Oldsmobile Silhouette 2000 Owner's Manuals

1-89
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.
Q: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 sitting in a rear seat outside position,
see ªRear Safety Belt Comfort Guidesº in the
Index. 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 a seat that has a lap
belt, if your vehicle has one.

1-90
CAUTION:
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.

1-91
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
dealer 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.)

1-92
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 the frontal air bags inflate, you'll also need to replace
the driver's and right front passenger's safety belt
buckle assembly. Be sure to do so. Then the new buckle
assembly will be there to help protect you in a collision.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 necessary even if the safety belt
or built
-in child restraint wasn't being used at the time
of the collision.
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.

2-
2-1
Section 2 Features and Controls
Here you can learn about the many standard and optional features on your vehicle, 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.
2
-2 Keys
2
-4 Door Locks
2
-7 Remote Lock Control (Option)
2
-13 Multifunction Alarm Locks and
Lighting Choices
2
-23 Sliding Door
2
-25 Power Sliding Door (Option)
2
-31 Liftgate
2
-32 Theft
2
-33 Content Theft-Deterrent (Option)
2
-35 PASS-Key
III
2
-37 New Vehicle ªBreak-Inº
2
-38 Ignition Positions
2
-39 Starting Your Engine
2
-41 Engine Coolant Heater (If Equipped)
2
-42 Automatic Transaxle Operation
2
-46 Parking Brake
2
-47 Shifting Into PARK (P)2
-49 Shifting Out of PARK (P)
2
-50 Parking Over Things That Burn
2
-50 Engine Exhaust
2
-51 Running Your Engine While You're Parked
2
-52 Windows
2
-54 Turn Signal/Multifunction Lever
2
-61 Exterior Lamps
2
-63 Interior Lamps
2
-68 Storage Compartments
2
-78 Accessory Inflator System (Option)
2
-80 Accessory Power Outlets
2
-81 OnStar
System (If Equipped)
2
-82 The Instrument Panel -- Your
Information System
2
-87 Warning Lights, Gages, Messages
and Indicators
2
-96 Message Center
2
-101 Driver Information Center (DIC) (Option)

2-2
Keys
CAUTION:
Leaving 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 the power windows or
other controls or even make the vehicle move.
Don't leave the keys in a vehicle with children.

2-3
The master key can be used
for the ignition as well
as all door locks, the
liftgate lock and the
storage compartments.
If you need a new key, contact your Oldsmobile
dealer, who can obtain the correct key code.
In an emergency, call Oldsmobile Roadside
Assistance at 1
-800-442-OLDS (6537).
(In Canada, call 1
-800-268-6800.)
NOTICE:
Your vehicle 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 key inside. You may even have to damage
your vehicle to get in. So be sure you have an
extra key.

2-4
Door Locks
CAUTION:
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.
There are several ways to lock and unlock your vehicle.
From the outside, use your key or the remote lock
control transmitter (if your vehicle has this option).
To unlock either front door from the outside with the
key, insert the key and turn it toward the front of
the vehicle.You can lock either front door from the outside with
your key by inserting and turning it toward the rear of
the vehicle.
To lock either front door from the inside, push the
manual locking lever forward.
To unlock either front door from the inside, pull back on
the manual locking lever.

2-5
Power Door Locks
From the inside, press the front of the power door lock
switch (on either front door) to unlock all doors and the
liftgate. If your vehicle is equipped with the content
theft
-deterrent system, the power door lock switch will
not unlock the doors until the system is disarmed. See
ªContent Theft
-Deterrentº in the Index for more details.
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 your vehicle is equipped with the content
theft
-deterrent system, the power door lock switch may
cause the system to arm. See ªContent Theft
-Deterrentº
in the Index for more details.To unlock any door or the liftgate from the outside with
your key, turn the key to the unlock position and release.
This will only unlock that door or the liftgate. To unlock
all the doors and the liftgate at once, insert the key into
the key cylinder, then turn to the unlock position and
hold for one second.
With power door locks, you can lock all the doors from
the outside by inserting the key and turning the key to
the lock position.
Also, when the doors are locked with the power door
locks, the inside as well as the outside door handle
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, move 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
squeeze the handle above the license plate. This is also
true if you use the optional remote lock control
transmitter. See ªRemote Lock Controlº later
in this section.

2-6 Last Door Closed Locking
The last door closed locking feature makes it easier to
use your power door locks to lock all the doors and the
liftgate when leaving your vehicle.
When any door or the liftgate is open, the first time you
attempt to lock the doors using the power lock switch or
the remote lock control transmitter (if equipped), this
will result in three chimes to signal that last door closed
locking is being used. All doors and the liftgate can be
opened for five seconds from the time the last door
is closed.
Five seconds after the last door is closed, all the doors
will lock. You can lock the doors immediately by using
the power door lock switch or the remote lock control
transmitter a second time.
If the ignition is in RUN or ACCESSORY, this feature
will not lock the doors.
To turn the last door closed locking feature off or on,
see ªMultifunction Alarm Locks and Lighting Choicesº
in the Index.
Automatic Door Locks
All of the doors will lock automatically when you move
your shift lever out of PARK (P). All doors will unlock
automatically when the ignition is turned off while the
shift lever is in PARK (P).
You can program the automatic door locks to operate with
the remote lock control system and to lock and unlock
automatically to suit your needs. See ªMultifunction
Alarm Locks and Lighting Choicesº in the Index.
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.
Sliding Door Delayed Locking
If the sliding door is open when you use your power door
locks to lock the vehicle, the sliding door is not locked.
Normally the last door closed locking feature will be used
to lock the sliding door after it has been closed.
When the ignition is on or if the last door closed locking
feature has been overridden or programmed to be off,
the sliding door delayed locking feature will lock your
sliding door for you. Three seconds after the sliding
door is closed, all the doors will lock. If you have the
dual sliding doors, all doors will lock three seconds after
both sliding doors are closed.