CHEVROLET CAVALIER 1998 3.G Service Manual

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 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 section.
Supplemental Restraint System (SRS)
This part explains the Supplemental Restraint System
(SRS) or air bag system.
Your vehicle has “Next Generation” reduced-force
frontal air bags
-- one air bag for the driver and another
for the right front passenger.
Reduced-force frontal
air bags are designed to help
reduce the risk of injury from the force
of an inflating
air bag. But even these air bags must inflate very
quickly if they are to do their jobs and comply with
federal regulations. Here are the most important things to know about the air
bag system:
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 reduced-force air bags -- are
designed to work with safety belts, but don’t
replace them. Air
bags 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,
reduced-force
air bags may provide less protection
in frontal crashes than more forceful air bags have
provided in the past. Everyone in your vehicle
should wear
a safety belt properly -- whether or
not there’s
an air bag for that person.
1-23

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine I
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
if your vehicle has reduced-force frontal air
bags. Safety belts help keep you in position before
and during a crash. Always wear your safety belt,
even with reduced-force air bags. The driver
should sit
as far back as possible while still
maintaining control of the vehicle.
Children who are up against, or very close to, an
air bag when it inflates can be seriously injured
or killed. This is true even if your vehicle has
reduced-force frontal
air bags. Air bags plus
lap-shoulder belts offer the best protection for
CAUTION: (Continued) 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.
There is an air bag
readiness light
on the
instrument panel, which
shows AIR BAG.
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.
1-24

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine How the Air Bag System Works
Where are the air bags?
The driver’s air bag is in the middle of the steering wheel. The
right front passenger’s air bag is in the instrument
panel on the passenger’s side.
1-25

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. 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 14 mph (14 to 23 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 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.
1-26

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine What makes an air bag inflate?
In an impact of sufficient seventy, 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.
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.
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 anythng 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.
1-27

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine When an air bag inflates, thc- J 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 sc
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 door.
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
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
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.
1-28

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine NOTICE:
If you damage the covering for the driver’s or the
right front passenger’s air bag, the bag 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 coverings.
Servicing Your Air Bag-Equipped Vehicle
Air bags affect how your vehicle 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 dealer and the Cavalier 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.
I
If your vehicle ever gets into a lot of water -- such as
water
up to the carpeting or higher -- or if water enters
your vehicle and soaks the carpet, the
air bag controller
can be soaked and ruined.
If this ever happens, and then
you start your vehicle, the damage could make the
air
bags inflate, even if there’s no crash. You would have to
replace the air bags
as well as the sensors and related
parts. If your vehicle is ever in a flood, or if it’s exposed
to water that
soaks the carpet, you can avoid needless
repair costs by turning
off the vehicle immediately.
Don’t let anyone start the vehicle, even to tow it, unless \
the battery cables are first disconnected.
For up to 10 minutes 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 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.
The air bag system does not need regular maintenance.
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. 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.
1-30

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.
1-31

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 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.
’ A CAUTIO7
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
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.
1-32