warning PONTIAC VIBE 2006 User Guide

Tachometer
The tachometer
shows engine speed in
thousands of revolutions
per minute (rpm).
Notice:If you operate the engine with the
tachometer in the shaded warning area, your vehicle
could be damaged, and the damages would not
be covered by your warranty. Do not operate
the engine with the tachometer in the shaded
warning area.
Temperature Display
The outside air temperature is displayed on the center
of the instrument panel, within the speedometer.
The display will show the outside air temperature
in Fahrenheit with a range from−22°F to 122°F
(−30°C to 50°C).
Safety Belt Reminder Light
When the key is turned to ON or START, a chime will
come on for several seconds to remind people to fasten
their safety belts, unless the driver’s safety belt is
already buckled.
The safety belt light will
also ash until the driver’s
belt is buckled. If the
driver’s belt is already
buckled, neither the chime
nor the light will come on.
Your vehicle also has a safety belt reminder light for the
right front passenger position.
3-27

Brake System Warning Light
Your vehicle’s hydraulic brake system is divided into
two parts. If one part isn’t working, the other part can still
work and stop you. For good braking, though, you
need both parts working well.
If the warning light comes on, there is a brake problem.
Have your brake system inspected right away.
If your vehicle has anti-lock brakes, this light should
come on when you turn the key to START. If it doesn’t
come on then, have it xed so it will be ready to
warn you if there’s a problem.When the ignition is on, the brake system warning light
will also come on when you set your parking brake.
The light will stay on if your parking brake doesn’t
release fully. If it stays on after your parking brake is
fully released, it means you have a brake problem.
If the light comes on while you are driving, pull off the
road and stop carefully. You may notice that the pedal is
harder to push. Or, the pedal may go closer to the
oor. It may take longer to stop. If the light is still on,
have the vehicle towed for service. SeeAnti-Lock Brake
System Warning Light on page 3-33andTowing Your
Vehicle on page 4-37.
{CAUTION:
Your brake system may not be working properly
if the brake system warning light is on. Driving
with the brake system warning light on can lead
to an accident. If the light is still on after you
have pulled off the road and stopped carefully,
have the vehicle towed for service. United StatesCanada
3-32

Anti-Lock Brake System
Warning Light
With the anti-lock brake system, the light will come on
when your engine is started and may stay on for several
seconds. That’s normal.
If the light stays on, turn the ignition to LOCK. Or, if the
light comes on when you’re driving, stop as soon as
possible and turn the ignition off. Then start the engine
again to reset the system. If the light still stays on,
or comes on again while you’re driving, your vehicle
needs service. If the regular brake system warning light
isn’t on, you still have brakes, but you don’t have
anti-lock brakes. If the regular brake system warning
light is also on, you don’t have anti-lock brakes
and there’s a problem with your regular brakes. See
Brake System Warning Light on page 3-32.The anti-lock brake system warning light will come on
briey when you turn the ignition key to ON. This is
normal. If the light doesn’t come on then, have it xed
so it will be ready to warn you if there is a problem.
Low Tire Pressure Warning Light
This light should come on
briey as you start the
engine. It will then come on
only when a low tire
pressure condition exists.
SeeTire Pressure Monitor System on page 5-60for
more information. United States
Canada
3-33

Traction Control System (TCS)
Warning Light
This light should come on
briey when you start the
engine. If it stays on or
comes on while you
are driving, there is a
problem with your traction
control system.
The traction control system warning light comes on for a
few seconds when the ignition is turned to ON. It will
come on again when you press the TRAC OFF button to
turn off the traction control system. SeeTraction
Control System (TCS) on page 4-9for more information.
In the following cases, contact your dealer:
The indicator light does not come on when the
ignition is turned to ON.
The indicator light remains on after the ignition is
turned ON.
The indicator light comes on with the normal driving
mode while driving.
StabiliTrak®Indicator Light
This light warns that there
is a problem somewhere in
the traction control system
or the vehicle stability
control (VSC) system.
The light will come on when the ignition is turned to ON
and will go off after a few seconds.
If the light comes on while driving, the system does not
work. However, as conventional braking operates
when applied, there is no problem to continue driving.
In the following cases, contact your GM dealer:
The warning light does not come on after the
ignition is turned to ON.
The warning light remains on after the ignition is
turned to ON.
The warning light comes on while driving.
The traction control system light will come on when the
VSC warning light comes on, even if the TRAC OFF
button is not pressed.
SeeTraction Control System (TCS) on page 4-9for
more information on Vehicle Stability Control System.
3-34

Overdrive Off Light
Your automatic transaxle
has overdrive. The light
will come on whenever you
turn off the overdrive.
SeeOverdrive Off
on page 2-21for more
information.
Highbeam On Light
This light will come on
when the high-beam
headlamps are in use.
SeeHeadlamp High/Low-Beam Changer on page 3-8.
Low Washer Fluid Warning Light
This light will come on
when your windshield
washer uid is low.
SeeWindshield Washer Fluid on page 5-36for more
information.
Door Ajar Light
This light will come on if
any door, the rear liftgate
or the rear liftglass are
not completely closed.
Canada Only
3-40

Fuel Gage
Your fuel gage shows about how much fuel is in your
tank. There is an arrow on the fuel gage that indicates
that the fuel ller door is on the driver’s side of your
vehicle. The fuel gage works only when the ignition
switch is ON. When the gage rst indicates E or empty,
you still have a little fuel left, about 1 or 2 gallons
(3.8 L or 7.6 L), but you need to get more right away.
When your vehicle is low on fuel the low fuel warning
light, located below the empty mark, will also come on to
remind you to add fuel.Here are ve things some owners ask about. None of
these show a problem with your fuel gage:
At the gas station, the fuel pump shuts off before
the gage reads F or full.
It takes a little more or less fuel to ll up than the
gage indicated. For example, the gage may have
indicated the tank was half full, but it actually took
more or less than half the tank’s capacity to ll it.
It takes the gage several minutes to read F or full
after lling the vehicle with fuel.
The gage moves a little when you turn, stop or
speed up.
The gage doesn’t go back to E or empty when you
turn off the ignition.
Low Fuel Warning Light
This light is located on the fuel gage and comes on
when the fuel tank is low on fuel. To turn it off, add fuel
to the fuel tank. SeeFuel on page 5-5for more
information. United States
Canada
3-41

Control of a Vehicle
You have three systems that make your vehicle go
where you want it to go. They are the brakes, the
steering, and the accelerator. All three systems have
to do their work at the places where the tires meet
the road.
Sometimes, as when you are driving on snow or ice, it
is easy to ask more of those control systems than
the tires and road can provide. That means you can lose
control of your vehicle.
Adding non-GM accessories can affect your vehicle’s
performance. SeeAccessories and Modications
on page 5-3.
Braking
SeeBrake System Warning Light on page 3-32.
Braking action involves perception time and
reaction time.
First, you have to decide to push on the brake pedal.
That is perception time. Then you have to bring up your
foot and do it. That is reaction time.
Average reaction time is about three-fourths of a
second. But that is only an average. It might be less
with one driver and as long as two or three seconds or
more with another. Age, physical condition, alertness,
coordination, and eyesight all play a part. So do alcohol,
drugs, and frustration. But even in three-fourths of a
second, a vehicle moving at 60 mph (100 km/h) travels
66 feet (20 m). That could be a lot of distance in an
emergency, so keeping enough space between
your vehicle and others is important.
And, of course, actual stopping distances vary greatly
with the surface of the road, whether it is pavement
or gravel; the condition of the road, whether it is
wet, dry, or icy; tire tread; the condition of your brakes;
the weight of the vehicle; and the amount of brake
force applied.
4-6

Avoid needless heavy braking. Some people drive
in spurts — heavy acceleration followed by heavy
braking — rather than keeping pace with traffic. This is a
mistake. Your brakes may not have time to cool between
hard stops. Your brakes will wear out much faster if you
do a lot of heavy braking. If you keep pace with the traffic
and allow realistic following distances, you will eliminate a
lot of unnecessary braking. That means better braking
and longer brake life.
If your engine ever stops while you are driving, brake
normally but do not pump your brakes. If you do,
the pedal may get harder to push down. If your engine
stops, you will still have some power brake assist.
But you will use it when you brake. Once the power
assist is used up, it may take longer to stop and
the brake pedal will be harder to push.
Adding non-GM accessories can affect your vehicle’s
performance. SeeAccessories and Modications
on page 5-3.Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS)
Your vehicle may have the Anti-Lock Brake
System (ABS), an advanced electronic braking
system that will help prevent a braking skid.
If your vehicle has ABS, this warning light on the
instrument panel will come on briey when you start
your vehicle.
When you start your engine, or when you begin to drive
away, ABS will check itself. You may hear a momentary
motor or clicking noise while this test is going on,
and you may even notice that your brake pedal moves
or pulses a little. This is normal.
If there is a problem with ABS, the anti-lock brake
system warning light will stay on. SeeAnti-Lock Brake
System Warning Light on page 3-33. United States
Canada
4-7

You may feel or hear the system working, but this is
normal. Leave the system on during ordinary driving so
that it can operate when needed. When the ignition
is turned to ON, the system automatically turns on.
This light should come on
briey when you start the
engine. If it stays on or
comes on while you
are driving, there is a
problem with your traction
control system.
The TRAC OFF button is
located to the left of the
steering wheel below
the instrument panel
cluster.When getting the vehicle out of mud or newly fallen
snow, turn off the traction control system. The system
that controls engine performance interferes with the
process of freeing the front wheels. To turn off traction
control, press the TRAC OFF button. The traction
control system warning light will come on. The vehicle
stability control system (StabiliTrak
®) is always activated,
even when the traction control system is turned off.
To turn the traction control system back on, press the
TRAC OFF button again. The traction control system
warning light will go off. SeeTraction Control System
(TCS) Warning Light on page 3-34for more information.
Adding non-GM accessories can affect your vehicle’s
performance. SeeAccessories and Modications
on page 5-3for more information.
StabiliTrak®System
Your vehicle may have this feature. The StabiliTrak®
system helps provide integrated control of the systems
such as anti-lock brake system, traction control and
engine control. This system automatically controls the
brakes and engine to help prevent the vehicle from
skidding when cornering on a slippery road surface or
turning the steering wheel abruptly.
4-10

This system will activate when your vehicle speed
reaches or exceeds 9 mph (15 km/h), and will
deactivate when the vehicle speed reduces to below
9 mph (15 km/h).
You may hear a sound in the engine compartment for
a few seconds when the engine is started or just
after the vehicle begins to move. This means that the
system is in the self-check mode, but does not indicate a
malfunction.
If the vehicle is going to skid during driving, the traction
control system warning light will blink and an alarm
will sound intermittently. Adjust your driving accordingly.
This light warns that there
is a problem somewhere in
the traction control
system or StabiliTrak
®.
Panic Brake Assist
Your vehicle has a panic brake assist system that
monitors the intention of the driver while braking. If the
system senses that the driver has applied hard/fast
pressure to the brake pedal, the system will generate
additional pressure, making it easier for the driver to
maintain brake application. When this happens the brake
pedal will feel easier to push. Just hold the brake pedal
down rmly and let the system work for you. You may feel
the brakes vibrate, or you may notice some noise but this
is normal. The brakes will return to normal operation after
the brake pedal has been released.
The brake assist system becomes operational after the
vehicle has accelerated to a speed in excess of
approximately 6 mph (10 km/h). It stops operating when
the vehicle decelerates to a speed below approximately
3 mph (5 km/h).
4-11