ESP Oldsmobile Alero 2003 Owner's Manuals

or the safety belts!
With safety belts, you slow down as the vehicle does.
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and your strongest bones take the forces. That’s why
safety belts make such good sense.
Questions and Answers About
Safety Belts
Q: Won’t I be trapped in the vehicle after an
accident if I’m wearing a safety belt?
A: You could be - whether you’re wearing a safety
belt or not. But you can unbuckle a safety belt,
even
if you’re upside down. And your chance
of being conscious during and after an accident, so
you can unbuckle and get out, is much greater if
you are belted.
Q: If my vehicle has air bags, why should I have to
wear safety belts?
A: Air bags are in many vehicles today and will be in
most of them in the future. But they are
supplemental systems only;
so they work with
system ever offered for sale has required the use of
safety belts. Even if you’re in a vehicle that has
air bags,
you still have to buckle up to get the most
protection. That’s true not only in frontal collisions,
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1-13

Doors and Locks
Door Lcnks
~~ -
Unlocked doors can be dangerous.
Passengers - especially children - can
easily open
the doors and fall out of a
moving vehicle. When a door
is locked, the
handle won’t open
it. You increase the
chance of being thrown out of the vehicle
in a crash if the doors aren’t locked. So,
wear safety belts properly and lock the
doors whenever you drive.
vehicles may be unable to get out.
A child
can be overcome by extreme heat and can
from heat stroke. Always lock your vehicle
whenever you leave
it.
unlocked door when you slow down or
stop your vehicle. Locking your doors can
help prevent
this from happening.
Young children who get into unlocked
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0 Outsiders can easily enter through an There are
several ways to lock and unlock your vehicle.
From the outside, use your key or remote keyless
entry system, if your vehicle
is equipped with this
feature.
If your vehicle has remote keyless entry, you
can only use your key to unlock the driver’s side door.
From tne insiae, you can iock or uniock
ine door by
moving the manual lever forward or rearward.
2-7

Windows
Leaving children in a vehicle with the windows
closed is dangerous.
A child can be overcome
by the extreme heat and can suffer permanent
injuries or even death from heat stroke. Never
leave a child alone in
a vehicle, especially with
the windows closed in warm or hot weather.
Manual Windows
On a vehicle with manual windows, use the window
crank
to open and close each window.
2-1 4

Theft-Deterrent Systems
Vehicle theft is big business, especially in some cities.
Although your vehicle has a number of theft-deterrent
features, we know that nothing we put on it can make
it
impossible to steal.
Passlock@
Your vehicle has the Passlock@ theft-deterrent system.
Passlock@ is a passive theft-deterrent system.
Passlock@ enables fuel
if the ignition lock cylinder has
not been tampered with.
During normal operation, the SECURITY light will go
off
approximately five seconds after the ignition key is
turned to
ON and the engine is started.
After attempting to start the engine,
if the SECURITY
light flashes or stays on, wait ten minutes with the key in
ON until the light goes off. Then turn the ignition to
OFF before attempting to start the engine again.
See
Roadside Assistance Program on page 7-5 for
more information.
2-1 6

The exterior lamps control has three positions:
pf (Parking Lamps): Turn the control to this position
to turn on the parking lamps, together with the
following.
Sidemarker Lamps
Taillamps
License Plate Lamps
0 Instrument Panel Lights
- - EO (Headlamps): Turn the control to this position to
turn on the headlamps, together with the previously
listed lamps and lights.
AUTO: Turn the control to this position to turn the
headlamps, taillamps and parking lamps on and
off automatically while the ignition is on, by sensing how
dark it is outside. For more information see Automatic
Headlamp System later in this section.
Daytime Running Lamps (DRL)
Daytime Running Lamps (DRL) can make it easier for
others to see the front
of your vehicle during the
day. DRL can be helpful
in many different driving
conditions, but they can be especially helpful in the
short
periods after dawn and before sunset. Fully functional
daytime running lamps are required on all vehicles
first sold in Canada. The DRL
system will make your low-beam headlamps
come on at a reduced brightness when the following
conditions are met:
The ignition is on.
the exterior lamps control is in AUTO or the parking
the light sensor detects daytime light,
lamps
only position.
the parking brake is released, and
the shift lever is not in PARK (P) on vehicles with
When the DRL system
is on, the taillamps, sidemarker
lamps, parking lamps and instrument panel lights
will not be illuminated unless you have turned the
exterior lamps control to the parking lamp position.
As with any vehicle, you should turn on the regular
headlamp system when you need it. an
automatic transaxle only.
Automatic Headlamp System
When it is dark enough outside, your Automatic
Headlamp System will turn on your headlamps at the
normal brightness along with other lamps such as
the taillamps, sidemarker, parking lamps and the
instrument panel lights. The radio lights will also be dim.
Your vehicle is equipped with a light sensor on the
top of the instrument panel under the defroster grill,
so
be sure it is not covered which will cause the system
to be on whenever the ignition
is on.
3-1 4

Understanding Radio Reception
AM
The range for most AM stations is greater than for FM,
especially at night. The longer range, however, can
cause stations to interfere with each other. AM can pick
up noise from things like storms and power lines. Try
reducing the treble to reduce this noise
if you ever get it.
FM Stereo
FM stereo will give you the best sound, but FM signals
will reach only about
10 to 40 miles (16 to 65 km).
Tall buildings or hills can interfere with FM signals,
causing the sound to come and go.
XMTM Satellite Radio Service
XMTM Satellite Radio gives you digital radio reception
from coast to coast. Just as with FM, tall buildings
or hills can interfere with Satellite radio signals, causing
the sound to come and
so. Your radio may display
“NO SIGNAL” to indicate interference.
DAB Radio
DAB gives you digital radio reception. Just as with FM,
tall buildings or hills can interfere with radio signals,
causing the sound to come and go. Your radio
may display “NO
SIGNAL” to indicate interference,
Care of Your Cassette Tape Player
A tape player that is not cleaned regularly can cause
reduced sound quality, ruined cassettes or a damaged
mechanism. Cassette tapes should be stored in their
cases away from contaminants, direct sunlight and
extreme heat.
If they aren’t, they may not operate
properly or may cause failure of the tape player.
Your tape player should be cleaned regularly after every
50 hours of use. Your radio may display CLEAN
PLAYR to indicate that you have used your tape player
for 50 hours without resetting the tape clean timer.
If
this message appears on the display, your cassette tape
player needs to be cleaned. It will still play tapes, but
you should clean
it as soon as possible to prevent
damage to your tapes and player.
If you notice a
reduction in sound quality, try a known good cassette to
see
if the tape or the tape player is at fault. If this
other cassette has no improvement in sound quality,
clean the tape player.
For best results, use a scrubbing action, non-abrasive
head as the hubs of the cleaner cassette turn. The
recommended cleaning cassette is available through
your dealership.
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3-65

There’s something else about drinking and driving that
many people don’t know. Medical research shows
that alcohol in a person’s system can make crash
injuries worse, especially injuries to the brain, spinal
cord or heart. This means that when anyone who
has been drinking
- driver or passenger - is in a
crash, that person’s chance
of being killed or
permanently disabled is higher than
if the person had
not been drinking.
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.
I
,,inking and then driving is very dangerous.
Your reflexes, perceptions, attentiveness
and judgement can be affected by even
a
small amount of alcohol. You can have a
serious
- or even fatal - collision if you drive
after drinking. Please don’t drink and drive or
ride with a driver who has been drinking. Ride
designate
a driver who will not drink.
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Sometimes, as when you’re driving on snow or ice, it’s
easy to ask more
of those control systems than the
control
of your vehicle. Also see Enhanced Traction
System (ETS) on page 4-9.
tires and :cad car: prwidz. That means you can lose
4-5

Using Anti-Lock
As you brake, your computer keeps receiving updates
on wheel speed and controls braking pressure
accordingly.
Remember: Anti-lock doesn’t change the time you need
to get your foot up to the brake pedal or always
decrease stopping distance.
If you get too close to the
vehicle
in front of you, you won’t have time to apply
your brakes
if that vehicle suddenly slows or stops.
Always leave enough room up ahead to stop, even
though you have anti-lock brakes. Don’t
pump the brakes. Just hold the brake pedal down
firmly and let anti-lock work for you. You may feel a
slight brake pedal pulsation or notice some noise, but
this is normal.
Braking in Emergencies
At some time, nearly every driver gets into a situation
that requires hard braking.
If you have anti-lock, you can steer and brake at the
same time. However,
if you don’t have anti-lock,
your first reaction
- to hit the brake pedal hard and hola
it down
- may be the wrong thing to do. Your wheels
can stop rolling. Once they do, the vehicle can’t respond
to your steering. Momentum will carry it in whatever
direction it was headed when the wheels stopped rolling.
That could be
off the road, into the very thing you
were trying to avoid, or into traffic.
If you don’t have anti-lock, use a “squeeze” braking
technique. This will give you maximum braking while
maintaining steering control. You can do this by pushing
on the brake pedal with steadily increasing pressure.
4-8

In an emergency, you will probably want to squeeze the
brakes hard without locking the wheels.
If you hear or
feel the wheels sliding, ease
off the brake pedal.
This will help you retain steering control.
If you do have
anti-lock, it’s different. See “Anti-Lock Brakes.”
In many emergencies, steering can help you more than
even the very best braking.
Enhanced Traction System (ETS)
Your vehicle may have an Enhanced Traction System
(ETS) that limits wheel spin. This is especially useful in
slippery road conditions. The system operates only
if
it senses that one or both of the front wheels are
spinning or beginning to lose traction. When this
happens, the system reduces engine power and may
also upshift the transaxle to limit wheel spin.
I
This light will come on
when your Enhanced
Traction Slmtem is !irniting
wheel spin. See
Enhanced Traction System
Active Light on page
3-30.
You may feel or hear the system working, but this is
normal.
If your vehicle is in cruise control when the enhanced
traction system begins to limit wheel spin, the cruise
control will automatically disengage. When road
conditions allow you to safely use it again, you may
re-engage the cruise control. See ‘Cruise Control” under
Turn Signal/Multifunction Lever on page 3-7.
The Enhanced Traction System operates in all transaxle
shift lever positions. But the system can upshift the
transaxle only as high as the shift lever position you’ve
chosen, so you should use the lower gears only
when necessary. See
Automatic Transaxle Operation on
page 2-22.
TRAC
OFF
When the system is on
and the parking brake is
fully released, this warning
light will come on to let
you know
if there’s a
problem.
See
Enhanced Traction System Warning Light on
page 3-29.
When this warning light is on, the system will
not limit wheel spin. Adjust your driving accordingly.
To limit wheel spin, especially in slippery road
Traction System on. But you can turn the system
off if
you prefer.
ca?dltic?ns, you should alwa‘js leave the Enhanced
4-9

The driver of a vehicle about to pass another on a
two-lane highway waits for just the right moment,
accelerates, moves around the vehicle ahead, then
goes back into the right lane again.
A simple maneuver?
Not necessarily! Passing another vehicle on a two-lane
highway is a potentially dangerous move, since the
passing vehicle occupies the same lane as oncoming
traffic for several seconds.
A miscalculation, an error in
judgment, or a brief surrender to frustration or anger
can suddenly put the passing driver face to face with the
worst of all traffic accidents
- the head-on collision.
So here are some tips for passing:
0
0
“Drive ahead.” Look down the road, to the sides
and to crossroads for situations that might affect
your passing patterns.
If you have any doubt
whatsoever about making a successful pass, wait
for a better time.
Watch for traffic signs, pavement markings and
lines. If you can see a sign up ahead that might
indicate a turn or an intersection, delay your pass.
A broken center line usually indicates it’s all
right to pass (providing the road ahead is clear).
Never
cross =r so!id !he or! your side of the lane or
a double solid line, even if the road seems empty
of approaching traffic.
0 Do not get too close to the vehicle you want to
pass while you’re awaiting an opportunity. For
one thing, following too closely reduces your area
of vision, especially
if you’re following a larger
vehicle.
Also, you won’t have adequate space if the
vehicle ahead suddenly slows or stops. Keep
back a reasonable distance.
When it looks like a chance to pass is coming up,
start to accelerate but stay in the right lane and
don’t get too close. Time your move so you will be
increasing speed as the time comes to move
into the other lane. If the way
is clear to pass, you
will have a “running start” that more than makes
up for the distance you would lose by dropping
back. And
if something happens to cause you to
cancel your pass, you need only slow down
and drop back again and wait for another
opportunity.
If other vehicles are lined up to pass a slow vehicle,
wait your turn. But take care that someone isn’t
trying to pass you as you pull out to pass the slow
vehicle. Remember to glance over your shoulder
and check the blind spot.
4-1 3