tow Oldsmobile Silhouette 2001 Owner's Manuals

Free lockout assistance
Free dead-battery assistance
Free out-of-fuel assistance
Free flat-tire change
Emergency towing
Courtesy
Transportation
Every
2001
Silhouette under
warranty is backed
with the following
services:
Trip Routing
1-800-442-OLDS
(For vehicles purchased in Canada,
call
1-800-268-6800)
that provides in an emergency:
1-800-442-OLDS
(For vehicles purchased in Canada,
call
1-800-268-6800)

Table of Contents (cont'd)
Defensive Driving
Drunken Driving
Control of a Vehicle
Braking
SteeringDriving Tips for Various Road Conditions
Recreational Vehicle Towing
Loading Your Vehicle
Towing a Trailer Heating and Air Conditioning
Setting the Radio Clock
Radio/Cassette Player/CD PlayerRadio Theft-Deterrent Feature
Steering Wheel Controls (If Equipped)
Hazard Warning Flashers
Jump Starting
Towing Your VehicleEngine Overheating
Changing a Flat Tire
If You're Stuck
Problems on the Road
iii
Section
3
Section
4
Section
5
Your Driving and the Road Comfort Controls and Audio Systems

1-12
6. To unlatch the front latches, squeeze the angled latch
release bar toward the straight crossbar.
7. Remove the seat by rocking it slightly forward, then
toward the rear of the vehicle and then pulling it out.
Repeat these steps for the other section of the split
bench seat.Replacing the Split Bench Sections
Make sure the seatback is in the upright position and
the safety belts are on the correct section of the seat.
Don't put the sections of the bench seat in so they face
rearward because they won't latch that way. If you want
more storage room behind the seat, adjust each section
by sliding it forward.
The split benches have seat position labels, located on
the back of each seat, showing where the seat must go.
Follow that diagram.

The left section of the 50/50 split bench uses
the G and H sets of floor cups.

The right section of the 50/50 split bench uses
the I and J sets of floor cups.
See ªRear Seatsº in the beginning of this section for
more details. The seat must be placed in the proper
location for the legs to attach correctly.

1-13
Make sure the seat is in the full rear position before
beginning this procedure.
1. Squeeze the angled bar toward the solid crossbar
while placing the front hooks of the bench seat onto
the front two floor pins.
2. Make sure the bench
seat is angled so that
the front hooks clear
the floor pins.
If the front legs are not attached correctly, the rear
legs will not attach to the rear set of floor pins.

1-20 Stowable Seat
The optional stowable seat is a full bench seat and
comes with the convenience center. See ªConvenience
Centerº in the Index for more information. The stowable
seat can be removed and replaced, or with the seatback
folded, it can lie flush with the convenience center.
Folding the Seatback
To fold down the seatback,
pull up on the lever on the
back of the seat and push
the seatback down until
it is locked into place.
Push and pull on the
seatback to make sure
that it is locked into place.To raise the seatback, do one of the following:

From the rear of the vehicle, pull up on the lever to
release the seatback, then pull the strap, located on
the right side of the seat, to pull the seat back up.
The seatback has a velcro patch to stow the strap on
the rear of the seat when not in use, or

from the passenger's side sliding door, pull up on
the lever to release the seatback, then push up on the
seatback to raise the seat.
Push and pull on the seatback to make sure that it is
locked into the upright position.
CAUTION:
If the seatback isn't locked, it could move forward
in a sudden stop or crash. That could cause injury
to the person sitting there. Always press rearward
on the seatback to be sure it is locked.

1-21
Removing the Stowable Seat
1. Remove the convenience center, if it is in the
vehicle. See ªConvenience Centerº in the Index
for more information.
2. Make sure all items are off of the stowable seat.
3. If the seatback is down, put the seatback in its upright
position before removing the seat. See ªFolding the
Seatbackº previously.4. From behind the bench seat, push up the release
handles at the base of the seat to release the latches
from the floor pins.
5. While holding onto the crossbar at the bottom
of the seat, remove the seat by rocking it slightly
toward the rear of the vehicle and then pulling it out.
This should be done in one motion.
NOTICE:
Do not use the release handles to pull the seat
out. The handles could break during removal.
This will not be covered by your warranty.
Use the crossbar at the bottom of the seat when
pulling the seat out.

1-22
Replacing the Stowable Seat
Do not put the stowable seat in facing rearward because
it will not latch that way. The stowable seat has to go
in before the convenience center. See ªConvenience
Centerº in the Index for more information.
The stowable seat has seat position labels, located on
the back of the seat, showing where the seat must go.
Follow the floor pin diagram. Use the front floor pins
of the front floor cups and the rear floor cups in the
third row.
Use the G, H, I, and J sets of floor cups.
See ªRear Seatsº in the beginning of this section for
more information. The seat must be placed in the proper
location for the legs to attach correctly.Make sure the seat is in its upright position before
beginning this procedure.
1. Place the front hooks of the seat onto the front floor
pins in the third row. To do this, the seat will need to
be angled so the front hooks clear the floor pins.
If the front legs are not attached correctly, the rear
legs will not attach to the rear set of floor pins.
2. Firmly push the rear hooks into the rear floor pins
by pushing down on the rear of the seat.
3. Try to raise the seat to make sure that it is
locked down.
4. Push and pull on the seatback to make sure that
it is locked into place.

1-44
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.
CAUTION:
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.

1-58
Restraint Systems for Children
An infant car bed (A), a special bed made for use in a
motor vehicle, is an infant restraint system designed to
restrain or position a child on a continuous flat surface.
Make sure that the infant's head rests toward the center
of the vehicle.
A rear-facing infant seat (B) provides restraint with
the seating surface against the back of the infant.
The harness system holds the infant in place and, in a
crash, acts to keep the infant positioned in the restraint.

1-62
In Canada, the law requires that forward-facing
child restraints have a top strap, and that the strap be
anchored. In the United States, some child restraints also
have a top strap. If your child restraint has a top strap,
it should be anchored.
An anchor bar for a top strap is located at the rear of
the seat cushion for each second and third row outboard
seating position.The anchor bar for the stowable bench seat is located
on the passenger's side of the crossbar. Use the center
seating position to use the anchor bar properly. If the
convenience center is in the vehicle, you must lift the
tray sill to use the anchor.
Second Row