belt CHEVROLET EXPRESS 1996 1.G Owner's 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.
Supplemental Inflatable Restraint
(SIR) System
This part explains the Supplemental Inflatable
Restraint (SIR) system or
air bag system.
If it says SUPPLEMENTAL
INFLATABLE RESTRAINT
on the middle part of the
steering wheel and there’s
a right front passenger seat,
your vehicle has two air
bags
-- one air bag for the
driver and another air bag for
the right front passenger.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine If it says SUPPLEMENTAL INFLATABLE
RESTRAINT on the middle part
of the steering wheel
but there
is no right front passenger seat, your vehicle
has an air bag for the driver only.
If it doesn’t say SUPPLEMENTAL INFLATABLE
RESTRAINT
on the middle part of the steering wheel,
your vehicle doesn’t have air bags.
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 an air bag. Wearing your safety belt during
a crash helps reduce your chance of hitting things
inside the vehicle or being ejected from it. The air
bag is only
a “supplemental restraint.” That is, it
works with safety belts but doesn’t replace them.
CAUTION: (Continued)
CAUTION: 0
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.
Everyone in your vehicle, including the driver,
should wear
a safety belt properly -- whether or
not there’s an air bag for that person.
I A C1”’ L ION:
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. Safety belts
help keep you in position for an
air bag inflation
in
a crash. Always wear your safety belt, even
with an
air bag. The driver should sit as far
back
as possible while still maintaining control
of the vehicle.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine If your vehicle has an air bag for the right front
passenger,
please read this:
A CAUTION:
r
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
called “Children” and the caution label
on the
right front passenger’s safety belt.
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.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 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, rear impacts 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.
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, will
be
hot for a short time. The part of the bag that comes
into contact with you may be warm, but it will never be
too hot to 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.
r
-
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 door.
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.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 0
0
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.
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 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
GM dealer and the 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 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 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.
The air bag system does not need regular maintenance.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Safety Belt 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.
i
...I
A pregnant woman should wear a lap-shoulder belt, and
the lap portion should
be worn as low as possible, below
the rounding, 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.
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.
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.
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.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 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.
2. Push the latch plate into the buckle until it clicks.
Don’t let
it get twisted.
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.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 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. 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.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine The safety belt locks if there’s a sudden stop or a crash.
- -
A CAUTION:
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.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Center Passenger Position
Lap Belt
If your vehicle has rear bench seats, someone can sit in
the center positions. When
you sit
in a 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.
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