mirror PONTIAC FIREBIRD 1997 Owners Manual

Section 2 Features and Controls
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Here you can learn about the many standard and optional features on your Pontiac, and information on starting,
shifting and braking. Also explained are the instrument panel and the warning systems that tell you if everything is
working properly -- and what to do if you have a problem.
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Keys
Door Locks
Remote Keyless Entry System
Hatch
Theft
Vehicle and Content Theft-Deterrent System
Feature Customization New Vehicle “Break-In”
Ignition Switch
Starting Your Engine
Engine Coolant Heater
Automatic Transmission Operation
Manual Transmission
Parking Brake
Shifting Into PARK (P)
Parking Your Vehicle
PASS-K@ 11
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Shifting Out of PARK (P)
Parking Over Things That Burn
Engine Exhaust
Windows
Horn
Tilt Steering Wheel
Turn SignaVMultifunction Lever
Lamps
Interior Lamps
Mirrors
Storage Compartments
Ashtray and Lighter
Sun Visors
Floor Mats
Convertible
Top
Instrument Panel
Warning Lights,
Cages and Indicators
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Front Map Lamps
Your inside rearview mirror includes two map lamps.
Each lamp has its own switch. Use the switch closest to
the lamp to turn it on. The lamps will also
go on when a
door
is opened.
Retained Accessory Power (RAP)
Your vehicle is equipped with a Retained Accessory
Power (RAP) feature which will allow certain features
of your vehicle to continue to work up to
10 minutes
after the ignition key is turned to
OFF.
Your convertible top, power windows, and audio system
will work when the ignition key is in the
RUN or ACC
positions. Once the key is turned from RUN to OFF,
these features will continue to work for up to 10 minutes
or until either door is opened.
Your power door unlock and remote hatch release
features will work when the ignition key is in the RUN
or
ACC positions or if either door is open. Once the key
is turned to OFF, these features will continue to work €or
up to 10 minutes. If either door is open and the ignition
key
is OFF, these features will continue to work until
both doors have been closed for about
30 seconds or
until the theft-deterrent system arms. At that time, both
the power door unlock and remote hatch release features
will be disabled to enhance the security
of the vehicle.
The power door lock function will work at all times
except during Lockout Prevention (if this feature is
enabled). See “Lockout Prevention’’ in
the Index.
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Mirrors
Inside Daymight Rearview Mirror
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An inside rearview mirror is attached to your windshield.
The mirror has pivots so that you can adjust it.
You can adjust the minor for day or night driving. Pull
the tab for night driving to reduce glare. Push the tab for
daytime driving.
Outside Manual Adjustable Mirror
Adjust the passengefs side outside mirror by hand so
that you can just see the side of your vehicle when you
are sitting in a comfortable driving position.
Manual Remote Control Mirror
Adjust the driver’s side outside mirror with the lever on
the door. Adjust the mirror so that you just see the side
of
your vehicle when you are sitting in a comfortable
driving position.
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Power Remote Control Mirror (If Equipped)
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The power mirror control is on the driver’s door. To
adjust either mirror, move the center switch to left (L) or
right
(R). (The Center position is “OFF”). Then use the
touch pad
to adjust the mirror.
Convex Outside Mirror
Your passenger’s side mirror is convex. A convex
mirror’s surface is curved so you can see more from the
driver’s seat.
A convex mirror can make things (like other
vehicles) look farther away than they really are.
If you cut too sharply
into the right lane, you
could hit
a vehicle on your right. Check your
inside mirror
or glance over your shoulder before
changing lanes.
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Sun Visors
I NOTICE:
Don? hold a cigarette lighter in with your hand
while it is heating.
If you do, it won9t be able to
back away
from the heating element when it’s
ready. That can make it overheat, damaging the
lighter and the heating element.
If you plug accessories into your cigarette lighter, such
as heating devices or air ~ompressors, these accessories
should have a rated current of less than 15 amps.
Exceeding this limit will result in a blown fuse.


To block out glare, YOU can swing down the visors. You
can also swing them to the side. The elastic bands on
your visor provide extra storage for maps or papers.
Covered Visor Vanity Mirror
Full down the sun visor and lift the cover to expose the
vanity mirror.
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Check your mirrors, glance over your shoulder, and
start your left lane change signal before moving out
of the right lane to pass. When you are far enough
ahead
of the passed vehicle to see its front in your
inside mirror, activate your right lane change signal
and move back into the right lane. (Remember that
your right outside mirror is convex. The vehicle
you
just passed may seem to be farther away from you
than it really is.)
0 Try not to pass more than one vehicle at a time on
two-lane roads. Reconsider before passing the
next vehicle.
0 Don’t overtake a slowly moving vehicle too rapidly.
Even though the brake lamps
are not flashing, it may
be slowing down or starting to turn.
0 If you’re being passed, make it easy for the
following driver to get ahead
of you. Perhaps you
can ease a little to
the right.
Loss of Control
Let’s review what driving experts say about what
happens when the three control systems (brakes, steering
and acceleration) don’t have enough friction where the
tires meet the road to do what the driver has asked.
In any emergency, don’t give up. Keep trying to steer and
constantly seek an escape route or area of less danger.
Skidding
In a skid, a driver can lose control of the vehicle.
Defensive drivers avoid most skids by taking reasonable
care suited to existing conditions, and by not
“overdriving” those conditions. But skids are
always possible.
The three types of skids correspond
to your Pontiac’s
three control systems. In the braking skid, your wheels
aren’t rolling. In the steering or cornering skid, too
much speed or steering in a curve causes tires to slip and
lose cornering force. And in
the acceleration skid, too
much throttle causes the driving wheels to spin.
A cornering skid
is best handled by easing your foot off
the accelerator pedal.
If
you have the traction control system, remember: It
helps avoid only the acceleration skid.
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If you do not have traction control, or if the system is
off, then an acceleration skid is also best handled by
easing your foot off the accelerator pedal.
If your vehicle starts to slide, ease your foot off the
accelerator pedal and quickly steer the way you want the
vehicle to go. If you start steering quickly enough, your
vehicle may straighten out. Always be ready for a
second skid
if it occurs.
Of course, traction is reduced when water, snow, ice,
gravel or other material is on the road. For safety, you’ll
want to slow down and adjust your driving to these
conditions. It
is important to slow down on slippery
surfaces because stopping distance will be longer and
vehicle control more limited.
While driving on a surface with reduced traction, try
your best to avoid sudden steering, acceleration
or
braking (including engine braking by shifting to a
lower gear). Any sudden changes could cause the tires
to slide.
You may not realize the surface is slippery until
your vehicle is skidding. Learn to recognize warning
clues
-- such as enough water, ice or packed snow on
the road to make a “mirrored surface” -- and slow down
when you have any doubt.
Remember: Any anti-lock brake system
(ABS) helps
avoid only the braking skid.
Driving at Night
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Night driving is more dangerous than day driving.
One reason is that some drivers are likely
to be
impaired -- by alcohol or drugs, with night vision
problems, or by fatigue.
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Here are some tips on night driving.
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Drive defensively.
Don’t drink and drive.
Adjust your inside rearview mirror to reduce the
glare from headlamps behind you.
Since you can’t
see as well, you may need to slow
down and keep more space between you and
other vehicles.
Slow down, especially
on higher speed roads. Your
headlamps can light up only so much road ahead.
In remote areas, watch for animals.
If you’re tired, pull off the road in a safe place
and rest.
Night Vision
No one can see as well at night as in the daytime. But as
we get older these differences increase.
A 50-year-old
driver may require at least twice as much light to see
the
same thing at night as a 20-year-old.
What you do in the daytime can
also affect your night
vision.
For example, if you spend the day in bright
sunshine
you are wise to wear sunglasses. Your eyes will have
less trouble adjusting to night. But if you’re
driving, don’t wear sunglasses at night. They may cut
down on glare
from headlamps, but they also make a lot
of things invisible.
You can be temporarily blinded by approaching
headlamps.
It can take a second or two, or even several
seconds, for your eyes to readjust to
the dark. When you
are faced with severe glare (as from a driver who doesn’t
lower the high beams, or a vehicle with misaimed
keadlamps), slow down
a little. Avoid staring directly
into the approaching headlamps.
Keep your windshield and all the glass on your vehicle
clean
-- inside and out. Glare at night is made much
worse
by dirt on the glass. Even the inside of the glass
can build up
a film caused by dust. Dirty glass makes
lights dazzle and
flash more than clean glass would,
making
the pupils of your eyes contract repeatedly.
Remember that your headlamps light
up far less of a
roadway when you are in a turn
or curve. Keep your
eyes moving; that way, it’s easier
to pick out dimly
lighted objects. Just
as your headlamps should be
checked regularly for proper aim, so should your eyes
be examined regularly. Some drivers suffer from night
blindness
-- the inability to see in dim light -- and
aren’t even aware of it.
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Freeway Driving The most important advice on freeway driving is: Keep
up with traffic and keep to the right. Drive at the same
speed most
of the other drivers are driving. Too-fast or
too-slow driving breaks a smooth traffic flow. Treat the
left lane on a freeway as a passing lane.
Mile for mile, freeways (also called thruways, parkways,
expressways, turnpikes or superhighways) are the safest
of all roads. But they have their own special rules.
At the entrance, there is usually a ramp that leads to the
freeway.
If you have a clear view of the freeway as you
drive along the entrance ramp, you should begin to
check traffic. Try to determine where you expect
to
blend with the flow. Try to merge into the gap at close to
the prevailing speed. Switch on your turn signal, check
your mirrors and glance over your shoulder as often as
necessary. Try to blend smoothly with the traffic
flow.
Once you are on the freeway, adjust your speed to the
posted limit or to the prevailing rate
if it’s slower. Stay
in the right lane unless you want to pass.
Before changing lanes, check your mirrors. Then use
your turn signal.
Just before you leave the lane, glance quickly over your
shoulder to make sure there isn’t another vehicle in your
“blind” spot.

Highway Hypnosis
Is there actually such a condition as “highway hypnosis”?
Or is it just plain falling asleep at the wheel? Call it
highway hypnosis, lack of awareness, or whatever.
There is something about an easy stretch of road with
the same scenery, along with the hum
of the tires on the
road, the drone
of the engine, and the rush of the wind
against the vehicle that can make you sleepy. Don’t
let it
happen to you!
If it does, your vehicle can leave the
road in
less than a second, and you could crash and
be injured.
What can you
do about highway hypnosis? First, be
aware that it can happen.
Then here are some tips:
0 Make sure your vehicle is well ventilated, with a
comfortably cool interior.
Keep your eyes moving. Scan the road ahead and to
the sides. Check your rearview mirrors and your
instruments frequently.
If you get sleepy, pull off the road into a rest, service
or parking area and take a nap, get some exercise, or
both. For safety, treat drowsiness on the highway as
an emergency.
Hill and Mountain Roads
Driving on steep hills or mountains is different from
driving in flat or rolling terrain.
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