instrument panel PONTIAC PONTIAC 1995 Owners Manual

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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There is an air bag readiness
light
on the instrument
panel, which shows SRS
AIR BAG or the air bag
symbol.
The system checks the
air bag’s electrical system for
malfunctions. The light tells
you if there is an electrical
problem. See “Air Bag Readiness Light” in the Index for more information.
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How the Air Bag System Works
Where is the air bag?
The driver’s air bag is in the middle of the steering
wheel. The right front passenger’s air bag is
in the
instrument panel on the passenger’s side.
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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
“threshold level.”
If your vehicle goes straight into a
wall that doesn’t move or deform, the threshold level is
about
9 to 15 mph (14 to 24 lufl/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 of 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.
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. 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 and rear and side impacts, primarily
because an occupant’s motion
is not toward the air bag.
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Air bags should never be regarded as anyhng more
than a supplement to safety belts, and then only in
moderate to severe frontal or near-frontal collisions.
What will you see after an air bag inflaters?
After the air bag inflates, 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, but the part
of the bag that comes
into contact with you will not be hot
to the 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. In many crashes severe enough to inflate an air bag,
windshields are broken by vehicle deformation.
Additional windshield breakage may also occur fi-om the
right front pas.senges
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 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 modules and
possibly other parts. The service manual for your
vehicle covers the need to replace other parts.
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Your vehicle is equipped with a alagnostic module,
which records information about the alia bag system,
The module records Mormation 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
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.
Sewicing 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 1995 Grand Prix Service Manual
have information about servicing
your vehicle and the
air bag system.
To purchase a service manual, see
“Service Publications’’ in the Index.
The air bag system does not need regular maintenance.
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v Section 2 Features and Controls
Here you can learn about the many standard and
optional features on your Pontiac, and information
on
starting, shifting and bralung. Also explained are the
instrument panel and the warning systems that tell you
if
everything is working properly -- and what to do if you
have a problem.
Keys
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Automatic Door Locks
From the inside, slide the lever back to lock the door. To
unlock, slide the lever forward.
Power Door Locks
Press the power door lock switch to lock or unlock all
doors.
On four-door models, the rear doors do not have power
door lock switches. The lever on each rear door works
only that door’s lock. It won’t lock or unlock
all the
doors. Just close
your doors
and turn on the ignition. All of the
doors will lock when you move your shift lever out of
PARK (P) or NEUTRaL (N). All doors will unlock
automatically when
the ignition is turned off.
If someone needs to get out while the vehicle is running,
have that person use the manual or power lock. When
the door is closed again, it will lock automatically
as long as the shift lever is out
of PARK (P) or
NEUTRAL (N) and the ignition is
on. Note that the
door must be opened, then closed, or the door will not
automatically relock.
If you don’t want the doors to unlock automatically
when you
turn the ignition off, you can remove the Lock
Control fuse in the instrument panel fuse block. See
“Fuses and Circuit Breakers” in the Index.
Leaving Your Vehicle
If you are leaving the vehicle, take your keys, open your
door and set the locks from inside. Then get out and
close the door.
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Turn Signal and Lane Change Indicator
The turn signal has two upward (for right) and two
downward (for left) positions. These positic allow you
to signal a turn or a lane change.
To signal a turn, move the lever all the way up or down.
When the turn is finished, the lever will return
automatically.
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WOW
A green arrow on the
instrument panel will flash
in the direction
of the turn
or lane change.
To signal
a lane change, just raise or lower the lever
until the green arrow starts to flash. Hold
it there until
you complete your lane change. The lever
will return by
itself when you release it.
As you signal a turn or a lane change, if the arrows don’t
flash but just stay on, a signal bulb may be burned out
and other drivers won’t see your turn signal.
If a bulb is burned out, replace it to help avoid an
accident.
If the green mows don’t go on at all when you
signal a
turn, check the fuse (see “Fuses and Circuit
Breakers” in the Index) and for burned-out bulbs.
A chime will sound if you leave your turn signal on for
more
than 1/2 mile (0.8 km).
Headlamp Highbow
1
Beam
To change your headlamps
from
low beam to high
beam, or high to low, pull
the multifunction lever all
the way toward you. Then
release
it. When the high
beams are on, a blue light
on the instrument panel also
will be on.
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To Get Out of Cruise Control
There are two ways to turn off the cruise control:
Step lightly on the brake pedal; OR
Move the cruise switch
to
OFF.
To Erase Cruise Speed Memory
When you turn off the cruise control or the ignition, or
shift into PARK (P) or NEUTRAL (N), your cruise
control set speed memory is erased.
Lamps
The lamp controls are on the instrument panel. They
control these systems:
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Headlamps
Taillamps
Parking Lamps
License Lamps
Sidemarker Lamps
Instrument Panel Lamps
Courtesy Lamps
Fog Lamps
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