belt GMC SAVANA 1997 Owner's Manual

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,
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 SUPPLEMENTAL, INFLATABLE RESTRAINT on
the instrument panel in front of the right front passenger’s
seat, your vehicle has
two air bags -- one air bag for the
driver and another air bag for the right front passenger.
If it says SUPPLEMENTAL INFLATABLE
RESTRAINT on the middle part of the steering wheel
but it doesn’t say SUPPLEMENTAL INFLATABLE
RESTRAINT on the instrument panel in front of the
right front passenger’s seat, your vehicle has an air bag
for the driver only.
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If it says SUPPLEMENTAL INFLATABLE
RESTRAINT
on the middle part of the steering wheel
but there
is no right front passenger’s 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
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
CAUTION: (Continued) designed
to work
t y 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.
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.
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If your vehicle has an air bag for the right front
passenger, please read this:
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.
There is an air bag readiness
light
on the instrument
panel, which
shows
AIR
BAG
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 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.
I
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 door.
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.
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.
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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 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.
Rear Seat Outside Passenger Positions
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Lap-Shoulder Belt
The positions next to the windows have lap-shoulder
belts. Here’s how to wear one properly. 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.
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. 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.
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I
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.
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.
- -1
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~~~ To unlatch the belt,
just push the button on the buckle.
Center Passenge Position
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Lap Belt
If your vehicle has rear bench seats, someone can sit in
the center positions.
To make the belt shorter, pull its free end as shown until
the belt is snug.
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. 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.
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Children
Everyone in a vehicle needs protection! That includes
infants and all children smaller than adult size. 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.
Smaller Children and Babies (Except
Cargo Vans w*"- --==snger 4ir Sags)
A CAUTION:
Smaller children and babies shpuld 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.
CAUTION: (Continued)
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.
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