OLDSMOBILE SILHOUETTE 1996 Repair Manual

Larger Children
6. To tighten the belt, feed it back into the retractor
while you push down on the child restraint.
7. Push and pull the child restraint in different
directions to be sure it
is secure.
To remove the child restraint, just unbuckle the vehicle’s
safety belt and let it
go back all the way. The safety belt
will move freely again and be ready to work for an adult
or larger child passenger. Children who have outgrown child restraints should
wear the vehicle’s safety belts.
If you have the choice, a child should sit next to
a
window so the child can wear a lap-shoulder belt and
get the additional restraint a shoulder belt can provide.
1-53
ProCarManuals.com

Accident statistics show that children are safer if they
are restrained in the rear seat. But they need to use the
safety belts properly.
Children who aren’t buckled up can be thrown out in
Children who aren’t buckled up can strike other
a crash.
people who are.
I A CAUTION:
Never do this.
Here two children
are wearing the same belt. The
belt can’t properly spread the impact forces.
In a
crash, the two children can be crushed together
and seriously injured.
A belt must be used by
only one person at
a time.
What if a child is wearing
a lap-shoulder belt,
but the child
is so small that the shoulder belt is
very close to the child’s face or neck?
A: Move the child toward the center of the vehicle, but
be sure that
the shoulder belt still is on the child’s
shoulder,
so that in a crash the child’s upper body
would have the restraint that belts provide.
If the
child
is so small that the shoulder belt is still very
close to the child’s face
or neck, you might want to
place the child in the center seat position, the one
that has only
a lap belt.
1-54
ProCarManuals.com

I
A CAUTION:
I Never do this.
Here
a child is sitting in a seat that has a
lap-shoulder belt,
but the shoulder part is behind
the child.
If the child wears the belt in this way, in
a crash the child might slide under the belt. The
belt’s force would then be applied right on the
child’s abdomen. That could cause serious or
fatal injuries.
Wherever the child sits, the lap portion of the belt
should
be worn low and snug on the hips, just touching
the child’s thighs. This applies belt force to the child’s
pelvic bones in
a crash.
1-55
ProCarManuals.com

Safety Belt Extender
If the vehicle’s safety belt will fasten around you, you
should use it.
But if a safety belt isn’t long enough to fasten, your
retailer will order
you an extender. It’s free. When you
go in to order it, take the heaviest coat you will wear,
so
the extender will be long enough for you. The extender
will be just for you, and just for the seat
in your vehicle
that you choose. Don’t
let someone else use it, and use it
only for the seat it is made to fit. To wear it, just attach it
to the regular safety belt.
Checking Your Restraint Systems
Now and then, make sure the safety belt reminder light
and all your belts, buckles, latch plates, retractors and
anchorages are working properly. If your vehicle has
a
built-in child restraint, also periodically make sure the
harness straps, latch plates, buckle, clip, child head
restraint and anchorages are working properly. Look for
any other loose or damaged safety belt and built-in child
restraint system parts.
If you see anything that might
keep a safety belt or built-in child restraint system from
doing its job, have
it repaired.
Torn
or frayed safety belts may not protect you in a
crash. They can rip apart under impact forces. If
a belt is
torn or frayed, get
a new one right away. If
your vehicle has the built-in child restraint, torn or
frayed harness straps can
rip apart under impact forces
just like torn or frayed safety belts can. They may not
protect a child in a crash. If
a harness strap is torn or
frayed, get
a new harness right away.
Also look for any opened or broken air bag covers, and
have them repaired or replaced. (The air bag system
does not need regular maintenance.)
Replacing Restraint System Parts
After
a Crash
If you’ve had a crash, do you need new safety belts or
built-in child restraint parts?
After a very minor collision, nothing may be necessary.
But if the safety belts or built-in child restraint harness
straps were stretched, as they would be if worn during a
more severe crash, then you need new safety belts or
harness straps.
If safety belts or built-in child restraint harness straps are \
cut or damaged, replace them. Collision damage also may
mean you will need
to have safety belt, built-in child
restraint or seat parts repaired or replaced. New
parts and
repairs may be necesscary even if the safety belt or built-in \
child restraint wasn’t being used at the time of the collis\
ion.
If an air bag inflates, you’ll need to replace air bag system
parts. See the part on the air bag system earlier in
this section.
1-56
ProCarManuals.com

Section 2 Features and Controls
Here you can learn about the many standard and
optional features on your Oldsmobile, and information
on starting, shifting and braking. Also explained are the
instrument panel and the warning systems that
tell you if
everything is working properly -- and what to do if you
have a problem.
Keys
A c ‘LL I
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.
ProCarManuals.com

'i
The ignition keys are for the
ignition
only.
The door keys are for the doors and all other locks. When
a new vehicle
is delivered, the retaler removes the
plugs from the keys
and gives them to the first owner.
Each plug has a code on it that tells your retailer or a
qualified locksmith how to make extra keys. Keep the
plugs in a safe place.
If you lose your keys, you'll be
able to have new ones made easily using these plugs.
NOTICE:
Your Oldsmobile has a number of new features
that can help prevent theft. But you can have a
lot of trouble getting into your vehicle if you ever
lock your keys inside. You may even have to
damage your vehicle
to get in. So be sure you
.have extra keys.
2-2
ProCarManuals.com

Front Doors
Pay attention when you open or close these doors
from the outside. Stay clear of the upper rear
corner to avoid hitting your head.
ProCarManuals.com

Door Locks
I
Unlocked doors can be dangerous.
Passengers
-- especially children -- can easily
open the doors and fall out. When
a door is
locked, the inside handle won’t open it.
Outsiders can easily enter through an unlocked
door when you slow down or stop your vehicle.
This
may not be so obvious: You increase the
chance
of being thrown out of the vehicle in a
crash
if the doors aren’t locked. Wear safety belts
properly, lock your doors, and you will be
far
better off whenever you drive your vehicle.
To lock the door from the inside, slide the locking
lever rearward.
To unlock the door, slide the locking lever forward.
There are several ways to lock and unlock your vehicle.
From the outside, use your door key or the Remote Lock
Control transmitter (if
your vehicle has this option).
2-4
ProCarManuals.com

Power Door Locks (Option)
From the inside, press the front of the power door lock switch
(on either front door), to unlock all doors and the liftgate\
.
You can lock all doors and the liftgate from the inside,
by pressing the rear of the power lock switch on either
front door.
If you have the optional Remote Lock Control system,
your vehicle has a special security feature. If the driver’s
door is open and your key is in the ignition
in the OFF
position, you won’t be able to set the door locks with the power door lock switch
or the remote transmitter.
This
feature is designed to help keep you from locking your
keys in your vehicle.
If the sliding door is open when you press the power
door lock switch, it will lock automatically within
five seconds after you close it.
If
you have the optional Remote Lock Control system,
this feature will be replaced by a different lock delay
system. See “Remote Lock Control” later in this section.
With power locks, when the doors are locked, the inside as
well as the outside door latch release cannot open the
doors.
This safety feature prevents a door from being
accidentally opened from the inside by moving the handle.
To override this safety feature, slide the locking lever to
the unlock position on the door you want to open.
When the liftgate has been unlocked with the power door locks, you won’t need the key to open it. Simply
turn the
lock clockwise until the latch releases.
This is also true if
you use the optional Remote Lock Control transmitter.
See “Remote Lock Control” later in this section.
To lock the liftgate, use either the power door lock switch
or the optional Remote Lock Control transmitter.
You may
also lock it manually by turning the lock counterclockwise.
2-5
ProCarManuals.com

t ta latic Do01 ,ocks (Option) Overrld g LOC
With this feature, you can unlock all of the doors from
the outside by holding the key in the unlock position for
one second.
To unlock only the driver’s or passenger’s
door, turn the key to the unlock position and release.
From the inside, when the ignition is
on and the driver’s
door is closed, all doors will lock each time you move
the shift lever out of PARK (P). If the passenger’s door
or the liftgate is open when you move the shift lever out
of PARK
(P), they will lock when closed.
If the sliding door is open when you move the shift lever
out of PARK (P) or manually lock the doors using the
power door lock switches, a lock delay feature allows
the sliding door to lock five seconds after it is closed.
With the automatic door locks feature, you can still lock
or unlock the doors at any time, either manually or with
the power door lock switches.
To override the lock delay feature, press the front of the
power door lock switch (the unlock position) while the
shift lever is in
PARK (P).
If you have the Remote Lock Control system, there are
three additional ways you can disable the lock delay
feature (see “Remote Lock Control” later
in this section):
0 Press the unlock symbol on your remote transmitter,
Return the shift lever to PARK (P), or
0 Turn the ignition off.
Customizing Your Autornr c Door Locks Feat
With the Remote Lock Control system, you can
customize your automatic door locks feature to suit your
individual needs. (See “Remote Lock Control’’ later
in
this section.)
With the doors closed and the ignition on, press and hold
the driver’s side power door lock switch in the lock
position for
10 seconds. The doors will lock, then
unlock, indicating that you have
10 seconds in which to
program one of four custom modes:
ProCarManuals.com