Oldsmobile Achieva 1997 s User Guide

4-Way Manual Seat Manual Lumbar Support (If Equipped)
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There are two levers at the front of the seat. The left
lever
(A) adjusts the seat forward and back. The right
lever
(B) adjusts the angle of the front of the seat. Turn the knob on
the right of the driver’s seat cushion
clockwise or counterclockwise to adjust support
for the
lower back.
The lever near the outer side of the seat
(A) unlocks the
seat allowing
it to slide forward and back. Then release
the lever and try to move the seat to be certain that it is
locked
in place.
The lever
on the right (B) allows you to tilt the seat up
and down.
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Power Seat (If Equipped) Rear Control (C): Raise the rear of the seat by holding
the switch up. Lower the rear of the seat by holding the
switch down,
Reclining Front Seatbacks
To adjust the power seat:
Front Control (A): Raise the front of the seat by
holding the switch up. Lower the front of the seat by
holding the switch down.
Center Control (B): Move the seat forward or back by
holding the control to the front or back.
Move
the seat higher by holding the control up. Lower
the seat by holding
the control down.
To adjust the seatback, lift the lever on the outer side of
the seat and move the seatback where
you want it.
Release the lever to lock the seatback.
Pull up on the lever and the seat will go
to an
upright position.
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But don’t have a seatback reclined if your vehicle is moving.
A CAUTION:
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Sitting in a reclined position when your vehicle is
in motion can be dangerous. Even
if you buckle
up, your safety belts can’t
do their job when
you’re reclined like this.
The shoulder belt can’t do its job because it
won’t be against your body. Instead, it will be in
front of you.
In a crash you could go into it,
receiving neck or other injuries.
The lap belt can’t do its job either. In
a crash the
belt could go up over your abdomen. The belt
forces would be there, not at your pelvic bones.
This could cause serious internal injuries.
For proper protection when the vehicle is
in
motion, have the seatback upright. Then sit well
back in the seat and wear your safety belt properly.
Head Restraints
Slide the head restraint up or down so that the top of the
restraint
is closest to the top of your ears. This position
reduces the chance of a neck injury in a crash.
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Seatback Latches (2-Door Models)
The front seatback folds forward to let people get into
the back seat.
To fold a front seat forward, lift the seatback latch.
When you return the seatback to its original position, the
seatback
will lock.
Easv Ent Seat (2-Door Models)
A CAC JON:
If an easy entry right front seat isn’t locked, it
can move. In
a sudden stop or crash, the person
sitting there could be injured. After you’ve used
it, be sure
to push rearward on an easy entry seat
to be sure it
is locked.
The right front seat of your vehicle makes it easy to get
in and out of the rear seat.
Tilt the right front seatback completely forward and
the whole seat will slide forward.
Move the right front seatback to its original position
after someone gets into the rear seat area. Then move
the seat rearward
until it locks.
Tilt the seatback completely forward again to get out.
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Rear Seats
Folding the Rear Seat (If Equipped)
To fold down the rear seat, pull forward
on the seat tab.
Push the seatback up to return it to its original position.
To make sure the seatback is secure, push it into a
Mly
upright position. A loose seatback can cause an injury in
a sudden stop.
Safety Belts: They’re for Everyone
This part of the manual tells you how to use safety belts
properly.
It also tells you some things you should not do
with safety belts.
And it explains the Supplemental Restraint System
(SRS),
or air bag system.
Don’t let anyone ride where he
or she can’t wear
a safety belt properly. If you are in a crash and
you’re not wearing
a safety belt, your injuries
can be much worse.
You can hit things inside the
vehicle or be ejected from
it. You can be seriously
injured or killed. In the same crash, you might
not be if you
are buckled up. Always fasten your
safety belt, and check that your passengers’ belts
are fastened properly too.
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It is extremely dangerous to ride in a cargo area,
inside or outside of
a vehicle. In a collision,
people riding in these areas are more likely to be
seriously injured or killed.
Do not allow people to
ride in any area
of your vehicle that is not
equipped with seats and safety belts. Be sure
everyone in your vehicle is in
a seat and using a
safety belt properly.
I Your vehicle has a light that
comes on as a reminder to
buckle up. (See “Safety
Belt Reminder Light”
in the Index.)
In most states and Canadian provinces, the law says to
wear safety belts. Here’s why: They work.
You never know if you’ll be in a crash. If you do have a
crash, you don’t know if it will be a bad one.
A few crashes are mild, and some crashes can be
so
serious that even buckled up a person wouldn’t survive.
But most crashes are
in between. In many of them,
people who buckle up can survive and sometimes walk
away. Without belts they could have been badly hurt
or killed.
After more than
25 years of safety belts in vehicles,
the facts are clear. In most crashes buckling up does
matter
... a lot!

Why Safety Belts Work
When you ride in or on anything, you go as fast as it goes.
~~ ~ ~~~
Take the simplest vehicle. Suppose it's just a seat on wheels.
Put someone on it.
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r
Get it up to speed. Then stop the vehicle. The rider
doesn’t stop. The
person keeps going until stopped by something.
In a real vehicle, it could be the windshield ...
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or the instrument panel ... or the safety belts!
With safety belts, you slow down as the vehicle does.
You get more time to stop. You stop over more distance,
and your strongest bones take the forces. That’s why
safety belts make such
good sense.
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Here Are Questions Many People Ask
About Safety Belts
-- and the Answers
Q: Won’t I be trapped in the vehicle after an
accident if I’m wearing
a safety belt?
A: You could be -- whether you’re wearing a safety
belt or not. But you can unbuckle a safety belt,
even if you’re upside down. And your chance of
being conscious during and after an accident,
so
you can unbuckle and get out, is much greater if
you are belted.
If my vehicle has air bags, why should I have to
wear safety belts?
A: Air bags are in many vehicles today and will be in
most of them in the future. But they are
supplemental systems only;
so they work with
safety belts -- not instead of them. Every air bag
system ever offered for sale has required the use
of
safety belts. Even if you’re in a vehicle that has air
bags,
you still have to buckle up to get the most
protection. That’s true not only in frontal collisions,
but especially in side and other collisions.
@ If I’m a good driver, and I never drive far from
A: You may be an excellent driver, but if you’re in an
home, why should I wear safety belts?
accident -- even one that isn’t your fault -- you and
your passengers can be hurt. Being a good driver
doesn’t protect you from things beyond your
control, such as bad drivers.
Most accidents occur within
25 miles (40 km) of
home. And the greatest number
of serious injuries
and deaths occur at speeds of less than
40 mph
(65 hh).
Safety belts are for everyone.