belt PONTIAC GRAND PRIX 1999 Owners Manual

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The 1999 Pontiac Grand Prix Owner's Manual
1-1 Seats and Restraint SystemsThis section tells you how to use your seats and safety belts properly. It also explains the ªSRSº system.
2-1 Features and ControlsThis section explains how to start and operate your vehicle.
3-1 Comfort Controls and Audio SystemsThis section tells you how to adjust the ventilation and comfort controls and how to operate your audio system.
4-1 Your Driving and the RoadHere you'll find helpful information and tips about the road and how to drive under different conditions.
5-1 Problems on the RoadThis section tells you what to do if you have a problem while driving, such as a flat tire or overheated engine, etc.
6-1 Service and Appearance CareHere the manual tells you how to keep your vehicle running properly and looking good.
7-1 Maintenance ScheduleThis section tells you when to perform vehicle maintenance and what fluids and lubricants to use.
8-1 Customer Assistance InformationThis section tells you how to contact Pontiac for assistance and how to get service and owner publications.
It also gives you information on ªReporting Safety Defectsº on page 8-12.
9-1 IndexHere's an alphabetical listing of almost every subject in this manual. You can use it to quickly find
something you want to read.

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For example,
these symbols
are used on an
original battery:
CAUTION
POSSIBLE
INJURY
PROTECT
EYES BY
SHIELDING
CAUSTIC
BATTERY
ACID COULD
CAUSE
BURNS
AVOID
SPARKS OR
FLAMES
SPARK OR
FLAME
COULD
EXPLODE
BATTERY
These symbols
are important
for you and
your passengers
whenever your
vehicle is
driven:
DOOR LOCK
UNLOCK
FASTEN
SEAT
BELTS
POWER
WINDOW
AIR BAG
These symbols
have to do with
your lamps:
MASTER
LIGHTING
SWITCH
TURN
SIGNALS
PARKING
LAMPS
HAZARD
WARNING
FLASHER
DAYTIME
RUNNING
LAMPS
FOG LAMPS
These symbols
are on some of
your controls:
WINDSHIELD
WIPER
WINDSHIELD
WASHER
WINDSHIELD
DEFROSTER
REAR
WINDOW
DEFOGGER
VENTILATING
FAN
These symbols
are used on
warning and
indicator lights:
ENGINE
COOLANT
TEMP
BATTERY
CHARGING
SYSTEM
BRAKE
COOLANT
ENGINE OIL
PRESSURE
ANTI-LOCK
BRAKES
Here are some
other symbols
you may see:
FUSE
LIGHTER
HORN
SPEAKER
FUEL
Vehicle Symbols
These are some of the symbols you may find on your vehicle.

1-
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1-1
Section 1 Seats and Restraint Systems
Here you'll find information about the seats in your vehicle and how to use your safety belts properly. You can also
learn about some things you should not do with air bags and safety belts.
1
-2 Seats and Controls
1
-8 Safety Belts: They're for Everyone
1
-12 Here Are Questions Many People Ask About
Safety Belts
--and the Answers
1
-13 How to Wear Safety Belts Properly
1
-14 Driver Position
1
-21 Safety Belt Use During Pregnancy
1
-22 Right Front Passenger Position
1
-22 Supplemental Restraint System (SRS)
1
-29 Center Passenger Position1
-30 Rear Seat Passengers
1
-33 Rear Safety Belt Comfort Guides for Children
and Small Adults
1
-35 Children
1
-38 Child Restraints
1
-50 Larger Children
1
-53 Safety Belt Extender
1
-53 Checking Your Restraint Systems
1
-53 Replacing Restraint System Parts After
a Crash

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1-5 Reclining Front Seatbacks
Lift the lever to release the seatback, then move the
seatback to where you want it. Release the lever to
lock the seatback in place. Pull up on the lever without
pushing on the seatback, and the seatback will
move forward.But don't have a seatback reclined if your vehicle is moving.
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.
CAUTION: (Continued)

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CAUTION: (Continued)
The shoulder belt can't do its job because it
won't be against your body. Instead, it will be in
front of you. 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.
Seatback Latches (2-Door Models)

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1-7
On two-door models, the right front seat is designed to
make it easy to get in and out of the rear seat. Tilt the
right seatback fully forward. The whole seat will now
slide forward. If the seat will not tilt, lift the seatback
latch, located on the back of the seat to tilt the seatback
forward. The whole seat will now slide forward.
After someone gets into the rear seat area, move the
right front seatback to its original position. Then move
the seat rearward until it locks.
To get out, tilt the seatback fully forward.
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.
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 Restraint System
(SRS), or air bag system.
CAUTION:
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 you are buckled up. Always fasten your
safety belt, and check that your passengers' belts
are fastened properly too.

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1-8
CAUTION:
It is extremely dangerous to ride in a cargo area,
inside or outside of a vehicle. In a collision,
people riding in these areas are more likely to be
seriously injured or killed. Do not allow people to
ride in any area of your vehicle that is not
equipped with seats and safety belts. Be sure
everyone in your vehicle is in a seat and using a
safety belt properly.
Your vehicle has a light that
comes on as a reminder to
buckle up. (See ªSafety
Belt Reminder Lightº 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 30 years of safety belts in vehicles,
the facts are clear. In most crashes buckling up does
matter ... a lot!

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1-9 Why Safety Belts Work
When you ride in or on anything, you go as fast as
it goes.
Take the simplest vehicle. Suppose it's just a seat
on wheels.
Put someone on it.

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1-11
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.

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1-12
Here Are Questions Many People Ask
About Safety Belts
-- and the Answers
Q:
Won't I be trapped in the vehicle after an
accident if I'm wearing a safety belt?
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.
Q: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.