CHEVROLET PRIZM 1998 3.G Service Manual

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. In moderate to severe side
collisions, even belted occupants can contact the inside
of the vehicle. 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 the frontal 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. Side impact air bags would not help you in
many types of collisions, including frontal or near
frontal collisions, rollovers, and rear impacts, primarily
because an occupant’s motion is not toward those air
bags. 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 for
the driver’s and right front passenger’s frontal air bags,
and only in moderate to severe side collisions for the
driver’s and right front passenger’s side impact air bags.
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, the instrument
panel for
the right front passenger’s bag, the side of the
seatback closest to the door for the driver and right front
passenger’s side impact air bags
-- 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 the vents in the
deflated air bags. Air bag inflation doesn’t prevent the
driver from seeing or being able to steer the vehicle, nor
does it stop people from leaving the vehicle.
A CAUTION:
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
a door.
1-27

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 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.
a
a
Air bags are designed to inflate only once. After an
air bag inflates, 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 diagnostic module,
which records information about the frontal 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 systems. Improper service can mean that an
air bag system won’t work properly. See your dealer
for service.
~ NOTICE:
’ If you damage the covering for the driver’s or
the right front passenger’s air bag, or the air bag
covering on the driver’s and right front
passenger’s seatback, the bag may not work
properly. You may have to replace the air bag
module in the steering wheel, both the air bag
module and the instrument panel for the right
front passenger’s air bag, or both the air bag
module and seatback for the driver’s and right
front passenger’s side impact air bag.
Do not
open or
break the air bag coverings.
1-28

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 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
frontal and side impact air bags inflate and safety belt
pretensioners activate, even if there’s
no crash. You
would have to replace the air bags, all the sensors and
related parts, parts of the safety belt system and parts of
the driver and right front passenger’s seatbacks.
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.
Servicing Your Air Bag-Equipped Vehicle
Air bags affect how your vehicle should be serviced.
There are parts of the air bag systems in several
places around your vehicle. Your dealer and the
Prizm Service Manual have information about servicing
your vehicle and the air bag systems. To purchase a
service manual, see “Service and Owner Publications”
in the Index.
1
For up to 90 seconds after the ignition key is
’ turned off and the battery 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 systems should be inspected by a qualified
technician
10 years from the manufacture date on the
Certification label. After
10 years from the manufacture
date, have the systems inspected every
24 months. (The
Certification label is located at the rear edge of the
driver’s door.)
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 Passenger Positions
Lap-Shoulder Belt
All three rear seating positions have lap-shoulder belts.
Here’s how to wear one properly.
i
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.
Pull up on the latch plate to make sure it is secure.
1-30

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.
I I 1
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.
1-31

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.
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.
1-32

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Children
Everyone in a vehicle needs protection! That includes
infants and all children smaller than adult size. Neither
the distance traveled nor the age and size
of the traveler
changes the need, for everyone, to use safety restraints.
In fact, the law in every state in the United States and in
every Canadian province says children up to some age
must
be restrained while in a vehicle.
I ?r Childr-7 anA R-3ies
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 though your vehicle
has reduced-force frontal air bags. Air bags plus
lap-shoulder belts offer the best protection for
adults and older children, 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.
1-33

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine /d CAUTION:
--
Smaller chi: ‘en and babies should always be
restrained in a child or infant restraint. The
instructions for the restraint will say whether it
is
the right type and size for your child. A very
young child’s hip bones are
so small that a
regular belt might not stay low on the hips, as it
should. Instead, the belt will likely be over the
child’s abdomen. In
a crash, the belt would apply
force right
on the child’s abdomen, which could
cause serious
or fatal injuries. So, be sure that
any child small enough for one
is always properly
restrained in a child
or infant restraint.
Infants need complete support, including support for
the head and neck. This is necessary because an
infant’s neck is weak and its head weighs
so much
compared with the rest
of its body. In a crash, an infant
in a rear-facing restraint settles into the restraint,
so the
crash forces can be distributed across the strongest part
of the infant’s body, the back and shoulders.
A baby
should be secured in an appropriate infant restraint.
This is
so important that many hospitals today won’t
release a newborn infant to its parents unless there is
an infant restraint available for the baby’s first trip in a
motor vehicle,
1-34

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Never hold a baby in your arms while riding in a
vehicle. A baby doesn't weigh much -- until a
crash. During a crash a baby will become so
heavy you can't hold it. For example, in a crash
CAUTION: (Continued) at
only
25 mph (40 km/h), a 12-lb. (55 kg) baby
will suddenly become
a 240-lbe (110 kg) force on
your arms. The baby would be almost impossible
to hold.
Secure the baby in an infant restraint.
1-35

Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Built-in Child Restraint (Option)
If your vehicle has this option, there’s a built-in child
restraint in the right rear seat position. This child
restraint system conforms to all applicable Federal
Motor Vehicle Safety Standards. This
child restraint is designed for use only by children
who weigh between
22 and 66 pounds (10 and 30 kg)
and whose height is between 33.5 and 50 inches
(850 and
1270 mm) and who are capable of sitting
upright alone.
The child should also be
at least one year old. It is
important to use
a rear-facing infant restraint until
the child
is about a year old. A rear-facing restraint
gives the infant’s head, neck and body the support they
would need
in a crash. See “Child Restraints” later in
this section for more information.
1-36