GMC 1996 Safari User manual

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The 1996 GMC Safari Owner’s Manual
s ............................................................. 1-1
This section tells you how to use your seats and safety belts properly. It also explains the “SIR” system.
Features and Controls .................................................................. 2-1
This section explains how to start and operate your vehicle.
This section tells
you how to adjust the ventilation and comfort controls and how to operate your
audio system.
Here you’ll find helpful information and tips about the road and how to drive under different conditions.
This section tells
you what to do if you have a problem while driving, such as a flat tire or overheated
engine, etc.
Here
the manual tells you how to keep your vehicle running properly and looking good.
This section tells you when to perform vehicle maintenance and
what fluids and lubricants to use.
This section tells
you how to contact GMC Truck for assistance and how to get service and owner
publications.
It also gives you information on “Reporting Safety Defects” on page 8-8.
Here’s an alphabetical listing of almost every subject in this manual. You can use it to quickly find
something
you want to read.
ComfortControls and Audio Systems ..................................................... 3-1
YourDrivingandtheRoad .............................................................. 4-1
ProblemsontheRoad .................................................................. 5-1
ServiceandAppearanceCare ............................................................ 6-1
Maintenanceschedule .................................................................. 7-1
CustomerAssistance Information ........................................................ S-1
Index ................................................................................ 9-1
i

GENERAL MOTORS, GM, the GM Emblem,
GMC TRUCK, the GMC TRUCK Emblem and
the name SAFARIare 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 GMC Truck
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.
Litho
in U.S.A.
X961
0 B First Edition
We support voluntary
technician certification.
WE SUPPORT
VOLUNTARY TECHNICIAN
CERTIFICATION THROUGH
AUTOMOTIVE
National Institute for
SERVICE
EXCELLENCE
For Canadian Owners Who Prefer a
French Language Manual:
Aux propriktaires canadiens: Vous pouvez vous
procurer
un exemplaire de ce guideen franpischez
votre concessionaire
ou au:
DGN Marketing Services Ltd.
1500 Bonhill Rd.
Mississauga, Ontario
L5T IC7
@CopyrightGeneral Motors Corporation 1995
A11 Rights Reserved
ii

How to Use this Manual
Many people read their owner’s manual from beginning
to end when they first receivetheir 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.
Index
A good place to look for what you need is the Index
in the back of the manual. It’s an alphabetical list of
all that’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.
I
A LAUTION:
1
These mean there is somethingthat could hurt
you or otherpeople.
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.
iii

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.”
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 youwhat to do to help avoid
the damage.
When you read other manuals, you might see
CAUTION and NOTICEwarnings in different colors or
in different words.
You’ll also see warning labels
on your vehicle. They use
the same words, CAUTION or NOTICE.
Vehicle Damage Warnings
Also, in this book you will find these notices:
I NOTICE:
These mean thereis something that could
damage
your vehicle.
iv

7- :le Symbols
These are someof the symbols you may find on your vehicle.
For example,
these symbols
are used on an
original battery:
POSSIBLE A
CAUTION
INJURY
PROTECT
EYES BY
SHIELDING
CAUSTIC
ACID COULD
BATTERY
CAUSE
BURNS
AVOID
SPARKS OR
FLAMES
SPARK OR ,\I/,
COULD
FLAME
EXPLODE
BATTERY
These symbols
are important
for you and
your passengers
whenever your
vehicle is
driven:
DOOR LOCK
UNLOCK
FASTEN
SEAT
BELTS
These symbols
have to do
with
your lights:
SIGNALS e
TURN
RUNNING . 0
DAYTIME .
LAMPS .
FOG LAMPS $0
These symbols
are on someof
your controls:
WINDSHIELD
WIPER
WINDSHIELD
DEFROSTER
VENTILATING
FAN
These symbols
are used on
warning and
indicator lights:
COOLANT -
TEMP -
CHARGING I-1
BATTERY
SYSTEM
BRAKE (0)
COOLANT
a
ENGINE OIL w,
PRESSURE
ANTI-LOCK (@)
BRAKES
Here are some
other symbols
you may see:
FUSE
t
LIGHTER n
HORN )cr
SPEAKER
b
FUEL M
V

Model Reference
This manual covers these models:
Passenger Vm
vi

Section 1 Seats and Restraint Systems
Here you’ll find information about the seatsin your
vehicle and how to useyour safety beltsproperly. You
can also learnabout some things you should
not do with
air bags and safety belts.
Seats and Seat Controls
This section tellsyou about the seats -- how to adjust
them, take them out and put them back in. It also tells
you about bucket and bench seats, power seats and
head restraints.
Manual Front Seat
I ’ A CAUTION:
You can lose control of the vehicle if you try to
adjust a manual driver’s seatwhile the vehicle is
moving. The sudden movement could startle and
confuse you,or makeyou push
a pedal whenyou
don’t wantto. Adjust the driver’s seat only when
the vehicle isnot moving.
1-1

2-Way Front Seat Manual Lumbar Support (Option)
The bucket seats can be
adjusted forward or
rearward by the lever at
the front of the seat.
Move theseat adjustment lever at the front
of the seat
toward the driver’s door to unlock it. Slide the seat to
where you want it.
Then release the lever and try to
move the seat with your body, to make
sure the seat is
locked into place.
If you have this feature, there will be a knob on the
inboard side
of the driver and passenger bucket seats.
Turn the knob toward the
front of the vehicle to increase
lumbar support. Turn the knob toward the rear
of the
vehicle to decrease lumbar support.
1-2

Power Seats (Option)
If you have this feature, there will be a control pad on the
inboard side
of the driver and passenger bucketseats.
The front controlmakes the front of the seat go up
and down.
The rear control makes the rear
of the seat go up
and down.
The center control makes
the whole seat go forward
and rearward.
Reclining Seatbacks
There is a lever on the inside of the seat to adjust
the seatback.
You can adjust the seatback
by liftingthe lever.Release
the lever to lock the seatback
where
you want it. Pull up
on the lever and the seat will
go to an uprightposition.
1-3

But don't have a seatback reclined if your vehicle is moving.
A CAUTION:
Sitting in a reclined position when your vehicle is
in motion canbe dangerous. Evenif you buckle
up, your safety belts can't do their job when
you're reclined like this.
The shoulderbelt can't do itsjob because it
won't be against yourbody. Instead, it will be in
front of you. In a crashyou could go into it,
receiving neckor otherinjuries.
The lapbelt can't
do itsjob either. In a crash the
belt could go up over your abdomen. The belt
forces would be there, not at yourpelvic bones.
This could cause serious internal injuries.
For properprotection when the vehicle isin
motion, have the seatback upright. Then sitwell
back in the seatand wear your safety belt properly.
1-4

HeadRestra' ts
Head restraints are fixed on some models and adjustable
on others. Slidean adjustable head restraint up or down
so that the top of the restraint is closest to the top of
your ears. Thisposition reduces the chance of a neck
injury
in a crash.
Seatback Latches (Non-Touring
Bench Seats)
To fold your non-touring
seatback forward, pull up
on the latch release lever
while pulling the seatback
toward
you.
The lever is on the right rear
of your seat.
After the latch
has been released, push the seatback
down
until it locks in place. To raise the seatback,
unlock the seat by pushing forward on the lever, while
pushing down on the seat. Make sure the seatback is
locked when it is put back in the upright position.
I
If the seatback isn't locked, it could move
forward in a sudden stop or crash. That could
cause injury to the person sitting there.
Always
press rearward on the seatback to be sure it
is locked.
Rear Seats
A seat that isn't locked into place properly can
move around in
a collision or sudden stop. People
in thevehicle could be injured. Be sure tolock
the seat into place properly when installingit.
1-5

A safety belt that is twistedor not properly
attachedwon’t provide theprotectionneeded in
a crash. The person wearing the belt couldbe
seriously injured. After installing the seat, always
check to be sure that the safety belts are not
twisted andare properlyattached.
BucketSeats
If you have rear bucket seats in your vehicle, they will
recline and adjust the same way
as the front manual
bucket seats. See “Reclining Seatbacks” earlier
in this
section or in theIndex.
Bench Seats
If you have bench seats in your vehicle, each seat can
carry
up to three passengers. They can also be removed
to increase storage space.
The center and rear bench seats can be adjusted forward
or rearward by the lever at the front of the seat.
r
Move the seat adjustment
lever at the front
of the seat
. ..
toward the passenger’s side
to unlock it. Slide the seat
to
where you want it. Then
I release the lever and try to
move the seat
with your
I body, to make sure the seat
1s locked into place.
The non-touring center bench seat has a pivoting
right armrest.The left armrest can also beused as a
storage compartment.
The optional touring bench seatscome with moveable
armrests,individual reclining seatbacks, adjustable
headrests and a fold-down center console.
1-6

To adjust your seatback,pull up on the lever on the
lower outside
of the seat.
To raise or lower the center
console, press the button
between the beverage
holders. Only sit
in the
center seatingposition
when the console
is in
an upright position.
For details about headrests, see “Head Restraints”
in
this section.
The centerbench seatbacks will recline further back
than
the rear bench seatbacks.
1-7

Removing the RearSeats
To remove the rear seats, do the following:
- I TO DETACH \
I BELTFOR \
I SEAT REMOVAL \
i \
1. If you are removing the
center seat, remove the
right lap-shoulder belt.
To dothis, press the tip
of a key into the release
hole of the safety belt
attachment while pulling
up on the safety belt.
2. Ifyou have a safety belt
guide on your seat, pull
the safety belt all the way
out through the guide.
3. Pull up on the seatback latch on the right rear of the
front seat.Push the seatback down until it locks in
place (non-touring bench seats only).
1-8

4. Lift up on the seat release latch. The latches arenear
the floor on the rear legs of the seat. To relieve
pressure on the latch, pull back on the seat.
5. Lift up on the rear of the seat to remove the seat
assembly from the rear latch pins. Then, pull back
and lift the seat out of the vehicle.
1-9

Replacing the Rear Seats
To replace the rear seats, do the following:
1. Lower the seat into position. Make sure the front
retainers are hooked onto the anchor pins.
2. Pull the seat down to latch the rear retainers. Make
surethe seat is locked
in by pulling up and down on
the seat.
3. Raise the seatback by pushing forward
on the latch at
the right rear
of the seat. Pull up on the seatback
until it is locked securely in the up position.

4. If you are replacing the center seat,connect the right
lap-shoulder belt
to the attachment on the seat
cushion. If you have a safety belt guide on your seat,
pull
the belt through the guide before reattaching the
lap-shoulder belt to the side of
the seat. Therelease
hole should be facingoutward.
If you installed the safety belt with the release hole
facing inward (toward the seat), slidethe plastic
cover up so you can see the buckle. Disconnect the
seat belt. Slidethe cover back down and reinstall the
belt correctly.
NOTICE:
Be sure to put the correct seats backin the proper
positions so the safety beltswill work properly.
SafetyBelts: They’re for Everyone
This part of the manual tells you how to use safety belts
properly. It also tells
you some things you should not do
with safety belts.
And
it explains the Supplemental Inflatable Restraint (SIR),
or air
bag system.
A CAUTION:
Don’t let anyone ride where heor she can’t wear
a safety belt properly. If youare in
a crash and
you’re not wearing a safety belt, your injuries
can be much worse.You can hit things inside the
vehicle
or be ejected fromit. You can be seriously
injured or killed. In the same crash,you might
not beif you are buckled up.Always fasten your
safety belt, and check that your passengers’ belts
are fastened properlytoo.
1-11

Your vehicle has a light that
comes on as a reminder to
buckle up. (See “Safety
Belt Reminde,rLight” in
the Index.)
In most states and Canadian provinces, the law says to
wear safety belts. Here’s why:
They work.
You never howif you’ll be in a crash. If you do have a
crash, you don’t
know if it will be a bad one.
A few crashes are mild, and some crashes can be so
serious that even buckled up a person wouldn’t survive. -
But most crashes are in between. In many of them,
people who buckle up
can surviveand sometimes walk
away.Withoutbelts they could have been badly hurt
or killed.
After more than 25 years
of safety belts in vehicles,
the facts are clear.In most crashes buckling up does
matter
... a lot!
Why Safety Belts Work
When you ride in or on anything, you go as fast as it goes.
Take the simplest vehicle. Suppose it’sjusta seat
on wheels.
1-12