Oldsmobile bravada 1996 User manual

Bravada
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The 1996 Oldsrnobile Bravada Owner’s Manual
SeatsandRestraintSystems ............................................................. 1-1
FeaturesandControls .................................................................. 2-1
ComfortControlsandAudio Systems ..................................................... 3-1
This section tells you how to use your seats and safety belts properly. It also explains the “SIR” system.
This section explains how to start and operate your Oldsmobile.
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 Oldsmobile 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 Oldsmobile for assistance andhow to get service and owner publications.
It
also gives you information on “Reporting Safety Defects” on page 8-7.
YourDrivingandtheRoad .............................................................. 4-1
ProblemsontheRoad .................................................................. 5-1
ServiceandAppearanceCare ............................................................ 6-1
Maintenanceschedule .................................................................. 7-1
CustomerAssistanceInformation ........................................................ 8-1
Index ................................................................................ 9-1
Here’s an 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 GM Emblem,
OLDSMOBILE, the OLDSMOBTLE Rocket Emblem
and the name BRAVADA 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.
c
d D
CERTIFIED
WE SUPPORT
VOLUNTARYTECHNICIAN
CERTIFICATION THROUGH
National Institute for
AUTOMOTIVE
SERVICE
EXCELLENCE
We support voluntary
technician certification.
Please keep this manualin your Oldsmobile,
so it will About Driving Your Bravada
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.
As with other vehicles of this type, failure to operate
this vehicle correctly may result
in loss of control or
an accident. Be sureto read the “on-pavement”
and “off-road” driving guidelines in this manual.
(See “Driving Guidelines’’and “Operating Your
Bravada Off Paved Roads’’ inthe Index.)
Litho
in U.S.A.
Part
No. 22640823 A First Edition @CopyrightGeneral Motors Corporation
1995
All Rights Reserved

How to Use this Manual
Many people read their owner’s manual from beginning
to end when they first receivetheir new vehicle. If you
dothis,
it will help you learn about the featuresand
controls for yourvehicle. 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.
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 tohelp avoid or reducethe
hazard. Please read these cautions.
If you don’t, you or
others couldbe 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.”

Vehicle Damage Warnings
Also in this book you will find these notices:
I NOTICE:
These mean thereis something that could
damage your vehicle.
In the notice area, we tell you about somethingthat can
damage your vehicle. Many times, this damage would
not becovered 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 seewarning labels on your vehicle.
They use
the samewords, CAUTION or NOTICE.

L
Vehicle Symbols
These are some of the symbols you may find onyour 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 .'*'**o
DAYTIME
LAMPS '**
FOG LAMPS $0
These symbols
are on some of
your controls:
WINDSHIELD
WIPER
WINDSHIELD
DEFROSTER
VENTILATING
FAN
These symbols
are used on
warning and
indicator lights:
ENGINE
c
COOLANT - r-
TEMP -
CHARGING I-1
BATTERY
SYSTEM
BRAKE (@)
COOLANT
a
ENGINEOIL e,
PRESSURE
ANTI-LOCK (@)
BRAKES
Here are some
other symbols
you may see:
FUSE
LIGHTER n
HORN b
SPEAKER
b
FUEL e3
V

Model Reference
This manual covers this model:
Four-Door
Utility

Section 1 Seats andRestraintSystems
Here you’ll find information aboutthe seats in your
Oldsmobile and how to use your safety belts properly.
You can also learn about somethings you should not do
with air bags and safety belts.
Seatsand Seat Controls
This section tells you about the seats -- how to adjust
them, and fold them up and down.
Manual Passenger’s Seat
Move the lever under the
front
of the passenger’s 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.
Power Driver’s Seat
The control pad is on the driver’s seat.
Use the front control to make the front of the seat move
up or down. To make the rear of the seat move up or
down, use the rear control. Use the center control to
move the whole seat
up, down, forward or backward.
1-1

1
Rec 1g Front Seatback
The control is on the side of the driver’sor passenger’s seat.
Press and hold
the front of the control until you have the
desired lumbar support. To decrease lumbar support,
press the rear
of the control.
To adjust the seatback, lift the lever on the outer side of
the seat.
Release the lever to lock the seatback where
you
want it. Pull up on the lever and the seat will go to an
upright position.

But don’t have a seatback reclinedif your vehicle
is moving.
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,.
‘Sittingin a reclined position whenyour vehicle is
in motion canbe dangerous. Even if you buckle
up, yoursafetybelts can’t do their jobwhen
you’re reclinedlike this.
The shoulderbelt can?tdo itsjob because
it
won’t be against yourbody. Instead, it will be in
frontof you. In
a crash you could gointo it,
receiving neck or other injuries.
The lapbelt can’t
do its job either. In a crash the
belt could go up over your abdomen. Thebelt
forceswould bethere, not
at your pelvic bones.
Thiscould cause serious internal injuries.
For proper protection when the vehicle isin
motion, have the seatback upright. Then sitwell
back inthe seat and
wear your safety belt properly.
Head Restraints
Slide the head restraint up or down so that the top of the
restraint is closest to the !topof your ears. This position
reduces the chance
of a neckinjury in a crash.
The head restraintstilt forward and rearward also.
1-3

Rear Seats
The rear seat release handles are in the upper center of
the rear of the seatbacks. Push back
on the seatbacks as
you pull up on the handles.
To raise the seatbacks,just lift up the seatbacks and push
until they lock in the upright position.
Push and pull
on the seatbacks to check that the latches
have locked in the upright position. If they haven’t, have
them fixed immediately.
Your vehicle has
a folding rear seat which lets you fold
the seatbacks down for more cargo space.

Safety Belts: 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 SupplementalInflatable Restraint
(SIR), or airbag system.
A CAUTION:
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Don’t let anyone ride where he or she can’t wear
a safety belt properly.
If you arein a crash and
you’re not wearing
a safety belt, your injuries
can be much worse. You can hit thingsinsidethe
vehicle or be ejected from it. You can be seriously
injured orkilled.’Inthe same crash,you might
not be if you arebuckled up. Alwaysfasten your
safety belt, and check that your passengers’ belts
arefastened properly too.
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
seriousthat even buckled up a person wouldn’t survive.
But most crashes are in between. In many of them,
people who buckle
up can survive and sometimes walk
away. Without belts 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's just a seat
on wheels.
Put someone
on it.

Get it up to speed. Then stop the vehicle. The rider
doesn't stop. The person keeps going
until stopped by something.
In a real vehicle, it could be the windshield ...

or the safety belts!or theinstrument panel ...
With safety belts, you slow down as the vehicle does.
You get more time to stop. You stop over more distance,
and
your strongest bones take the forces. That’s why
safety belts make such good sense.
1-8

Here Are Questions Many People Ask
About SafetyBelts
-- and the Answers
Q: Won’t I be trapped in the vehicleafter an
accident if I’m wearinga safety belt?
A: You could be -- whether you’re wearing a safety
belt or not. Butyou can unbuckle a safetybelt,
even if you’re upside down. And your chanceof
being conscious duringand after an accident, so
you can unbuckle and get out, is much greater if
you are belted.
If my vehiclehas air bags, why should I have to
wear safety belts?
A: Air bags are in many 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 airbag
system ever offered for salehas required the use of
safety belts. Even if you’re
in a vehiclethat has air
bags, you still have
to buckle up to get the most
protection. That’s true
not only in frontal collisions,
but especiallyin side and other collisions.
&.’ If I’m a good driver, and I never drivefar 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 as bad drivers.
Most accidents occurwithin
25 miles (40 km)
of home. And the greatest number
of serious
injuries and deaths occur at speeds of less than
40 mph (65 km/h).
Safety belts are for everyone.

How to Wear Safety Belts Properly
Adults
This part is only for people of adult size.
Be aware that there are special things 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
Oldsmobile, see the part
of this manual called “Children.”
Follow those rules for everyone’s protection.
First, you’ll want to know which restraint systems your
vehicle has.
We’ll start with thedriver position.
Driver Position
This part describes the driver’s restraint system.
Lap-Shoulder Belt
The driver has a lap-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.
.....
1.
... .. .+.. 7
_: . :
.......... .:
3. Pick up the latch plate and pull the belt across you.
Don’t let
it get twisted.
4. Push the latch plate into the buckle until it clicks.
Pull up on the latch plate to make sure it is secure.
If the belt isn’t 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.
1-10

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 lappart
of the belt shouldbe worn low and snug on
the hips,just touching the thighs. In a crash, this applies
force tothe strong pelvic bones. And you’dbe less likely
to slideunder the lap belt: If you
slid under it, the belt
would apply force atyour abdomen. This could cause
serious or even fatalinjuries. The shoulderbelt should go
over the shoulderand across the chest. These parts of the
body
are best able to take belt restraining forces.
The safetybelt locks if there’s a sudden stop ora crash.
1-11
..

Q.' What's wrong with this?
4 CAUTION:
You canbe seriously hurt if your shoulder belt is
tooloose. Ina crash, you would move forward
too much, which could increase injury. The
shoulder belt should
fit againstyour body.
A: The shoulder belt is too loose. It won't give nearly
as much protection this way.
1-12