Oldsmobile 1998 Achieva User manual

The 1998 Oldsmobile Achieva Owner’s Manual
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Seats and Restraint Systems
This section tells you how to use your seats and safety belts properly. Italso 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 andcomfort 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 howto drive under different conditions.
Problemsonthe Road
This section tells what to do if you have a problem while driving, such asa flat tire or overheated engine, etc.
Service and Appearance Care
Here the manual tells you how to keep your vehicle running properly andlooking good.
7- 1 MaintenanceSchedule
This section tells you when to perform vehicle maintenance and what fluids and lubricants to use.
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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
8-8.
Index
Here’san alphabetical listing of almost every subject in this manual. You can use it to quickly find
something you want to read.
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GENERAL MOTORS, GM, the GMEmblem,
OLDSMOBILE, the OLDSMOBILE Rocket Emblem
and the name
ACHIEVA 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 afterthat time without further notice.
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.
Part No. 22656198 A First Edition
r
We supportvoluntary
technician certification.
VOLUNTARYTECHNICIAN
WE SUPPORT
CERTIFICATIONTHROUGH
National Institute for
AUTOMOTIVE
SERVICE
EXCELLENCE
“Copyright General Motors Corporation 1997
All Rights Reserved

How to Use this Manual
Many people read their owner’s manual from beginning
to endwhen they
first receive theirnew vehicle. If you
do this, itwill help you learn about the featuresand
controls foryour vehicle. In thismanual, you’ll find
that picturesand words work together to explain
things quickly.
Index
A good place to look forwhat you need is the Index in
back
of the manual. It’s an alphabetical listof what’s in
the manual,and the pagenumber where you’ll find it.
Safety Warnings and Symbols
You will find anumber of safety cautionsin this book.
We use a box and the word
CAUTION to tellyou
about things thatcould hurt you if youwere to ignore
the warning.
’ A CAI rION:
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 behurt.
You will also find a circle
with a slashthrough it
in
this book. This safety
symbolmeans “Don’t,’’
“Don’t do this” or“Don’t
let thishappen.”
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Vehicle Damage Warnings
Also in this book you will find these notices
I NOTICE:
I
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, CAUTIONor NOTICE.

Vehicle Symbols
These are some of 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
BATTERY
CAUSE
BURNS
ACIDCOULD &
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
POWER
WINDOW
These symbols
have to
do with
your lamps:
SIGNALS e
TURN
PAEJN& pf
WARNING A
HAZARD
FLASHER
RUNNING .‘:**o
DAYTIME
LAMPS ***
FOG LAMPS # 0
These symbols
are. onsome
of
your controls:
WINDSHIELD
WIPER
WINDSHIELD
DEFROSTER
WINDOW
DEFOGGER
VENTILATING
FAN
These symbols
are used on
warning and
indicator lights:
COOLANT F-
TEMP -
CHARGING
BAllERY
SYSTEM
BRAKE (a)
COOLANT
ENGINEOIL
PRESSURE Wb
ANTI-LOCK (@)
BRAKES
Here are some
other symbols
you may see:
FUSE
I
LIGHTER
HORN )b.
SPEAKER
b
FUEL p3
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NOTES
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Section 1 SeatsandRestraintSystems
Here you’ll find information about the seats in your Oldsmobile 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.
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Seats and Seat Controls
Safety Belts: They’re forEveryone
Here AreQuestions 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 System (SRS)
Rear Seat Passengers
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Rear Safety Belt Comfort Guides
for Children and Small Adults
Center Passenger Position
Children
Child Restraints
Larger Children
Safety Belt Extender
Checking Your Restraint Systems
Replacing Restraint SystemParts
After a Crash
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Seats and Seat Controls
This section tells you about the seats -- how to
adjustthem,
and also aboutreclining seatbacksand
head restraints.
Manual Seats
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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,ormake
you push a pedal when you
don’t want to. Adjust the driver’s seat only when
the vehicle is not moving.
lvlove the lever under the front seat tounlock it. Slide
the seat to where you want it. Then release the leverand
try to move the seat with your body, to make sure the
seat
is locked in place.
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4-Way Manual Seat
There are two leversat the frontof the seat. The left
lever adjusts
the seat forward and back. Theright lever
adjusts the angle of the frontof the seat.
The lever near the outer sideof the seat unlocksthe seat
allowing
it to slide forward and back. Then release the
lever and try to move the seat tobe certain that it
is
locked in place.
The leveron the right allows you to tilt the seat
up
and down.
Manual Lumbar Support (If Equipped)
Turn the knob on the right of the driver’s seat cushion
to the right or tothe left to adjust support for the
lower back.
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Power Seat (If Equipped)
To adjust the power seat:
Front Control (A): Raise the front of the seat by
holding the switch up. Lower the front
of the seat by
holding the switch down.
Center Control (B): Move the seat forward or back by
holding the control to the front or back.
Move the seat higher by holding the control up. Lower
the seat by holding
the control down.
Rear Control (C): Raise the rear of the seatby holding
the switch up. Lower the rear
of the seat by holding the
switch down.
Reclining Front Seatbacks
To adjust the seatback, lift the lever on the outer side of
the seat and move the seatback where you want it.
Release
the lever to lock the seatback.
Pull up
on the lever and the seat will go to an
upright position.

But don’thave a seatbackreclined if your vehicle
is moving.
Sittingin a reclined positionwhen your vehicle is
in motion can be dangerous. Evenif youbuckle
up, your safety belts can’tdotheir jobwhen
you’re reclined like this.
Theshoulder belt can’tdoitsjobbecause it
won’t beagainst yourbody. Instead,it will bein
front of you. In a crash you could gointo
it,
receiving neckor otherinjuries.
Thelap belt can’tdoitsjob either. Ina crash the
belt couldgo up over your abdomen.Thebelt
forceswould be there, notatyour pelvic bones.
This could cause seriousinternalinjuries.
For proper protectionwhen the vehicle
is in
motion, havethe seatback upright. Then sitwell
back
in the seat and wear your safety belt properly.
Head Restraints
Slide thehead restraint up ordown so that the topof the
restraint is closest to the top
of your ears. This position
reduces the chance
of a neck injury in a crash.

Rear Seats
Folding the Rear Seat
To fold down the rear seat,pull forward on
the seat tab.
Push the seatback up to return
it to its original position.
To make sure the seatback is secure,push it into a fully
upright position. A loose seatback can cause an injury in
a sudden stop.
Safety Belts: They’re for Everyone
This part of the manual tells you how to usesafety belts
properly. It also tells you some things you should not
do
with safety belts.
And it explains theSupplemental Restraint System
(SRS), or airbag system.
I A CAUTION: I
Don’t letanyone ride where he or she can’t wear
a safety belt properly. Ifyou are in a crash and
you’re not wearing a safety belt, your injuries
can be muchworse. You can hit things inside the
vehicle or be ejected fromit.
You can be seriously
injured orkilled. In the same crash,you might
not beif you are buckled up.Always fastenyour
safety belt, and check that your passengers’ belts
are fastened properlytoo.
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/1\ CAUTIOl!. .
It is extremelydangerousto ride in a cargoarea,
insideor outsideof
a vehicle. In a collision,
people riding in theseareas aremore likely to be
seriouslyinjured or killed.
Do not allow people to
ride inany area of your vehicle that is not
equippedwith seatsand safety belts.Be sure
everyone inyour vehicle isin a seat andusing a
safety belt properly.
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Your vehicle has a light
that comes
on as a reminder
to buckle up. (See“Safety
Belt Reminder Light”
in
the Index.)
In most states and Canadian provinces, the law says to
wear safety belts. Here’s why:
They work.
You never know if 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 arein between. In many of them,
people who buckle up can surviveand sometimes walk
away.Without belts they couldhave been badly hurt
or killed.
After more than
30 years of safety belts in vehicles,
the facts are clear. In most crashes buckling up does
matter
... a lot!
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Why Safety BeltsWork
When you ride in or on anything, you go as fast as
it goes.
Takethe simplest vehicle. Suppose it's just aseat
on wheels.
Put someone
on it.
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Get it up to speed. Then stop the vehicle. Therider
doesn’t stop. The person keeps
going until stopped by something.
In a real vehicle, it could be the windshield ...
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or the instrument panel ...
or the safety belts!
With safety belts, you
slow down as the vehicle does.
You get more time to stop. You stop overmore distance,
and your strongest bones take the forces. That'swhy
safety belts make such good sense.
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Here Are Questions Many People Ask
About Safety Belts
-- and the Answers
Q.’ Won’t I be trapped in the vehicle after an
accident if I’m wearing a safety belt?
A: You could be -- whether you’re wearing a safety
belt or not.But you can unbuckle
a safety belt,
even
if you’re upside down. Andyour chance of
being consciousduring and after an accident, so
you
can unbuckle and get out, is much greater if
you are belted.
If my vehicle has air bags, why should I have to
wear safety belts?
A: Air bags are inmany vehicles today and will be in
most of them in the future. But they are
supplemental systems only;
so they work with
safety belts -- not instead of them. Every air bag
system ever offered
for sale hasrequired the use of
safety belts. Even if you’re in a vehiclethat has air
bags, you still have
to buckle up to get themost
protection. That’s true not only in frontal collisions,
but especially in side and other collisions.
If I’m a good driver, and I never drive far from
home, why should
I wear safety belts?
A: You may be an excellent driver, but if you’re in an
accident
-- even one that isn’t your fault -- you
and your passengers can be hurt. Being a good
driver doesn’t protect you from things beyond your
control,such asbad drivers.
Most accidentsoccur within
25 miles (40 km) of
home. And the greatest number of seriousinjuries
and deaths occurat speedsof less than
40 mph
(65 kmh).
Safety belts are for everyone.
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How to Wear Safety Belts Properly
Adults
This part is only forpeople of adult size.
Be aware that thereare specialthings 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’sprotection.
First, you’ll want to know which restraint systems your
vehicle has.
We’ll start with the driverposition.
Driver Position
This part describes the driver’s restraint system.
Lap-Shoulder Belt
The driver has alap-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.
4. Push the latch plate into the buckle until it clicks.
Don’t
let it get twisted.
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