PONTIAC GRAND-AM 1996 Owner's Guide

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Don’t put anything on, or attach anything to, the
steering wheel or instrument panel. Also, don’t
put anything (such as pets or objects) between
any occupant and the steering wheel or
instrument panel. If something is between
an
occupant and an air bag, it could-affect the
performance of the air bag
-- or worse, it could
cause injury.
When should an air bag inflate?
The air bag is designed to inflate in moderate to severe
frontal or near-frontal crashes. The air bag will inflate
only
if the impact speed is above the system’s designed
“threkhold level.”
If your vehicle goes straight into a
wall that doesn’t move or deform, the threshold level
is
about 9 to 16 mph (14 to 26 km/h). The threshold level
can
vary, however, with specific vehicle design, so that
it can be somewhat above or below this range. If your vehicle strikes something that will
move or deform, such
as a parked car, the threshold level will be higher. The
air bag is not designed to inflate in rollovers, side
impacts,
or rear impacts, because inflation would not
help the occupant.
In any particular crash, no one can say whether an air
bag should have inflated simply because
of the damage
to
a vehicle or because 6f what the repair costs were.
Inflation
is determined by the angle ,of the impact and
the vehicle’s deceleration. Vehicle damage is only one
indication of this.
What makes an air bag inflate?
In a frontal or near-frontal impact of sufficient severity,
the air bag sensing system detects that
the vehicle is
suddenly stopping as a result of a crash. The sensing
system triggers a chemical reaction of the sodium azide
sealed in the inflator. The reaction produces nitrogen
gas, which inflates the
air bag. The inflator, air bag and
related hardware are all
part of the air bag modules
packed inside the steering wheel and in the instrument
panel in front
of the right front passenger.
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How does an air bag restrain?
In moderate to severe frontal or near-frond, collisions,
even belted occupants can contact the steering wheel or the
instrument panel. 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 air bags would
not help you
in many types of collisions, including
rollovers,
rear impacts and side hpacts, prirndy because
an occupant’s motion is not toward the air bag. Air bags
should never be regarded as anmg more than a
supplement
to safety belts, and then only in moderate to
severe fbntal or near-frontal collisions.
What will you see after an ais bag inflates?
After the air bag Mates, it quickly deflates, This occurs
so quickly that some people may not even realize the air
bag inflated. Some components of the.air bag module in
the steering wheel hub for the driver’s
air bag, or the
instrument panel for
the right front passenger’s bag, will
be hot for a short time. The part of the bag that comes
into contact with you may be warm, but it will never be
too hot to touch. There will be some smoke and dust
coming from’
vents in the deflated air bags. Air bag
inflation
will not prevent the driver from seeing or from
being able to steer the vehicle, nor will it stop people
from leaving the vehicle.
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 door.
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. .
The air bags ,are designed to inflate only once. After
they inflate, you’ll need
some new parts for your air
bag system. If y0u 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 modules and
possibly other parts. The service manual €or your
vehicle covers the need
to replace other parts.
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Your vehicle is equipped with a crash sensing and
diagnostic module, which records information about
the air bag system. The module records information
about the readiness of the system, when the sensors
are activated and driver’s safety belt usage at
deployment.
Let only qualified technicians work on your air bag
system. Improper service can mean that your air bag
system ‘won’t work properly. See your dealer for
service.
NOTICE:
If you damage the cover for the driver’s or the
right front passenger’s air bag, they may not
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work properly. You may have to replace the air
bag module in the steering wheel or both the air
bag module and the instrument panel
for the
right front passenger’s air bag.
Do not open or
break the
air bag covers.
Servicing Your Air Bag-Equipped Pontiac
Air bags affect how your Pontiac should be serviced.
There are parts
of the air bag system in several places
around your vehicle.
You don’t want the system to
inflate while someone is working on your vehicle. Your
Pontiac dealer and the Grand Am Service Manual have
information about servicing your vehicle and the
air bag
system.
To purchase a service manual, see “Service and
Owner Publications’’ in the Index.
For
up to 10 minutes after the ignition key is
turned off and the battery is disconnected, an
air
bag can still inflate during improper service. You
can be injured if you are close to an air bag when
it inflates. Avoid wires wrapped with yellow tape
or yellow connectors. They
are probably part of
the air bag system. Be sure to follow proper
service procedures, and make sure the person
performing work for you is qualified to do
so.
The air bag system does not need regular maintenance.
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Safety Belt Use During Pregnancy The best way to protect the fetus is to protect the
mother. When a safety belt is
worn properly, it’s more
Safety belts work
for everyone, including pregnant likely that the fetus won’t be hurt in a crash. For
women. Like all occupants, they are more likely to be pregnant women, as for anyone, the key to making
seriously injured
if they don’t wear safety belts. safety belts effective is wearing them properly.
A pregnant woman should wear a lap-shoulder belt, and
the lap’ portion should be worn as low as possible, b’elow
the rounding, throughout the pregnancy.
Right Front Passenger Position
The right front passenger’s safety belt works the same
way as the driver’s safety belt. See “Driver Position,”
earlier in
this section.
Rear Seat Passengers
It’s very important for rear seat passengers to buckle up!
Accident statistics
show that wbelted people in the rear
seat are hurt more often in crashes than those who are
wearing safety belts.
Rear passengers who aren’t safety belted can be thrown
out
of the vehicle in a crash. And they can strike others
in the vehicle who are wearing safety belts.
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Rear Seat Outside Passenger Positions
Lapshoulder' Belt
The positions next to the windows have lap-shoulder
belts. Here's
how to wear one properly.
1. Pick up the latch plate and pull the belt across you.
Don't let it get twisted.
2. .Push the latch plate into the buckle until it clicks.
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If the belt stops before it reaches the buckle, tilt the
latch plate and keep pulling until
you can buckle it.
Pull up
on the latch plate to make sure it is secure.
If the belt is not 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.
3. To make the lap part tight, pull down on the buckle
end
of the belt as you pull up on the shoulder part.
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The lap part of the belt should be worn low and snug on
the hips, just touching the thighs.
In a crash, this applies force
to the strong pelvic bones.
And you’d be less
likely to slide under the lap belt.
If you slid under it, the
belt would apply force at your abdomen. This could cause serious
or even fatal injuries. The shoulder belt
should
go over the shoulder and across the chest. These
parts of the body are best able to take belt restraining
forces.
The safety belt locks
if there’s a sudden stop or a crash.
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A CAUTION:
You can be seriously hurt if your shoulder belt is
too loose. In
a crash, you would move forward
too much, which could increase injury. The
shoulder belt should fit against your body.
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To unlatch the belt, just push the button on the buckle.
Rear Safety Belt Comfort Guides for
Children and Small Adults
Rear shoulder belt comfort guides will provide added
safety belt
comfort for children who have outgrown
child restraints
and for small adults. When installed on a
shoul’der belt, the comfort guide pulls the belt away
from the
neck gnd head.
There is
one guide for each outside passehger position in
the rear seat. To. provide added safety belt comfort for
children who have outgrown child restraints and for
smaller adults, the comfort guides may be installed on
the shoulder belts. Here’s how to install a comfort guide
and use the safetv belt:
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1. Pull the elastic cord out from between the edge of
the seatback and the interior body to remove the
guide
from its storage clip.
2. Slide the guide under and past the belt. The elastic
cord must be under the belt. Then, place the guide
over the belt,
and insert the two edges of the belt into
the slots of the guide.
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3. Be sure that the belt is not twisted and it lies flat.
The elastic cord must be under the belt and the guide
on top.
4. Buckle, position and release the safety belt as
described in “Rear Seat Outside Passenger Positions’’
earlier in this section. Make sure that the shoulder
belt crosses the shoulder,
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