lock PONTIAC GRAND AM 2003 Owner's Guide

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 apply your regular
brake before you can shift from PARK (P) when the
ignition key is in
ON. If you cannot shift out of PARK (P),
ease pressure on the shift lever and push the shift
lever all the way into PARK (P) as you maintain brake
application. Then move the shift lever into the gear
you wish. Press the shift lever button before moving the
shift lever. See
Shifting Out of Park (P) on page 2-32
later in this section.
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 4-3 1.
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 drive gear while your engine 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.
2-25

Leaving Your Vehicle With the Engine
Running (Automatic Transaxle Only)
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 firmly set.
And, if you leave the vehicle with the engine
running, it could overheat and even catch fire.
You or others could be injured. Don’t leave
your vehicle with the engine running.
If you have to leave your automatic transaxle vehicle
with the engine running, be sure your vehicle
is in
PARK (P) and your parking brake is firmly set before
~QL! Ip31.1p it. .After y~iI’\.~p m~\/prj the shift Iwgr intn
PARK (P), hold the regular brake pedal down. Then, see
if you can move the shift lever away from PARK (P)
without first pushing the button.
If you can, it means that the shift lever wasn’t fully
!nrked into P.4p.K (PI.
Torque Lock
If you are parking on a hill and you don’t shift your
automatic transaxle into PARK
(P) properly, the weight
of the vehicle may put
too much force on the parking
pawl in the transaxle. You may find 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 find out how, see “Shifting
Into Park
(P)” previously in the section.
When you are ready
to drive, move the shift lever out of
PARK
(P) before you 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).
2-31

Shifting Out of Park (P)
If your vehicle has an automatic transaxle it has an
automatic transaxle shift lock control system. You have
to apply your regular brake before you can shift from
PARK (P) when the ignition
is in ON. See Automatic
Transaxle Operation on page
2-24.
If you cannot shift out of PARK (P), ease pressure on
the shift lever and push the shift lever all the way
into PARK (P) as you maintain brake application. Then
move the shift lever into the gear you wish. Press
the shift lever button before moving the shift lever.
If you ever hold the brake pedal down but still can’t shift
out of PARK (P), try this:
1. Turn the ignition key to ACCESSORY.
2. Apply and hold the regular brake until the end of
Step
5.
3. Shift to NEUTRAL (N).
4. Turn the ignition key to START, to start the vehicle.
5. Shift to the drive gear you want.
6. Have the vehicle fixed as soon as you can.
Parking Your Vehicle/Key Removal
Before leaving your manual transaxle model vehicle,
fully press the clutch pedal in, move the shift lever into
REVERSE
(R) and firmly apply the parking brake.
Once the shift lever has been placed in REVERSE (R)
with the clutch pedal pressed in, you can turn the
ignition key
to OFF, remove the key and release the
clutch. See
Manual Transaxle Operation on page 2-27.
2-32

Section 3 Instrument Panel
Instrument Panel Overview ............................... 3.2
Hazard Warnin Flashers
................................ 3.4
Other Warning !bevices
................................... 3.5
Horn
............................................................. 3.5
Tilt Wheel
..................................................... 3.5
Turn Signal/Multifunction Lever
......................... 3.6
Exterior Lamps
............................................. 3.13
Interior Lamps
.............................................. 3.16
Ashtrays and Cigarette Lighter
........................ 3.17
Climate Controls
............................................ 3.18
Climate Control System
................................. 3.18
Outlet Adjustment
......................................... 3.21
Warning Lights, Gages and Indicators
............. 3-22
Instrument Panel Cluster
................................ 3.23
Speedometer and Odometer
........................... 3.24
Tachometer
................................................. 3.24
Safety Belt Reminder Light
............................. 3.25
Air Bag Readiness Light ................................ 3.25
Charging System Light
.................................. 3.26
Up-Shift Light
............................................... 3.26
Erake QlQtT! -J -.-. !n!=lrning Light ........................ ~ 3-76 .
Warnin Light ........................................... 3-28
Warning Light
........................................... 3.28
Active Light
.............................................. 3.29
Low Coolant Warning Light
............................ 3.30
Anti-Lock
Brake System
Enhance
c? Traction System
Enhanced Traction System
Engine Coolant Temperature Gage
3.3~ rl on ..................
Malfunction Indicator Lamp ............................. 3.31
Oil Pressure Light
......................................... 3.34
Low Oil Level Li ht
....................................... 3.35
Securit Light:
............................................... 3-36
Service Vehicle Soon Light
............................ 3-36
Fuel Gage
................................................... 3-37
Audio System(s)
............................................. 3-38
Data Systems RDS)
.................................. 3-38
Change Engine
ail Light ................................ 3-35
Low dsher Fluid Warning Light
..................... 3-36
Setting the Time for Radios without Radio
Setting the Time
1 or Radios with Radio 3-39
........................... 3-39
.............................. 3-43
Radio with Cassette and CD
.......................... 3-55
Theft-Deterrent Feature
Theft-Deterrent Feature (Non-RDS Radios)
..................................... 3-68
(RDS Radios)
........................................... 3-68
MUUIW ULCCI II ly VVI IGGI VU1 ILI WIG v vv A . .A .- C'&-A~;~~ \Alhnnl Pnmtrnlrr Qxa .......................
Understanding Radio Reception ...................... 3-70
Care of Your Cassette Tape Player
................. 3-70
Care of Your CDs ......................................... 3-71
Care of Your CD Player
................................ 3-72
Fixed Mast Antenna ...................................... 3-72
XM Satellite Radio Antenna System
................ 3-72
DAB Radio Antenna System 3-11 Chime Level Adjustment ................................ 3-72
n Tn ...........................
3- 1

The main components of your instrument panel are the following:
A. Fog Lamp Button
B. Instrument Panel Brightness Thumbwheel
C. Turn SignaVMultifunction Lever
D. Horn
E. Instrument Panel Cluster
F. Windshield WiperNVasher Lever
G. Ignition Switch
H. Enhanced Traction System Button
I. Hazard Warning Flashers Button
J. Instrument Panel Fuse Blocks
K. Hood Release Handle
L. Tilt Wheel Lever
M. Audio System Steering Wheel Controls (If Equipped)
N. Cruise Control Buttons (If Equipped)
0. Shift Lever
P. Cigarette Lighter
Q. Climate Control System
R. Audio System
3-3

Other Warning Devices
If you carry reflective triangles, you can set one up at
the side
of the road about 300 feet (I00 m) behind your
vehicle.
Horn
You can sound the horn by pressing the horn symbol on
your steering wheel.
Tilt Wheel
The lever that allows you to tilt the steering wheel is
located on the left side of the steering column.
A tilt wheel allows you to adjust the steering wheel
before you drive. You can raise it to the highest level to
give your legs more room when you exit and enter
your vehicle.
To tilt the wheel, hold the wheel and pull the lever
toward you. Then move the wheel
to a comfortable
position and release the lever to
lock the wheel in place.
3-5

Windshield Washer
To wash your windshield, press the button at the end of
the stalk until the washers begin.
In freezing weather, don't use your washer
until the windshield
is warmed. Otherwise the
washer fluid can form ice on the windshield,
blocking your vision.
Cruise Control
When you release the button, the washers will stop, but
the wipers will continue to wipe for about three times
or will resume the speed you were using before.
If your vehicle has this feature, the cruise control
buttons are located on the bottom of the steering wheel.
With cruise control, you can maintain a speed of
about
25 mph (40 km/h) or more without keeping your
foot on the accelerator. This can really help
on long trips.
Cruise control does not work at speeds below
25 mph (40 km/h).
3-9

Interior Lamps
Instrument Panel Brightness
This feature controls the brightness of the instrument
panel lights.
The thumbwheel for this feature
is located on the
instrument panel
to the left of the steering wheel.
Entry/Exit Lighting
When you lift the driver’s door handle or open any door,
the lamps inside your vehicle will go on. These lamps
will fade out after about
10 seconds after all of the doors
have been closed or when the ignition is turned to
ON. These lamps will also go on when you press the
trunk release, unlock symbol button or the horn symbol on the keyless entry system transmitter (if equipped).
The lamps inside your vehicle will stay on for about
10 seconds after your key is removed from the ignition
to provide an illuminated exit.
Dome Lamp
If your vehicle has this feature, the switch on this lamp
has three positions. The
ON position will turn on the
light. The
DOOR position will turn on the light whenever
a door is opened or when the instrument panel
brightness thumbwheel is moved up. The OFF position
will shut
off the lamp completely, even when a door
is opened.
Move the thumbwheel right
to brighten the lights and left
to dim them.
3-1 6

Trunk Lamp Battery Run-Down Protection
The trunk lamp comes on when you open your trunk.
Your vehicle has a battery run-down feature designed
to
protect your vehicle’s battery.
When any interior lamp (trunk, reading lamps, dome
lamp or glove box) is left on when the ignition is turned
off, the battery run-down protection system will
automatically shut the lamp
off after 20 minutes. This
will avoid draining the battery.
To reactivate the interior lamps, do one of the following:
Lift the driver’s door handle,
open any door or
press any remote keyless entry transmitter button
(if equipped),
press the power door lock switch,
~r~~~ rei-,-iGte ti-Ufik Gr
turn the lamp that was left on to off and then to on
again.
Ashtrays and Cigarette Lighter
To use the lighter, just push it in all the way and
Nofices Don’t put papers or other flammable
items into your ashtrays. Hot cigarettes or otl let
go.
her
smoking materials could ignite them, causing
SI damaging fire.
Nofice: Don’t hold a cigarette lighter in with your
hand while
it is heating. If you do, it won’t 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. It can also blow
the fuse.
3-1 7

Climate Controls
Climate Control System
With this system you can control the heating, cooling
and ventilation for your vehicle.
Operation
To change the current mode, select one of the following:
f;’ (MAX): This mode is used for maximum cooling.
It will recirculate much of the air inside your vehicle.
It maximizes your air conditioner’s performance and your
vehicle’s fuel economy. The air-conditioning compressor
will run automatically in this mode when it is needed
to help dry the air in the vehicle.
2 (Vent): This mode directs air to the instrument
panel outlets.
tf;’ (Bi-Level): This mode directs half of the air to the
instrument panel outlets, then directs most of the
remaining air
to the floor outlets with some air directed
at the side windows.
@ (Floor): This mode directs most of the air to the
floor outlets with some air directed to the side windows.
The right knob can
also be used to select defog or
defrost modes. Information on defogging
and defrosting
can be found later in this section.
@ (Fan): Turn the left knob clockwise or
counterclockwise
to increase or decrease the fan speed.
Temperature Control: Turn the center knob clockwise
or counterclockwise to manually increase or decrease
the temperature inside your vehicle.
When it’s cold outside
0°F (-18°C) or lower, use the
engine coolant heater,
if equipped, to provide warmer air
faster to your vehicle. An engine coolant heater warms
the coolant that the engine uses
to provide heat to
warm the inside of your vehicle. For more information,
see Engine
Coolant Heater on page 2-22.
3-1 8