Oldsmobile Bravada 1997 User manual

.. . .

The 1997 Oldsmobile Bravada Owner’s Manual
1-1
2- 1
3-1
4- 1
5- 1
6- 1
7-1
8- 1
9- 1
Seatsand RestraintSystems
This section tells you how to use your seats and safety belts properly. It also explains the “SIR” system.
Featuresand Controls
This section explains how to start and operate your Oldsmobile.
Comfort Controlsand Audio Systems
This section tells you how to ad-justthe 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.
Problemson the Road
This section tells 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 Oldsmobile running properly and looking good.
MaintenanceSchedule
This section tells you when to perform vehicle maintenance and what fluids and lubricants to use.
CustomerAssistanceInformation
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‘s an alphabetical listing of almost every subject in this manual. You can use it to quickly find
something you want
to read.
i

GENERAL MOTORS, GM, the GM Emblem,
OLDSMOBILE,
the OLDSMOBILE 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.
Please keep
this manual in your Oldsmobile, 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. 22652548 A First Edition
-I-
WE SUPPORT
VOLUNTARY TECHNICIAN
CERTIFICATION THROUGH
National Institute for
AUTOMOTIVE
SERVICE
EXCELLENCE
We support voluntary
technician certification.
About Driving Your Bravada
As with other vehicles of this type, failure to operate this
vehicle correctly may result
in loss of control or an
accident. Be sure to read the “on-pavement” and
“off-road” driving guidelines
in this manual. (See
“Driving Guidelines” and “Operating Your Oldsmobile
Off Paved Roads”
in the Index.)
@CopyrightGeneral Motors Corporation
1996
All Rights Reserved

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 111anua1, you’ll find
that pictures
and words work together to explain
things quicklv.
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
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
hazxd. Please read these cautions.
If you don’t: you or
others could be hurt.
You will also find a circle
with a slash througln it in
this book. Thissafe:ty
symbol means “Don’t,’’
”Don’t dothis.‘‘ or “Don‘t
let this happen.“
iii

Vehicle Damage Warnings
Also in this book you will find these not.ices:
I NOTICE:
Thesemean thereis somethingthat could
damage
your vehicle.
In the notice area,we tell you about something that can
darnage your vehicle. Many times, this damage would
not be covered by your warranty, and it could be costly.
But the notice willtell
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 same words,
CAUTION or NOTICE.
iv

Vehicle Symbols
These are some of the symbols you may find on your vehicle.
For exumple,
thesc bymbols
aIe 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 ,111,
COULD
FLAME
EXPLODE
BATTERY
DOOR LOCK
UNLOCK
FASTEN
&
BELTS
SEAT
WINDOW
f j
POWER
'* __ I
SIGNALS 6 @
TURN
RUNNING
* 0
DAYTIME
. .
LAMPS
*'*
FOG LAMPS # 0
WINDSHIELD
WIPER
WINDSHIELD
DEFROSTER
WINDOW
DEFOGGER
VENTILATING
**
These sylnbols
are used on
warning and
indicator lights:
COOLANT -
TEMP -
CHARGING I-1
BATTERY
SYSTEM
BRAKE
(a)
COOLANT
a
ENGINE OIL
PRESSURE
Wb
ANTI-LOCK (@)
BRAKES
Here are some
other synbols
you may see:
FUSE
P
LIGHTER
HORN
)tr
SPEAKER
b
FUEL I&
V

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

a 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.
1-2 Seats and Controls 1-24 Safety BeltUse During Pregnancy
1-2 Manual Passenger’s Seat 1-20 Questions and Answers About Air Bags
1-2 Power Driver’sSeat
1-44 How toObtain a Safety Belt Extender
1- 10 Questions Many People Ask About 1-35 Child Restraint Top Straps
1-7 Why Safety Belts Work
in Child Restraints 1-5 Rear Seats 1-34 Important Information for Buckling Children
1-3 Reclining Front Seatbacks 1-34 HowtoUse Child Restraints
Safety Belts 1-44 Checking Your Restraint Systems
1-1 1 How to Wear Safety Belts Properly
1-45 Replacing Parts After a Crash

Seats and Seat Controls
This section tells you about the seats -- how to adjust
them, and
fold them up and down.
Manual Passenger’s Seat
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.
1-2

Power Lumbar Control
The control is on the side of the driver's or
passenger's seat.
Press and hold the front of the control
~~ntil you have the
desired lumbar support. To decrease lumbar support,
press the rear
of the control.
Reclining Front Seatbacks
To ad-just theseatback, lift the lever OKI 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.

3
But don’thavea seatback reclined if your vehicle is moving.
Sitting in a reclined position whenyour vehicle is
in motion can be dangerous. Even if you buckle
up, your safetybelts can’t do their jobwhen
you’re reclinedlikethis.
The shoulderbelt can’tdo itsjob because it
won’t beagainstyour body. Instead, it will be in
front of you. Ina crash you could
go into it,
receiving neckor other injuries.
The lapbelt can’tdo its
job either. In a crash the
belt could
go up over your abdomen. Thebelt
forces would bethere, not atyour pelvic bones.
This couldcauseseriousinternal injuries.
For proper protection when the vehicle
is in
motion, havethe seatback upright. Then sitwell
back in the seatand wear your safety belt properly.

Head Restraints
Slide the head restraint 1:p 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.
The head restraints
tilt forward and rearward also.
Rear Seats
Your vehicle has a folding rear seat which lets you fold
the seatbacks down for more cargo space.
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.
1-5

Safety Belts: They’re for Everyone
This part of the rnanual 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 air bag system.
Don’t letanyone ride where he or she can’t wear
a safety belt properly. If you are in acrash 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 buckledup.
Always fasten your
safety belt,and check that your passengers’ belts
are fastened properlytoo.
CdJTION: a
It is extremely dangerous to ride in a cargo area,
inside
or outside of’ a vehicle. In a collision,
people riding in these areas are morelikely to be
seriously injured orkilled. Donot allow people to
ride in any areaof your vehicle that is not
equipped with seats and safetybelts. Be sure
everyone in yourvehicle is in
a seat and using a
safety belt properly.
1
Your vehicle has a light that
comes on as a reminder to
buckle up. (See “Safety Belt
Reminder Light”
in
the Index.)
-
1-6

In most states and Canadian provinces, the law says to
wear safety belts. Here’s why:
The!! 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 aremild, and some crashescan 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 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.
1-7

Put someone on it.
Get it up to speed. Then stop the vehicle. The rider
doesn't stop.
1-8

The person keeps goinguntil stopped by something.
In
a real vehicle, it could be the windshield ...
or the instrument panel ...
1-9

or the safety belts!
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.
Here Are Questions Many People Ask
About Safety Belts -- and the Answers
e.' Won't I be trapped in the vehicleafteran
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. And your chance of
being conscious during and after an accident, so
you C'CIM unbuckle and get out, is rwch greater if
you are belted.
Q.' If my vehicle has 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 air bag
system ever offered for sale has required the
use of
safety belts. Even if you're in a vehicle that has air
bags, you still have to buckle
up to get the most
protection. That's true not only in frontal collisions,
but especially in side and other collisions.
1-10

&= If I’m a good driver, and I never drive far from
A: You may be an excellent driver, but if you’re in an
home, why should I wear safety belts?
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 occur within
25 miles (40 km) of
home. And the greatest number of serious injuries
and deaths occurat 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 the driver 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 seehow, 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 itget twisted.
Pull up on the latch plate to makesure it is secure. If
the beltisn’t long enough, see “Safety Belt
Extender” at the end of this section.
Make sure therelease button
on the buckle is
positioned
so you would be able to unbuckle the
safety belt quickly
if you ever had to.
1-12