Oldsmobile Cutlass (1999 year). Manual - part 2

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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 and children. And there are different rules for smaller
children and babies. If a child will be riding in your
vehicle, 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.

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.

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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.

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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 crash, or
if you pull the belt very quickly out of the retractor.

Shoulder Belt Height Adjuster

Before you begin to drive, move the shoulder belt
adjuster to the height that is right for you.

To move it down, pushing up on the shoulder belt guide.
and move the height adjuster to the desired position.
You can move the adjuster up just by squeezing the
release button. After you move the adjuster to where
you want it, try to move it down without to make sure it
has locked into position.

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Adjust the height so that the shoulder portion of the belt is
centered on your shoulder. The belt should be away from
your face and neck, but not falling off your shoulder.

Q:

What’s wrong with this?

A:

The shoulder belt is too loose. It won’t give nearly
as much protection this way.

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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Q:

What’s wrong with this?

A:

The belt is buckled in the wrong place.

CAUTION:

You can be seriously injured if your belt is
buckled in the wrong place like this. In a crash,
the belt would go up over your abdomen. The
belt forces would be there, not at the pelvic
bones. This could cause serious internal injuries.
Always buckle your belt into the buckle 
nearest you.

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Q:

What’s wrong with this?

A:

The shoulder belt is worn under the arm. It should
be worn over the shoulder at all times.

CAUTION:

You can be seriously injured if you wear the
shoulder belt under your arm. In a crash, your
body would move too far forward, which would
increase the chance of head and neck injury.
Also, the belt would apply too much force to the
ribs, which aren’t as strong as shoulder bones.
You could also severely injure internal organs
like your liver or spleen.

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Q:

What’s wrong with this?

A:

The belt is twisted across the body.

CAUTION:

You can be seriously injured by a twisted belt. In
a crash, you wouldn’t have the full width of the
belt to spread impact forces. If a belt is twisted,
make it straight so it can work properly, or ask
your dealer to fix it.

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To unlatch the belt, just push the button on the buckle.
The belt should go back out of the way.

Before you close the door, be sure the belt is out of the
way. If you slam the door on it, you can damage both the
belt and your vehicle.

Safety Belt Use During Pregnancy

Safety belts work for everyone, including pregnant
women. Like all occupants, they are more likely to be
seriously injured if they don’t wear safety belts.

A pregnant woman should wear a lap

-

shoulder belt, and

the lap portion should be worn as low as possible, below
the rounding, throughout the pregnancy.

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The best way to protect the fetus is to protect the
mother. When a safety belt is worn properly, it’s more
likely that the fetus won’t be hurt in a crash. For
pregnant women, as for anyone, the key to making
safety belts effective is wearing them properly.

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.

Supplemental Restraint System (SRS)

This part explains the Supplemental Restraint System
(SRS) or air bag system.

Your vehicle has “Next Generation” frontal air 
bags 

--

 one air bag for the driver and another air bag 

for the right front passenger.

Next Generation frontal air bags are designed to help
reduce the risk of injury from the force of an inflating
air bag. But even these air bags must inflate very
quickly if they are to do their job and comply with
federal regulations.

Here are the most important things to know about the air
bag system:

CAUTION:

You can be severely injured or killed in a crash if
you aren’t wearing your safety belt 

--

 even if you

have air bags. Wearing your safety belt during a
crash helps reduce your chance of hitting things
inside the vehicle or being ejected from it. Air
bags are “supplemental restraints” to the safety
belts. All air bags 

--

 even Next Generation air

bags 

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 are designed to work with safety belts,

but don’t replace them. Air bags are designed to
work only in moderate to severe crashes where
the front of your vehicle hits something. They
aren’t designed to inflate at all in rollover, rear,
side or low

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speed frontal crashes.

CAUTION: (Continued)

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CAUTION: (Continued)

And, for unrestrained occupants, Next Generation
air bags may provide less protection in frontal
crashes than more forceful air bags have provided
in the past. Everyone in your vehicle should wear a
safety belt properly 

--

 whether or not there’s an air

bag for that person.

CAUTION:

Air bags inflate with great force, faster than the
blink of an eye. If you’re too close to an inflating
air bag, as you would be if you were leaning
forward, it could seriously injure you. This is true
even with Next Generation frontal air bags.
Safety belts help keep you in position before and
during a crash. Always wear your safety belt,
even with Next Generation air bags. The driver
should sit as far back as possible while still
maintaining control of the vehicle.

CAUTION:

Children who are up against, or very close to, any
air bag when it inflates can be seriously injured or
killed. This is true even though your vehicle has
Next Generation frontal air bags. Air bags plus
lap

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shoulder belts offer the best protection for

adults, but not for young children and infants.
Neither the vehicle’s safety belt system nor its air
bag system is designed for them. Young children
and infants need the protection that a child
restraint system can provide. Always secure
children properly in your vehicle. To read how, see
the part of this manual called “Children” and see
the caution labels on the sunvisors and the right
front passenger’s safety belt.

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There is an air bag readiness
light on the instrument
panel, which shows the air
bag symbol.

The system checks the air bag 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.

How the Air Bag System Works

Where are the air bags?

The driver’s air bag is in the middle of the 
steering wheel.

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The right front passenger’s air bag is in the instrument
panel on the passenger’s side.

CAUTION:

If something is between an occupant and an air
bag, the bag might not inflate properly or it
might force the object into that person. The path
of an inflating air bag must be kept clear. Don’t
put anything between an occupant and an air
bag, and don’t attach or put anything on the
steering wheel hub or on or near any other air
bag covering.

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When should an air bag inflate?

An air bag is designed to inflate in a moderate to severe
frontal or near

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frontal crash. 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 14 mph (14 to 23 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 of what the repair costs were.
Inflation is determined by the angle of the impact and
how quickly the vehicle slows down in frontal or
near

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frontal impacts.

What makes an air bag inflate?

In an impact of sufficient severity, the air bag sensing
system detects that the vehicle is in a crash. The sensing
system triggers a release of gas from the inflator, which
inflates the air bag. The inflator, air bag and related
hardware are all part of the air bag modules 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

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frontal collisions,

even belted occupants can contact the steering wheel or the
instrument panel. Air bags supplement 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 impacts, primarily because
an occupant’s motion is not toward those air bags. Air
bags should never be regarded as anything more than a
supplement to safety belts, and then only in moderate to
severe frontal or near

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frontal collisions.

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What will you see after an air bag inflates?

After an air bag inflates, it quickly deflates, so quickly
that some people may not even realize the air bag
inflated. Some components of the air bag module 

--

 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 parts of the 

bag that come into contact with you may be warm, 
but not too hot to touch. There will be some smoke and
dust coming from vents in the deflated air bags. Air bag
inflation doesn’t prevent the driver from seeing or from
being able to steer the vehicle, nor does it stop people
from leaving the vehicle.

CAUTION:

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.
D 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.

D 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 
system commands air bag inflation and driver’s
safety belt usage at deployment.

D 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.

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NOTICE:

If you damage the covering for the driver’s or the
right front passenger’s air bag, the bag 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 coverings.

If your vehicle ever gets into a lot of water 

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 such as

water up to the carpeting or higher 

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 or if water enters

your vehicle and soaks the carpet, the air bag controller
can be soaked and ruined. If this ever happens, and then
you start your vehicle, the damage could make the air bags
inflate, even if there’s no crash. You would have to replace
the air bags as well as the sensors and related parts. If your
vehicle is ever in a flood, or if it’s exposed to water that
soaks the carpet, you can avoid needless repair costs by
turning off the vehicle immediately and disconnecting the
battery cables. Don’t let anyone start the vehicle under any
circumstances. See your dealer for service.

Servicing Your Air Bag-Equipped Vehicle

Air bags affect how your vehicle 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
dealer and the 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.

CAUTION:

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 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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Rear Seat Passengers

It’s very important for rear seat passengers to buckle up!
Accident statistics show that unbelted 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.

Rear Seat Outside Passenger Positions

Lap

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Shoulder Belt

The positions next to the windows have lap

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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.

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.

2. Push the latch plate into the buckle until it clicks.