Oldsmobile Alero 2003 Owner's Manuals

Hazard Warning Flashers
Your hazard warning flashers let you warn others. They
also let police know you have a problem. Your front
and rear turn signal lamps will flash on and
off.
The hazard warning
flasher is located near
the center of the
instrument panel.
Your hazard warning flashers 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
lamps flash on and
off. Press the button again to
turn the flashers off.
When the hazard warning flashers are on, your turn
signals won't work.
Other Warning Devices
If you carry reflective triangles, you can set one up at
the side of the road about
300 feet (100 m) behind
your vehicle.
Horn
You can sound the horn by pressing the horn symbol on
your steering wheel.
3-6

Tilt Wheel
A tilt wheel allows you to adjust the steering wheel
before you drive. You can raise it to the highest level to
give your legs more room when you exit and enter
your vehicle.
The lever that allows you to tilt the steering wheel is
located on the left side of the steering column.
Turn SignaVMultifunction Lever
I I
To tilt the wheel, hold the wheel and pull the lever
toward you. Then move the wheel
to a comfortable
position and release
the iever to iock the wheei in piace. 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
For information on the exterior lamps. See
Exterior
Lamps on page 3-13 later in this section.
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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 is finished, the lever will return
automatically.
An arrow on the instrument
panel cluster will flash in
the direction
of the
turn or lane change.
To signal a lane change, just raise or lower the lever
until the arrow starts to flash. 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
flash rapidly, 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 for burned-out bulbs and then check the
fuse. See
Fuses and Circuit Breakers on page 5-81.
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 each flash of the
turn signal.
To turn off the chime, move the turn signal
lever to the
off position.
Headlamps On Reminder
If you open the driver’s door and turn off the ignition
while leaving the lamps on, you will hear a warning
chime.
Headlamp High/Low-Beam Changer
To change the headlamps from low beam to high
beam, push the turn signaVmultifunction lever away
from you.
When the high beams are
on, a light on the
instrument panel cluster
will come on
if the ignition
is in
ON.
To change the headlamps from high beam to low beam,
pull the turn signal lever toward you.
3-8

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.
To use it, pull the turn signaVmultifunction lever toward
you until the high-beam headlamps come on, then
release the lever to turn them
off.
Windshield Wipers
Use this lever located on the right side of the steering
wheel
to operate the windshield wipers.
OFF: Move the lever to OFF to turn off the windshield
wipers.
INT (Intermittent): Move the lever to INT to choose a
delayed wiping cycle. Turn the INT ADJ band down
for a longer delay or up for a shorter delay. The further
the INT ADJ band is turned upward, the shorter the
delay will be and the further the INT ADJ band is turned
downward, the longer the delay will be. The wiper
speed can only be adjusted when the lever is in the INT
position. Use this position for light rain or snow.
LO
(Low Speed): Move the lever up to the first setting
past INT, for steady wiping at low speed.
HI (High Speed): Move the lever up to the second
setting past INT, for steady wiping at high speed.
MIST: Move the lever all the way down to MIST for a
single wiping cycle. Hold it there until the windshield
wipers start; then let go. The windshield wipers will stop
after one wipe. If you want more wipes, hold the
band on mist longer.
Remember that damaged wiper blades may prevent you
damage, 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 damaged, get new blades or blade inserts.
Heavy snow or Ice can overload your wiper motor-
A circuit breaker will stop the motor until it cools. Clear
away snow or ice
to prevent an overload.
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Windshield Washer Cruise Control
To wash your windshield, push in the button at the end
0 er until the washers begin.
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.
I I
When you release the button, the washers will stop, but
the wipers will continue to wipe about three times or
will resume the speed you were using before.
1
If your vehicle has this feature, the cruise control
buttons are located on the steering wheel.
With cruise control, 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
25 mph (40 km/h).
3-1 0

The cruise control will turn off when any of the
following occur:
The brakes are applied,
the clutch is applied (manual transaxle),
the parking brake is applied, or
the brake system warning light is on.
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.
0 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.
If your vehicle is in cruise control when the enhanced
traction system,
if your vehicle has this feature, begins to
limit wheel spin, the cruise control will automatically
disengx~e. See Enhanced Trac?im Sys?m (ETSI ar?
page 4-9. When road conditions allow you to safely use
it again, you may turn the cruise control back on.
:ing Cruise Contrc
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. Press the cruise control
ON OFF button. The
indicator light above the button will turn on.
2. Get up to the speed you want.
3. Press the CST SET (Coast Set) button and release
it. The
CRUISE light on the instrument panel cluster
will come on.
3-1 1

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 the cruise control. But you don’t need to reset
it. Once you’re going about
25 mph (40 km/h) or more,
you can press the cruise control RES ACCL
(Resume/Accelerate) button for about half a second.
You’ll go right back up to your chosen speed and
stay there.
If you press the RES ACCL button longer than half a
second, the vehicle will keep going faster until you
release the button or apply the brake.
So unless you
want to go faster, don’t hold down the RES ACCL
button.
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 CST SET button, then release the
button and the accelerator pedal.
You’ll now
cruise at the higher speed.
Press the RES ACCL button. Hold it there until you
get up to the speed you want, and then release the
button.
To increase your speed in very small
amounts, press the RES ACCL button for less than
half a second and then release it. Each time you
do this, your vehicle will go about
1 mph (1.6 km/h)
faster.
The accelerate feature will only work after you turn on
the cruise control by pressing the CST SET button.
Reducing Speed While Using Cruise
Control
There are two ways to reduce your speed while using
cruise control:
Press the CST SET button until you reach the lower
speed you want, then release it.
To slow down in very small amounts, press the
CST SET button for less than half a second.
Each time you do this, you’ll go
1 mph (1.6 km/h)
slower.
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.
3-1 2

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 have 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
drivers find this to be too much trouble and don’t use
cruise control on steep hills.
Ending Cruise Control
There are five ways to turn off the cruise control:
Step on the brake pedal.
Press the cruise control CANCEL button.
Press the cruise control RES ACCL button and the
CST SET buttons at the same time.
Press the cruise control ON OFF button. The
indicator liqht above the cruise control button
will turn
of.
Push the clutch pedal if your vehicle has a manual
transaxle.
Erasing Speed Memory
When you turn off the cruise control or the ignition, your
cruise control set speed memory
is erased.
Exterior Lamps
I
The lever on the left side of the steering column
operates the exterior lamps.
-p- (Exterior Lamps): Turn the outside part of the
lever with the symbol on it, to operate the lamps.
3-1 3

The exterior lamps control has three positions:
pf (Parking Lamps): Turn the control to this position
to turn on the parking lamps, together with the
following.
Sidemarker Lamps
Taillamps
License Plate Lamps
0 Instrument Panel Lights
- - EO (Headlamps): Turn the control to this position to
turn on the headlamps, together with the previously
listed lamps and lights.
AUTO: Turn the control to this position to turn the
headlamps, taillamps and parking lamps on and
off automatically while the ignition is on, by sensing how
dark it is outside. For more information see Automatic
Headlamp System later in this section.
Daytime Running Lamps (DRL)
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
first sold in Canada. The DRL
system will make your low-beam headlamps
come on at a reduced brightness when the following
conditions are met:
The ignition is on.
the exterior lamps control is in AUTO or the parking
the light sensor detects daytime light,
lamps
only position.
the parking brake is released, and
the shift lever is not in PARK (P) on vehicles with
When the DRL system
is on, the taillamps, sidemarker
lamps, parking lamps and instrument panel lights
will not be illuminated unless you have turned the
exterior lamps control to the parking lamp position.
As with any vehicle, you should turn on the regular
headlamp system when you need it. an
automatic transaxle only.
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 defroster grill,
so
be sure it is not covered which will cause the system
to be on whenever the ignition
is on.
3-1 4

The system may also be on 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 DRL and the Automatic
Headlamp System
so that driving under bridges or bright
overhead street lights does not affect the system. The
DRL and Automatic Headlamp Systems will only be
affected when the light sensor sees a change in lighting
lasting longer than this delay.
To idle your vehicle with the system off, set the parkin9
brake while the ignition is
off. Then start the vehicle.
The 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.
Headlamps Off in PARK (P)
To turn the headlamps off when it is dark outside, turn
the exterior lamps control
to the parking lamp position.
In this position, the parking lamps, sidemarker lamps,
taillamps, license plate lamps and instrument panel
lights will be on, but the headlamps will be off.
To turn on the headlamps along with the other lamps
when it is dark outside, turn the exterior lamps control
to
the AUTO or headlamp position.
Delayed Headlamps
The delayed headlamps feature will continue to
illuminate the headlamps for
20 seconds after the key is
turned to
OFF, then the headlamps will automatically
turn off.
To override the
20 second delayed headlamp feature
while it is active turn the turn signal/muItifunction
lever up one position and then back
to AUTO.
Fog Lamps
If your vehicle has this feature, the button for your fog
lamps is located on the instrument panel, to the left
of the steering wheel, beside the instrument panel
brightness thumbwheel.
When using the fog lamps, the ignition must be on as
well as the parking lamps or the low-beam headlamps.
Press the button to turn the fog lamps on. An indicator
light on the button will glow when the fog lamps are on.
Press the button again to turn the fog lamps off.
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headlamps are turned on. When the high beams
are turned off, the fog lamps will come on again.
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