Oldsmobile Silhouette User manual

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The 1999 Oldsmobile Silhouette Owner’s Manual
1-1 Seats and Restraint Systems
This section tells you how to use your seats and safety belts properly. It also explains the “SRS” system.
2-1 Features and Controls
This section explains how to start and operate your vehicle.
3-1 Comfort Controls and Audio Systems
This section tells you how to adjust the ventilation and comfort controls and how to operate your audio system.
4-1 Your Driving and the Road
Here you’ll find helpful information and tips about the road and how to drive under different conditions.
5-1 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.
6-1 Service and Appearance Care
Here the manual tells you how to keep your vehicle running properly and looking good.
7-1 Maintenance Schedule
This section tells you when to perform vehicle maintenance and what fluids and lubricants to use.
8-1 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.

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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.
We support voluntary
technician certification.
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.
E
Copyright General Motors Corporation 1998
Part No. 22600385 B First Edition All Rights Reserved

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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.
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.
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.”

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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.

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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:
DOOR LOCK
UNLOCK
FASTEN
SEAT
BELTS
POWER
WINDOW
AIR BAG
These symbols
have to do with
your lamps:
MASTER
LIGHTING
SWITCH
TURN
SIGNALS
PARKING
LAMPS
HAZARD
WARNING
FLASHER
DAYTIME
RUNNING
LAMPS
FOG LAMPS
These symbols
are on some of
your controls:
WINDSHIELD
WIPER
WINDSHIELD
WASHER
WINDSHIELD
DEFROSTER
REAR
WINDOW
DEFOGGER
VENTILATING
FAN
These symbols
are used on
warning and
indicator lights:
ENGINE
COOLANT
TEMP
BATTERY
CHARGING
SYSTEM
BRAKE
COOLANT
ENGINE OIL
PRESSURE
ANTI-LOCK
BRAKES
Here are some
other symbols
you may see:
FUSE
LIGHTER
HORN
SPEAKER
FUEL
Vehicle Symbols
These are some of the symbols you may find on your vehicle.

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✍NOTES

1-
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1-1
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 Seats and Seat Controls
1-6 Rear Seats
1-23 Safety Belts: They’re for Everyone
1-28 Here Are Questions Many People Ask About
Safety Belts -- and the Answers
1-29 How to Wear Safety Belts Properly
1-29 Driver Position
1-37 Safety Belt Use During Pregnancy
1-38 Right Front Passenger Position
1-38 Supplemental Restraint Systems (SRS)
1-46 Safety Belt Pretensioners
1-50 Rear Seat Passengers
1-50 Rear Safety Belt Comfort Guides for Children
and Small Adults
1-52 Center Passenger Position (Bench Seat)
1-54 Center Passenger Position (Bucket Seat)
1-56 Children
1-59 Built-in Child Restraint (Option)
1-70 Child Restraints
1-85 Larger Children
1-88 Safety Belt Extender
1-88 Checking Your Restraint Systems
1-88 Replacing Restraint System Parts After
a Crash

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1-2
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
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.
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:
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.

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Manual Front Passenger Seats
To move the seat, 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.
6-Way Power Seat (Option)
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.

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Manual Lumbar Control
The knob for the lumbar
control is located on the
side of the seat.
Turn this knob to adjust the support for the lower back.
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.

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But don’t have a seatback reclined if your vehicle
is moving.
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.

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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.
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.
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.

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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:
D Pull the belt out and slide the sleeve along the belt
until it reaches the patch of Velcro
R
on the roof.
D Simply press the sleeve against the Velcro patch to
secure it in place.
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.
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.
3. Release the rear set of hooks from the floor pins;
hang on to the straps as the seat folds forward.

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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.

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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.
One is located below the center, in the front of each
section of the split bench.
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.

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Removing the Split Bench Seat
Make sure the seatback is in the upright position and
that the safety belts are on the correct section of the seat.
The head restraints should be fully down.
1. For the second row split bench, with the seatback in
the upright position, unhook the side attachment for
the safety belt. This mini-buckle is located on the
right side of the seat.
2. Push the red center of
the buckle up with a
small pointed
object -- like a key or a
pen to remove the seat
belt, if needed.
3. Lift the seatback recliner lever or pull the nylon strap
on the back of the seat to fold the seatback forward.
4. Slide the seat all the way back by lifting either one of
the adjustment bars and sliding the seat fully rearward.
5. From behind the bench seat, pull the nylon strap at
the base of the seat to release the rear latches from
the floor pins.
Do not let go of the straps until the seat is folded all
the way forward.

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6. To unlatch the front latches, squeeze the angled latch
release bar toward the straight crossbar.
7. Remove the seat by rocking it slightly toward the
rear of the vehicle and then pulling it out.
Repeat these steps for the other section of the split
bench seat.

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Replacing the Split Bench Sections
Don’t put the sections of the bench seat in so they face
rearward because they won’t latch that way. If you want
more storage room behind the seat, adjust each section
by sliding it forward.
The split benches have seat position labels, located on
the back of each seat, showing where the seat must go.
Follow that diagram.
D The left (40) section of the 40/60 split bench uses the
Aand Bsets of floor cups.
D The right (60) section of the 40/60 split bench uses
the Cand Dsets of floor cups.
D The left section of the 50/50 split bench uses the G
and Hsets of floor cups.
D The right section of the 50/50 split bench uses the I
and Jsets of floor cups.
See “Seat Controls” in the beginning of this section for
more details. The seat must be placed in the proper
location for the legs to attach correctly.
Make sure the seat is in the full rear position before
beginning this procedure.
1. Squeeze the angled bar toward the solid crossbar
while placing the front hooks of the bench seat onto
the front two floor pins.

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To do this, the bench seat
will need to be angled so
that the front hooks clear
the floor pins.
If the front legs are not attached correctly, the rear
legs will not attach to the rear set of floor pins.
If the front latches are not attaching correctly, check
that the seat is in the full rear position.
2. Firmly push the rear hooks onto the rear floor pins
by pushing down on the rear of the seat.
3. Try to raise the seat to check that it is locked down.

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CAUTION:
A seat that isn’t locked into place properly can
move around in a collision or sudden stop. People
in the vehicle could be injured. Be sure to lock
the seat into place properly when installing it.
4. Lift the seatback recliner lever or pull the nylon strap
on the back of the seat and raise the seatback until it
locks upright.
5. Push and pull on the seatback to check that it
is locked.
CAUTION:
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.
6. Attach the mini-buckle so that the safety belt is
ready for use when a passenger uses the seat.
The buckle reattaches by pushing the latch into the
buckle until the red center pops out again.
Repeat these steps for the other section of the split
bench seat.
CAUTION:
A safety belt that is twisted or not properly
attached won’t provide the protection needed in a
crash. The person wearing the belt could be
seriously injured. After installing the seat, always
check to be sure that the safety belts are not
twisted and are properly attached.