PONTIAC FIREBIRD 1996 User Guide

Reclining Front Seatbacks
To adjust the seatback, lift the lever on the outer side of
the seat. Release the lever to lock the seatback where
you want it. Pull up on the lever and the seat will go to
its original upright position.
If you have fully articulating sport seats, your recliner
lever looks like this.
1-4
ProCarManuals.com

But don’t have a seatback reclined if your vehicle is moving.
1 A CAUTION:
Sitting in a reclined position when your vehicle is
in motion can be dangerous. Even if you buckle
up,
your safety belts can’t do their job when
you’re reclined like this.
The shoulder belt can’t
do its job. In a crash you
could
go into it, receiving neck or other injuries.
The lap belt can’t do its job either.
In a crash the
belt could
go up over your abdomen. The belt
forces would be there, not at your pelvic bones.
This could cause serious internal injuries.
For proper protection when the vehicle
is in
motion, have the seatback upright. Then sit well
back
in the seat and wear your safety belt properly.
Head Restraints
Slide the head restraint up or down so that the top of
the restraint is closest to the top of your ears. This
position reduces the chance of a neck injury in a crash.
On some models, the head restraints tilt forward
and
rearward also.
1-5
ProCarManuals.com

Front Seatback Latches Folding Rear Seatback
The front seatback
folds
forward to let
people get
into the
back seat. TQ fold a
seatback forward,
lift the latch located
on the lower backside
of the seatback.
Then the seatback
will fold forward.
When you return the seatback to its original position,
make sure the seatback is locked.
The latch must be
down for the seat to work properly.
/I CAUTION: I
I€ the seatback isn’t locked, it codd 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. .
The rear seatback in your Pontiac folds down to provide
more storage space.
To fold the seatback down:
1. Pull forward on both levers.
2. Fold the seatback down.
To raise the seatback:
1. Pull it up to the locked, upright position.
2. Be sure both latches hold the seatback in place. Have
them fixed if they don’t.
1-6
ProCarManuals.com

Safety Belts: They’re for Everyone
This part of the manual tells you how to use safety belts
properly.
It also tells you some things you should not do
with safety belts.
And it explains the Supplemental Inflatable Restraint
(SIR), or air bag system.
Don’t let anyone ride where he or she can’t wear
a safety belt properly.
If you are in a crash and
you’re not wearing a safety belt, your injuries
can be much worse. You can
hit things inside the
vehicle
or be ejected from it. You can be seriously
injured or killed. In the same crash, you might
not be if yon are buckled up. Always fasten your
satety belt, and check
that your passengers’ belts
are fastened properly too.
Your vehicle has a light
that comes on as a reminder
to buckle
up. (See “Safety
Belt Reminder Light” in the Index.)
In most states and Canadian provinces,
the law says to
wear safety belts. Here’s why: They work.
You never know if you’ll be in a crash. If you do have a
crash, you don’t know if it will be a bad one.
A few crashes are. mild, and some crashes can be so
serious that even buckled up a person wouldn’t survive.
But most crashes
are in between. In many of them,
people who buckle up can survive and sometimes walk
away. Without belts they could have been badly hurt
or killed.
After more than
25 years of safety belts in vehicles,
the facts
are clear. In most crashes buckling up does
matter
... a lot!
ProCarManuals.com

Why Safety Belts Work
When you ride in or on anythmg, you go as fast as it goes.
. ....
rake the simplest vehicle. Suppose it’s just a seat on wheels.
1-8
ProCarManuals.com

Get it up to speed. Then stop the vehicle. The rider
doesn’t stop. The
person keeps going until stopped by something.
In
a real vehicle, it could be the windshield . . .
1-9
ProCarManuals.com

or the instrument panel ... or the safety belts!
With safety belts,
you slow down as the vehicle does.
You get more time to stop. You stop over more distance,
and your strongest bones take the forces. That's why
safety belts make such good sense.
1-10 -
ProCarManuals.com

Here Are Questions Many People Ask
About Safety Belts -- and the Answers
&.’ Won’t I be trapped in the vehicle after an . ., . ~ . .
accident if I’m wearing a safety belt? --:+..: 7, ‘ -. ’ .; , :..- . . _. .I . . . .. I .., .
A: You could be -- whether you’re wearing a safety
belt or ‘not. But you can unbuckle a safety belt,
even if you’re upside down. And your chance of
being conscious during and after an accident,
so
you can unbuckle and get out, is much greater if
you
are belted.
&: If my vehicle has air bags, why should I have to
wear safety belts?
A: Air bags are in many vehicles today and will be in
most of them in the future. But they are
supplemental systems only;
so they work with
safety belts -- not instead of them. Every air bag ,
system ever offered for sale has required the use of
safety belts. Even if you’re in a vehicle that has air
bags, you still have to buckle up to get the most
protection. That’s true not only in frontal collisions,
but especially in side and other collisions.
Q.’ If I’m a good driver, and I never drive far from
home, why should
I wear safety belts?
A: You may be an excellent driver, but if you’re in an
accident
-- even one that isn’t your fault -- you and
your passengers can be hurt. Being a good driver
doesn’t protect you from things beyond your
control, such as bad drivers.
Most accidents occur within
25 miles (40 km) of
home. And the greatest number of serious injuries
and deaths occur at speeds
of less than 40 mph
(65 km/h).
Safety belts are for everyone.
1-11
ProCarManuals.com

How to Wear Safety Belts Properly
Adults
This part is only for people of adult size.
Be aware that there
are special things to know about
safety belts add children. And there are Merent rules for
smaller chldren and babies.
If a child wilI be riding in
your Pontiac, see the part of this manual called
“Children.” Follow those rules for everyone’s protection.
First, you’ll want to
know which restraint systems your
vehicle has.
We’ll start with the driver position.
Driver Position
This part describes the driver’s restraint system.
Lap-Shoulder Belt
The driver has a lap-shoulder belt. Here’s how to wear
it properly.
1. Close and lock the door.
2. Adjust the seat (to see how, see “Seats” in the Index)
so you can sit up straight.
3. Pick-up the latch plate and pull the belt across you.
Don’t let it get twisted.
On convertible models, 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.
4. Push the latch plate into the buckle until it clicks.
ProCarManuals.com

If the belt stops before it reaches the buckle, tilt the latch
plate and keep pulling until you can buckle the belt.
Pull up on the latch plate to make sure it is secure.
If the
belt isn’t 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.
5. To make the lap part tight, pull down on the buckle
end
of the belt as you pull up on the shoulder belt.
1-13
ProCarManuals.com