Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme 1995 s Owner's Guide

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-fmptal 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 whekl 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 fromvents 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.
right--front passenger
air bag.
I Additional windshield breakage may also occur from the , . ..
The air bags are designed to inflate only once. AfteT
they inflate, you’ll need some new parts for your air
bag system.
If you don’t get them, the air bag syskm
won’t be there to help protect you in another crash.
A new system will include air bag modbles and
possibly other parts. The service manual for your
vehicle c,overs the need to replace other parts.

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 retailer for
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 fop the
right front passenger’s
air bag. Do not open or
break the air bag covers.
Servicing Your Air Bag-Equipped
Oldsmobile
Air bags affect how your Oldsmobile 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 Oldsmobile retailer and the
1995 Cutlass Supreme
Service Manual have infomation about servicing. your
vehicle and the air bag system. To purchase a service
manual, see “Service Publications” in the Index.
The air bag system does not need regular maintenance.

Safety Belt Use During Pregnancy
’ Safety belts work for everyone, including prqgnant
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
throughout the pregnanky. 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. Right Front Passenger - Position
The right front passenger’s safety beit 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.
1-25

To make the belt shorter, pull its free end as shown until,
the belt is
snug.
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.
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 c.an 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
(2-Door Models)
u
If you have a four-door model, see “Rear Seat Outside
Passenger Positions (4-DOOr Models)” later in
this section.

~ If .the belt stops before
it reaches the buckle, tilt the
.latch plate and keep pulling until you can buckle it.
Pull up on the latch plate to make sure it is secure.
--
,,
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.
I
If the belt is not 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.

, .
3. To make the lap part tight, pull down on the buckle
end
of the belt as you pull up on the shoulder part. 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 youi 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.
1-29

Rear Seat Outside Passenger Positions
@-Door Models)
U
If you have a two-door model, see “Rear Seat Outside
Passenger Positions (2-Door Models)” earlier
in this
section.
Lap-Shoulder Belt (&Door Models)
The positions next to the windows have lap-shoulder
belts., Here’s how to wear one properly.
.
To.-unlatkh the belt, just push the button an the buckle,
1-30 .. , , ’.. .,

I 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.
I
21 ’ ’Push the latch plate into the buckle until it clicks.
Pull up
on the latch plate to make sure it is secure.
When the shoulder belt is pulled out
all the way, it
will lock.
If it does; lit 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.
I.
1. Pick up the latch plate and pull the belt across you.
Don’t let
it get twisted.
The shoulder belt may lock
if you pull the belt across
you very quickly.
If this happens, let the belt go back
slightly
to unlock it. Then pull the belt across you
more slowly.

3. To make the lap part tight, pull down on the buckle
end
of the belt as you pull up on the shoulder part. ..
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.