tow PONTIAC BONNEVILLE 2004 User Guide

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 and four chimes will be heard.If you start to drive with the parking brake set, a chime
will sound after the vehicle has traveled approximately
40 feet (12 m).
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 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
overheat the brake system and cause premature
wear or damage to brake system parts. Verify that
the parking brake is fully released and the brake
warning light is off before driving.
If you are towing a trailer and are parking on any hill,
seeTowing a Trailer on page 4-39. That section shows
what to do rst to keep the trailer from moving.
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Shifting Into Park (P)
{CAUTION:
It can be dangerous to get out of your vehicle if
the shift lever is not fully in PARK (P) with the
parking brake rmly 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 will not move,
even when you are on fairly level ground, use
the steps that follow. If you are pulling a trailer,
seeTowing a Trailer on page 4-39.
Steering Column Shift Lever
1. If your vehicle has the steering column shift lever,
hold the brake pedal down with your right foot and
set the parking brake.
2. Move the shift lever into PARK (P) like this:
Pull the lever toward you.
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Move the lever up as far as it will go.
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).
Console Shift Lever
1. If your vehicle has the console shift lever, hold the
brake pedal down with your right foot and set the
parking brake.
2. Move the shift lever into PARK (P) like this:
Hold in the button on the lever.
Push the lever all the way toward the front of the
vehicle.
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).
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Leaving Your Vehicle With the Engine
Running
{CAUTION:
It can be dangerous to leave your vehicle with
the engine running. Your vehicle could move
suddenly if the shift lever is not fully in
PARK (P) with the parking brake rmly set.
And, if you leave the vehicle with the engine
running, it could overheat and even catch re.
You or others could be injured. Do not leave
your vehicle with the engine running.
If you have to leave your vehicle with the engine
running, be sure your vehicle is in PARK (P) and your
parking brake is rmly set before you leave it. After you
have moved the shift lever into PARK (P), hold the
regular brake pedal down. Then, see if you can move
the shift lever away from PARK (P) without rst pulling it
toward you. Or, if you have the console shift lever,
without rst pushing the button. If you can, it means that
the shift lever was not fully locked into PARK (P).
Torque Lock
If you are parking on a hill and you do not shift your
transaxle into PARK (P) properly, the weight of the
vehicle may put too much force on the parking pawl in
the transaxle. You may nd it difficult to pull the shift
lever out of PARK (P). This is called “torque lock.”
To prevent torque lock, set the parking brake and then
shift into PARK (P) properly before you leave the
driver’s seat. To nd out how, seeShifting Into Park (P)
on page 2-33.
When you are ready to drive, move the shift lever out of
PARK (P)beforeyou release the parking brake.
If torque lock does occur, you may need to have another
vehicle push yours a little uphill to take some of the
pressure from the parking pawl in the transaxle, so you
can pull the shift lever out of PARK (P).
2-35

Running Your Engine While You
Are Parked
It is better not to park with the engine running. But if
you ever have to, here are some things to know.
{CAUTION:
Idling the engine with the climate control
system off could allow dangerous exhaust into
your vehicle. See the earlier Caution under
Engine Exhaust on page 2-37.
Also, idling in a closed-in place can let deadly
carbon monoxide (CO) into your vehicle even if
the climate control fan is at the highest setting.
One place this can happen is a garage.
Exhaust — with CO — can come in easily.
NEVER park in a garage with the engine
running.
Another closed-in place can be a blizzard. See
Winter Driving on page 4-26.
{CAUTION:
It can be dangerous to get out of your vehicle if
the shift lever is not fully in PARK (P) with the
parking brake rmly set. Your vehicle can roll.
Do not 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 will not move, even when you are on
fairly level ground, always set your parking
brake and move the shift lever to PARK (P).
Follow the proper steps to be sure your vehicle will not
move. SeeShifting Into Park (P) on page 2-33.
If you are parking on a hill and if you are pulling a
trailer, also seeTowing a Trailer on page 4-39.
2-38

Mirrors
Manual Rearview Mirror
When you are sitting in a comfortable driving position,
adjust the mirror so you can see clearly behind your
vehicle. Grip the mirror in the center to move it up
or down and side to side. The day/night adjustment
allows you to adjust the mirror to avoid glare from any
headlamps behind you. Push the tab away from
you for daytime use; pull it toward you for night use.
Automatic Dimming Rearview Mirror
Your vehicle may have an automatic dimming rearview
mirror. Your vehicle’s mirror may also contain OnStar®
controls. SeeOnStar®System on page 2-42for
more information.
At night, when the glare is too high, the mirror will
gradually darken to reduce glare. This change may take
a few seconds. The mirror will return to its clear
daytime state when the glare is reduced.
Mirror Operation
AUTO:Press this button to turn on the automatic
dimming feature.
OFF:Press this button to turn off the automatic
dimming feature.
O(On/Off):For mirrors equipped with OnStar®
controls, press this button to turn on the automatic
dimming feature. To turn off automatic dimming, press
this button again.
The indicator light will be illuminated when this feature
is active.
2-39

Express Open:When the glass panel is express
opening, pressing the switch in any direction will stop it
in a partially-opened position. The glass panel may
be fully opened by pressing the switch rearward again.
If you press and hold the switch in the express open
position for more than one and a half seconds, the
express open operation will be overridden and
the sunroof will operate manually.
Close:To close the glass panel, press and hold the
switch forward. As the glass panel reaches the closed
position, it will open slightly toward the vent position and
then drop down to the closed position to provide a
better seal. The sunshade must be closed manually.
Vent:Once the sunroof is closed, it can be opened to
the vent position by pushing the switch upward. To
close the glass panel, pull the switch downward. The
sunshade must be opened and closed manually for vent
operation.Vehicle Personalization
Memory Seat and Mirrors
If your vehicle has this
feature, the controls are
located on the driver’s door
panel, and are used to
program and recall
memory settings for the
driver’s seating, outside
mirror positions and
climate controls. SeeDIC
Vehicle Personalization
on page 3-64for more
information.
To save your seat and mirror positions into memory,
use the following procedure:
1. First identify the DRIVER # on the Driver Information
Center (DIC) by pressing MEMORY button 1 or 2 or
by pressing the unlock button on the remote
keyless entry transmitter. SeeDriver Information
Center (DIC) on page 3-58.
2-50

Horn
Press the center area of the steering wheel to sound
the horn.
Tilt Wheel
A tilt wheel allows you to adjust the steering wheel
before you drive. You can also raise it to the highest
level to give your legs more room when you exit
and enter the vehicle.
The lever that allows you
to tilt the steering wheel is
located on the left side
of the steering column.
To tilt the wheel, hold the wheel and pull the lever
toward you. Then move the steering wheel to a
comfortable level and release the lever to lock the
wheel in place.
Turn Signal/Multifunction Lever
The lever on the left side of the steering column
includes the following:
Turn and Lane-Change Signals
Headlamp High/Low-Beam Changer
Flash-To-Pass
Cruise Control
For information on the exterior lamps, seeExterior
Lamps on page 3-14.
3-7

Headlamp High/Low-Beam Changer
To change the headlamps from low beam to high beam,
push the lever forward. To change from high beam to
low beam, pull the turn signal lever toward you,
then release it.
When the high beams are
on, this light on the
instrument panel cluster
will also be on.
Headlamps On Reminder
If you open the driver’s door while leaving the
headlamps or parking lamps on and the key is in OFF,
you will hear a warning chime.
Flash-To-Pass
This feature lets you use your high-beam headlamps to
signal a driver in front of you that you want to pass.
It works even if your headlamps are off.
To use it, pull the turn signal lever toward you.
If your headlamps are off or on low beam, your
high-beam headlamps will turn on. They will stay on as
long as you hold the lever toward you and the
high-beam indicator on the instrument panel cluster will
come on. Release the lever to turn the high-beam
headlamps off.
3-9

Reducing Speed While Using Cruise
Control
There are two ways to reduce your speed while using
cruise control:
Press and hold the SET button until you get to the
speed you want, and then release it.
To slow down in very small amounts, press and
release the SET button briey. Each time you
do this, you will go about 1 mph (1.6 km/h) slower.
Passing Another Vehicle While Using
Cruise Control
Use the accelerator pedal to increase your speed.
When you take your foot off the pedal, your vehicle will
slow down to the cruise control speed you set earlier.
Using Cruise Control on Hills
How well your cruise control will work on hills depends
upon your speed, load and the steepness of the
hills. When going up steep hills, you may have to step
on the accelerator pedal to maintain your speed.
When going downhill, you may have to brake or shift to
a lower gear to keep your speed down. Of course,
applying the brake takes you out of cruise control. Many
drivers nd this to be too much trouble and do not
use cruise control on steep hills.
Ending Cruise Control
There are three ways to turn off the cruise control:
Step lightly on the brake pedal.
Move the cruise switch to OFF.
Pull the multifunction lever toward the driver.
Erasing Speed Memory
When you turn off the cruise control or the ignition, your
cruise control set speed memory is erased.
3-12