window PONTIAC VIBE 2007 Owners Manual

Seats and Restraint Systems
....................... 7
Front Seats
.............................................. 8
Rear Seats
............................................. 16
Safety Belts
............................................ 18
Child Restraints
...................................... 37
Airbag System
........................................ 63
Restraint System Check
......................... 82
Features and Controls
................................ 85
Keys
....................................................... 87
Doors and Locks
.................................... 92
Windows
................................................ 98
Theft-Deterrent Systems
....................... 100
Starting and Operating Your Vehicle
..... 102
Mirrors
.................................................. 121
OnStar
®System
................................... 123
Storage Areas
...................................... 127
Sunroof
................................................ 131Instrument Panel
....................................... 133
Instrument Panel Overview
................... 136
Climate Controls
................................... 152
Warning Lights, Gages, and
Indicators
.......................................... 158
Audio System(s)
................................... 177
Driving Your Vehicle
................................. 221
Your Driving, the Road, and
Your Vehicle
..................................... 222
Towing
................................................. 259
Service and Appearance Care
.................. 269
Service
................................................. 272
Fuel
...................................................... 274
Checking Things Under the Hood
......... 280
Bulb Replacement
................................ 315
Windshield Wiper Blade Replacement
... 321
2007 Pontiac Vibe Owner ManualM
1

{CAUTION:
Never do this.
Here two children are wearing the same
belt. The belt cannot properly spread the
impact forces. In a crash, the two children
can be crushed together and seriously
injured. A belt must be used by only
one person at a time.
Q:What if a child is wearing a lap-shoulder
belt, but the child is so small that the
shoulder belt is very close to the child’s
face or neck?
A:If the child is sitting in a seat next to a window,
move the child toward the center of the vehicle.
If the child is sitting in the center rear seat
passenger position, move the child toward the
safety belt buckle. In either case, be sure that
the shoulder belt still is on the child’s shoulder,
so that in a crash the child’s upper body would
have the restraint that belts provide.
38

A booster seat (F-G) is a child restraint designed
to improve the t of the vehicle’s safety belt
system. Some booster seats have a shoulder belt
positioner, and some high-back booster seats
have a ve-point harness. A booster seat can also
help a child to see out the window.
Q:How Should I Use a Child Restraint?
A:A child restraint system is any device designed
for use in a motor vehicle to restrain, seat, or
position children. A built-in child restraint
system is a permanent part of the motor
vehicle. An add-on child restraint system is a
portable one, which is purchased by the
vehicle’s owner. To help reduce injuries, an
add-on child restraint must be secured in
the vehicle. With built-in or add-on child
restraints, the child has to be secured within
the child restraint.
When choosing an add-on child restraint, be
sure the child restraint is designed to be
used in a vehicle. If it is, it will have a label
saying that it meets federal motor vehicle
safety standards. Then follow the instructions
for the restraint. You may nd these
instructions on the restraint itself or in a
booklet, or both.
45

If your vehicle has a seat-mounted side impact
airbag for the right front passenger, it is in the side
of the passenger’s seatback closest to the door.If your vehicle has a roof-mounted side impact
airbag for the driver and the passenger seated
directly behind the driver, it is in the ceiling above
the side windows.
68

If your vehicle has a roof-mounted side impact
airbag for the right front passenger and the
passenger seated directly behind that passenger,
it is in the ceiling above the side windows.
{CAUTION:
If something is between an occupant and
an airbag, the airbag might not inate
properly or it might force the object into
that person causing severe injury or even
death. The path of an inating airbag must
be kept clear. Do not put anything
between an occupant and an airbag, and
do not attach or put anything on the
steering wheel hub or on or near any
other airbag covering. If your vehicle has
roof-mounted side impact airbags, never
secure anything to the roof of your
vehicle by routing the rope or tie-down
through any door or window opening. If
you do, the path of an inating airbag will
be blocked. Do not let seat covers block
the ination path of a side impact airbag.
The path of an inating airbag must be
kept clear.
69

It is possible that, in a crash involving the front of
your vehicle, only one of the two frontal airbags
in your vehicle will deploy. This is rare, but it can
happen in a crash just severe enough to make
a frontal airbag inate.
Side impact airbags are intended to inate in
moderate to severe side crashes. A side impact
airbag will inate if the crash severity is above the
system’s designed “threshold level.” The
threshold level can vary with specic vehicle
design. Side impact airbags are not intended to
inate in frontal or near-frontal impacts, rollovers or
in many rear impacts. Your vehicle has sensors
which detect side impacts. These sensors
signal the appropriate side airbag to inate. Both
side impact airbags (seat-mounted and
roof-mounted) are intended to deploy on the side
of the vehicle that is struck. It is possible that,
in a crash involving the rear side of your vehicle,
that only the roof-mounted airbag will deploy.
In any particular crash, no one can say whether
an airbag should have inated simply because
of the damage to a vehicle or because of what the
repair costs were.For frontal airbags, ination is determined by what
the vehicle hits, the angle of the impact, vehicle
speed, and how quickly the vehicle slows down in
frontal and near-frontal impacts. For side impact
airbags, ination is determined by the location and
severity of the impact.
What Makes an Airbag Inate?
In an impact of sufficient severity, the airbag
sensing system detects that the vehicle is
in a crash. The sensing system triggers a release
of gas from the inator, which inates the
airbag. The inator, airbag and related hardware
are all part of the airbag modules. Frontal
airbag modules are located inside the steering
wheel and the instrument panel. For vehicles with
seat-mounted side impact airbags, there are
also airbag modules in the side of the front
seatbacks closest to the door. For vehicles with
roof-mounted side impact airbags, there are
also airbag modules in the ceiling of the vehicle,
near the side window.
71

How Does an Airbag Restrain?
In moderate to severe frontal or near frontal
collisions, even belted occupants can contact the
steering wheel or the instrument panel. In
moderate to severe side collisions, even belted
occupants can contact the inside of the vehicle.
Airbags supplement the protection provided
by safety belts. Airbags distribute the force of the
impact more evenly over the occupant’s upper
body, stopping the occupant more gradually. But
the frontal airbags would not help you in many
types of collisions, including rollovers, rear
impacts, and many side impacts, primarily because
an occupant’s motion is not toward the airbag.
Side impact airbags would not help you in many
types of collisions, including many frontal or
near frontal collisions, rollovers, and rear impacts.
Airbags should never be regarded as anything
more than a supplement to safety belts, and then
only in moderate to severe frontal or near-frontal
collisions for the driver’s and right front
passenger’s frontal airbags, and only in moderate
to severe side collisions for vehicles with side
impact airbags.
What Will You See After an Airbag
Inates?
After the frontal and seat-mounted side impact
airbags inate, they quickly deate, so quickly that
some people may not even realize an airbag
inated. Roof-mounted side impact airbags may still
be at least partially inated minutes after the vehicle
comes to rest. Some components of the airbag
module — the steering wheel hub for the driver’s
airbag, the instrument panel for the right front
passenger’s bag, the side of the seatback closest to
the door for the seat-mounted side impact airbags
(if equipped), and the garnish trim and the area
along the ceiling of your vehicle near the side
windows for the roof–mounted side impact airbags
(if equipped) — may be hot for a short time. The
parts of the airbag that come into contact with you
may be warm, but not too hot to touch.
72

There may be some smoke and dust coming from
the vents in the deated airbags. Airbag ination
does not prevent the driver from seeing out of the
windshield or being able to steer the vehicle, nor
does it prevent people from leaving the vehicle.
{CAUTION:
When an airbag inates, there may be
dust in the air. This dust could cause
breathing problems for people with a
history of asthma or other breathing
trouble. To avoid this, everyone in the
vehicle should get out as soon as it is
safe to do so. If you have breathing
problems but cannot get out of the vehicle
after an airbag inates, then get fresh air
by opening a window or a door. If you
experience breathing problems following
an airbag deployment, you should seek
medical attention.Your vehicle has a feature that may automatically
unlock the doors, turn the interior lamps on,
and turn the hazard warning ashers on when the
airbags inate. You can lock the doors, turn the
interior lamps off, and turn the hazard warning
ashers off again by using the controls for those
features.
In many crashes severe enough to inate the
airbag, windshields are broken by vehicle
deformation. Additional windshield breakage may
also occur from the right front passenger airbag.
Airbags are designed to inate only once. After
an airbag inates, you will need some new
parts for the airbag system. If you do not get
them, the airbag system will not be there to help
protect you in another crash. A new system will
include airbag modules and possibly other
parts. The service manual for your vehicle
covers the need to replace other parts.
73

Restraint System Check
Checking the Restraint Systems
Now and then, make sure the safety belt reminder
light and all your belts, buckles, latch plates,
retractors and anchorages are working properly.
Look for any other loose or damaged safety
belt system parts. If you see anything that might
keep a safety belt system from doing its job, have
it repaired. Keep safety belts clean and dry.
SeeCare of Safety Belts on page 357for more
information.
Torn or frayed safety belts may not protect you in
a crash. They can rip apart under impact forces.
If a belt is torn or frayed, get a new one right away.
Also look for any opened or broken airbag
covers, and have them repaired or replaced.
(The airbag system does not need regular
maintenance.)Notice:If you damage the covering for the
driver’s or the right front passenger’s airbag, or
the airbag covering on the driver’s and right
front passenger’s seatback (if equipped), or the
side impact airbag covering on the ceiling near
the side windows (if equipped), the bag may not
work properly. You may have to replace the
airbag module in the steering wheel, both the
airbag module and the instrument panel for the
right front passenger’s airbag, the airbag
module and seatback for the driver’s and right
front passenger’s seat-mounted side impact
airbags (if equipped), or side impact airbag
module and ceiling covering for the
roof-mounted side impact airbags (if equipped).
Do not open or break the airbag coverings.
82

Keys.............................................................. 87
Remote Keyless Entry (RKE) System.......... 89
Remote Keyless Entry (RKE) System
Operation................................................. 90
Doors and Locks.......................................... 92
Door Locks................................................. 92
Power Door Locks....................................... 94
Rear Door Security Locks........................... 95
Liftgate/Liftglass........................................... 96
Windows....................................................... 98
Manual Windows......................................... 99
Power Windows.......................................... 99
Sun Visors.................................................. 99
Theft-Deterrent Systems............................. 100
Content Theft-Deterrent............................. 100
Starting and Operating Your Vehicle......... 102
New Vehicle Break-In................................ 102
Ignition Positions....................................... 103
Starting the Engine.................................... 104
Engine Coolant Heater.............................. 106Automatic Transaxle Operation.................. 108
Overdrive Off............................................. 111
Manual Transaxle Operation...................... 111
Parking Brake........................................... 114
Shifting Into Park (P)
(Automatic Transaxle)............................ 115
Shifting Out of Park (P)
(Automatic Transaxle)............................ 117
Parking Your Vehicle
(Manual Transaxle)................................ 118
Parking Over Things That Burn................. 118
Engine Exhaust......................................... 119
Running the Engine While Parked............. 120
Mirrors......................................................... 121
Manual Rearview Mirror............................. 121
Manual Rearview Mirror with OnStar
®....... 121
Automatic Dimming Rearview Mirror.......... 122
Outside Remote Control Mirrors................ 122
Outside Convex Mirror............................... 123
OnStar
®System.......................................... 123
Section 2 Features and Controls
85