CHEVROLET MONTE CARLO 1996 5.G Owner's Guide

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 instrume
panel
on the passenger’s side.
:nt
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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. 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
9 to 15 mph (14 to 24 kmh). The threshold level
can vary, however, with
sneci. 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
panel
in front of the right front passenger.

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
bags would not help you in many types of collisions,
including rollovers, rear impacts and side impacts,
primarily because an 0ccupant: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 fram seeing or from
being able to steer the vehicle, nor will it stop people
from leaving the vehicle.
I A CAU-ION:
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.
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’s air bag.
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 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 Chevrolet
Air bags affect how your Chevrolet 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
Chevrolet dealer and
the Monte Carlo 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 seconds 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 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. 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 n mont Passc .ger P it’
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.
Center Passenger Position
U
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.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine If your vehicle has a front split seat and a rear bench
seat, 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.
To make the belt shorter, pull its free end as shown 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
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.

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine I
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
U 1.
Lap-Shoulder Belt
The positions next to the windows have lap-shoulder
belts. Here’s how to wear one properly.
2.
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.
Push the latch plate into the buckle until it clicks. Pull
up on the latch plate to make sure it is secure.
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I

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 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. 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,
or if you pull the belt very quickly out of the retractor.
'
I 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.
10 unlatch the belt, just push the button on the buckle.
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Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Rear Safety Belt Comfort. Guides for Children and Small Aduits
Rear shoulder belt comfort guides will provide added
safety belt comfort for-children who have outgrown
child restraints and for small adults. When installed-on a
shoulder belt, the comfort guide pulls the belt away
from the neck and head.
i nere is one guide for each outside passenger position in
the rear seat.
To provide added safety belt comfort for
children who have outgrown child restraints and for
smaller adults, the comfort guides may be installed on
the shoulder belts, Here’s how to install a comfort guide
and use the safety belt:
1. Pull the elastic cord out from between the edge of
the seatback and the interior body
to remove the
guide from its storage clip.
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