tow GMC SONOMA 2003 Owner's Guide

Climate Controls
Climate Control System
With this system you can control the heating, cooling
and ventilation for your vehicle.
Directing the Airow
Mode Knob:Turn the right knob clockwise or
counterclockwise to direct the airow inside of your
vehicle.
H(Vent):This mode directs air to the instrument panel
outlets, with a little air directed toward theoor vents.
)(Bi-Level):This mode directs half of the air to the
instrument panel outlets, then directs most of the
remaining air to theoor outlets. A little air is also
directed toward the windshield and the side window
outlets. Cooler air is directed to the upper outlets and
warmer air to theoor outlets.
6(Floor):This mode directs most of the air to the
oor outlets with a little air directed to the windshield and
the side window outlets.
9(Fan):Turn the left knob clockwise or
counterclockwise to increase or decrease the fan speed.
Turn the mode knob to OFF to turn off the fan.
The mode knob can also be used to select defog or
defrost mode. For more information, see“Defogging”
later in this section. Standard Climate Control System
Optional Climate Control System
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2003 - Sonoma OM

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. SeeTowing
Your Vehicle on page 4-42.
{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’ve pulled off the road and stopped
carefully, have the vehicle towed for service.
Anti-Lock Brake System Warning
Light
With the anti-lock brake
system, this light will
come on when you start
your engine and may
stay on for several
seconds. That’s normal.
If the light stays on, or comes on when 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. SeeBrake System Warning Light on page 3-27.
The anti-lock brake system warning light should come
on briey when you turn the ignition key to RUN. If
the light doesn’t come on then, have itxed so it will be
ready to warn you if there is a problem.
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2003 - Sonoma OM

The SERVICE ENGINE SOON or CHECK ENGINE light
comes on to indicate that there is a problem and
service is required. Malfunctions often will be indicated
by the system before any problem is apparent. This
may prevent more serious damage to your vehicle. This
system is also designed to assist your service
technician in correctly diagnosing any malfunction.
Notice:If you keep driving your vehicle with this
light on, after a while, your emission controls
may not work as well, your fuel economy may not
be as good and your engine may not run as
smoothly. This could lead to costly repairs that may
not be covered by your warranty.
Notice:Modications made to the engine,
transmission, exhaust, intake or fuel system of your
vehicle or the replacement of the original tires
with other than those of the same Tire Performance
Criteria (TPC) can affect your vehicle’s emission
controls and may cause this light to come on.
Modications to these systems could lead to costly
repairs not covered by your warranty. This may
also result in a failure to pass a required Emission
Inspection/Maintenance test.
This light should come on, as a check to show you it is
working, when the ignition is on and the engine is not
running. If the light doesn’t come on, have it repaired.This light will also come on during a malfunction in one of
two ways:
Light Flashing—Amisre condition has been
detected. A misre increases vehicle emissions and
may damage the emission control system on your
vehicle. Diagnosis and service may be required.
Light On Steady—An emission control system
malfunction has been detected on your vehicle.
Diagnosis and service may be required.
If the Light Is Flashing
The following may prevent more serious damage to
your vehicle:
Reducing vehicle speed.
Avoiding hard accelerations.
Avoiding steep uphill grades.
If you are towing a trailer, reduce the amount of
cargo being hauled as soon as it is possible.
If the light stopsashing and remains on steady, see
“If the Light Is On Steady”following.
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{CAUTION:
Don’t keep driving if the oil pressure is low.
If you do, your engine can become so hot that
it catchesre. You or others could be burned.
Check your oil as soon as possible and have
your vehicle serviced.
Notice:Damage to your engine from neglected oil
problems can be costly and is not covered by
your warranty.
Oil pressure may vary with engine speed, outside
temperature and oil viscosity, but readings above the
low pressure zone indicate the normal operating range.
A reading in the low pressure zone may be caused
by a dangerously low oil level or other problems causing
low oil pressure.
Security Light
This light will come on
briey when you turn the
key toward START.
The light will stay on until
the engine starts.
If the lightashes, the Passlock
®system has entered a
tamper mode. If the vehicle fails to start, seePasslock®
on page 2-19.
If the light comes on continuously while driving and
stays on, there may be a problem with the Passlock
®
system. Your vehicle will not be protected by Passlock®,
and you should see your dealer.
Also, seeContent Theft-Deterrent on page 2-17for
additional information regarding the SECURITY light.
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2003 - Sonoma OM

To adjust bass or treble to the middle position, select
BAS or TRE. Then press and hold AUDIO for more than
two seconds until you hear a beep. B and a zero or T
and a zero will appear on the display.
To adjust both tone controls and both speaker controls
to the middle position, end out of audio by waiting
for the display to change to the time display. Then press
and hold AUDIO for more than two seconds until you
hear a beep. CEN will appear on the display.
Adjusting the Speakers (Balance/Fade)
AUDIO:To adjust the balance between the right
and the left speakers, press and release AUDIO until
BAL appears on the display. Then press and hold the up
or the down arrow to move the sound toward the right
or the left speakers.
To adjust the fade between the front and the rear
speakers, press and release AUDIO until FAD appears
on the display. Then press and hold the up or the
down arrow to move the sound toward the front or the
rear speakers.To adjust balance or fade to the middle position, select
BAL or FAD. Then press and hold AUDIO for more
than two seconds until you hear a beep. L and a zero
or F and a zero will appear on the display.
To adjust both tone controls and both speaker controls
to the middle position, end out of audio by waiting
for the display to change to the time display. Then press
and hold AUDIO for more than two seconds until you
hear a beep. CEN will appear on the display.
Fade may not be available if you have a regular cab
model.Radio Messages
CAL (Calibrated):Your audio system has been
calibrated for your vehicle from the factory. If CAL
appears on the display it means that your radio has not
been congured properly for your vehicle and must
be returned to the dealership for service.
LOC (Locked):This message is displayed when the
Theftlock
®system has locked up. Your vehicle must be
returned to the dealership for service.
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Adjusting the Speakers (Balance/Fade)
AUDIO:To adjust the balance to the right and the
left speakers, push and release the AUDIO knob until
BAL appears on the display. Turn the knob to move the
sound toward the right or the left speakers.
To adjust the fade to the front and the rear speakers,
push and release the AUDIO knob until FADE appears
on the display. Turn the knob to move the sound
toward the front or the rear speakers.
To adjust the balance and fade to the middle position,
push the AUDIO knob then push it again and hold it until
the radio produces one beep. The balance and fade
will be adjusted to the middle position and the display
will show the speaker balance.
To adjust all tone and speaker controls to the middle
position, push and hold the AUDIO knob when no tone
or speaker control is displayed. The radio will produce
one beep and display ALL with the level display in
the middle position.
Using RDS
Your audio system is equipped with a Radio Data
System (RDS). RDS features are available for use only
on FM stations that broadcast RDS information.Using this system, your radio can do the following:
Seek to stations broadcasting the selected type of
programming,
receive announcements concerning local and
national emergencies,
display messages from radio stations, and
seek to stations with traffic announcements.
This system relies upon receiving specic information
from these stations and will only work when the
information is available. In rare cases, a radio station
may broadcast incorrect information that will cause
the radio features to work improperly. If this happens,
contact the radio station.
While you are tuned to an RDS station, the station name
or the call letters will appear on the display, instead of the
frequency. RDS stations may also provide the time of
day, a program type (PTY) for current programming and
the name of the program being broadcast.
DISP (Display):Press this knob to change what
appears on the display while using RDS. The display
options are station name, RDS station frequency,
PTY and the name of the program (if available).
To change the default on the display, push the knob
until you see the display you want, then hold the knob
for two seconds. The radio will produce one beep
and selected display will now be the default.
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Setting the Tone (Bass/Treble)
AUDIO:Press and release the AUDIO knob until BASS
or TREB appears on the display. Turn the knob to
increase or to decrease. The display will show the bass
or treble level. If a station is weak or noisy, you may
want to decrease the treble.
To adjust the bass and treble to the middle position,
push and hold the AUDIO knob. The radio will produce
one beep and adjust the display level to the middle
position.
To adjust all tone and speaker controls to the middle
position, push and hold the AUDIO knob when no tone
or speaker control is displayed. The radio will produce
one beep and display ALL with the level display in
the middle position.
AUTO TONE (Automatic Tone):Press this button to
choose bass and treble equalization settings designed
for country/western, jazz, talk, pop, rock and classical
stations.
To return the bass and treble to the manual mode,
press and release the AUDIO knob.
Adjusting the Speakers (Balance/Fade)
AUDIO:To adjust the balance to the right and the
left speakers, push and release the AUDIO knob until
BAL appears on the display. Turn the knob to move the
sound toward the right or the left speakers.
To adjust the fade to the front and the rear speakers,
push and release the AUDIO knob until FADE appears
on the display. Turn the knob to move the sound
toward the front or the rear speakers.
To adjust the balance and fade to the middle position,
push the AUDIO knob then push it again and hold it until
the radio produces one beep. The balance and fade
will be adjusted to the middle position and the display
will show the speaker balance.
To adjust all tone and speaker controls to the middle
position, push and hold the AUDIO knob when no tone
or speaker control is displayed. The radio will produce
one beep and display ALL with the level display in
the middle position.
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2003 - Sonoma OM

Adjusting the Speakers (Balance/Fade)
AUDIO:To adjust the balance between the right
and the left speakers, push the AUDIO knob until BAL
appears on the display. Turn the knob to move the
sound toward the left or the right speakers.
To adjust the fade between the front and rear speakers,
push and hold the AUDIO knob until FAD appears on
the display. Turn the knob to move the sound toward the
front or the rear speakers.
To adjust the balance and the fade to the middle
position, select balance or fade and push and hold the
AUDIO knob. The radio will beep once and will
adjust the display level to the middle position.
To adjust all tone and speaker controls to the middle
position, push and hold the AUDIO knob when no tone
or speaker controls are displayed. The radio will
produce one beep and CENTERED will appear on the
display.
Using RDS
Your audio system is equipped with a Radio Data
System (RDS). RDS features are available for use only
on FM stations that broadcast RDS information.
Using this system, the radio can do the following:
Seek to stations broadcasting the selected type of
programming,
receive announcements concerning local and
national emergencies,
display messages from radio stations, and
seek to stations with traffic announcements.
This system relies upon receiving specic information
from these stations and will only work when the
information is available. In rare cases, a radio station
may broadcast incorrect information that will cause
the radio features to work improperly. If this happens,
contact the radio station.
While you are tuned to an RDS station, the station
name or the call letters will appear on the display instead
of the frequency. RDS stations may also provide the
time of day, a program type (PTY) for current
programming and the name of the program being
broadcast.
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Your Driving, the Road, and Your Vehicle..........4-2
Defensive Driving...........................................4-2
Drunken Driving.............................................4-2
Control of a Vehicle........................................4-5
Braking.........................................................4-5
Locking Rear Axle..........................................4-7
Steering........................................................4-8
Off-Road Recovery.......................................4-10
Passing.......................................................4-10
Loss of Control.............................................4-12
Off-Road Driving with Your Four-Wheel-Drive
Vehicle....................................................4-13
Driving at Night............................................4-27
Driving in Rain and on Wet Roads
..................4-28
City Driving
..................................................4-31Freeway Driving...........................................4-32
Before Leaving on a Long Trip.......................4-33
Highway Hypnosis........................................4-34
Hill and Mountain Roads................................4-34
Winter Driving..............................................4-36
If You Are Stuck: In Sand, Mud,
Ice or Snow..............................................4-40
Towing..........................................................4-42
Towing Your Vehicle.....................................4-42
Recreational Vehicle Towing...........................4-42
Loading Your Vehicle....................................4-46
Truck-Camper Loading Information..................4-48
Trailer Recommendations...............................4-50
Pickup Conversion to Chassis Cab..................4-50
Towing a Trailer...........................................4-51
Section 4 Driving Your Vehicle
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2003 - Sonoma OM

If You Are Stuck: In Sand, Mud,
Ice or Snow
In order to free your vehicle when it is stuck, you will need
to spin the wheels, but you don’t want to spin your wheels
too fast. The method known as“rocking”can help you get
out when you’re stuck, but you must use caution.
{CAUTION:
If you let your tires spin at high speed, they
can explode, and you or others could be
injured. And, the transmission or other parts of
the vehicle can overheat. That could cause an
engine compartment fire or other damage.
When you’re stuck, spin the wheels as little as
possible. Don’t spin the wheels above 35 mph
(55 km/h) as shown on the speedometer.
Notice:Spinning your wheels can destroy parts of
your vehicle as well as the tires. If you spin the
wheels too fast while shifting your transmission
back and forth, you can destroy your transmission.
For information about using tire chains on your
vehicle, seeTire Chains on page 5-66.
Rocking Your Vehicle To Get It Out
First, turn your steering wheel left and right. That will
clear the area around your front wheels. If you have a
four-wheel-drive vehicle, shift into 4HI. Then shift
back and forth between REVERSE (R) and a forward
gear (or with a manual transmission, between FIRST (1)
or SECOND (2) and REVERSE (R)), spinning the
wheels as little as possible. Release the accelerator
pedal while you shift, and press lightly on the accelerator
pedal when the transmission is in gear. By slowly
spinning your wheels in the forward and reverse
directions, you will cause a rocking motion that may free
your vehicle. If that doesn’t get you out after a few
tries, you may need to be towed out. Or, you can use
your recovery hooks if your vehicle has them. If you do
need to be towed out, seeTowing Your Vehicle on
page 4-42.
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