CHEVROLET TRACKER 1997 Owner's Guide

&= What’s wrong with this?
A
A: The belt is twisted across the body.
A
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.
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b
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.
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.
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.
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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.
Air Bag System
This part explains the air bag system.
Your Geo has two air bags
-- one air bag for the driver
and another air bag for the right front passenger.
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 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. Everyone in your vehicle should wear
a
safety belt properly -- whether or not there’s an
air bag for that person.
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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 before and during a
crash. Always wear your safety belt, even with air
bags. The driver should sit
as far back as possible
while still maintaining control of the vehicle.
A CAUTION:
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 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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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.
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A CAUTION:
If something is between an occupant and an air
bag, the bag may 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 8 to 12 mph (1 3 to 19 kmh). 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.
The air bag system
is designed to work properly under a
wide range of conditions, including off-road usage.
Observe safe driving speeds, especially on rough terrain.
As always, wear your safety belt. See “Off-Road
Driving”
in the Index for more tips on off-road driving.
What makes an air bag inflate?
In an impact of sufficient severity, 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.
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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 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 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 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 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.
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 air bag.
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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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.
0 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.
Servicing Your Air Bag-Equipped Geo
Air bags affect how your Geo 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 Geo dealer
and the Tracker 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.
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. For up to
15 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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Adding Equipment to Your Air
Bag-Equipped Geo
Q.” 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.
e.’’ 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 questions 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.)
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.
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Lap-Shoulder Belt
The rear $&its 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
2. Push the latch plate into the buckle until it clicks.
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. 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.
slightly to unlock it. Then pull the belt across you
3. To make the lap part tight, pull down on the buckle
more slowly. end
of the belt as you pull up on the shoulder part.
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