belt PONTIAC GRAND PRIX 2004 Owners Manual

Seats and Restraint Systems........................... 1-1
Front Seats
............................................... 1-2
Rear Seats
............................................... 1-8
Safety Belts
.............................................1-10
Child Restraints
.......................................1-29
Air Bag Systems
......................................1-48
Restraint System Check
............................1-56
Features and Controls..................................... 2-1
Keys
........................................................ 2-2
Doors and Locks
....................................... 2-7
Windows
.................................................2-12
Theft-Deterrent Systems
............................2-14
Starting and Operating Your Vehicle
...........2-18
Mirrors
....................................................2-33
OnStar
žSystem
......................................2-35
Storage Areas
.........................................2-36
Sunroof
..................................................2-39
Instrument Panel............................................. 3-1
Instrument Panel Overview
.......................... 3-2
Climate Controls
......................................3-25
Warning Lights, Gages and Indicators
.........3-31
Driver Information Center (DIC)
..................3-45
Audio System(s)
.......................................3-88Driving Your Vehicle....................................... 4-1
Your Driving, the Road, and Your Vehicle
..... 4-2
Towing
...................................................4-33
Service and Appearance Care.......................... 5-1
Service
..................................................... 5-3
Fuel
......................................................... 5-4
Checking Things Under the Hood
...............5-10
Headlamp Aiming
.....................................5-56
Bulb Replacement
....................................5-59
Windshield Wiper Blade Replacement
.........5-67
Tires
......................................................5-68
Appearance Care
.....................................5-90
Vehicle Identi®cation
.................................5-98
Electrical System
......................................5-99
Capacities and Speci®cations
...................5-104
Normal Maintenance Replacement Parts
......5-105
Maintenance Schedule..................................... 6-1
Maintenance Schedule
................................ 6-2
Customer Assistance Information.................... 7-1
Customer Assistance Information
.................. 7-2
Reporting Safety Defects
............................ 7-9
Index................................................................ 1
2004 Pontiac Grand Prix Owner ManualM

Front Seats......................................................1-2
Manual Seats................................................1-2
Power Seat...................................................1-4
Power Lumbar...............................................1-5
Heated Seats.................................................1-5
Reclining Seatbacks........................................1-6
Head Restraints.............................................1-7
Rear Seats.......................................................1-8
Split Folding Rear Seat...................................1-8
Safety Belts...................................................1-10
Safety Belts: They Are for Everyone................1-10
Questions and Answers About Safety Belts......1-14
How to Wear Safety Belts Properly.................1-15
Driver Position..............................................1-15
Safety Belt Use During Pregnancy..................1-22
Right Front Passenger Position.......................1-23
Rear Seat Passengers..................................1-23
Rear Safety Belt Comfort Guides for Children
and Small Adults.......................................1-26
Safety Belt Pretensioners...............................1-28
Safety Belt Extender.....................................1-28
Child Restraints.............................................1-29
Older Children..............................................1-29
Infants and Young Children............................1-32Child Restraint Systems.................................1-35
Where to Put the Restraint.............................1-38
Top Strap....................................................1-39
Top Strap Anchor Location.............................1-40
Lower Anchorages and Top Tethers for
Children (LATCH System)...........................1-41
Securing a Child Restraint Designed for
the LATCH System....................................1-43
Securing a Child Restraint in a Rear
Seat Position............................................1-43
Securing a Child Restraint in the Right
Front Seat Position....................................1-45
Air Bag Systems............................................1-48
Where Are the Air Bags?...............................1-50
When Should an Air Bag In¯ate?....................1-53
What Makes an Air Bag In¯ate?.....................1-53
How Does an Air Bag Restrain?.....................1-54
What Will You See After an Air Bag In¯ates?.......1-54
Servicing Your Air Bag-Equipped Vehicle.........1-56
Restraint System Check..................................1-56
Checking Your Restraint Systems...................1-56
Replacing Restraint System Parts
After a Crash............................................1-57
Section 1 Seats and Restraint Systems
1-1

{CAUTION:
Sitting in a reclined position when your vehicle
is in motion can be dangerous. Even if you
buckle up, your safety belts can't do their job
when you're reclined like this.
The shoulder belt can't do its job because it
won't be against your body. Instead, it will be
in front of you. In a crash you could go into it,
receiving neck or other injuries.
The lap belt can't do its job either. In a crash
the belt could go up over your abdomen.
The belt forces would be there, not at your
pelvic bones. This could cause serious internal
injuries.
For proper protection when the vehicle is in
motion, have the seatback upright. Then sit
well back in the seat and wear your safety
belt properly.
Head Restraints
Slide the head restraint up or down so that the top
of the restraint is closest to the top of your head.
This position reduces the chance of a neck injury in
a crash.
1-7

Rear Seats
Split Folding Rear Seat
You can fold either side or both sides of the seatback
down in your vehicle for more cargo space. Make sure
the front seat isn't reclined. If it is, the rear seatback may
not fold down all the way.
To lower the rear seatback, follow these steps:
1. Remove the rear center lap-shoulder belt latch by
using a pointed object to press the release button.1. Pull forward on the
seatback tab located
on the outboard side
of the rear seat
cushion to fold the
seatback down.
This will allow you direct access to the trunk.
1-8

{CAUTION:
If the seatback isn't locked, it could move
forward in a sudden stop or crash. That could
cause injury to the person sitting there. Always
press rearward on the seatback to be sure it
is locked.
{CAUTION:
A safety belt that is improperly routed, not
properly attached, or twisted won't provide
the protection needed in a crash. The person
wearing the belt could be seriously injured.
After raising the rear seatback, always check
to be sure that the safety belts are properly
routed and attached, and are not twisted.To raise the rear seatback, follow these steps:
1. Raise the seatback up and make sure it latches.
Push and pull on the seatback to be sure it is
locked in position.
2. Reconnect the center
safety belt latch plate
to the buckle.
Make sure the safety belt label is pointing to the release
button, and that both are facing the front of the vehicle.
Make sure the belt is not twisted. Push and pull on the
latch plate to be sure it is secure.
When the seat is not in use, the seatback should be
kept in the upright, locked position.
1-9

Safety Belts
Safety Belts: They Are for Everyone
This part of the manual tells you how to use safety
belts properly. It also tells you some things you should
not do with safety belts.
{CAUTION:
Don't let anyone ride where he or she can't
wear a safety belt properly. If you are in a
crash and you're not wearing a safety belt,
your injuries can be much worse. You can hit
things inside the vehicle or be ejected from it.
You can be seriously injured or killed. In the
same crash, you might not be, if you are
buckled up. Always fasten your safety belt,
and check that your passengers' belts are
fastened properly too.
{CAUTION:
It is extremely dangerous to ride in a cargo
area, inside or outside of a vehicle. In a
collision, people riding in these areas are more
likely to be seriously injured or killed. Do not
allow people to ride in any area of your vehicle
that is not equipped with seats and safety
belts. Be sure everyone in your vehicle is in a
seat and using a safety belt properly.
Your vehicle has a light
that comes on as a
reminder to buckle up.
See
Safety Belt Reminder
Light on page 3-34.
1-10

In most states and in all Canadian provinces, the law
says to wear safety belts. Here's why:They work.
You never know if you'll be in a crash. If you do have a
crash, you don't know if it will be a bad one.
A few crashes are mild, and some crashes can be so
serious that even buckled up, a person wouldn't survive.
But most crashes are in between. In many of them,
people who buckle up can survive and sometimes
walk away. Without belts they could have been badly
hurt or killed.
After more than 30 years of safety belts in vehicles,
the facts are clear. In most crashes buckling up
does matter... a lot!Why Safety Belts Work
When you ride in or on anything, you go as fast as
it goes.
Take the simplest vehicle. Suppose it's just a seat
on wheels.
1-11

or the safety belts!
With safety belts, you slow down as the vehicle does.
You get more time to stop. You stop over more distance,
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:Youcouldbe ± 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
canunbuckle and get out, ismuchgreater
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
safety belts ± not instead of them. Every air bag
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,
but especially in side and other collisions.
1-14

Q:If I'm a good driver, and I never drive far from
home, why should I wear safety belts?
A:You may be an excellent driver, but if you're in an
accident ± even one that isn't your fault ± you and
your passengers can be hurt. Being a good
driver doesn't protect you from things beyond your
control, such as bad drivers.
Most accidents occur within 25 miles (40 km)
of home. And the greatest number of serious
injuries and deaths occur at speeds of less than
40 mph (65 km/h).
Safety belts are for everyone.
How to Wear Safety Belts Properly
This part is only for people of adult size.
Be aware that there are special things to know about
safety belts and children. And there are different
rules for smaller children and babies. If a child will be
riding in your vehicle, see
Older Children on page 1-29orInfants and Young Children on page 1-32. Follow
those rules for everyone's protection.
First, you'll want to know which restraint systems your
vehicle has.
We'll start with the driver position.
Driver Position
This part describes the driver's restraint system.
Lap-Shoulder Belt
The driver has a lap-shoulder belt. Here's how to wear it
properly.
1. Close and lock the door.
2. Adjust the seat so you can sit up straight. To see
how, see ªSeatsº in the Index.
1-15

3. Pick up the latch plate and pull the belt across you.
Don't let it get twisted.
The shoulder belt may lock if you pull the belt
across you very quickly. If this happens, let the belt
go back slightly to unlock it. Then pull the belt
across you more slowly.
4. Push the latch plate into the buckle until it clicks.
Pull up on the latch plate to make sure it is secure.
If the belt isn't long enough, see
Safety Belt
Extender on page 1-28.Make sure the release button on the buckle is
positioned so you would be able to unbuckle the
safety belt quickly if you ever had to.
5. To make the lap part tight, pull down on the buckle
end of the belt as you pull up on the shoulder belt.
1-16