belt GMC SIERRA 1996 User Guide

Q: What’s wrong with this?
A: The shoulder belt is too loose. It won’t give nearly
as much protection this way.
!It is You can be seriously hurt if your shoulder be
too loose. In a crash, you would move forward
too much, which could increase injury. The
shoulder belt should fit against your body.
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&= What’s wrong with this?
A: The belt is buckled in the wrong place.
I A CAUTION:
You can be seriously injured i
buckled in the wrong place like this.
In a crash,
the belt would go
up over your abdomen. The belt
forces would be there, not
at the pelvic bones. This
could cause serious internal injuries. Always
i buckle your belt into the buckle nearest you.
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I I
A: The belt is over an armrest.
A CAUTION:
You can be seriously injured if your belt goes
over an armrest like this. The belt would be much
too
high. In a crash, you can slide under the belt.
The belt force would then be applied at the
abdomen, not
at the pelvic bones, and that could
cause serious or fatal injuries. Be sure the belt
goes under the armrests.
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Q: 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 CAUTION:
I
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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What’s wrong with this?
A: The belt is twisted across the body.
A CAUTION:
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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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.
Your vehicle may have
an air bag for the driver.
If it does, it will say
Supplemental Inflatable
Restraint on the middle part
of the steering wheel.
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Here are the most important things to know about the
air bag system:
A CAUTION:
-
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.
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.
A CAUTION:
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, and sit as far back as you can
while still maintaining control
of your vehicle.
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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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.
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 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 module
packed inside the steering wheel.
How does an air bag restrain?
In moderate to severe frontal or near-frontal collisions,
even belted occupants can contact the steering
wheel.
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 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 bag.
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.
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1 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.
0 The air bag is designed to inflate only once. After it
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 the air bag module and
possibly other parts.
The service manual for your
vehicle covers
the need to replace other parts.
0
0
Your vehicle is equipped with a 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 air bag,
it may not work properly. You may have to
replace the air bag module.
Do not open or break
the air bag cover.
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Q=
A:
Is there anything I might add to the front of the
vehicle that could keep the air bag from
working properly?
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.)
Safety 1 ___ Jse DurinP Z regnancy
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.
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.
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