instrument panel OLDSMOBILE AURORA 1996 Owners Manual

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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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. The driver should sit as
far
back as possible while still maintaining control
of the vehicle.
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’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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How the Air Bag System Works
Where is the air bag?
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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Don’t put anything on, or attach anything to, the
steering wheel or instrument panel.
Also, don’t
put anything (such as pets or objects) between
any occupant and the steering wheel or
instrument panel. If something is between an
occupant and an air bag, it could affect the
performance of the air bag
-- or worse, it could
cause injury.
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 km/h). 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 somethine 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
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, 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 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 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 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.
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.
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 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.
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 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 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.
service.
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. For up to
10 minutes 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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@ Section 2 Features and Controls
m m
Here
you can learn about the many standard and optional
features
on your Aurora, and information on starting,
shifting and braking.
Also explained are the instrument
panel and the warning systems that tell you
if everyhng is
working properly
-- and what to do if you have a problem.
Keys
Leaving young children in a vehicle with the
ignition key is dangerous for many reasons.
A child
or others could be badly injured or even killed.
They could operate power windows or other
controls or even make the vehicle move. Don’t
leave the keys in a vehicle with young children.
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Trunk Security Override
The Remote Lock Control transmitter will open the
trunk even if the override switch is
in the OFF position.
It can be dangerous to drive with the trunk lid
open because carbon monoxide (CO) gas can
come into your vehicle. You can’t see or smell
CO. It can cause unconsciousness and even death.
If you must drive with the trunk lid open or if
electrical wiring or other cable connections must
pass through the seal between the body and the
trunk lid:
0 Make sure all windows are shut.
Turn the fan on your heating or cooling
system to its highest speed with the setting
on on any airflow selection except RECIRC.
That
will force outside air into your vehicle.
See “Comfort Controls” in the Index.
If you have air outlets on or under the
instrument panel, open them all the way.
See “Engine Exhaust’’ in the Index.
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 leave your vehicle with the keys inside, it’s an
easy target for joy riders or professional thieves
-- so
don’t do it.
With the ignition
OFF and the driver’s door open, 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.
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Ignition Positions
A
C
I
E
With the ignition key in the ignition switch, you can turn
the switch
to five positions:
ACC (A): In this position you can operate your
electrical power accessories. Press in the ignition switch
as you
turn the top of it toward you.
LOCK (B): This is the only position in which you
can remove the key. This position locks your ignition,
steering wheel and transaxle. It’s a theft-deterrent feature. \
OFF (C): This position lets you turn off the engine but
still turn the steering wheel. It doesn’t lock the steering
wheel like
LOCK and it doesn’t send any electrical
power to the accessories. Use
OFF if you must have
your vehicle in motion while the engine is not running.
RUN (D): This is the position that the switch returns to
after you start your engine and release the switch. This
is the position for driving. 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 (E): This position starts your engine. When the
engine
starts, release the key. The ignition switch will
return to
RUN for normal driving.
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’hrn and Lane Change Signals If you leave the turn signal on, a chime will sound after
you drive about 3/4 of a mile (1.2 km).
The turn signal has two upward (for right) and two
downward (for left) positions. These positions allow you
to signal a turn or a lane change.
To signal a turn, move the lever all the way up
or
down. When the turn is finished, the lever will
return automatically. An
arrow on
the instrument
panel will flash in the
direction of the turn or
lane change.
To signal a lane change, just raise or lower the lever
until the
arrow starts to flash. Hold it there until you
complete your lane change. The lever will return by
itself when you release it.
As you signal a turn or a lane change, if the arrows don’t
flash but just stay on, a signal bulb may be burned out
and other drivers won’t
see your turn signal.
If a bulb is burned out, replace it to help avoid an accident.
If the arrows don’t go on at all when you signal a turn,
check the fuse (see “Fuses and Circuit Breakers”
in the
Index) and for burned-out bulbs.
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