ignition CHEVROLET IMPALA 2007 9.G Owner's Guide

The exterior lamps control has four positions:
O(Off):Briey turn the control to this position to
turn off the automatic light control. Briey turn
to this position again to turn automatic light control
on again.
AUTO (Automatic):Turn the control to this
position to automatically turn on the headlamps at
normal brightness, together with the following:
Parking Lamps
Taillamps
License Plate Lamps
Instrument Panel Lights
;(Parking Lamps):Turn the control to this
position to turn on the parking lamps together with
the following:
Taillamps
License Plate Lamps
Instrument Panel Lights
2(Headlamps):Turn the control to this position
to turn on the headlamps together with the
following lamps listed below. A warning chime will
sound if you open the driver’s door when the
ignition switch is off and the headlamps are on.
Parking Lamps
Taillamps
License Plate Lamps
Instrument Panel Lights
-(Fog Lamps) (If your vehicle has them):Push
the fog lamps control in to turn on the fog lamps.
SeeFog Lamps on page 163.
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Delayed Headlamps
The delayed headlamps feature provides a period
of exterior lighting as you leave the area around
your vehicle. The feature is activated when
the headlamps are on due to the automatic
headlamps control feature described previously in
this section, and when the ignition is turned off.
Your headlamps will then remain on until the
exterior lamps control is moved to the parking
lamps position or until the pre-selected delayed
headlamp lighting period has ended.
If you turn off the ignition with the headlamps
switch in the parking lamps or headlamps position,
the delayed headlamps cycle will not occur.
To disable the delayed headlamps feature or
change the time of delay, seeDIC Vehicle
Customization on page 208.
Daytime Running Lamps (DRL)/
Automatic Headlamp System
Daytime Running Lamps (DRL) can make it easier
for others to see the front of your vehicle during the
day. DRL can be helpful in many different driving
conditions, but they can be especially helpful in the
short periods after dawn and before sunset. Fully
functional daytime running lamps are required on all
vehicles rst sold in Canada.
A light sensor on top of the instrument panel
makes the DRL work, so be sure it is not covered.
The DRL system’s automatic headlamp control
will make the low-beam headlamps come on at a
reduced brightness when the following conditions
are met:
The ignition is in the ON position.
The exterior lamps control is in AUTO.
The engine is running.
When the DRL are on, only the low-beam
headlamps, at a reduced level of brightness, will
be on. The headlamps, taillamps, sidemarker, and
other lamps will not be on. The instrument
panel and cluster will also not be lit.
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When it is dark enough outside, the low-beam
headlamps will turn off and the headlamps
and parking lamps will turn on. The other lamps
that come on with the headlamps will also
come on.
When it is bright enough outside, the headlamps
will go off and the DRL will come on.
As with any vehicle, you should turn on the
regular headlamp system when it is needed.
Fog Lamps
-(Fog Lamps):If your vehicle has fog lamps,
the control is located on the exterior lamps
control. The exterior lamps control is located on
the instrument panel to the left of the steering
column.
The ignition must be in the ON position for the fog
lamps to come on.
To turn the fog lamps on, press the exterior lamps
button. A light will come on in the instrument
panel cluster. Press the exterior lamps button
again to turn the fog lamps off.When the headlamps are changed to high-beam,
the fog lamps also go off.
Some localities have laws that require the
headlamps to be on along with the fog lamps.
Instrument Panel Brightness
D(Instrument Panel Brightness):The knob
with this symbol on it is located next to the exterior
lamps control. Push the knob in all the way until
it pops out and then turn the knob clockwise
to brighten or counterclockwise to dim the lights.
Push the knob back in when nished.
Courtesy Lamps
When a door is opened, the courtesy lamps
automatically come on. They make it easy for you
to enter and leave your vehicle. You can also
manually turn these lamps on by fully turning the
instrument panel brightness control clockwise.
The reading lamps, located on the rearview
mirror, can be turned on or off independent of the
automatic courtesy lamps, when the doors
are closed.
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Dome Lamp
The dome lamp will come on when you open a
door. You can also turn this lamp on by turning the
instrument panel brightness control clockwise.
Entry Lighting
Your vehicle may have courtesy lamps that will
come on and stay on for a set time whenever the
unlock symbol is pressed on the Remote
Keyless Entry (RKE) Transmitter, if the vehicle
has one.
If a door is opened, the lamps will stay on while it
is open and then turn off automatically about
25 seconds after the door is closed. If the unlock
symbol is pressed and you do not open a
door, the lamps will turn off after about
20 seconds.
Entry lighting includes a feature called theater
dimming. With theater dimming, the lamps do not
turn off at the end of the delay time. Instead,
they slowly dim after the delay time until they go
out. The delay time is canceled if you turn the
ignition key to ON or press the power door
lock switch. The lamps will dim right away.When the ignition is on, illuminated entry is
inactive, which means the courtesy lamps will not
come on unless a door is opened.
Delayed Entry Lighting
Delayed entry lighting illuminates the interior for a
period of time after all the doors have been closed.
The ignition must be off for delayed entry lighting
to work. Immediately after all the doors have been
closed, the delayed entry lighting feature will
continue to work until one of the following occurs:
The ignition is in ON.
The doors are locked.
An illumination period of 25 seconds has
elapsed.
If during the illumination period a door is opened,
the timed illumination period will be canceled
and the interior lamps will remain on because a
door is open.
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Delayed Exit Lighting
This feature illuminates the interior for a period of
time after the key is removed from the ignition.
The ignition must be off for delayed exit lighting to
work. When the key is removed, interior illumination
will activate and remain on until one of the following
occurs:
The ignition is in ON.
The power door locks are activated.
An illumination period of 20 seconds has
elapsed.
If during the illumination period a door is opened,
the timed illumination period will be canceled
and the interior lamps will remain on because a
door is open.
Parade Dimming
The instrument panel has an added feature called
parade mode. It automatically prohibits the
dimming of the instrument panel displays during
the daylight while the headlamps are on so
that you will still be able to see the displays.
Reading Lamps
The vehicle has reading lamps that also act as the
dome lamp. Press the button to turn them on
and off.
Electric Power Management
The vehicle has Electric Power Management (EPM)
that estimates the battery’s temperature and state
of charge. It then adjusts the voltage for best
performance and extended life of the battery.
When the battery’s state of charge is low, the
voltage is raised slightly to quickly put the charge
back in. When the state of charge is high, the
voltage is lowered slightly to prevent overcharging.
If the vehicle has a voltmeter gage or voltage
display on the Driver Information Center (DIC), you
may see the voltage move up or down. This is
normal. If there is a problem, an alert will be
displayed.
165

The battery can be discharged at idle if the
electrical loads are very high. This is true for all
vehicles. This is because the generator (alternator)
may not be spinning fast enough at idle to
produce all the power that is needed for very high
electrical loads.
A high electrical load occurs when several of the
following loads are on: headlamps, high beams,
fog lamps, rear window defogger, climate
control fan at high speed, heated seats, engine
cooling fans, trailer loads, and loads plugged into
accessory power outlets.
EPM works to prevent excessive discharge of the
battery. It does this by balancing the generator’s
output and the vehicle’s electrical needs. It
can increase engine idle speed to generate more
power, whenever needed. It can temporarily
reduce the power demands of some accessories.
Normally, these actions occur in steps or levels,
without being noticeable. In rare cases at the
highest levels of corrective action, this action
may be noticeable to the driver. If so, a Driver
Information Center (DIC) message might be
displayed, such as Battery Saver Active or
Service Battery Charging System.If this message is displayed, it is recommended
that the driver reduce the electrical loads as much
as possible. SeeDIC Warnings and Messages
on page 199.
Battery Run-Down Protection
This vehicle has a feature to help prevent the
battery from being drained, if the interior courtesy
lamps, reading/map lamps, visor vanity lamps
or trunk lamp are accidentally left on. If any
of these lamps are left on, they will automatically
turn off after 10 minutes, if the ignition is off.
The lamps will not come back on again until
one of the following occurs:
The ignition is turned on.
The exterior lamps control is turned off, then
on again.
The headlamps will timeout after 10 minutes, if they
are manually turned on before the ignition is off.
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Rear Window Defogger
The rear window defogger uses a warming grid to
remove fog from the rear window.
<(Rear Window Defogger):The rear window
defogger will turn off automatically after it has
been activated for 10 minutes. It can be turned off
manually, by pressing the button again or by
turning the ignition to the OFF position. If additional
window clearing is required, the rear window
defogger can be turned on again for additional
window clearing. The length of defogger operation
will increase if the vehicle is being driven.
If your vehicle has heated outside rearview mirrors,
the mirrors will heat to help clear fog or frost
from the surface of the mirror when the rear
window defog button is pressed. SeeOutside
Power Mirrors on page 127.
Do not drive the vehicle until all the windows
are clear.
Notice:Do not use anything sharp on the
inside of the rear window. If you do, you could
cut or damage the warming grid, and the repairs
would not be covered by your warranty. Do not
attach a temporary vehicle license, tape, a decal
or anything similar to the defogger grid.
Outlet Adjustment
Use the thumbwheel located below or to the side of
the outlet, to change the direction of the air ow.
Operation Tips
Clear away any ice, snow or leaves from the
air inlets at the base of the windshield that
may block the ow of air into your vehicle.
Use of non-GM approved hood deectors may
adversely affect the performance of the
system.
Keep the path under the front seats clear of
objects to help circulate the air inside your
vehicle more effectively.
If the airow seems low when the fan is at the
highest setting, the passenger compartment
air lter, if equipped, may need to replaced.
For more information, seePassenger
Compartment Air Filter on page 173and
Scheduled Maintenance on page 408.
If fogging reoccurs while in vent or bi-level
modes with mild temperature throughout
the vehicle, turn on the air conditioner
to reduce windshield fogging.
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Passenger Compartment Air Filter
This vehicle has a passenger compartment
particulate air lter. It is located underneath the
hood just below the windshield wiper arm on
the passenger’s side of the vehicle, under the air
inlet grille.
The lter traps most of the pollen from air entering
the Climate Control System. Like your engine’s
air cleaner/lter, it may need to be changed
periodically to ensure system performance. For
information on how often to change the passenger
compartment air lter, seeScheduled Maintenance
on page 408.
To change the passenger compartment air lter,
use the following steps:
1. Turn off the ignition when the windshield
wipers are in the up position.
2. Raise the vehicle hood.
3. Peel back the hood weatherstrip from the
passenger’s side of the vehicle halfway
to center.4. Remove the air inlet grille retainers.
5. Lift the air inlet grille and disconnect the
washer hose at the quick-connect.
6. Remove the air inlet grille.
7. Remove the water deector plate.
8. Remove the old passenger compartment
air lter.
9. Reverse the steps to install the new air lter.
For best climate control system performance,
be sure to re-install the air lter.
For the type of lter to use, seeNormal
Maintenance Replacement Parts on page 419.
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Airbag Readiness Light
There is an airbag readiness light on the
instrument panel, which shows the airbag symbol.
The system checks the airbag’s electrical
system for malfunctions. The light tells you if there
is an electrical problem. The system check
includes the airbag sensors, the airbag modules,
the wiring and the crash sensing and diagnostic
module. For more information on the airbag
system, seeAirbag System on page 68.
This light will come on
when you start your
vehicle, and it will ash
for a few seconds.
Then the light should go
out. This means the
system is ready.
If the airbag readiness light stays on after you
start the vehicle or comes on when you are driving,
your airbag system may not work properly.
Have your vehicle serviced right away.{CAUTION:
If the airbag readiness light stays on after
you start your vehicle, it means the airbag
system may not be working properly. The
airbags in your vehicle may not inate in
a crash, or they could even inate without
a crash. To help avoid injury to yourself
or others, have your vehicle serviced right
away if the airbag readiness light stays on
after you start your vehicle.
The airbag readiness light should ash for a few
seconds when you turn the ignition key to RUN.
If the light does not come on then, have it xed so
it will be ready to warn you if there is a problem.
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Charging System Light
The charging system
light will come on briey
when you turn on
the ignition, but the
engine is not running,
as a check to show you
it is working.
It should go out once the engine is running.
If it stays on, or comes on while you are driving,
you may have a problem with the charging system.
It could indicate that you have problems with a
generator drive belt, or another electrical problem.
Have it checked right away. Driving while this
light is on could drain your battery.
If you must drive a short distance with the light on,
be certain to turn off all your accessories, such
as the radio and air conditioner.
Brake System Warning Light
Your vehicle’s hydraulic brake system is divided
into two parts. If one part is not working, the other
part can still work and stop you. For good braking,
though, you need both parts working well.
If the warning light comes on, there is a brake
problem. Have your brake system inspected
right away.
This light should come on briey when you turn
the ignition key to RUN. If it does not come
on then, have it xed so it will be ready to warn
you if there is a problem.
United StatesCanada
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