Pontiac Grand Am (2002 year). Manual - part 2

1-15

5. To make the lap part tight, pull down on the buckle

end of the belt as you pull up on the shoulder belt.

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.

1-16

Shoulder Belt Height Adjuster (Four

-

Door Models)

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

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

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.

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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.

1-18

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.

1-20

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

To learn how to wear the right front passenger’s safety belt
properly, see “Driver Position” earlier in this section.

The right front passenger’s safety belt works the same
way as the driver’s safety belt 

--

 except for one thing. 

If you ever pull the shoulder portion of the belt out all
the way, you will engage the child restraint locking
feature. If this happens, just let the belt go back all the
way and start again.

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
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 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.

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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 not for young

CAUTION: (Continued)

CAUTION: (Continued)

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.”

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

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.

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How the Air Bag System Works

Where are the air bags?

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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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 a moderate to severe
frontal or near

-

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, 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 or
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 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.

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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.

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.

1-28

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 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.

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

-

Shoulder Belt

The positions next to the windows have lap

-

shoulder

belts. Here’s how to wear one properly.

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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.

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.

1-30

3. To make the lap part tight, pull down on the buckle

end of the belt as you pull up on the shoulder part.

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