PONTIAC GRAND PRIX 2008 Owners Manual

Gather the important information you will need from
the other driver. Things like name, address, phone
number, driver’s license number, vehicle license
plate, vehicle make, model and model year, Vehicle
Identication Number (VIN), insurance company
and policy number, and a general description of
the damage to the other vehicle.
If possible, call your insurance company from the
scene of the crash. They will walk you through the
information they will need. If they ask for a police
report, phone or go to the police department
headquarters the next day and you can get a copy of
the report for a nominal fee. In some states/provinces
with “no fault” insurance laws, a report may not be
necessary. This is especially true if there are no
injuries and both vehicles are driveable.
Choose a reputable collision repair facility for your
vehicle. Whether you select a dealer/retailer or a
private collision repair facility to x the damage,
make sure you are comfortable with them.
Remember, you will have to feel comfortable with
their work for a long time.
Once you have an estimate, read it carefully and
make sure you understand what work will be
performed on your vehicle. If you have a question,
ask for an explanation. Reputable shops welcome
this opportunity.
Managing the Vehicle Damage
Repair Process
In the event that your vehicle requires damage repairs,
GM recommends that you take an active role in its
repair. If you have a pre-determined repair facility of
choice, take your vehicle there, or have it towed there.
Specify to the facility that any required replacement
collision parts be original equipment parts, either
new Genuine GM parts or recycled original GM parts.
Remember, recycled parts will not be covered by
your GM vehicle warranty.
Insurance pays the bill for the repair, but you must
live with the repair. Depending on your policy limits,
your insurance company may initially value the
repair using aftermarket parts. Discuss this with
your repair professional, and insist on Genuine GM
parts. Remember if your vehicle is leased you may be
obligated to have the vehicle repaired with Genuine
GM parts, even if your insurance coverage does not
pay the full cost.
If another party’s insurance company is paying for
the repairs, you are not obligated to accept a repair
valuation based on that insurance company’s collision
policy repair limits, as you have no contractual limits
with that company. In such cases, you can have control
of the repair and parts choices as long as cost stays
within reasonable limits.
7-13

Reporting Safety Defects
Reporting Safety Defects to the
United States Government
If you believe that your vehicle has a defect which
could cause a crash or could cause injury or
death, you should immediately inform the National
Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
in addition to notifying General Motors.
If NHTSA receives similar complaints, it may open
an investigation, and if it nds that a safety defect
exists in a group of vehicles, it may order a recall
and remedy campaign. However, NHTSA cannot
become involved in individual problems between
you, your dealer/retailer, or General Motors.
To contact NHTSA, you may call the Vehicle
Safety Hotline toll-free at 1-888-327-4236
(TTY: 1-800-424-9153); go to
http://www.safercar.gov; or write to:
Administrator, NHTSA
400 Seventh Street, SW.
Washington D.C., 20590
You can also obtain other information about motor
vehicle safety from http://www.safercar.gov.
Reporting Safety Defects to
the Canadian Government
If you live in Canada, and you believe that your
vehicle has a safety defect, notify Transport Canada
immediately, in addition to notifying General Motors of
Canada Limited. Call them at 1-800-333-0510 or write to:
Transport Canada
Road Safety Branch
2780 Sheffield Road
Ottawa, Ontario K1B 3V9
Reporting Safety Defects to
General Motors
In addition to notifying NHTSA (or Transport Canada)
in a situation like this, please notify General Motors.
Call 1-800-762-2737, or write:
Pontiac Customer Assistance Center
P.O. Box 33172
Detroit, MI 48232-5172
In Canada, call 1-800-263-3777 (English) or
1-800-263-7854 (French), or write:
General Motors of Canada Limited
Customer Communication Centre, CA1-163-005
1908 Colonel Sam Drive
Oshawa, Ontario L1H 8P7
7-14

Service Publications Ordering
Information
Service Manuals
Service Manuals have the diagnosis and repair
information on engines, transmission, axle suspension,
brakes, electrical, steering, body, etc.
Service Bulletins
Service Bulletins’ give additional technical service
information needed to knowledgeably service
General Motors cars and trucks. Each bulletin
contains instructions to assist in the diagnosis and
service of your vehicle.
Owner Information
Owner publications are written specically for owners
and intended to provide basic operational information
about the vehicle. The owner manual includes the
Maintenance Schedule for all models.
In-Portfolio: Includes a Portfolio, Owner Manual,
and Warranty Booklet.
RETAIL SELL PRICE: $35.00 (U.S.) plus processing fee
Without Portfolio: Owner Manual only.
RETAIL SELL PRICE: $25.00 (U.S.) plus processing fee
Current and Past Model Order Forms
Technical Service Bulletins and Manuals are available
for current and past model GM vehicles. To request
an order form, specify year and model name of
the vehicle.
ORDER TOLL FREE: 1-800-551-4123
Monday-Friday 8:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Eastern Time
For Credit Card Orders Only
(VISA-MasterCard-Discover), visit Helm, Inc.
on the World Wide Web at: www.helminc.com
Or you can write to:
Helm, Incorporated
P.O. Box 07130
Detroit, MI 48207
Prices are subject to change without notice and without
incurring obligation. Allow ample time for delivery.
Note to Canadian Customers: All listed prices are
quoted in U.S. funds. Canadian residents are to make
checks payable in U.S. funds.
7-15

Vehicle Data Recording
and Privacy
Your GM vehicle has a number of sophisticated
computers that record information about the vehicle’s
performance and how it is driven. For example,
your vehicle uses computer modules to monitor
and control engine and transmission performance,
to monitor the conditions for airbag deployment
and deploy airbags in a crash and, if so equipped,
to provide antilock braking to help the driver control
the vehicle. These modules may store data to help
your dealer/retailer technician service your vehicle.
Some modules may also store data about how
you operate the vehicle, such as rate of fuel
consumption or average speed. These modules
may also retain the owner’s personal preferences,
such as radio pre-sets, seat positions, and
temperature settings.
Event Data Recorders
This vehicle has an Event Data Recorder (EDR).
The main purpose of an EDR is to record, in certain
crash or near crash-like situations, such as an airbag
deployment or hitting a road obstacle, data that will
assist in understanding how a vehicle’s systems
performed. The EDR is designed to record data related
to vehicle dynamics and safety systems for a short
period of time, typically 30 seconds or less. The EDR
in this vehicle is designed to record such data as:
How various systems in your vehicle were operating
Whether or not the driver and passenger safety
belts were buckled/fastened
How far, if at all, the driver was pressing the
accelerator and/or brake pedal
How fast the vehicle was traveling
This data can help provide a better understanding of
the circumstances in which crashes and injuries occur.
7-16

Important:EDR data is recorded by your vehicle
only if a non-trivial crash situation occurs; no data is
recorded by the EDR under normal driving conditions
and no personal data (e.g., name, gender, age,
and crash location) is recorded. However, other parties,
such as law enforcement, could combine the EDR data
with the type of personally identifying data routinely
acquired during a crash investigation.
To read data recorded by an EDR, special equipment
is required, and access to the vehicle or the EDR
is needed. In addition to the vehicle manufacturer,
other parties, such as law enforcement, that have the
special equipment, can read the information if they
have access to the vehicle or the EDR.
GM will not access this data or share it with others
except: with the consent of the vehicle owner or,
if the vehicle is leased, with the consent of the lessee;
in response to an official request of police or similar
government office; as part of GM’s defense of litigation
through the discovery process; or, as required by
law. Data that GM collects or receives may also be
used for GM research needs or may be made available
to others for research purposes, where a need is
shown and the data is not tied to a specic vehicle
or vehicle owner.OnStar®
If your vehicle has OnStar and you subscribe to the
OnStar services, please refer to the OnStar Terms
and Conditions for information on data collection and
use. See alsoOnStar
®System on page 2-40in
this manual for more information.
Navigation System
If your vehicle has a navigation system, use of the
system may result in the storage of destinations,
addresses, telephone numbers, and other trip
information. Refer to the navigation system operating
manual for information on stored data and for
deletion instructions.
Radio Frequency
Identication (RFID)
RFID technology is used in some vehicles for functions
such as tire pressure monitoring and ignition system
security, as well as in connection with conveniences
such as key fobs for remote door locking/unlocking and
starting, and in-vehicle transmitters for garage door
openers. RFID technology in GM vehicles does not
use or record personal information or link with any other
GM system containing personal information.
7-17

✍NOTES
7-18

A
Accessories and Modications............................ 5-3
Adding Equipment to Your Airbag-Equipped
Vehicle.......................................................1-65
Additives, Fuel................................................. 5-6
Add-On Electrical Equipment...........................5-120
Air Cleaner/Filter, Engine.................................5-20
Air Conditioning......................................3-28, 3-32
Airbag
Passenger Status Indicator...........................3-43
Readiness Light..........................................3-42
Airbag System................................................1-52
What Will You See After an Airbag Inates?....1-58
When Should an Airbag Inate?....................1-57
Where Are the Airbags?...............................1-55
Airbag Systems
Adding Equipment to Your Airbag-Equipped
Vehicle...................................................1-65
How Does an Airbag Restrain?......................1-58
Passenger Sensing System...........................1-60
Servicing Your Airbag-Equipped Vehicle..........1-64
What Makes an Airbag Inate?......................1-58
Antenna, Backglass.......................................3-117
Antenna, XM™ Satellite Radio Antenna
System.....................................................3-118
Antilock Brake System (ABS)............................. 4-4
Anti-lock Brake, System Warning Light...............3-47Appearance Care
Aluminum Wheels......................................5-116
Care of Safety Belts...................................5-114
Chemical Paint Spotting..............................5-118
Cleaning Exterior Lamps/Lenses..................5-115
Fabric/Carpet............................................5-111
Finish Care...............................................5-115
Finish Damage..........................................5-117
Instrument Panel, Vinyl, and Other
Plastic Surfaces.....................................5-113
Interior Cleaning........................................5-109
Leather....................................................5-112
Sheet Metal Damage..................................5-117
Tires........................................................5-117
Ultra Lux Suede........................................5-113
Underbody Maintenance.............................5-117
Vehicle Care/Appearance Materials...............5-118
Washing Your Vehicle.................................5-114
Weatherstrips............................................5-114
Windshield and Wiper Blades......................5-116
Appointments, Scheduling Service....................... 7-9
Ashtray.........................................................3-27
Audio System.................................................3-94
Audio Steering Wheel Controls....................3-115
Backglass Antenna.....................................3-117
Chime Level Adjustment.............................3-118
Radio Reception........................................3-116
Setting the Clock.........................................3-95
1

Audio System (cont.)
Theft-Deterrent Feature...............................3-115
XM™ Satellite Radio Antenna System...........3-118
Audio System(s).............................................3-95
Automatic Transmission
Fluid..........................................................5-22
Operation...................................................2-28
B
Backglass Antenna........................................3-117
Battery..........................................................5-45
Electric Power Management..........................3-22
Exterior Lighting Battery Saver......................3-19
Run-Down Protection...................................3-22
Brake
Emergencies................................................ 4-5
Brakes..........................................................5-41
System Warning Light..................................3-45
Braking........................................................... 4-3
Braking in Emergencies..................................... 4-5
Break-In, New Vehicle.....................................2-23
Bulb Replacement...........................................5-54
Back-Up Lamps...........................................5-59
Front Turn Signal, Parking and Fog Lamps.....5-57
Halogen Bulbs............................................5-54
Headlamp Aiming........................................5-51Bulb Replacement (cont.)
License Plate Lamps....................................5-60
Replacement Bulbs......................................5-60
Taillamps, Turn Signal, and Stoplamps............5-58
Buying New Tires...........................................5-78
C
Calibration.....................................................3-65
California Fuel.................................................. 5-6
California Perchlorate Materials Requirements....... 5-4
California Proposition 65 Warning....................... 5-3
Canadian Owners................................................ ii
Capacities and Specications..........................5-128
Carbon Monoxide...................2-14, 2-36, 4-17, 4-29
Care of
Safety Belts..............................................5-114
CD, MP3 .....................................................3-109
Center Console Storage Area...........................2-44
Chains, Tire...................................................5-84
Check
Engine Light...............................................3-50
Checking Things Under the Hood......................5-10
Chemical Paint Spotting.................................5-118
Child Restraints
Child Restraint Systems...............................1-35
Infants and Young Children...........................1-32
2

Child Restraints (cont.)
Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children..........1-39
Older Children.............................................1-29
Securing a Child Restraint in a Rear
Seat Position...........................................1-46
Securing a Child Restraint in the Right
Front Seat Position...................................1-49
Where to Put the Restraint...........................1-38
Chime Level Adjustment.................................3-118
Cigarette Lighter.............................................3-27
Cleaning
Aluminum Wheels......................................5-116
Exterior Lamps/Lenses................................5-115
Fabric/Carpet............................................5-111
Finish Care...............................................5-115
Instrument Panel, Vinyl, and Other
Plastic Surfaces.....................................5-113
Interior.....................................................5-109
Leather....................................................5-112
Tires........................................................5-117
Ultra Lux Suede........................................5-113
Underbody Maintenance.............................5-117
Washing Your Vehicle.................................5-114
Weatherstrips............................................5-114
Windshield and Wiper Blades......................5-116Climate Control System...................................3-28
Air Filter, Passenger Compartment.................3-36
Dual Automatic............................................3-32
Outlet Adjustment........................................3-36
Clock, Setting.................................................3-95
Collision Damage Repair..................................7-11
Compact Spare Tire......................................5-109
Compass.......................................................3-65
Compressor Kit, Tire Sealant............................5-86
Content Theft-Deterrent....................................2-18
Control of a Vehicle.......................................... 4-3
Convenience Net............................................2-44
Coolant
Engine Temperature Gage............................3-49
Engine Temperature Warning Light.................3-48
Heater, Engine............................................2-26
Cooling System..............................................5-30
Courtesy Lamps.............................................3-19
Cruise Control................................................3-12
Cruise Control Light........................................3-53
Cupholder(s)..................................................2-43
Customer Assistance Information
Courtesy Transportation.................................. 7-9
Customer Assistance for Text Telephone (TTY)
Users....................................................... 7-5
3

Customer Assistance Information (cont.)
Customer Assistance Offices........................... 7-5
Customer Satisfaction Procedure..................... 7-2
GM Mobility Reimbursement Program............... 7-6
Reporting Safety Defects to General Motors....7-14
Reporting Safety Defects to the
Canadian Government..............................7-14
Reporting Safety Defects to the
United States Government.........................7-14
Roadside Assistance Program......................... 7-6
Service Publications Ordering Information........7-15
D
Daytime Running Lamps..................................3-17
Defensive Driving............................................. 4-2
Delayed Entry Lighting.....................................3-20
Delayed Exit Lighting.......................................3-21
Delayed Locking.............................................2-11
DIC Compass.................................................3-65
Diesel
Running Out of Fuel....................................2-37
Disc, MP3....................................................3-109Doing Your Own Service Work........................... 5-4
Dome Lamp ...................................................3-20
Door
Delayed Locking..........................................2-11
Locks........................................................2-10
Power Door Locks.......................................2-11
Programmable Automatic Door Locks.............2-12
Rear Door Security Locks.............................2-12
Driver Information Center (DIC).........................3-55
DIC Operation and Displays..................3-55, 3-62
DIC Vehicle Customization............................3-89
DIC Warnings and Messages........................3-67
Driving
At Night.....................................................4-14
Before a Long Trip......................................4-15
Defensive..................................................... 4-2
Drunken....................................................... 4-2
Highway Hypnosis.......................................4-16
Hill and Mountain Roads..............................4-16
In Rain and on Wet Roads...........................4-14
Rocking Your Vehicle to Get it Out.................4-22
Winter........................................................4-17
Dual Automatic Climate Control System.............3-32
4