CHEVROLET EXPRESS 1996 1.G Owner's Guide

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine What’s wrong with this?
A: The shoulder belt is worn under the arm. It should
be worn
over the shoulder at all times.
A CAUTICU:
You can be seriously injured if you wear the
shoulder belt under your arm. In
a crash, your
body would move
too far forward, which would
increase the chance
of head and neck injury.
Also, the belt would apply too much force to the
ribs, which aren’t as strong as shoulder bones.
You could also severely injure internal organs
like your liver or spleen.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine &.’ What’s wrong with this?
A: The belt is twisted across the body.
You can be seriously injured by a twisted belt. In
a crash, you wouldn’t have the full width of the
belt to spread impact forces. If a belt is twisted,
make it straight
so it can work properly, or ask
your dealer to fix it.

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 the Air Bag System Works
Where is the air bag?
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.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Don’t put anything on, or attach anything to,
the steering wheel or instrument panel.
Also,
don’t put anything (such as pets or objects)
between any occupant and the steering wheel or
instrument panel. And don’t hang anything from
the assist handle on the passenger’s side of the
instrument panel.
If something is between an
occupant and an air bag, it could affect the
performance
of the air bag -- or worse, it could
cause injury.
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
1 1 to 16 mph (1 8 to 26 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
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
pane!
in front of the right front passenger.
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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 Adding Equipment to Your Air
Bag-Equipped Vehicle
&.” If I add a push bumper or a bicycle rack to the
front of my vehicle, will it keep the air bags
from working properly?
A: As long as the push bumper or bicycle rack is
attached to your vehicle
so that the vehicle’s basic
structure isn’t changed, it’s not likely to keep the
air bags from working properly in
a crash.
@ Is there anything I might add to the front of the
vehicle that could keep the air bags from
working properly?
A: Yes. If you add things that change your vehicle’s
frame, bumper system, front end sheet metal or
height, they may keep the air bag system from
working properly. Also, the air bag system
may not
work properly if you relocate any of the air bag
sensors. If
you have any question about this, you
should contact Customer Assistance before you
modify your vehicle. (The phone numbers and
addresses for Customer Assistance are in Step Two of
the Customer Satisfaction Procedure in this manual. See “Customer Satisfaction Procedure” in the Index.)
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