OLDSMOBILE SILHOUETTE 1998 Workshop Manual

CAUTION: (Continued) .
Reduced-force frontal air bags for the driver and
right front passenger are designed to work only
in moderate to severe crashes where the front of
your vehicle hits something. They aren’t designed
to inflate
at all in rollover, rear, side or low-speed
frontal crashes. And, for unrestrained occupants,
reduced-force frontal air bags may provide less
protection in frontal crashes than more forceful air bags have provided in the past. The side
impact
air bags for the driver and right front
passenger are designed to inflate only in
moderate to severe crashes where something hits
the side of your vehicle. They aren’t designed
to
inflate in frontal, in rollover or in rear crashes.
Everyone in your vehicle should wear a safety belt properly
-- whether or not there’s an air bag
for that person.
A CAUTION:
Both frontal and side impact 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. This
is true even with
reduced-force frontal air bags. Safety belts help
keep you in position for air bag inflation before
and during
a crash. Always wear your safety belt,
’ even with reduced-force frontal air bags. The
~ driver should sit as far back as possible while still
l
maintaining control of the vehicle. Front occupants
should not lean on or sleep against the door.
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I
Children who are up against, or very close to, an
air bag when it inflates can be seriously injured
or killed. This is true even though your vehicle
has reduced-force frontal air bags. Air bags plus
lap-shoulder belts offer the best protection for adults, but not for young children and infants.
Neither the vehicle’s safety belt system nor its
air
bag system is designed for them. Young children
and infants need the protection that
a child
restraint system can provide.
Always secure
children properly in your vehicle.
To read how,
see the part of this manual called “Children” and
see the caution labels on the sunvisors and the
right front passenger’s safety belt. There
is an air bag
readiness light on the
instrument panel, which
shows a deployed air bag.
The system checks the air bag 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 Systems Work
Where are the air bags?
The driver’s frontal air bag is in the middle of the
steering wheel. The right front
passenger’s frontal air bag is in the
instrument panel on the passenger’s side.
The driver’s side impact air bag is in the side of the
driver’s seatback closest to the door.
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The right front passenger’s side impact air bag is in the
side
of the passenger’s seatback closest to the door. A CAUTION:
If something is between an occupant and an air
bag, the bag might not inflate properly or
it
might force the object into that person. The path
of an inflating air bag must be kept clear. Don’t
put anything between an occupant and an air
bag, and don’t attach or put anything on the
steering wheel hub or on
or near any other air
bag covering and don’t let seat covers block the
inflation path
of a side impact air bag.
When should an air bag inflate?
The driver’s and right front passenger’s frontal air bags
are designed to inflate in moderate to severe frontal or
near-frontal crashes. The frontal air bags are designed to
inflate
only if the impact speed is above the system’s
designed “threshold level.” If your vehicle goes straight
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into a wall that doesn’t move or deform, the threshold
level is about
9 to 15 mph (14 to 24 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 something that will move
or deform, such as a parked car, the threshold level will
be higher. The driver’s and right front passenger’s
frontal air bags are not designed to inflate in rollovers,
side impacts, or rear impacts, because inflation would
not help the occupant.
The driver’s and right front passenger’s side impact air
bags are designed
to inflate in moderate to severe side
crashes involving a front door.
A side impact air bag
will inflate if the crash severity is above the system’s
designed “threshold level.” The threshold level can vary
with specific vehicle design. Side impact air bags are not
designed to inflate in frontal or near-frontal impacts,
rollovers or rear impacts, because inflation would not
help the occupant.
A side impact air bag will only
deploy on the side of the vehicle that is struck. 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. For
frontal air bags, inflation is determined by the angle
of
the impact and how quickly the vehicle slows down in
frontal and near-frontal impacts. For side impact air
bags, inflation
is determined by the location of the
impact and how quickly the side
of the vehicle deforms.
What makes an air bag inflate?
In an impact of sufficient severity, the air bag sensing
system detects that the vehicle is in a crash. For both
frontal and side impact air bags, the sensing system
triggers a release of gas from the inflator, which inflates
the air bag. The inflator, air bag and related hardware
are all part of the air bag modules inside the steering
wheel, instrument panel and the side
of the front
seatbacks closest to the door.
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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. In moderate
to severe side
collisions, even belted occupants can contact the inside
of the vehicle. 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 the frontal
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. Side impact air bags would not help you in
many types of collisions, including frontal or near
’ frontal collisions, rollovers, and rear impacts, primarily
because an occupant’s motion is not toward those air
bags.
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 for
the driver’s and right front passenger’s frontal air bags,
and only in moderate to severe side collisions for the
driver’s and right front passenger’s side impact air bags.
What will you see after an air bag inflates?
After an air bag inflates, it quickly deflates, so quickly
that some people may not even realize the air bag
inflated. Some components of the air bag module
-- the
steering wheel hub for the driver’s
air bag, the
instrument panel for the right front passenger’s bag, the
side of the seatback closest to the door for the driver and
right front passenger’s side impact air bags
-- will be
hot for a short time. The parts of the bag that come into
contact with you may be warm, but not too hot to touch.
There will be some smoke and dust coming from the
vents in the deflated air bags. Air bag inflation doesn’t
prevent the driver from seeing or being able to steer the
vehicle, nor does 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 a door.
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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.
Air bags are designed to inflate only once. After an
air bag inflates, 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.
Your vehicle is equipped with a crash sensing and
diagnostic module, which records information about
the frontal 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
systems. Improper service can mean that an air bag
system won’t work properly. See your retailer
for service.
I NOTICE:
If you damage the covering for the driver’s or the
right front passenger’s air bag, or the air bag
covering on the driver’s and right front
passenger’s seatback, the bag may not work
properly.
You may have to replace the air bag
module in the steering wheel, both the air bag
module and the instrument panel for the right
front passenger’s air bag, or both the air bag
module and seatback for the driver’s and right
front passenger’s side impact air bag.
Do not
open or break the air bag coverings.
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If your vehicle ever gets into a lot of water -- such as
water up to the carpeting or higher
-- or if water enters
your vehicle and soaks the carpet, the air bag controller
can be soaked and ruined.
If this ever happens, and then
you start your vehicle, the damage could make the
frontal and side impact air bags inflate and safety belt
pretensioners activate, even if there’s no crash. You
would have to replace the air bags, all the sensors and
related parts, parts of the safety belt system and parts
of
the driver and right front passenger’s seatbacks. If your
vehicle is ever in a
flood, or if it’s exposed to water that
soaks the carpet, you can avoid needless repair costs by
turning off the vehicle immediately. Don’t let anyone
start the vehicle, even to tow it, unless the battery cables
are first disconnected.
Servicing Your Air Bag-Equipped Vehicle
Air bags affect how your vehicle should be serviced.
There are parts of the air bag systems in several places
around your vehicle. Your retailer and the Silhouette
Service Manual have information about servicing your
vehicle and the
air bag systems. To purchase a service
manual, see “Service and Owner Publications” in
the Index.
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 systems. Be sure
to follow proper
service procedures, and make sure the person
performing work for you is qualified to do
so.
~~ ~~
The air bag systems do not need regular maintenance.
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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 can be thrown
out
of the vehicle in a crash. And they can strike others
in the vehicle who are wearing safety belts.
Lap-Shoulder Belt
The positions next to the windows have lap-shoulder
belts. Here’s how
to wear one properly.
Rear Seat Outside Passenger Positions
1. Pick up the latch plate and pull the belt across you.
Don’t let it get twisted.
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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.
2. 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, let 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. 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.
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