Oldsmobile Alero (2004 year). Manual

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4. Buckle the belt. Make sure the release button is

positioned so you would be able to unbuckle the
safety belt quickly if you ever had to.

5. To tighten the belt, pull its free end while you push

down on the child restraint. If you’re using a
forward-facing child restraint, you may find it helpful
to use your knee to push down on the child
restraint as you tighten the belt.

6. Push and pull the child restraint in different

directions to be sure it is secure.

To remove the child restraint, just unbuckle the vehicle’s
safety belt. It will be ready to work for an adult or
larger child passenger.

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Securing a Child Restraint in the
Right Front Seat Position

If your child restraint is equipped with the LATCH
system, see Lower Anchorages and Top Tethers for
Children (LATCH System) on page 1-43. See Top Strap
on page 1-41 if the child restraint has one.

Your vehicle has a right front passenger air bag. Never
put a rear-facing child restraint in this seat. Here is why:

{

CAUTION:

A child in a rear-facing child restraint can be
seriously injured or killed if the right front
passenger’s air bag inflates. This is because
the back of the rear-facing child restraint
would be very close to the inflating air bag.
Always secure a rear-facing child restraint in a
rear seat.

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A rear seat is a safer place to secure a forward-facing
child restraint. If you need to secure a forward-facing
child restraint in the right front seat, you will be using the
lap-shoulder belt to secure the restraint in this position.
Be sure to follow the instructions that came with the
child restraint. Secure the child in the child restraint
when and as the instructions say.

1. Because your vehicle has a right front passenger

air bag, always move the seat as far back as it will
go before securing a forward-facing child restraint.
See Manual Seats on page 1-2.

2. Put the restraint on the seat.

3. Pick up the latch plate, and run the lap and shoulder

portions of the vehicle’s safety belt through or
around the restraint. The child restraint instructions
will show you how.

4. Buckle the belt. Make sure the release button is

positioned so you would be able to unbuckle the
safety belt quickly if you ever had to.

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5. Pull the rest of the shoulder belt all the way out of

the retractor to set the lock.

6. To tighten the belt, feed the shoulder belt back into

the retractor while you push down on the child
restraint. You may find it helpful to use your knee to
push down on the child restraint as you tighten
the belt.

7. Push and pull the child restraint in different

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.

1-53

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Supplemental Restraint
System (SRS)

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

Your vehicle has air bags – one air bag for the driver
and another air bag for the right front passenger.

Frontal air bags are designed to help reduce the risk of
injury from the force of an inflating air bag. But these
air bags must inflate very quickly 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 designed to work
with safety belts, but don’t replace them. Air
bags are designed to deploy only in moderate
to severe frontal and near frontal crashes.
They aren’t designed to inflate at all in rollover,
rear or low-speed frontal crashes, or in many
side crashes. And, for some unrestrained
occupants, 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.

1-54

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{

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.
Safety belts help keep you in position before
and during a crash. Always wear your safety
belt, even with air bags. The driver should sit
as far back as possible while still maintaining
control of the vehicle.

{

CAUTION:

Anyone who is up against, or very close to,
any air bag when it inflates can be seriously
injured or killed. Air bags plus lap-shoulder
belts offer the best protection for adults, but

CAUTION:

(Continued)

CAUTION:

(Continued)

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 Older Children on page 1-32 and Infants
and Young Children on page 1-34.

There is a 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 on page 3-26.

1-55

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{

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 causing
severe injury or even death. 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.

When Should an Air Bag Inflate?

An 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 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, rear impacts, or in many side 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 and
near-frontal impacts.

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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-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 many 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-frontal collisions.

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 the vents in the deflated air bags. Air
bag inflation doesn’t prevent the driver from seeing or
being able to steer the vehicle, nor does it stop
people from leaving the vehicle.

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{

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 a door. If you experience breathing
problems following an air bag deployment, you
should seek medical attention.

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.

•

Air bags are designed to inflate only once. After an
air bag inflates, 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.

•

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.

•

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 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.

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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 Publications
Ordering Information on page 7-12.

{

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 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.

Restraint System Check

Checking Your 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.

1-60

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Replacing Restraint System Parts
After a Crash

{

CAUTION:

A crash can damage the restraint systems in
your vehicle. A damaged restraint system may
not properly protect the person using it,
resulting in serious injury or even death in a
crash. To help make sure your restraint systems
are working properly after a crash, have them
inspected and any necessary replacements
made as soon as possible.

If you’ve had a crash, do you need new belts or LATCH
system parts?

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 parts.

If the LATCH system was being used during a more
severe crash, you may need new LATCH system parts.

If belts are cut or damaged, replace them. Collision
damage also may mean you will need to have LATCH
system, safety belt or seat parts repaired or replaced.
New parts and repairs may be necessary even if the belt
or LATCH system wasn’t being used at the time of
the collision.

If your seat adjuster won’t work after a crash, the
special part of the safety belt that goes through the seat
to the adjuster may need to be replaced.

If an air bag inflates, you’ll need to replace air bag
system parts. See Supplemental Restraint System
(SRS) on page 1-54.

1-61

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Keys

{

CAUTION:

Leaving children in a vehicle with the ignition
key is dangerous for many reasons. A child or
others could be badly injured or even killed.

They could operate the power windows or
other controls or even make the vehicle move.

Do not leave the keys in a vehicle with
children.

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One key is used for the
ignition and all locks.

When a new vehicle is delivered to the dealer, the key
has a key tag. This tag has a bar-coded key code
that tells your dealer how to make extra keys. This tag
may be removed and kept by your dealer. If it hasn’t
been removed, keep the tag in a safe place. If you lose
your key, your dealer can easily make another one
by using the key code. See Roadside Assistance
Program on page 7-6 for more information.

Notice: If you ever lock your keys in your vehicle,
you may have to damage the vehicle to get in.
Be sure you have spare keys.

Remote Keyless Entry System

If equipped, the keyless entry system operates on a
radio frequency subject to Federal Communications
Commission (FCC) Rules and with Industry Canada.

This device complies with Part 15 of the FCC Rules.
Operation is subject to the following two conditions:

1. This device may not cause interference, and

2. This device must accept any interference received,

including interference that may cause undesired
operation of the device.

This device complies with RSS-210 of Industry Canada.
Operation is subject to the following two conditions:

1. This device may not cause interference, and

2. This device must accept any interference received,

including interference that may cause undesired
operation of the device.

Changes or modifications to this system by other than
an authorized service facility could void authorization to
use this equipment.

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Oldsmobile Alero (2004 year). Manual - part 4