GMC SONOMA 2003 Owner's Manual

The main components of your vehicle’s instrument
panel are the following:
A. Air Outlets
B. Instrument Panel Cluster
C. Electronic Transfer Case Switch (If Equipped)
D. Lamp Controls
E. Fog Lamp Button (If Equipped)
F. Brake Release
G. Turn Signal/Multifunction Lever
H. Horn
I. Passenger Air Bag Off Switch (If Equipped)
J. Ashtray
K. Climate Controls
L. Accessory Power Outlets (If Equipped)
M. Heated Outside Rearview Mirror Button (If Equipped)
N. Audio System
O. Glove BoxHazard Warning Flashers
Your hazard warning ashers let you warn others. They
also let police know you have a problem. Your front
and rear turn signal lamps will ash on and off.
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The hazard warning
asher button is located
on the top of the steering
column.
Your hazard warningashers work no matter what
position your key is in, and even if the key isn’t in.
Press the button to make the front and rear turn signal
lampsash on and off. Press the button again to
turn theashers off.
Whenthe hazard warningashers are on, your turn
signals won’t work. Theashers will stop if you step on
the brake.
Other Warning Devices
If you carry reective triangles, you can set one up at
the side of the road about 300 feet (100 m) behind
your vehicle.
Horn
To sound the horn, press the horn symbol on the
steering wheel pad.
Tilt Wheel
A tilt wheel allows you to adjust the steering wheel before
you drive. If you have the tilt steering wheel, you can
raise it to the highest level to allow more room for the
driver to enter and exit the vehicle.
The tilt lever is located
on the driver’s side of the
steering column, under
the turn signal lever.
To tilt, hold the steering wheel and pull the tilt lever
toward you. Move the wheel to a comfortable level, then
release the tilt lever to lock the wheel in place.
Do not adjust the steering wheel while driving.
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Turn Signal/Multifunction Lever
The lever on the left side of the steering column
includes the following:
Turn and Lane-Change Signals
Headlamp High/Low-Beam Changer
Flash-to-Pass Feature
Windshield Wipers
Windshield Washer
Cruise Control (If Equipped)
Turn and Lane-Change Signals
The turn signal has two upward (for right) and two
downward (for left) positions. These positions allow you
to signal a turn or a lane change.
To signal a turn, move the lever all the way up or
down. When the turn isnished, the lever will return
automatically.
An arrow on the
instrument panel cluster
willash in the direction of
the turn or lane change.
To signal a lane change, just raise or lower the lever
until the arrow starts toash. Hold it there until you
complete your lane change. The lever will return by itself
when you release it.
As you signal a turn or a lane change, if the arrows
don’tash but just stay on, a signal bulb may be burned
out and other drivers won’t see your turn signal.
If a bulb is burned out, replace it to help avoid an
accident. If the arrows don’t go on at all when you signal
a turn, check the fuse (seeFuses and Circuit Breakers
on page 5-89) and for burned-out bulbs.
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Turn Signal On Chime
If your turn signal is left on for more than 3/4 of a mile
(1.2 km), a chime will sound at eachash of the
turn signal. To turn off the chime, move the turn signal
lever to the off position.
Headlamp High/Low-Beam Changer
To change the headlamps from low to high beam or high
to low beam, pull the multifunction lever all the way
toward you until you hear a click. Then release it.
When the high-beam
headlamps are on, this
indicator light on the
instrument panel cluster
will also be on.
Flash-To-Pass Feature
This feature lets you use your high-beam headlamps to
signal a driver in front of you that you want to pass.
It works even if your headlamps are in the automatic
position.
To use it, pull the turn signal lever toward you, but not
so far that you hear a click.
If your headlamps are in the automatic position or on
low beam, your high-beam headlamps will turn on.
They’ll stay on as long as you hold the lever toward you
and the high-beam indicator on the dash will come
on. Release the lever to return to normal operation.
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Windshield Wipers
N
WIPER:Turn the band with this symbol on it to
operate the windshield wipers.
MIST:Turn the band to MIST for a single wiping cycle.
Hold it until the windshield wipers start. Then let it
go. The windshield wipers will stop after one wipe. If
you want more wipes, hold the band on MIST longer.
OFF:Turn the band to OFF to turn off the windshield
wipers.
LO (Low Speed):Turn the band away from you to
LO and past the delay settings for steady wiping at
low speed.
HI (High Speed):Turn the band away from you,
to HI, and past the delay settings for wiping steady at
high speed.
Delayed Wiping:You can set the wiper speed for a
long or short delay between wipes. Turn the band
to choose the delay time. The closer to LO, the shorter
the delay.Be sure to clear ice and snow from the wiper blades
before using them. If they’re frozen to the windshield,
carefully loosen or thaw them. If your blades do become
worn or damaged, get new blades or blade inserts.
Heavy snow or ice can overload your wipers. A circuit
breaker will stop them until the motor cools. Clear away
snow or ice to prevent an overload.
Windshield Washer
J
PUSH:Use this paddle to spray washeruid on the
windshield. The wipers will clear the window and then
either stop or return to your preset speed.
{CAUTION:
In freezing weather, don’t use your washer
until the windshield is warmed. Otherwise the
washer fluid can form ice on the windshield,
blocking your vision.
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Cruise Control
If your vehicle is equipped
with cruise control, it is
located on a band at
the end of your turn
signal/multifunction lever.
You can maintain a speed of about 25 mph (40 km/h)
or more without keeping your foot on the accelerator.
This can really help on long trips. Cruise control
does not work at speeds below about 25 mph (40 km/h).{CAUTION:
•Cruise control can be dangerous where
you can’t drive safely at a steady speed.
So, don’t use your cruise control on
winding roads or in heavy traffic.
•Cruise control can be dangerous on
slippery roads. On such roads, fast
changes in tire traction can cause needless
wheel spinning, and you could lose control.
Don’t use cruise control on slippery roads.
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Setting Cruise Control
{CAUTION:
If you leave your cruise control on when you’re
not using cruise, you might hit a button and go
into cruise when you don’t want to. You could
be startled and even lose control. Keep the
cruise control switch off until you want to use
cruise control.
1. Move the cruise control switch to ON.
2. Get up to the speed you want.
3. Press in the SET button located at the end of the
lever and release it.
4. Take your foot off the accelerator pedal.
Resuming a Set Speed
Suppose you set your cruise control at a desired speed
and then you apply the brake. This, of course, shuts
off cruise control. But you don’t need to reset it.
Once you’re going about 25 mph (40 km/h) or more,
you can move the cruise control switch briey from
ON to R/A (Resume/Accelerate).
You’ll go right back up to your chosen speed and
stay there.If you hold the switch at R/A, the vehicle will keep going
faster until you release the switch or apply the brake.
You could be startled and even lose control. So unless
you want to go faster, don’t hold the switch at R/A.
Increasing Speed While Using Cruise
Control
There are two ways to go to a higher speed:
Use the accelerator pedal to get to the higher
speed. Press the SET button at the end of the lever,
then release the button and the accelerator pedal.
You’ll now cruise at the higher speed.
Move the cruise switch from ON to R/A. Hold it
there until you get up to the speed you want,
and then release the switch. To increase your speed
in very small amounts, briey move the switch to
R/A. Each time you do this, your vehicle will
go about 1 mph (1.6 km/h) faster.
Reducing Speed While Using Cruise
Control

Press the SET button at the end of the lever until you
reach the lower speed you want, then release it.
To slow down in very small amounts, press the SET
button briey. Each time you do this, you’ll go about
1 mph (1.6 km/h) slower.
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Passing Another Vehicle While Using
Cruise Control
Use the accelerator pedal to increase your speed.
When you take your foot off the pedal, your vehicle will
slow down to the cruise control speed you set earlier.
Using Cruise Control on Hills
How well your cruise control will work on hills depends
upon your speed, load and the steepness of the
hills. When going up steep hills, you may want to step
on the accelerator pedal to maintain your speed.
When going downhill, you may have to brake or shift to
a lower gear to keep your speed down. Of course,
applying the brake takes you out of cruise control. Many
driversnd this to be too much trouble and don’t use
cruise control on steep hills.
Ending Cruise Control
There are two ways to turn off the cruise control:
Step lightly on the brake pedal or push the clutch
pedal, if you have a manual transmission.
If you have an automatic transmission and you
apply your brakes, the cruise control will shut off.
Move the cruise switch to OFF.
Erasing Speed Memory
When you turn off the cruise control or the ignition, your
cruise control set speed memory is erased.
Exterior Lamps
The control on the driver’s side of the instrument panel
operates the exterior lamps.
The exterior lamp control has three positions:
9(Off):Turn the exterior lamps control all the way
counterclockwise to turn off the lamps and put the
system in automatic headlamp mode.
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;(Parking Lamps):Turning the exterior lamps
control to this position turns on the parking lamps
together with the following:
Sidemarker Lamps
Taillamps
License Plate Lamps
Instrument Panel Lights
O(Headlamps):Turning the exterior lamps control to
this position turns on the headlamps, together with
the previously listed lamps and lights.
Automatic Headlamp System
When it is dark enough outside, your automatic
headlamp system will turn on your headlamps at the
normal brightness along with other lamps such as
the taillamps, sidemarker, parking lamps and the
instrument panel lights. The radio lights will also be dim.
Your vehicle is equipped with a light sensor on the
top of the instrument panel under the radio speaker grill.
Be sure it is not covered or the system will be on
whenever the ignition is on.
The system may also turn on your headlamps when
driving through a parking garage, heavy overcast
weather or a tunnel. This is normal.There is a delay in the transition between the daytime
and nighttime operation of the Daytime Running
Lamps (DRL) and the automatic headlamp systems so
that driving under bridges or bright overhead street
lights does not affect the system. The DRL and
automatic headlamp system will only be affected when
the light sensor sees a change in lighting lasting
longer than the delay.
To idle your vehicle with the automatic headlamp
system off, set the parking brake while the ignition is off.
Then start your vehicle. The automatic headlamp
system will stay off until you release the parking brake.
As with any vehicle, you should turn on the regular
headlamps when you need them.
You may be able to turn off your automatic headlamp
system. See“Daytime Running Lamps (DRL)”later
in this section for more information.
If you start your vehicle in a dark garage, the automatic
headlamp system will come on immediately. Once
you leave the garage, it will take approximately
one minute for the automatic headlamp system to
change to DRL if it is light outside. During that delay,
your instrument panel cluster may not be as bright
as usual. Make sure your instrument panel brightness
control is in the full bright position. See“Instrument
Panel Brightness Control”underInterior Lamps
on page 3-14.
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Lamps On Reminder
A reminder chime will sound when your headlamps or
parking lamps are manually turned on, the driver’s door
is opened and your ignition is in OFF, LOCK or
ACCESSORY. To turn the chime off, turn the control
counterclockwise or turn the instrument panel brightness
thumbwheel down to the fully dimmed position. In the
automatic mode, the headlamps turn off once the ignition
key is in OFF.
Daytime Running Lamps
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.The DRL system will make your headlamps come on
at reduced brightness when the following conditions
are met:
The ignition is on,
the exterior lamp control is in OFF,
the sensor detects daytime light,
an automatic transmission is not in PARK (P), and
the parking brake is released.
When the DRL are on, only your headlamps will be on.
The taillamps, sidemarker and other lamps won’tbe
on. The instrument panel won’t be lit up either.
When it begins to get dark, the headlamps will
automatically switch from DRL to the regular headlamps.
The DRL system on some vehicles may turn off
temporarily while the turn signals are activated.
To idle an automatic transmission vehicle with the DRL
off, put the transmission in PARK (P). To idle a
manual transmission vehicle with the DRL off, set the
parking brake. The DRL will stay off until you shift out of
PARK (P) or release the parking brake.
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