belt OLDSMOBILE SILHOUETTE 2003 Service Manual

Securing a Child Restraint in the
Right Front Seat Position
n
Your vehicle has a front passenger air bag. Never put a
rear facing child restraint in this seat. Here’s why:
A cl ...- .. t a rear-facing child restraint can
be seriously injured or killed if the front
passenger’s air bag inflates. This
is because
the back
of the rear-facing child restraint
would be very close
to the inflating air bag.
Always secure a rear-facing child restraint in
a rear seat.
Although a rear seat is a safer place, you can secure a
forward-facing child restraint in the right front seat.
You’ll be using the lap-shoulder belt. See the earlier part
about the
top strap if the child restraint has one.
Be sure to follow the instructions that came with the
child restraint. Secure the child in the child restraint
when and as the instructions say.
1. Because your vehicle has a right front passenger’s
air bag, always move the seat as far back as it will
go before securing a forward-facing child restraint.
See
Manual Seats on page 1-2.
2. Put the restraint on the seat.
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3. Pick up the latch plate, and run the lap and shoulder
portions of the vehicle's safety belt through or
around the restraint. The child restraint instructions
will show you how.
4. Buckle the belt. Make sure the release button is
positioned
so you would be able to unbuckle the
safety belt quickly
if you ever had to.
5. Pull the rest of the lap belt all the way out of the
retractor to set the lock.
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6. To tighten the belt, feed the shoulder belt back into
the retractor while you push down on the child
restraint. You
may find it helpful to use your knee
to push down on the child restraint as you
tighten the belt.
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.
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Air Bag Systems
This part explains the frontal and side impact air bag
systems.
Your vehicle has four air bags
- a frontal air bag for
the driver, another frontal air bag for the right front
passenger, a side impact air bag for the driver, and
another side impact air bag for the right front passenger.
Frontal air bags are designed to help reduce the risk
of injury from the force of an inflating frontal air bag.
But these air bags must inflate very quickly to do their
job and comply with federal regulations.
Here are the most important things to know about the
air bag systems:
You can be severely injured or killed in a crash
if you aren’t wearing your safety belt - even if
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during a crash helps reduce your chance of
hitting things inside the vehicle or being
ejected from
it. Air bags are designed to work
with safety belts but don’t replace them.
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Frontal air L-JS for the driver an-. :ight front
passenger are designed to deploy only in
moderate to severe frontal and near frontal
crashes. They aren’t designed to inflate at all in rollover, rear or low-speed frontal crashes,
or in many side crashes. And, for some
unrestrained occupants, 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.
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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, as you
would be
if you were leaning forward, it could
seriously injure you. Safety belts help keep you
in position for air bag inflation before and
during a crash. Always wear your safety belt,
even with frontal air bags. The driver
should sit
as far back as possible while still maintaining
control of the vehicle. Front occupants should
not lean on or sleep against the door.
nm.yone who
is up against, or very close to,
any air bag when
it inflates can be seriously
injured or killed. Air bags
plus lap-shoulder
belts offer the best protection for adults,
but
CAUTION: (Continued) not for young
-..ildl-.J and infants. ..,ither
thevehicle’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 “Older
Children” or “Infants and Young Children”.
There is a air bag
readiness light on the
instrument panel cluster,
which shows the air
bag symbol.
- ~~
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 on page 3-43
for more information.
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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, the air bag and related hardware
are all part of the air bag modules inside the steering
wheel, the instrument panel, and the side of the front
seatbacks closest to the door.
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
many 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 bag.
What Will You See After an Air Bag
Inflates?
After the 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 will be
hot for a short time. These components include the
steering wheel hub for the driver’s frontal air bag and the
instrument panel for the right front passenger’s frontal
air bag. For vehicles with side impact air bags, the side
of the seatback closest to the driver’s and/or right
front passenger’s door will be hot. 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.
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When an air baa jnflates, 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.
If you experience breathing
problems following an air bag deployment,
you should seek medical attention.
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
manual for your vehicle covers the need to replace
other parts.
modules and possibly other parts. The service
Your vehicle is equipped with an electronic frontal
sensor, which helps the sensing system distinguish
between a moderate frontal impact and a more
severe frontal impact. Your vehicle is also 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 system
commands air bag inflation and driver’s safety belt
usage at deployment. The module
also records
speed, engine
RPM, brake and throttle data.
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 dealer
for service.
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.
1 -75

Restraint System Check
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. Look for any other
loose or damaged safety belt system parts. If you see
anything that might keep a safety belt 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.
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
Afte’
a Crash
A crash can damage the restraint systems in
your vehicle. A damaged restraint system may
not properly protect the person using
it,
resulting in serious injury or even death in a
crash.
To help make sure your restraint
systems are working properly after a crash, have them inspected and any necessary
replacements made as soon as possible.
1-77

If you’ve had a crash, do you need new belts or
LATCH system parts?
After a very minor collision, nothing may be necessary.
But
if the belts were stretched, as they would be if
worn during a more severecrash, then you need
new parts.
If the LATCH system was being used during a more
severe crash, you may need LATCH system parts.
If belts are cut or damaged replace them. Collision
damage also may mean you will need to have LATCH
system, safety belt or seat parts repaired or replaced.
New parts and repairs may be necessary even
if the belt
or LATCH system wasn’t being used at the time
of
the collision.
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 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.
1-78

Doors and Locks
pAAu Locks
I
U xked doors can be angerous.
Passengers - especially children - can
easily open the doors and fall out of a moving vehicle. When a door
is locked,
the handle won't open
it. You increase the
chance
of being thrown out of the vehicle
in a crash if the doors aren't locked.
So,
wear safety belts properly and lock the
doors whenever you drive.
vehicles may be unable to get out. A child
can be overcome by extreme heat and can
from heat stroke. Always lock your vehicle
whenever you leave
it.
CAUTION: (Continued)
Young children who get into unlocked
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Outsiders can easily enter through an
unlocked door when you slow down or
stop your vehicle. Locking your doors can
help prevent this from happening.
There are several ways to lock and unlock your vehicle.
From the outside, use your key or the remote keyless
entry transmitter.
To unlock either front door from the outside .with the
key, insert the key and turn it toward the front of
the vehicle. If your vehicle has power door locks,
you can unlock all of the doors and the liftgate by
inserting the key, turning it toward the front of the
vehicle and holding it there for one second.
To lock
either front door from the outside with your key insert the
vehicle has power door locks, all of the doors will unlock
when you insert the key and turn it toward the rear of
the vehicle.
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