roof PONTIAC VIBE 2009 Owners Manual

Seats and Restraints......... 1-1
Front Seats
.................... 1-2
Rear Seats
.................... 1-7
Safety Belts
................... 1-8
Airbag System
..............1-21
Child Restraints
.............1-36
Keys, Doors and
Windows............................ 2-1
Keys
............................. 2-2
Doors and Locks
............ 2-6
Theft-Deterrent Systems
... 2-9
Windows
......................2-12
Mirrors
.........................2-13
Sunroof
........................2-14
Storage.............................. 3-1
Storage
......................... 3-1
Instruments and
Controls............................. 4-1
Instrument Panel
Overview
.................... 4-2
Warning Lights, Gages,
and Indicators
............4-11
OnStar
®System
............4-25
Lighting............................. 5-1
Lighting
......................... 5-1
Infotainment...................... 6-1
Audio System(s)
............. 6-1
Climate Controls............... 7-1
Climate Controls
............. 7-1
Driving and Operating....... 8-1
Starting and Operating
Your Vehicle
............... 8-2
Driving Your Vehicle
......8-17
Fuel
............................8-36
Vehicle Service
and Care............................ 9-1
Service
.......................... 9-2
Owner Checks
................ 9-5
Headlamp Aiming
..........9-30
Bulb Replacement
.........9-31
Electrical System
...........9-35
Tires
...........................9-41
Tire Changing
...............9-61Jump Starting
...............9-71
Towing
........................9-75
Appearance Care
..........9-83
Technical Data.................10-1
Vehicle Identication
......10-1
Capacities and
Specications
............10-2
Normal Maintenance
Replacement Parts
.....10-4
Service and
Maintenance.....................11-1
Service and
Maintenance
..............11-1
Customer Information......12-1
Customer Information
.....12-1
Reporting Safety
Defects
...................12-15
Vehicle Data Recording
and Privacy
.............12-17
Index....................................i-1
2009 Pontiac Vibe Owner ManualM
2009 - Pontiac Vibe Owner Manual

After a minor crash, replacement of
safety belts may not be necessary.
But the safety belt assemblies
that were used during any crash
may have been stressed or
damaged. See your dealer/retailer
to have the safety belt assemblies
inspected or replaced.
New parts and repairs may be
necessary even if the safety belt
system was not being used at
the time of the crash.
Have the safety belt pretensioners
checked if the vehicle has been in
a crash, or if the airbag readiness
light stays on after you start
the vehicle or while you are driving.
SeeAirbag Readiness Light on
page 4-14.Airbag System
This vehicle has the following
airbags:
A frontal airbag for the driver.
A frontal airbag for the right front
passenger.
The vehicle may have the following
airbags:
A seat-mounted side impact
airbag for the driver.
A seat-mounted side impact
airbag for the right front
passenger.
A roof-rail airbag for the driver
and the passenger seated
directly behind the driver.
A roof-rail airbag for the
right front passenger and the
passenger seated directly behind
the right front passenger.All of the airbags in the vehicle will
have the word AIRBAG embossed
in the trim or on an attached
label near the deployment opening.
For frontal airbags, the word
AIRBAG will appear on the middle
part of the steering wheel for
the driver and on the instrument
panel for the right front passenger.
With seat-mounted side impact
airbags, the word AIRBAG
will appear on the side of the
seatback closest to the door.
With roof-rail airbags, the word
AIRBAG will appear along the
headliner or trim.
Airbags are designed to supplement
the protection provided by safety
belts. Even though today’s airbags
are also designed to help reduce
the risk of injury from the force
of an inating bag, all airbags
must inate very quickly to do
their job.
Seats and Restraints 1-21
2009 - Pontiac Vibe Owner Manual

Here are the most important things
to know about the airbag system:
{CAUTION
You can be severely injured or
killed in a crash if you are not
wearing your safety belt — even if
you have airbags. Airbags are
designed to work with safety
belts, but do not replace them.
Also, airbags are not designed to
deploy in every crash. In some
crashes safety belts are your only
restraint. SeeWhen Should an
Airbag Inflate? on page 1-24.
Wearing your safety belt during a
crash helps reduce your chance
of hitting things inside the vehicle
or being ejected from it. Airbags
are “supplemental restraints” to
the safety belts. Everyone in your
vehicle should wear a safety belt
properly — whether or not there is
an airbag for that person.
{CAUTION
Airbags inate with great force,
faster than the blink of an eye.
Anyone who is up against, or very
close to, any airbag when it
inates can be seriously injured or
killed. Do not sit unnecessarily
close to the airbag, as you would
be if you were sitting on the edge
of your seat or leaning forward.
Safety belts help keep you in
position before and during a
crash. Always wear your safety
belt, even with airbags. The driver
should sit as far back as possible
while still maintaining control of
the vehicle.
Occupants should not lean on or
sleep against the door or side
windows in seating positions with
seat-mounted side impact airbags
and/or roof-rail airbags.
{CAUTION
Children who are up against, or
very close to, any airbag when it
inates can be seriously injured or
killed. Airbags plus lap-shoulder
belts offer protection for adults
and older children, but not for
young children and infants.
Neither the vehicle’s safety belt
system nor its airbag system is
designed for them. Young children
and infants need the protection
that a child restraint system can
provide. Always secure children
properly in your vehicle. To read
how, seeOlder Children on
page 1-36orInfants and Young
Children on page 1-38.
1-22 Seats and Restraints
2009 - Pontiac Vibe Owner Manual

If the vehicle has roof-rail airbags for
the driver, right front passenger, and
second row outboard passengers,
they are 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.
(Continued)
CAUTION (Continued)
Do not use seat accessories
that block the ination path of a
seat-mounted side impact airbag.
Never secure anything to the roof
of a vehicle with roof-rail airbags
by routing a rope or tie down
through any door or window
opening. If you do, the path of an
inating roof-rail airbag will be
blocked.
When Should an Airbag
Inate?
Frontal airbags are designed to
inate in moderate to severe frontal
or near-frontal crashes to help
reduce the potential for severe
injuries mainly to the driver or right
front passenger head and chest.
However, they are only designed
to inate if the impact exceeds apredetermined deployment
threshold. Deployment thresholds
are used to predict how severe a
crash is likely to be in time for the
airbags to inate and help restrain
the occupants.
Whether the frontal airbags will or
should deploy is not based on
how fast the vehicle is traveling.
It depends largely on what you hit,
the direction of the impact,
and how quickly your vehicle
slows down.
Frontal airbags may inate at
different crash speeds. For example:
If the vehicle hits a stationary
object, the airbags could inate at
a different crash speed than if the
vehicle hits a moving object.
If the vehicle hits an object that
deforms, the airbags could inate
at a different crash speed than if
the vehicle hits an object that
does not deform.
1-24 Seats and Restraints
2009 - Pontiac Vibe Owner Manual

If the vehicle hits a narrow object
(like a pole), the airbags could
inate at a different crash speed
than if the vehicle hits a wide
object (like a wall).
If the vehicle goes into an object
at an angle, the airbags could
inate at a different crash speed
than if the vehicle goes straight
into the object.
Thresholds can also vary with
specic vehicle design.
Frontal airbags are not intended
to inate during vehicle rollovers,
rear impacts, or in many side
impacts. Frontal airbags for the
driver and right front passenger
may also deploy if a serious impact
occurs to the underside of the
vehicle such as hitting a curb, falling
into a deep hole, or landing hard.
In addition, the vehicle has
dual-stage frontal airbags.
Dual-stage airbags adjust the
restraint according to crash severity.The vehicle has electronic frontal
sensors, which help the sensing
system distinguish between a
moderate frontal impact and a more
severe frontal impact. For moderate
frontal impacts, dual-stage airbags
inate at a level less than full
deployment. For more severe frontal
impacts, full deployment occurs.
The vehicle may have seat-mounted
side impact and roof-rail airbags.
SeeAirbag System on page 1-21.
Seat-mounted side impact and
roof-rail airbags are intended
to inate in moderate to severe
side crashes. Seat-mounted
side impact and roof-rail airbags
will inate if the crash severity
is above the system’s designed
threshold level. Your vehicle
has sensors which detect side
impacts. These sensors signal the
appropriate side impact airbag
to inate. The threshold level can
vary with specic vehicle design.Seat-mounted side impact and
roof-rail airbags are not intended to
inate in frontal impacts, near-frontal
impacts, rollovers, or rear impacts.
A seat-mounted side impact airbag is
intended to deploy on the side of the
vehicle that is struck. A roof-rail
airbag is 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, and how
quickly the vehicle slows down.
For seat-mounted side impact and
roof-rail airbags, deployment is
determined by the location and
severity of the side impact.
Seats and Restraints 1-25
2009 - Pontiac Vibe Owner Manual

What Makes an Airbag
Inate?
In a deployment event, the sensing
system sends an electrical signal
triggering a release of gas from the
inator. Gas from the inator lls
the airbag causing the bag to break
out of the cover and deploy. The
inator, the airbag, and related
hardware are all part of the airbag
module.
Frontal airbag modules are located
inside the steering wheel and
instrument panel. For vehicles with
seat-mounted side impact airbags,
there are airbag modules in the side
of the front seatbacks closest to
the door. For vehicles with roof-rail
airbags, there are airbag modules
in the ceiling of the vehicle, near the
side windows that have occupant
seating positions.
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. Frontal
airbags distribute the force of
the impact more evenly over the
occupant’s upper body, stopping
the occupant more gradually.
Seat-mounted side impact and
roof-rail airbags distribute the force
of the impact more evenly over
the occupant’s upper body.
But airbags would not help in many
types of collisions, primarily because
the occupant’s motion is not toward
those airbags. SeeWhen Should an
Airbag Inflate? on page 1-24for
more information.Airbags should never be regarded
as anything more than a supplement
to safety belts.
What Will You See After
an Airbag Inates?
After the frontal airbags and
seat-mounted side impact airbags
inate, they quickly deate, so
quickly that some people may not
even realize an airbag inated.
Roof-rail airbags may still be at least
partially inated for some time after
they deploy. Some components of
the airbag module may be hot for
several minutes. For location of the
airbag modules, seeWhat Makes
an Airbag Inflate? on page 1-26.
1-26 Seats and Restraints
2009 - Pontiac Vibe Owner Manual

Passenger Sensing
System
The vehicle has a passenger
sensing system for the right front
passenger position. The passenger
airbag status indicator will be
visible in the instrument panel when
the vehicle is started.
The words ON and OFF will be
visible during the system check.
When the system check is complete,
either the word ON or the word
OFF will be visible depending onwhether the seat is occupied and/or
the weight of the occupant. If the
seat is unoccupied, the light will not
be visible after the system check.
SeePassenger Airbag Status
Indicator on page 4-15.
The passenger sensing system will
turn off the right front passenger
frontal airbag and seat-mounted
side impact airbag under certain
conditions. The driver airbags
and the roof-rail airbags are not
affected by the passenger sensing
system.
The passenger sensing system will
also turn off the right front passenger
frontal airbag, seat-mounted side
impact airbag (if equipped), and
safety belt pretensioner if it detects
that there is no occupant in that
position.
The passenger sensing system
works with sensors that are part of
the right front passenger seat.
The sensors are designed to detectthe presence of a properly-seated
occupant and determine if the
right front passenger frontal airbag
and seat-mounted side impact
airbag (if equipped) should
be enabled (may inate) or not.
According to accident statistics,
children and infants are safer when
properly restrained in a child
restraint system or infant restraint
system secured in a rear seating
position.
We recommend that children be
secured in a rear seat, including: an
infant or a child riding in a
rear-facing child restraint; a child
riding in a forward-facing child seat;
an older child riding in a booster
seat; and children, who are
large enough, using safety belts.
A label on the sun visor says,
“Never put a rear-facing child seat
in the front.” This is because the risk
to the rear-facing child is so great,
if the airbag deploys.
1-28 Seats and Restraints
2009 - Pontiac Vibe Owner Manual

Adding Equipment to
Your Airbag-Equipped
Vehicle
Q:Is there anything I might add to
or change about the vehicle
that could keep the airbags
from working properly?
A:Yes. If you add things that
change the vehicle’s frame,
bumper system, height, front end
or side sheet metal, they may
keep the airbag system from
working properly. Changing or
moving any parts of the front
seats, safety belts, the airbag
sensing and diagnostic module,
steering wheel, instrument
panel, roof-rail airbag modules,
ceiling headliner or pillar
garnish trim, front sensors, or
airbag wiring can affect the
operation of the airbag system.In addition, the vehicle has a
passenger sensing system for the
right front passenger position,
which includes sensors that are
part of the passenger’s seat.
The passenger sensing system
may not operate properly if the
original seat trim is replaced with
non-GM covers, upholstery or
trim, or with GM covers,
upholstery or trim designed for a
different vehicle. Any object, such
as an aftermarket seat heater or a
comfort enhancing pad or device,
installed under or on top of the
seat fabric, could also interfere
with the operation of the
passenger sensing system.
This could either prevent proper
deployment of the passenger
airbag(s) or prevent the
passenger sensing system from
properly turning off the passenger
airbag(s). SeePassenger
Sensing System on page 1-28.If you have any questions, call
Customer Assistance. The phone
numbers and addresses for
Customer Assistance are in
Step Two of the Customer
Satisfaction Procedure in
this manual. SeeCustomer
Satisfaction Procedure on
page 12-1.Q:Because I have a disability,
I have to get my vehicle
modied. How can I nd out
whether this will affect my
airbag system?
A:If you have questions, call
Customer Assistance. The phone
numbers and addresses for
Customer Assistance are in
Step Two of the Customer
Satisfaction Procedure in this
manual. SeeCustomer
Satisfaction Procedure on
page 12-1.
In addition, your dealer/retailer and
the service manual have information
about the location of the airbag
sensors, sensing and diagnostic
module and airbag wiring.
1-34 Seats and Restraints
2009 - Pontiac Vibe Owner Manual

Keys, Doors and
Windows
Keys
Keys...................................2-2
Remote Keyless Entry
(RKE) System...................2-3
Remote Keyless Entry
(RKE) System Operation. . . .2-4
Doors and Locks
Door Locks.........................2-6
Power Door Locks..............2-7
Rear Door Security Locks. . . .2-7
Liftgate...............................2-8
Theft-Deterrent Systems
Theft-Deterrent Systems.....2-9
Immobilizer.........................2-9
Immobilizer Operation.........2-9
Content Theft-Deterrent.....2-10
Windows
Windows...........................2-12
Power Windows................2-12
Sun Visors........................2-13
Mirrors
Manual Rearview Mirror. . . .2-13
Outside Power Mirror(s). . . .2-14
Sunroof
Sunroof.............................2-14
Keys, Doors and Windows 2-1
2009 - Pontiac Vibe Owner Manual

Outside Power Mirror(s)
The controls are located to
the left of the steering wheel
on the instrument panel.The vehicle must be in ON/RUN
or ACC/ACCESSORY to adjust
the mirrors.
1. Adjust either mirror by pushing
the selector switch to the L (left)
or R (right).
2. Use the arrows on the control
pad to adjust the direction of
the mirror.
3. Move the selector switch back to
the center. This locks the mirrors
in place.
Manually fold the mirrors inward
to prevent damage when going
through an automatic car wash.
To fold, push the mirror toward the
vehicle. Push the mirror outward,
to return to its original position.
Sunroof
On vehicles with a sunroof,
the controls are on the overhead
console. The ignition must be
in ON/RUN or Retained Accessory
Power (RAP) for the sunroof
to work.
TILT:Slide the sunshade back.
Press to tilt the sunroof. Press again
to stop movement at any time.
DOWN:Press to lower the sunroof.
SLIDE:Press to open the sunroof.
It express opens and stops
before the fully open position.
Press again to fully open. Press
the switch at any time to stop the
sunroof from moving. If the sunshade
is closed it opens with the sunroof.
2-14 Keys, Doors and Windows
2009 - Pontiac Vibe Owner Manual