PONTIAC GRAND PRIX 2005 Owners Manual

The main components of the instrument panel are the
following:
A. Side Window Defogger Outlets. SeeOutlet
Adjustment on page 3-33.
B. Air Outlets. SeeOutlet Adjustment on page 3-33.
C. Exterior Lamps Control. SeeExterior Lamps
on page 3-14.
D. TAP-Shift™ Control (If Equipped). SeeAutomatic
Transaxle Operation on page 2-25.
E. Hazard Warning Flashers Button. SeeHazard
Warning Flashers on page 3-5.
F. Instrument Panel Cluster. SeeInstrument Panel
Cluster on page 3-36.
G. Windshield Wiper Lever. SeeWindshield Wiper
Lever on page 3-9.
H. Ignition. SeeIgnition Positions on page 2-22.
I. Driver Information Center (DIC). SeeDriver
Information Center (DIC) on page 3-49.
J. Audio System. SeeAudio System(s) on page 3-92.
K. Audio Steering Wheel Controls (If Equipped).
SeeAudio Steering Wheel Controls on page 3-133.
L. Hood Release. SeeHood Release on page 5-10.
M. Tilt Steering Wheel Lever, on Steering Column.
SeeTilt Wheel on page 3-6.N. Interior Lamps Brightness Control. SeeInterior
Lamps on page 3-17.
O. Cruise Control. SeeCruise Control on page 3-10.
P. Climate Controls. SeeClimate Control System
on page 3-26.
Q. Glove Box. SeeGlove Box on page 2-38.
R. Instrument Panel Fuse Block. SeeInstrument Panel
Fuse Block on page 5-104.
Hazard 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.
The hazard warning
asher button is
located on top of the
steering column.
Your hazard warning ashers work no matter what
position your key is in, and even if the key is not in
the ignition.
3-5

Press the button to make the front and rear turn signal
lamps ash on and off. Press the button again to
turn the ashers off.
When the hazard warning ashers are on, your turn
signals will not work.
Other Warning Devices
If you carry reective triangles, you can set them up at
the side of the road about 300 feet (100 m) behind
your vehicle.
Horn
Press the vehicle’s steering wheel pad to sound the horn.
Tilt Wheel
A tilt wheel enables the position of the steering wheel to
be adjusted. The lever that lets the steering wheel tilt
is located on the outboard side of the steering column.
To tilt the steering wheel, hold it and pull the lever.
Move the steering wheel to a comfortable driving
position and release the lever to lock it into place.
Tilt the steering wheel to the highest position to give
more room when exiting and entering the vehicle.
3-6

Turn and Lane-Change Signals
To signal a turn, move the lever all the way up or down.
The lever returns automatically when the turn is
complete.
An arrow on the instrument
panel cluster will ash in
the direction of the
turn or lane change.
If the vehicle is equipped with the Head-Up-Display
(HUD), the turn signals will appear in the HUD
area when making turns or lane changes. SeeHead-Up
Display (HUD) on page 3-20for more information.
Raise or lower the lever until the arrow starts to ash
to signal a lane change. Hold it there until the lane
change is complete. The lever returns to its original
position when it is released.Arrows that ash rapidly when signaling for a turn or
lane change may be caused by a burned-out signal bulb.
Other driver’s will not see the signal.
Replace burned-out bulbs to help avoid possible
accidents. SeeReplacement Bulbs on page 5-56,Front
Turn Signal, Parking and Fog Lamps on page 5-53,
andTaillamps, Turn Signal, and Stoplamps on
page 5-54. Also, check the fuse for burned-out bulbs
if a turn signal arrow fails to work when signaling a turn.
SeeFuses and Circuit Breakers on page 5-103for
location information.
Turn Signal On Chime
If the turn signal is left on for approximately one mile
(1.61 km), a warning chime will sound and the
TURN SIGNAL ON warning message will appear on
the Driver Information Center (DIC) display. See “Turn
Signal On” underDIC Warnings and Messages on
page 3-69.
3-7

Headlamp High/Low-Beam Changer
Push forward on the exterior lamps control lever to
change the headlamps from low to high-beam. Pull the
lever back and then release it to change from high
to low-beam.
This symbol appears
on the instrument
panel cluster when the
high-beam lamps are on.
When the high-beam headlamps are on, the fog lamps
will not be on. If the vehicle is equipped with the
Head-Up-Display (HUD) an arrow will appear in the
HUD area indicating that the high-beams are on.
SeeHead-Up Display (HUD) on page 3-20for more
information.
Flash-to-Pass
This feature allows the use of the high-beam headlamps
to signal the driver in front of you that you want to pass.
Pull and hold the exterior lamps control lever to use this
feature. When this is done, the following will occur:
The high-beam headlamps will turn on, while
the headlamps are off, in low-beam, or in Daytime
Running Lamps (DRL) mode. They will stay on
as long as the lever is held in this position. Release
the lever to turn them off.
The headlamps will switch to low beam if the
headlamps had been in the high-beam mode.
To return to high-beam, push the lever.
If the vehicle is equipped with the Head-Up Display
(HUD), an arrow will appear on the display to indicate
that the high beams are on.
3-8

Windshield Wiper Lever
N(Windshield Wipers):The lever with this symbol,
located on the right side of the steering column,
operates the windshield wipers.
9(Off):Lower the lever to its original position to turn
the wipers off.
&(Delay):Push the lever up once to this position to
set a delay between wiping cycles. Turn the delay
adjustment band to set the length of the delay.
x(Delay Adjustment):Turn the band, located on
the left of the windshield wiper lever, to set the length of
the delay between wiper cycles when using the delay
feature. There are ve delay adjustment settings.
Turn the band up to make the delays shorter in between
wiper cycles. Turn the band down to make the delays
longer between wiper cycles. The windshield wiper lever
must be in delay for this feature to work.
6(Low Speed):Push the lever up to the second
position for steady wiping cycles at a slow speed.
1(High Speed):Push the lever up to the third
position for steady wiping cycles at a high speed.
7(Mist):For a single wiping cycle, push the lever
down once and let go. The wipers will stop after one
cycle. For additional cycles, hold the lever down.
Be sure to clear ice and snow from the wiper blades
before using them. If they are frozen to the windshield,
gently loosen or thaw them. Damaged wiper blades may
not clear the windshield well, making it harder to see and
drive safely. If the blades do become damaged, install
new blades or blade inserts. For more information, see
Windshield Wiper Blade Replacement on page 5-57.
Heavy snow or ice can overload the wiper motor. A
circuit breaker will stop the motor until it cools down.
Clear away snow or ice to prevent an overload.
3-9

About 30 seconds after the wipers are on, the
headlamps, taillamps, and instrument panel lighting will
come on, and the Driver Information Center (DIC)
back lighting will decrease to the night time mode. About
ten seconds after the wipers are turned off, all the
lamps will go back to the AUTO (Automatic) mode.
Windshield Washer
{CAUTION:
In freezing weather, do not use your washer
until the windshield is warmed. Otherwise the
washer uid can form ice on the windshield,
blocking your vision.
The windshield washer button is located at the end of
the windshield wiper lever.
K(Washer Fluid):Press this button to activate the
washer uid to spray onto the windshield. The wipers
will run for a few cycles to clear the windshield. For more
wash cycles, press and hold the button.If the vehicle is low on washer uid, the LOW WASHER
FLUID message will appear on the Driver Information
Center (DIC) display. See “LOW WASHER FLUID”
underDIC Warnings and Messages on page 3-69for
more information.
Cruise Control
{CAUTION:
Cruise control can be dangerous where you
cannot drive safely at a steady speed. So, do
not 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. Do not use cruise
control on slippery roads.
3-10

The cruise control lever
is located below the
windshield wiper control
on the right side of
the steering wheel.
JON/OFFq:Press the button on the end of the
lever to turn the cruise control on. Press it again to turn
cruise control off.
A CRUISE SYSTEM ON message will briey appear on
the Driver Information Center (DIC) when the cruise
control system is turned on. A CRUISE SYSTEM OFF
message will briey appear on the DIC when the
cruise control system is turned off. SeeDIC Warnings
and Messages on page 3-69.
QRES + (Resume/Accelerate):Push the lever up
to resume the cruise control speed, or to accelerate
when passing another vehicle.
RSET — (Set/Coast/Decelerate):Push the lever
down to set the cruise speed. If the cruise speed
is already set this position can be used to coast or
decelerate from a higher speed.
CANCEL
R:Pull the lever to cancel the cruise
control speed.
Cruise control allows a speed of approximately
25 mph (40 km/h) or more to be maintained without
keeping your foot on the accelerator. This is helpful
on long trips. Cruise control does not work at speeds
below about 25 mph (40 km/h).
When the brakes are applied, the cruise control
shuts off.
If the vehicle is in cruise control and either the
Traction Control System (TCS) or the Enhanced
Traction System (ETS) begins to limit wheel spin, the
cruise control will automatically disengage. SeeTraction
Control System (TCS) on page 4-9andEnhanced
Traction System (ETS) on page 4-10. When road
conditions allow, the cruise control can be used again.
3-11

Setting Cruise Control
{CAUTION:
If you leave your cruise control on when you
are not using cruise, you might hit a button
and go into cruise when you do not want to.
You could be startled and even lose control.
Keep the cruise control switch off until you
want to use cruise control.
1. Push the button at the end of the cruise control
lever to turn the cruise control on.
2. Accelerate to the desired speed.
3. Push down on the cruise control lever and release
it. This will set the speed in cruise control.
4. Remove your foot from the accelerator pedal.This symbol, along with
the CRUISE SET
message, will briey
appear in the Driver
Information Center (DIC)
when the cruise control
is set.
The CRUISE SET message will also appear briey on
the Head-Up Display (HUD), if equipped, when the
cruise control lever is pushed to the minus
(set/coast/decelerate) or the plus (resume/accelerate)
positions.
A cruise control light will also appear on the instrument
panel cluster when the cruise control is on. This
message will disappear when the brakes are applied or
the cruise control is cancelled. It will reappear when
the set cruise speed is resumed. The message will go
out when the cruise control is turned off. SeeCruise
Control Light on page 3-48.
3-12

Resuming a Set Speed
If the cruise control is set at a desired speed and then
the brakes are applied, the cruise control shuts off.
But the cruise control does not need to be reset.
Once the vehicle is traveling approximately 25 mph
(40 km/h) or more, the cruise control lever can be
pushed upward toward the plus (resume/accelerate)
position to return to the preset cruise speed.
The vehicle will return to and stay at the preset cruise
speed. If the cruise control lever is pushed up and
held toward the plus (resume/accelerate) position, the
vehicle speed will increase until the lever is released or
the brakes are applied. Do not continue to hold the
lever in the plus (resume/accelerate) position, unless
a faster speed is desired.
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. Push up on the cruise control lever toward
the plus (resume/accelerate) position, then
release the lever and take your foot off the
accelerator pedal. The vehicle will now cruise at
the higher speed.
Push up and hold the cruise control lever toward
the plus (resume/accelerate) position until the
vehicle reaches the desired speed. Then release
the cruise control lever. To increase the vehicle’s
speed in very small amounts, push up briey on the
cruise control lever and release it. Each time this
is done, the vehicle will speed up approximately
one mph (1.6 km/h).
The acceleration feature will only work after the cruise
control speed has been set by pushing the cruise control
lever down to the set position.
Reducing Speed While Using
Cruise Control
There are two ways to reduce the vehicle’s speed while
using cruise control:
Push the cruise control lever downward toward the
minus (set/coast/decelerate) position until a lower
speed is reached, then release it.
To slow down in very small amounts, push the
cruise control lever downward toward the minus
(set/coast/decelerate) position briey. Each time this
is done, the vehicle will slow down approximately
one mph (1.6 km/h).
3-13

Passing Another Vehicle While Using
Cruise Control
Use the accelerator pedal to increase the vehicle’s
speed. When you take your foot off the pedal, the vehicle
will slow down to the cruise control speed set earlier.
Using Cruise Control on Hills
How well the cruise control will work on hills depends
upon the vehicle’s speed, its load, and the steepness of
the hills. When going up steep hills, the accelerator pedal
might have to be used in order to maintain the vehicle’s
speed. When going downhill, the brakes might have to be
applied, or the transaxle might have to be shifted to a
lower gear to keep the vehicle’s speed down. Doing
either of these things will take the vehicle out of cruise.
It may be better not to use the cruise control if the brakes
constantly have to be applied, or the vehicle continuously
needs to be shifted to a lower gear.
Cancelling Cruise Control
To cancel a cruise control session, pull the cruise
control lever forward, or step lightly on the brake pedal.
Doing either of these things will only end the current
cruise control session, but the set speed will be retained
in memory.
Push the button at the end of the cruise control lever to
turn the system off.
Erasing Speed Memory
When the cruise control or the ignition is turned off, the
cruise control set speed memory is erased.
Exterior Lamps
The lever on the left side of the steering column
operates the exterior lamps.
P(Exterior Lamp Control):Turn the outside band on
the lever with this symbol to operate the exterior
lamps, except for the fog lamps.
O(Off):Turn the outside band to this position to turn
the headlamps off.
3-14