belt PONTIAC FIREBIRD 1997 Owner's Guide

7. To tighten the belt, pull up on the shoulder belt while
8. Push and pull the child restraint in different
you push down on the child restraint.
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.
Larger Children
Children who have outgrown child restraints should
wear the vehicle’s safety belts.
Accident
statistics show that children are safer if they
are restrained in the rear seat. But they need to use the
safety belts properly.
Children who aren’t buckled up can be thrown out in
Children who aren’t buckled up can strike other
a crash.
people who
are.
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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.
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.
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A CAUTIQN
Never do this.
Here
a child is sitting in a seat that has a
lap-shoulder belt, but the shoulder part
is b’ehind
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 porti’on 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.
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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 Yo1 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
After a
Crash
If you’ve had a crash, do you need new belts?
After a very minor collision, nothing may be necessary.
But if the belts were stretched, as they would be
if worn
during a more severe crash, then you need new belts.
If belts are cut or damaged, replace them. Collision
damage also may mean you will need to have safety belt
or seat parts repaired or replaced. New parts and repairs
may be necessary even if
the belt 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.
1-41

Door Locks
A 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 door key,
If your vehicle has
the Vehicle and Content Theft-Deterrent System and it
is armed, unlocking and opening a door
this way will set
off the alarm.
See “Vehicle and Content Theft-Deterrent
System”
in the Index.

‘4 -- I
From the inside, to lock the door, move the lock control
on the door rearward.
To unlock the door, move the lock control on the door
forward.
2-4

Installing the Boot Cover
After lowering the convertible top, you may want to
install the boot cover, The three-piece boot cover is
stored in
a bag in the trunk.
3. Install the middle section of the cover by sliding the
tabs into the slots on the right side cover. Lower the
cover and engage the latch.
4. Close the trunk.
1. Open the trunk and remove the two side covers from
the storage bag.
2. Install the two side covers by engaging the tab into
the front seatbelt cover. Lower
the covers onto
the vehicle.
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Safety Belt Reminder Light
When the key is turned to RUN or START, a chime will
come on for about eight seconds to remind people to
fasten their safety belts.
The safety belt light will
also come on and stay on
for about
70 seconds. If the
driver’s belt is already
buckled, neither the chime
nor the light will come
on.
Air Bag Readiness Light
There is an air bag readiness light on the instrument
panel, which shows
AIR BAG. The system checks the
air bag’s electrical system for malfunctions. The light
tells you if there is an electrical problem. The system
check includes the air bag sensors, the air bag modules,
the wiring and the crash sensing and diagnostic module.
For more information
on the air bag system, see “Air
Bag” in the Index. This light
will come on
when you start your engine,
and
it will flash for a few
seconds. Then the light
should go out. This means
the system
is ready.
If the air bag readiness light stays on after you start the
engine or comes on when you are driving, your air bag
system may not work properly. Have your vehicle
serviced right away.
The air bag readiness light should flash for a few
seconds when
you turn the ignition key to RUN. If the
light doesn’t come
on then, have it fixed so it will be
ready to warn you
if there is a problem.
2-78

Care of Your Cassette Tape Player
A tape player that is not cleaned regularly can cause
reduced sound quality, ruined cassettes
or a damaged
mechanism. Cassette tapes should be stored in their
cases away from contaminants, direct sunlight and
extreme heat. If they aren’t, they may not operate
properly or may cause failure of the tape player.
Your tape player should be cleaned regularly after every
50 hours of use. Your radio may display CLN to indicate
that you have used your tape player for
50 hours without
resetting the tape clean timer. If this message appears
on the display, your cassette tape player needs to be
cleaned. It will still play tapes, but you should clean it as
soon as possible to prevent damage to your tapes and
player. If you notice a reduction in sound quality, try a
known good cassette
to see if it is the tape or the tape
player at fault. If this other cassette has
no improvement
in sound quality, clean the tape player.
Cleaning may be done with a scrubbing action,
non-abrasive cleaning cassette with pads which scrub
the tape head as the hubs of the cleaner cassette turn. It
is normal
for the cassette to eject while cleaning. Insert
the cassette at least three times to ensure thorough
cleaning.
A scrubbing action cleaning cassette is
available through your Pontiac dealership. You
may also choose a non-scrubbing action, wet-type
cleaner which uses a cassette with a fabric belt to clean
the tape head. This type of cleaning cassette will not
eject and, it may not clean
as thoroughly as the
scrubbing type cleaner.
After you clean the player, press and hoId
EJECT for
five seconds to reset the CLN indicator. The radio will
display
--- to show the indicator was reset.
Cassettes are subject to wear and the sound quality
may degrade over time. Always make sure the cassette
tape is in good condition before you have your tape
player serviced.
Care of Your Compact Discs
Handle discs carefully. Store them in their original cases
or other protective cases and away from direct sunlight
and dust.
If the surface of a disc is soiled, dampen a
clean, soft cloth in a mild, neutral detergent solution and
clean it, wiping from
the center to the edge.
Be sure never
to touch the signal surface when handling
discs. Pick up discs by grasping the outer edges or the
edge
of the hole and the outer edge.
3-23

Defensive Driving
The best advice anyone can give about driving is:
Drive defensively.
Please start with a very important safety device in your
Pontiac: Buckle up. (See “Safety Belts” in the Index.)
Defensive driving really means
“be ready for anything.”
On city streets, rural roads or
freeways, it means
“always expect the unexpected.” Assume that pedestrians
or other drivers are going to be
careless and make mistakes. Anticipate what they might
do. Be ready €or their mistakes.
Rear-end collisions are about
the most preventable of
accidents. Yet they
are common. Allow enough following
distance. It’s
the best defensive driving maneuver, in both
city and rural driving. You never know when the vehicle in
front
of you is going to brake or turn suddenly.
Drunken Driving
Death and injury associated with dnnking and dnving is a
national tragedy. It’s
the number one contributor to the
highway death toll, claiming thousands of victims every year.
Alcohol affects
four things that anyone needs to drive
a vehicle:
Judgment
0 MUSGU~W Coordination
Vision
Attentiveness.
Police records
show that almost half of all motor
vehiclle-related deaths involve alcohol. In
most cases,
these deaths are the result of someone
who was drinking
and driving. In recent years, some
17,000 annual motor
vehicle-related deaths have been associated with
the use
of alcohol, with more than 300,000 people injured.

Off-Road Recovery
You may find sometime that your right wheels have
dropped
off the edge of a road onto the shoulder while
you’re driving.
An emergency like this requires close attention and a
quick decision. If you are holding the steering wheel at
the recommended
9 and 3 o’clock positions, you can
turn
it a full 180 degrees very quickly without removing
either hand. But you have
to act fast, steer quickly, and
just
as quickly straighten the wheel once you have
avoided the object.
The fact that such emergency situations are always
possible
is a good reason to practice defensive driving at
all times and wear safety belts properly.
I OFF-ROAD RECOVERY / ,
I
I
’/// edge of paved surface
If the level of the shoulder is only slightly below the
pavement, recovery should be fairly easy. Ease
off the
accelerator and then, if there is nothing in the way, steer so
that your vehicle straddles the edge of the pavement. You
can
turn the steering wheel up to one-quarter turn until the
right front tire contacts the pavement edge. Then turn your
steering wheel to
go straight down the roadway.
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