safety Belt Use During Pregnancy
1
-26 Right Front Passenger Position
1
-26 Air Bag System
1
-34 Rear Seat Passengers1
-37 Rear Safety Belt Comfort Guides for Children
and Small Adults
1
-40 Center Passenger Position (Bench Seat)
1
-41 Children
1
-46 Child Restraints
1
-59 Larger Children
1
-62 Safety Belt Extender
1
-62 Checking Your Restraint Systems
1
-63 Replacing Restraint System Parts After
a Crash

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CAUTION:
Sitting in a reclined position when your vehicle is
in motion can be dangerous. Even if you buckle
up, your safety belts can't do their job when
you're reclined like this.
The shoulder belt can't do its job because it
won't be against your body. Instead, it will be in
front of you. In a crash you could go into it,
receiving neck or other injuries.
The lap belt can't do its job either. In a crash the
belt could go up over your abdomen. The belt
forces would be there, not at your pelvic bones.
This could cause serious internal injuries.
For proper protection when the vehicle is in
motion, have the seatback upright. Then sit well
back in the seat and wear your safety
belt properly.
Head Restraints
Head restraints are fixed on some models and adjustable
on others. Slide an adjustable head restraint up or down
so that the top of the restraint is closest to the top of
your ears. This position reduces the chance of a neck
injury in a crash.
Seatback Latches (Non-Touring
Bench Seats)
The seatback lever is on the
right rear of your seat.

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To raise or lower the center
console, press the button
between the beverage
holders. Sit in the center
seating position only when
the console is in an upright
and locked position.
For details about headrests, see ªHead Restraintsº in
this section.Removing the Rear Seats
To remove the rear seats, do the following:
1. If you are removing the
center seat, remove the
right lap
-shoulder belt.
To do this, press the tip
of a key into the release
hole of the safety belt
attachment while pulling
up on the safety belt.

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2. If you have a safety belt
guide on your seat, pull
the safety belt all the
way out through
the guide.
3. To store the safety belt
while the second row
seat is removed, pull the
belt out and put both
buckles in the
passenger's side rear
storage bin.
Route the belt out of the forward edge of the storage bin.
Close the cover to retain the belt.
4. Pull up on the seatback latch on the right rear of the
seat. Push the seatback down until it locks in place
(non
-touring bench seats only).
5. Lift up on the left and the right seat release levers at
the same time. The latches are near the floor on the
rear legs of the seat.

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2. Pull the seat down to latch the rear retainers. Make
sure the seat is locked in by pulling up and down on
the seat.
CAUTION:
A seat that isn't locked into place properly can
move around in a collision or sudden stop. People
in the vehicle could be injured. Be sure to lock
the seat into place properly when installing it.
3. To raise the seatback on vehicles equipped with the
non
-touring seat, unlock the seatback latch by
pushing up on the latch release lever at the right rear
of the seat, while pushing down on the upper edge of
the seatback. Move the seatback into the upright
position. Make sure the seatback is locked when it is
back in the upright position.
4. If you are replacing the center seat, connect the right
lap
-shoulder belt to the attachment on the seat
cushion. If you have a safety belt guide on your seat,
pull the belt through the guide before reattaching the
lap
-shoulder belt to the side of the seat. The release
hole should be facing outward.
If you installed the safety belt with the release hole
facing inward (toward the seat), slide the plastic
cover up so you can see the buckle. Disconnect the
seat belt. Slide the cover back down and reinstall the
belt correctly.

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CAUTION:
A safety belt that is twisted or not properly
attached won't provide the protection needed in a
crash. The person wearing the belt could be
seriously injured. After installing the seat, always
check to be sure that the safety belts are not
twisted and are properly attached.
Safety Belts: They're for Everyone
This part of the manual tells you how to use safety belts
properly. It also tells you some things you should not do
with safety belts.
And it explains the air bag system.
CAUTION:
Don't let anyone ride where he or she can't wear
a safety belt properly. If you are in a crash and
you're not wearing a safety belt, your injuries
can be much worse. You can hit things inside the
vehicle or be ejected from it. You can be seriously
injured or killed. In the same crash, you might
not be if you are buckled up. Always fasten your
safety belt, and check that your passengers' belts
are fastened properly too.
CAUTION:
It is extremely dangerous to ride in a cargo area,
inside or outside of a vehicle. In a collision,
people riding in these areas are more likely to be
seriously injured or killed. Do not allow people to
ride in any area of your vehicle that is not
equipped with seats and safety belts. Be sure
everyone in your vehicle is in a seat and using a
safety belt properly.

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Your vehicle has a light that
comes on as a reminder to
buckle up. (See ªSafety Belt
Reminder Lightº in
the Index.)
In most states and Canadian provinces, the law says to
wear safety belts. Here's why: They work.
You never know if you'll be in a crash. If you do have a
crash, you don't know if it will be a bad one.
A few crashes are mild, and some crashes can be so
serious that even buckled up a person wouldn't survive.
But most crashes are in between. In many of them,
people who buckle up can survive and sometimes walk
away. Without belts they could have been badly hurt
or killed.
After more than 30 years of safety belts in vehicles,
the facts are clear. In most crashes buckling up does
matter ... a lot!Why Safety Belts Work
When you ride in or on anything, you go as fast as
it goes.
Take the simplest vehicle. Suppose it's just a seat
on wheels.

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or the safety belts!
With safety belts, you slow down as the vehicle does.
You get more time to stop. You stop over more distance,
and your strongest bones take the forces. That's why
safety belts make such good sense.
Here Are Questions Many People Ask
About Safety Belts
-- and the Answers
Q:
Won't I be trapped in the vehicle after an
accident if I'm wearing a safety belt?
A:You could be -- whether you're wearing a safety
belt or not. But you can unbuckle a safety belt,
even if you're upside down. And your chance of
being conscious during and after an accident, so
you can unbuckle and get out, is much greater if
you are belted.
Q:If my vehicle has air bags, why should I have to
wear safety belts?
A:Air bags are in many vehicles today and will be in
most of them in the future. But they are
supplemental systems only; so they work with
safety belts
-- not instead of them. Every air bag
system ever offered for sale has required the use of
safety belts. Even if you're in a vehicle that has air
bags, you still have to buckle up to get the most
protection. That's true not only in frontal collisions,
but especially in side and other collisions.