PONTIAC GRAND PRIX 2008 Owners Manual

The main components of the instrument panel are the following:
A. Side Window Defogger Outlets. SeeOutlet
Adjustment on page 3-36.
B. Air Outlets. SeeOutlet Adjustment on page 3-36.
C. Turn Signal/Multifunction Lever and Cruise Controls.
SeeTurn Signal/Multifunction Lever on page 3-7
andCruise Control on page 3-12.
D. TAP-Shift
®Control (If Equipped). SeeAutomatic
Transmission Operation on page 2-28.
E. Hazard Warning Flashers Button. SeeHazard
Warning Flashers on page 3-6.
F. Instrument Panel Cluster. SeeInstrument Panel
Cluster on page 3-39.
G. Windshield Wiper Lever. SeeWindshield Wiper
Lever on page 3-10.
H. Ignition. SeeIgnition Positions on page 2-23.
I. Driver Information Center (DIC) (If Equipped). See
Driver Information Center (DIC) on page 3-55.
J. Audio System. SeeAudio System(s) on page 3-94.
K. Audio Steering Wheel Controls (If Equipped).
SeeAudio Steering Wheel Controls on page 3-115.L. Hood Release. SeeHood Release on page 5-11.
M. Tilt Steering Wheel Lever, on Steering Column.
SeeTilt Wheel on page 3-7.
N. Interior Lamps Brightness Control. SeeInterior
Lamps on page 3-19.
O. Passenger Air Bag Status Indicator. SeePassenger
Airbag Status Indicator on page 3-43.
P. Climate Controls. SeeClimate Control System
on page 3-28.
Q. Shift Lever. SeeAutomatic Transmission Operation
on page 2-28.
R. Traction Control Button (If Equipped). SeeTraction
Control System (TCS) on page 4-6.
S. Head Up Display (HUD) Control (If Equipped).
SeeHead-Up Display (HUD) on page 3-23.
T. Glove Box. SeeGlove Box on page 2-43.
U. Instrument Panel Fuse Block. SeeInstrument Panel
Fuse Block on page 5-122.
3-5

Hazard Warning Flashers
The hazard warning ashers warn others. They also let
the police and other emergency vehicles know you
have a problem.
The hazard warning asher
button is located on top of
the steering column.
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.The hazard warning ashers work no matter what
ignition position the key is in, and even if the key is not
in the ignition.
When the hazard warning ashers are on, your vehicle’s
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 on or near the horn symbols on the steering
wheel pad to sound the horn.
3-6

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.
Turn Signal/Multifunction Lever
The lever on the left side of the steering column
includes the following:
GTurn and Lane-Change Signals. SeeTurn and
Lane-Change Signals on page 3-8.
3Headlamp High/Low-Beam Changer. See
Headlamp High/Low-Beam Changer on page 3-9.
-Fog Lamps. SeeFog Lamps on page 3-18.
Flash-to-Pass Feature. SeeFlash-to-Pass on
page 3-9.
ICruise Control. SeeCruise Control on
page 3-12.
PExterior Lamps Control. SeeExterior Lamps
on page 3-16.
3-7

Turn and Lane-Change Signals
To signal a turn, move the turn signal lever located on
the left side of the steering column 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), a right or left turn signal will appear in the
HUD area when making turns or lane changes.
SeeHead-Up Display (HUD) on page 3-23for 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 drivers will not see the signal.
Replace burned-out bulbs to help avoid possible
accidents. SeeReplacement Bulbs on page 5-60,
Front Turn Signal, Parking and Fog Lamps on
page 5-57, andTaillamps, Turn Signal, and Stoplamps
on page 5-58. 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 5-121
for location information.
Turn Signal On Chime
If the turn signal is left on for more than 0.75 of a mile
(1.21 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 3-67.
3-8

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 headlamps
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 3-23for 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.
3-9

Windshield Wiper Lever
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, seeWindshield Wiper Blade Replacement
on page 5-61.
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.
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.
3-10

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.
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.
SeeExterior Lamps on page 3-16.
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 3-67for
more information.
3-11

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 excessive wheel slip, and
you could lose control. Do not use cruise
control on slippery roads.
9(Off):This position
turns the system off.
R(On):This position activates the system.
+ (Resume/Accelerate):This position to makes the
vehicle accelerate or resume to a previously set speed.
T(Set):Press this button to set the speed.
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 about
25 mph (40 km/h).
3-12

Cruise control will not work if your parking brake is set,
or if the master cylinder brake uid level is low.
{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 excessive wheel slip, and
you could lose control. Do not use cruise
control on slippery roads.
If cruise control is on when the Traction Control System
(TCS), if your vehicle has one, begins to limit wheel
spin, the cruise control will automatically disengage.
SeeTraction Control System (TCS) on page 4-6. When
road conditions allow you to safely use it again, you
may turn cruise control back on.
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. Move the cruise control switch to on.
2. Get up to the speed desired.
3. Press in the set button at the end of the lever
and release it.
4. Take your foot off 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.
3-13

The CRUISE SET message will also appear briey on
the Head-Up Display (HUD), if your vehicle has one,
when the cruise control lever is pushed to the minus
(set) 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 light
will disappear when the brakes are applied or the
cruise control is cancelled. It will reappear when the set
cruise speed is resumed. The light will go out when
the cruise control is turned off. SeeCruise Control Light
on page 3-53.
Resuming a Set Speed
Once you are going about 25 mph (40 km/h) or more,
you can move the cruise control switch briey from on
to resume/accelerate.
Your vehicle will go back up to your previously chosen
speed and stay there.
If you hold the switch at resume/accelerate the vehicle
will keep going faster until you release the switch or
apply the brake. Do not hold the switch at resume/
accelerate, unless you want the vehicle to go faster.
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 will now cruise at the higher speed. If the
accelerator pedal is held longer than 60 seconds,
cruise control will turn off.
Move the cruise switch from on to
resume/accelerate. Hold it there until you get up
to the speed desired, and then release the
switch. To increase the vehicle speed in
very small amounts, move the switch briey to
resume/accelerate. Each time this is done,
the vehicle will go about 1 mph (1.6 km/h) faster.
The acceleration feature will only work after the
cruise control speed has been set by pushing the
cruise control set button.
3-14