tow OLDSMOBILE AURORA 2003 Owners Manual

The 2003 Oldsmobile Aurora Owner Manual
Seats and Restraint Systems ........................... 1-1
Front Seats
............................................... 1-2
Safety Belts
.............................................. 4 -8
Child Restraints
....................................... 1-28
Air Bag Systems
...................................... 1-47
Restraint System Check
............................ 1-55
Features and Controls ..................................... 2-1
Keys
........................................................ 2-3
Doors and Locks
...................................... 2-10
Windows
................................................. 2-1 7
Theft-Deterrent Systems ............................ 2-1 9
Starting and Operating Your Vehicle
........... 2-23
Mirrors
.................................................... 2-35
Onstar@ System
...................................... 2-39
HomeLink@ Transmitter
............................. 2-41
Storage Areas
......................................... 2-45
Sunroof
.................................................. 2-47
venicie Personaiization
............................. 2-48
Instrument Panel ............................................. 3-1
Instrument Panel Overview
.......................... 3-2
Climate Controls
...................................... 3-23
Warning Lights, Gages and Indicators
......... 3-30
D!%%?r !!?formatior! Center (D!C) .................. u 12-AK -rJ
Audio System(s) ....................................... 3-59 Driving
Your Vehicle
....................................... 4-1
Your Driving. the Road. and Your Vehicle
..... 4-2
Service and Appearance Care
.......................... 5-1
Towing
................................................... 4-33
Service
............................... ;. .................... 5-3
Fuel
......................................................... 5-5
Checking Things Under
the Hood
............................................. 5-12
Headlamp Aiming
..................................... 5-50
Windshield Wiper Blade Replacement
= ~ iI I I 5-59
Tires ...................................................... 5-60
Appearance Care
..................................... 5-82
Vehicle Identification
................................. 5-90
Electrical System
...................................... 5-91
Capacities and Specifications
................... 5-1 00
Maintenance Schedule ..................................... 6-1
Maintenance Schedule ................................ 6-2
Customer Assistance Information
.................... 7-1
Customer Assistance Information
.................. 7-2
Bulb
Replacement
.................................... 5-54
Normal Maintenance Replacement Parts
.... 5-101
Reporting Safety Defects
............................ 7-8
I-- -I ~ a lnQex ................................................................. 1
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To adjust the power seats, do the following:
Horizontal Control: Raise or lower the front of the seat
cushion by pressing the forward edge
of the control
up or down.
Raise or lower the rear of the seat cushion by pressing
the rear edge of the control up or down.
Move the seat forward or rearward by pressing the
control toward the front or rear of the vehicle.
Move the seat higher or lower by holding the whole
control up or down.
Vertical Control (Option): Move the seatback into a
reclined position by pressing the top of the control
backward.
Move the seatback forward by pressing the top of the
control forward.
Manual Lumbar
If your vehicle has this feature, the knob that controls it
is located on the outboard side of the driver's seat.
Turn the knob toward the front of the vehicle to increase
Illmhar slyyrt Tlrrn the knnh toward the rear nf the
vehicle to decrease lumbar support.
If you have the independent front cushion moved down
as far as it will go, you may feel the lumbar support
higher in your back. Readjust the location of the cushion
until
you are comfortable. You may also want to
adjust the seatback for maximum comfort.
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Never do this.
Here two children are wearing the same belt.
The belt can’t 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.
If the child is
sitting in a rear seat outside position, see
Rear
Safety Beit Comfort Guides for Chiidren and Smaii
Adults on page 1-25.
1-29
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Child Restraint Systems
An infant car bed (A), a special bed made for use in a
motor vehicle, is an infant restraint system designed
to restrain or position a child on a continuous flat
surface. Make sure that the infant's head rests toward
the center of the vehicle. A
rear-facing infant seat
(B) provides restraint with the
seating surface against the back of the infant. The
harness system holds the infant in place and, in a crash,
acts to keep the infant positioned in the restraint.
1 -34
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What Makes an Air Bag Inflate?
In an impact of sufficient severity, the air bag sensing
system detects that the vehicle is in a crash. For
both frontal and side impact air bags, the sensing
system triggers a release of gas from the inflator, which
inflates the air bag. The inflator, the air bag and
related hardware are all part of the air bag modules
inside the steering wheel, the instrument panel, and the
side of the front seatbacks closest to the door.
How Does an Air Bag 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. The air bag supplements the protection
provided by safety belts. Air bags distribute the force of
the impact more evenly over the occupant’s upper
body, stopping the occupant more gradually. But the
frontal air bags 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 air bag. Side impact air bags would not
help you in many types of collisions, including frontal
or near frontal collisions, rollovers, and rear impacts,
primarily because an occupant’s motion is not toward those air bags.
Air bags 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 air bags, and only in moderate to
severe side collisions for the driver’s and right front
passenger’s side impact air bag.
What Will You See After an Air Bag
Inflates?
After the air bag inflates, it quickly deflates, so quickly
that some people may not even realize the air bag
inflated. Some components of the air bag module
- the
steering wheel hub for the driver’s air bag, the
instrument panel for the right front passenger’s bag, the
side of the seatback closest to the door for the driver
and right front passenger‘s side impact air
bags
- will be hot for a short time. The parts of the bag
that come into contact with you may be warm, but not
too hot to touch. There will be some smoke and
dust coming from the vents in the deflated air bags. Air
bag inflation doesn’t prevent the driver from seeing
or being able to steer the vehicle, nor does it stop
people from leaving the vehicle.
1-52
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How long should you keep the coolant heater plugged
in? The answer depends on the outside temperature, the
kind of oil you have, and some other things. Instead
of trying to list everything here, we ask that you contact
your dealer in the area where you’ll be parking your
vehicle. The dealer can give you the best advice for that
particular area.
Automatic Transaxle Operation
There are several different
positions for your shift
lever.
__ js dangerous to get 01 of your veh f the
shift lever is not fully in PARK (P) with the
parking brake firmly set. Your vehicle can roll.
Don’t leave your vehicle when the engine
is
running unless you have to. If you have left the
engine running, the vehicle can move suddenly.
You or others could be injured. To
be sure your vehicle won’t move, even when
you’re on fairly level ground, always set your
parking brake and move the shift lever to
PARK (P). See “Shifting Into Park
(P)” in the
Index. If you’re pulling a trailer, see “Towing a
Trailer”
in the Index.
PARK (P): This position locks your front wheels. It’s the
best position to use when
you start your engine
because your vehicle can’t move easily.
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Ensure the shift lever is fully in PARK (P) before starting
the engine. Your vehicle has an automatic transaxle
shift lock control system. You have to fully apply
your regular brakes before you can shift from PARK (P)
when the ignition key is in ON.
REVERSE
(R): Use this gear to back up.
Notice: Shifting to REVERSE (R) while your vehicle
is moving forward could damage your transaxle.
Shift to REVERSE (R) only after your vehicle
is stopped.
To rock your vehicle back and forth to get out of snow.
ice or sand without damaging your transaxle, see
If
You Are Stuck: In Sand, Mud, Ice or Snow on
page 4-32.
NEUTRAL (N): In this position, your engine doesn’t
connect with the wheels. To restart when you’re already
moving, use NEUTRAL (N) only. Also, use
NEUTRAL (N) when your vehicle is being towed. Shifting into a
Glgde gear while
yo^ engllie is
“racing” (running at high speed) is dangerous.
Unless your foot
is firmly on the brake pedal,
your vehicle could move very rapidly.
You
could lose control and hit people or objects.
Don’t shift into a drive gear while your engine
is racing.
Notice: Damage to your transaxle caused by
shifting into
a drive gear with the engine racing isn’t
covered by your warranty.
AUTOMATIC OVERDRIVE
(a): This position is for
normal driving.
if you need more power for passing, and
you’re:
Going less than approximately
35 mph (55 km/h),
push your accelerator pedal about halfway down.
0 Going about 35 mph (55 km/h) or more, push the
accelerator all the way down.
You’ll shift down to the next gear and have more power.
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THIRD (3): This position is also used for normal driving,
however,
it offers more power and lower fuel economy
than AUTOMATIC OVERDRIVE
(a). Here are
some times you might choose THIRD
(3) instead of
AUTOMATIC OVERDRIVE (@ ):
When driving on hilly, winding roads,
when towing a trailer, so there is less shifting
when going down a steep hill.
between
gears, or
SECOND (2): This position gives you more power but
lower fuel economy than AUTOMATIC
OVERDRIVE (0 or THIRD (3). YOU can use
SECOND
(2) on hills. It can help control your speed as
you go down steep mountain roads, but then you
would also want
to use your brakes off and on.
FIRST (1): This position gives you even more power
but lower fuel economy than SECOND
(2). You can use
it on very steep hills, or in deep snow or mud. If the
shift lever is put in FIRST
(I), the transaxle won’t shift
into FIRST
(1) until the vehicle is going slowly enough.
Notice: If your front wheels won’t turn, don’t try
to drive. This might happen if you were stuck in very
deep sand or mud or were up against a solid
object. You could damage your transaxle.
Also, if
you stop when going uphill, don’t hold your vehicle
there with only the accelerator pedal. This could
overheat and damage the transaxle. Use your brakes
to hold your vehicle
in position on a hill.
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Parking Brake
Your vehicle has a PUSH
TO RELEASE parking
brake. To set the parking
brake, hold the regular
brake pedal down
with your right foot. Push
down the parking brake pedal with your left foot.
If the ignition is on, the brake system warning light will
come on while the parking brake is set and a single
chime will be heard.
To release the parking brake, hold the regular brake
pedal down with your right foot and push the parking
brake pedal with your left foot. When you lift your
left foot, the parking brake pedal will follow it to the
release position.
if you try to drive approximately 20 feet (6.1 m> with the
parking brake on, the brake light stays on and a
chime sounds until you release the parking brake.
Notice: Driving with the parking brake on can cause
your rear brakes to overheat. You may have to
replace them, and you could
also damage other
parts
of your vehicle.
If you are towing a trailer and are parking on any hill,
see
Towing a Trailer on page 4-36. That section shows
what to do first to keep the trailer from moving.
2-29
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It can be dangerous to get out of your vehicle
if the shift lever is not fully in
PARK (P) with
the parking brake firmly set. Your vehicle can
roll. If you have left the engine
running, the
vehicle can move suddenly. You or others
could be injured. To be sure your vehicle won’t
move, even when you’re on fairly level ground,
use the steps that follow. If you’re pulling a
trailer, see “Towing a Trailer” in the Index.
1. Hold the brake pedal down with your right foot and
set the parking brake by pushing down the parking
brake pedal with your left foot.
3. Turn the ignition key to OFF.
4. Remove the key and take it with you. If you can
leave your vehicle with the ignition key in your
hand, your vehicle is in
PARK (P).
2. Move the shift lever into PARK (P) by pushing the
lever all the way forward.
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