wheel OLDSMOBILE AURORA 1995 Owners Manual

Why Safety Belts Work
When you ride in or on anything, you go as fast as it
goes.
Put someone
on it.
Take the simplest vehicle. Suppose it’s just
a seat on
wheels.
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How the Air Bag System Works
I
I
Where is the air bag?
The right front passenger’s air bag is in the instrument
panel on the passenger’s side.
The driver’s air bag is in the middle
of the steering
wheel.
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When should an air bag inflate?
The air bag is designed to inflate in moderate to severe
frontal or near-frontal crashes. 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 11 mph (13 to 18 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.
It is possible that in a crash only one
of the two air bags
in your Aurora will deploy. This is rare, but can happen
in
a crash just severe enough to make an air bag inflate.
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.
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 modules
packed 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. 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 and rear 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 for the driver’s air bag, or the
instrument panel for the right front passenger’s bag, will
be hot for a short time, but the part of the bag that comes
into contact with you will not be hot to the touch. There
will be some smoke and dust coming from vents in the
deflated air bags. 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. 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. The 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 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 retailer for
service.
I NOTICE:
If you damage the cover for the driver’s or the
right front passenger’s air bag, they 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 covers.
Servicing Your Air Bag-Equipped Aurora
Air bags affect how your Aurora 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
Aurora retailer and the
1995 Aurora 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.
The air bag system does not need regular maintenance.
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Glove Box Parking at Night
Park in a lighted spot, close all windows and lock your
vehicle. Remember to keep your valuables out
of sight.
Put them
in a storage area, or take them with you.
Use the door
key to
lock and unlock the glove box. To
open, pull the latch release on the left side of the glove
box door.
Theft
Vehicle theft is big business, especially in some cities.
Although your Aurora has a number
of theft deterrent
features, we
know that nothing we put on it can make it
impossible to steal. However, there are ways you can
help.
Key in the Ignition
If you walk away from your vehicle with the keys
inside, it’s an easy target for joy riders or professional
thieves
-- so don’t do it.
When you park your Aurora and open the driver’s door,
you’ll hear a chime reminding
you to remove your key
from the ignition and take it with you. Always do this.
Your steering wheel will be locked, and
so will your
ignition and transaxle. And remember to lock the doors.
Parking Lots
If you park in a lot where someone will be watching
your vehicle, it’s best to lock
it up and take your keys.
But what if you have to leave your ignition key? What if
you have to leave something valuable
in your vehicle?
0 Put your valuables in a storage areai, like your trunk
or glove box.
0 Move the trunk security override switch to OFF.
0 Lock the glove box.
0 Lock all the doors except the driver‘s.
0 Take the door key with you.
Take the Remote Lock Control key chain with you.
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Ignition Switch
RUN
ACCESSORY
W
I NOTICE:
If your key seems stuck in LOCK and you can’t
turn it, be sure it
is all the way in. If it is, then
turn the steering wheel left and right while you
turn the key hard. But turn the key only with
your hand. Using a tool to force
it could break
the key or the ignition switch.
If none of this
works, then your vehicle needs service. With
the ignition key
in the ignition switch, you can turn
the switch to five positions:
ACC (Accessory): An ON position in which you can
operate your electrical power accessories. Press
in the
ignition switch as you turn the top of
it toward you.
LOCK: The only position in which you can remove the
key. This locks your steering wheel, ignition and
transaxle.
OFF: Unlocks the steering wheel, ignition, and
transaxle, but does not send electrical power to any
accessories. Use this position
if your vehicle must be
pushed or towed, but never
try to push-start your
vehicle.
A warning chime will sound if you open the
driver’s door when
the ignition is off and the key is in
the ignition.
RUN: An ON position to which the switch returns after
you start your engine and release the switch. The switch
stays
in the RUN position when the engine is running.
But even when the engine is not running, you can use
RUN to operate your electrical power accessories, and
to display some instrument panel warning lights.
START: Starts the engine. When the engine starts,
release the key. The ignition switch will return to
RUN
for norlnal driving.
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Automatic Transaxle
Your automatic transaxle has a shift lever located on the
console between the seats.
There are several shift positions for your shift lever.
PARK (P): This locks your front wheels. It's the best
position to use when
you start your engine because your
vehicle can't move easily.
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Ensure the shift lever is fully in PARK (P) range before
starting the engine. Your Aurora has a brake-transaxle
shift interlock. You have to fully
apply your regular
brakes
before you can shift from PARK (P) when the
ignition key is in the
ON position. If you cannot shift
out of PARK (P), ease pressure on the shift lever--push
the shift lever all the way into PARK (P) and also
release the shift lever button as you maintain brake
application. Then move the shift lever into the gear you
wish. (Press the shift lever button.) See “Shifting Out of
PARK (P)” in the Index.
REVERSE (R): Use this gear to back up.
NOTICE:
Shifting to REVERSE (R) while your vehicle is
moving forward could damage your transaxle.
Shift to REVERSE (R) only after your vehicle is
stopped.
To rock your vehicle back and forth to get out of snow,
ice or sand without damaging your transaxle, see “If
You’re Stuck: In Sand, Mud,
Ice or Snow” in the Index.
NEUTRAL (N): In this position, your engine doesn’t
connect with the wheels.
To restart when you’re
already moving, use NEUTRAL
(N) only. Also, use
’ NEUTRAL (N) when your vehicle is being towed.
I NOTICE:
Damage to your transaxle caused by shifting out
of PARK (P) or NEUTRAL
(N) with the engine
racing isn’t covered by your warranty.
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FIRST GEAR (1): This position gives you even more
power (but lower fuel economy) than
SECOND (2). You
can use it on very steep hills, or in deep snow or mud. If
the selector lever is put in FIRST
(11, the transaxle
won’t shift into FIRST
(1) until the vehicle is going
slowly enough.
NOTICE:
If your front wheels can’t rotate, don’t try to
drive. This might happen if you were stuck
in
very deep sand or mud or were up against a solid
object. You could damage your transaxle.
Also, if you stop when going uphill, don’t hold
your vehicle there with only the accelerator
pedal. This could overheat and damage the
transaxle. Use your brakes or shift into
PARK (P)
to hoId your vehicle in position on a hill.
Selectable Shift
This button lets you
change from a normal
driving mode to a
power mode. For
general driving
conditions, use the
normal mode.
Press the button on your shift lever
so that it’s either in
the NORMAL or POWER position. When it’s in the
NORMAL position, the line on the button will be
showing. When
in POWER, the line is not showing.
In the NORMAL position, the transaxle shifts at lower
engine speeds.
For increased performance, you may
choose the POWER mode.
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