yellowblue The 1999 Oldsmobile Silhouette Owner's Manual 1-1 2-1 3-1 4-1 5-1 6-1 7-1 8-1 Seats and Restraint Systems This section tells you how to use your seats and safety belts properly. It also explains the "SRS" system. Features and Controls This section explains how to start and operate your vehicle. Comfort Controls and Audio Systems This section tells you how to adjust the ventilation and comfort controls and how to operate your audio system. Your Driving and the Road Here you'll find helpful information and tips about the road and how to drive under different conditions. Problems on the Road This section tells you what to do if you have a problem while driving, such as a flat tire or overheated engine, etc. Service and Appearance Care Here the manual tells you how to keep your vehicle running properly and looking good. Maintenance Schedule This section tells you when to perform vehicle maintenance and what fluids and lubricants to use. Customer Assistance Information This section tells you how to contact Oldsmobile for assistance and how to get service and owner publications. It also gives you information on "Reporting Safety Defects" on page 8-10. 9-1 Index Here's an alphabetical listing of almost every subject in this manual. You can use it to quickly find something you want to read. i yellowblue We support voluntary technician certification. GENERAL MOTORS, GM, the GM Emblem, OLDSMOBILE, the OLDSMOBILE Rocket Emblem and the name SILHOUETTE are registered trademarks of General Motors Corporation. This manual includes the latest information at the time it was printed. We reserve the right to make changes in the product after that time without further notice. For vehicles first sold in Canada, substitute the name "General Motors of Canada Limited" for Oldsmobile Division whenever it appears in this manual. Please keep this manual in your vehicle, so it will be there if you ever need it when you're on the road. If you sell the vehicle, please leave this manual in it so the new owner can use it. For Canadian Owners Who Prefer a French Language Manual: Aux propriétaires canadiens: Vous pouvez vous procurer un exemplaire de ce guide en français chez votre concessionaire ou au: DGN Marketing Services Ltd. 1577 Meyerside Dr. Mississauga, Ontario L5T 1B9 Litho in U.S.A. Part No. 22600385 B First Edition ECopyright General Motors Corporation 1998 All Rights Reserved ii yellowblue How to Use this Manual Many people read their owner's manual from beginning to end when they first receive their new vehicle. If you do this, it will help you learn about the features and controls for your vehicle. In this manual, you'll find that pictures and words work together to explain things quickly. CAUTION: These mean there is something that could hurt you or other people. In the caution area, we tell you what the hazard is. Then we tell you what to do to help avoid or reduce the hazard. Please read these cautions. If you don't, you or others could be hurt. You will also find a circle with a slash through it in this book. This safety symbol means "Don't," "Don't do this" or "Don't let this happen." Index A good place to look for what you need is the Index in back of the manual. It's an alphabetical list of what's in the manual, and the page number where you'll find it. Safety Warnings and Symbols You will find a number of safety cautions in this book. We use a box and the word CAUTION to tell you about things that could hurt you if you were to ignore the warning. iii yellowblue Vehicle Damage Warnings Also in this book you will find these notices: NOTICE: These mean there is something that could damage your vehicle. In the notice area, we tell you about something that can damage your vehicle. Many times, this damage would not be covered by your warranty, and it could be costly. But the notice will tell you what to do to help avoid the damage. When you read other manuals, you might see CAUTION and NOTICE warnings in different colors or in different words. You'll also see warning labels on your vehicle. They use the same words, CAUTION or NOTICE. iv yellowblue Vehicle Symbols These are some of the symbols you may find on your vehicle. 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: These symbols have to do with your lamps: MASTER LIGHTING SWITCH These symbols are on some of your controls: WINDSHIELD WIPER These symbols are used on warning and indicator lights: Here are some other symbols you may see: ENGINE COOLANT TEMP WINDSHIELD WASHER BATTERY CHARGING SYSTEM FUSE DOOR LOCK UNLOCK TURN SIGNALS LIGHTER PARKING LAMPS FASTEN SEAT BELTS WINDSHIELD DEFROSTER HORN BRAKE HAZARD WARNING FLASHER POWER WINDOW DAYTIME RUNNING LAMPS REAR WINDOW DEFOGGER COOLANT SPEAKER ENGINE OIL PRESSURE VENTILATING FAN FUEL AIR BAG FOG LAMPS ANTI-LOCK BRAKES v yellowblue NOTES vi yellowblue 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 1-6 1-23 1-28 1-29 1-29 1-37 1-38 1-38 1-46 1-50 Seats and Seat Controls Rear Seats Safety Belts: They're for Everyone Here Are Questions Many People Ask About Safety Belts -- and the Answers How to Wear Safety Belts Properly Driver Position Safety Belt Use During Pregnancy Right Front Passenger Position Supplemental Restraint Systems (SRS) Safety Belt Pretensioners Rear Seat Passengers 1-50 1-52 1-54 1-56 1-59 1-70 1-85 1-88 1-88 1-88 Rear Safety Belt Comfort Guides for Children and Small Adults Center Passenger Position (Bench Seat) Center Passenger Position (Bucket Seat) Children Built-in Child Restraint (Option) Child Restraints Larger Children Safety Belt Extender Checking Your Restraint Systems Replacing Restraint System Parts After a Crash 1- 1-1 yellowblue Seats and Seat Controls This section tells you about the seats -- how to adjust them, take them out, put them back in and fold and unfold them. Driver's 4-Way Manual Seat To raise the seat, pull up on the lever on the front right side of the seat. To lower the seat, push the lever down. CAUTION: Use the lever on the front left side of the seat to adjust the seat forward or rearward. Pull up the lever on the front of the seat to unlock it. Slide the seat to where you want it. To make sure the seat is locked into place, release the lever and try to move the seat with your body. You can lose control of the vehicle if you try to adjust a manual driver's seat while the vehicle is moving. The sudden movement could startle and confuse you, or make you push a pedal when you don't want to. Adjust the driver's seat only when the vehicle is not moving. 1-2 yellowblue Manual Front Passenger Seats To move the seat, pull up the lever on the front of the seat to unlock it. 6-Way Power Seat (Option) Slide the seat to where you want it. To make sure the seat is locked into place, release the lever and try to move the seat with your body. To adjust the six-way power seat: Front Control (A): Raise the front of the seat by holding the switch up. Hold the switch down to lower the front of the seat. Center Control (B): Move the seat forward or rearward by holding the control to the front or rear. Raise or lower the seat by holding the control up or down. Rear Control (C): Raise the rear of the seat by holding the switch up. Hold the switch down to lower the rear of the seat. 1-3 yellowblue Manual Lumbar Control The knob for the lumbar control is located on the side of the seat. Reclining Front Seatbacks All front seats recline. To adjust the seatback, turn this knob. It is easier to recline the seat if you lean forward, taking your weight off the seatback. Turn this knob to adjust the support for the lower back. 1-4 yellowblue 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. 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. But don't have a seatback reclined if your vehicle is moving. 1-5 yellowblue 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. Folding Seatbacks The seatbacks on the second row seats fold forward to put items behind the left and right seats. Lift the lever and fold the seatback forward. The seatback will lock into place when you push it back to the upright position. Floor Seat Pin Diagram When you replace the seats in the vehicle, be sure to follow the label on the back of the seat for proper location. Follow the diagram above when the text in this manual tells you what sets of floor cups to use for each seat. Rear Seats Seat Controls The rear seats in your vehicle have levers and straps used to adjust, remove and replace the seats. By using the levers and straps, in the correct order, you can easily remove the seats from your vehicle. 1-6 yellowblue Second Row Safety Belt Stowage If your vehicle has seats in the third row, there is a sleeve on the second row outside safety belt to store the safety belt while entering and exiting the third row of the vehicle. If your vehicle has a split bench seat in the second row, follow this procedure: Flip and Fold Feature The rear seats in your vehicle, except the captain's chairs, can be folded forward. Use this feature for exiting and entering third row seats. 1. Push the adjustable head restraints fully down. 2. Fold the seatback flat on the seat. If the seat adjusts, slide it all the way back. D Pull the belt out and slide the sleeve along the belt until it reaches the patch of VelcroR on the roof. secure it in place. D Simply press the sleeve against the Velcro patch to Do not have the second row outside safety belt stored if someone is sitting in the second row outside position. To release the second row outside safety belt, just pull the sleeve away from the Velcro patch and use the safety belt as usual. The sleeve should slide freely when not in use. There is also a clip on the safety belt used to secure the belt after it is disconnected from the mini-buckle. When removing the split second row bench seat, secure the loose end of the safety belt in this clip. This will keep the safety belt from dangling and possibly striking something. 3. Release the rear set of hooks from the floor pins; hang on to the straps as the seat folds forward. 1-7 yellowblue Split Bench Seats If you have the split bench seat (50/50 or 40/60), the seatbacks can be folded down individually and the sections can be removed individually. The sections can also be adjusted forward or rearward individually. The second row (40/60) split bench may be equipped with built-in child restraint(s). See "Built-In Child Restraint" in the Index. Folding or Reclining the Seatbacks The seatbacks on each section of the split bench seat can be either folded down or reclined. The following explains how to use either the nylon strap or the lever to fold or recline the seatbacks. To fold down the seatback, pull this nylon strap on the rear of the seat. To raise a seatback, pull the nylon strap while raising the seatback until it locks upright. To fold down the seatback, lift up on this lever located on the front of the seatback. Use the lever to raise or lower the seatback to the desired position. When raising or reclining a seatback to an upright position, push and pull on the seatback to check that it is locked upright. 1-8 yellowblue Adjusting the Split Bench Seats There are two adjustment levers on each section of the split bench seats to adjust the seat forward or rearward. The other lever is located on the rear of the seat. Lift up either lever and slide the seat forward to allow for extra storage behind the seat, or slide the seat back to allow extra room for passengers. Release the lever. Push and pull on the seat to be sure it is locked into place. One is located below the center, in the front of each section of the split bench. 1-9 yellowblue Removing the Split Bench Seat Make sure the seatback is in the upright position and that the safety belts ar ...