driver door PONTIAC SOLSTICE 2008 Owners Manual

Seats and Restraint Systems........................... 1-1
Front Seats
............................................... 1-2
Safety Belts
.............................................. 1-6
Child Restraints
.......................................1-22
Airbag System
.........................................1-36
Restraint System Check
............................1-50
Features and Controls..................................... 2-1
Keys
........................................................ 2-2
Doors and Locks
....................................... 2-7
Windows
.................................................2-10
Theft-Deterrent Systems
............................2-13
Starting and Operating Your Vehicle
...........2-17
Mirrors
....................................................2-31
OnStar
®System
......................................2-32
Storage Areas
.........................................2-35
Convertible Top
.......................................2-36
Instrument Panel............................................. 3-1
Instrument Panel Overview
.......................... 3-4
Climate Controls
......................................3-17
Warning Lights, Gages, and Indicators
........3-20
Driver Information Center (DIC)
..................3-37
Audio System(s)
.......................................3-49Driving Your Vehicle....................................... 4-1
Your Driving, the Road, and Your Vehicle
..... 4-2
Towing
...................................................4-29
Service and Appearance Care.......................... 5-1
Service
..................................................... 5-3
Fuel
......................................................... 5-5
Checking Things Under the Hood
...............5-10
Rear Axle
...............................................5-45
Headlamp Aiming
.....................................5-46
Bulb Replacement
....................................5-46
Windshield Wiper Blade Replacement
.........5-50
Tires
......................................................5-51
Appearance Care
.....................................5-85
Vehicle Identication
.................................5-94
Electrical System
......................................5-95
Capacities and Specications
...................5-101
Maintenance Schedule..................................... 6-1
Maintenance Schedule
................................ 6-2
Customer Assistance Information.................... 7-1
Customer Assistance and Information
........... 7-2
Reporting Safety Defects
...........................7-15
Vehicle Data Recording and Privacy
...........7-17
Index................................................................ 1
2008 Pontiac Solstice Owner ManualM

What Will You See After an
Airbag Inates?
After the frontal airbags inate, they quickly deate,
so quickly that some people may not even realize the
airbags inated. Some components of the airbag module
may be hot for several minutes. For location of the
airbag modules, seeWhat Makes an Airbag Inflate?
on page 1-41.
The parts of the airbag that come into contact with you
may be warm, but not too hot to touch. There may
be some smoke and dust coming from the vents in the
deated airbags. Airbag ination does not prevent
the driver from seeing out of the windshield or being
able to steer the vehicle, nor does it prevent people
from leaving the vehicle.
{CAUTION:
When an airbag inates, there may be dust
in the air. This dust could cause breathing
problems for people with a history of asthma or
other breathing trouble. To avoid this, everyone
in the vehicle should get out as soon as it is
safe to do so. If you have breathing problems
but cannot get out of the vehicle after an airbag
inates, then get fresh air by opening a window
or a door. If you experience breathing problems
following an airbag deployment, you should
seek medical attention.
Your vehicle has a feature that may automatically
unlock the doors, turn the interior lamps on, and turn on
the hazard warning ashers when the airbags inate.
You can lock the doors, turn the interior lamps off,
and turn the hazard warning ashers off by using the
controls for those features.
1-42

At times you may notice a decrease in operating range.
This is normal for any RKE system. If the transmitter
does not work or if you have to stand closer to
your vehicle for the transmitter to work, try this:
Check the distance. You may be too far from your
vehicle. You may need to stand closer during
rainy or snowy weather.
Check the location. Other vehicles or objects may
be blocking the signal. Take a few steps to the
left or right, hold the transmitter higher, and
try again.
Check to determine if battery replacement is
necessary. See “Battery Replacement” later
in this section.
If you are still having trouble, see your
dealer/retailer or a qualied technician for
service.
Remote Keyless Entry (RKE)
System Operation
The vehicle’s doors can
be locked and unlocked,
and the trunk can be
unlatched from about
3 feet (1 m) up to
60 feet (18 m) away
with the Remote Keyless
Entry (RKE) transmitter.
Q(Lock):Press the lock button to lock all the doors.
If enabled through the Driver Information Center (DIC),
the parking lamps may ash once and the horn may chirp
to indicate locking has occurred. See “LOCK HORN”
underDIC Vehicle Personalization on page 3-44.
2-4

"(Unlock):Press the unlock button one time to unlock
the driver’s door. Press the unlock button again within
ve seconds to unlock the other doors. The interior
lamps will come on and stay on for 20 seconds or until
the ignition is turned on. If enabled through the DIC,
the parking lamps will ash once to indicate unlocking
has occurred. See “UNLOCK HORN” underDIC
Vehicle Personalization on page 3-44.
V(Trunk Release):Press and hold this button for
approximately one second to release the trunk lid.
The trunk release will only work if the ignition is off
or the vehicle speed is less than 2 mph (3 km/h).
L(Vehicle Locator/Panic Alarm):Press and release
this button to help locate your vehicle. The horn will
sound three times and the hazard lamps will ash
three times. Press and hold the button for three seconds
to sound the panic alarm. The horn will sound and the
hazard lamps will ash for 30 seconds. The ignition
must be off for the vehicle locator/remote alarm to work.
Press the vehicle locator/panic alarm button again or
turn the ignition to ACC/ACCESSORY or ON/RUN
to turn off the alarm.The vehicle may have Remote Lock/Unlock
Conrmation. This feature provides feedback that
a command has been received by the vehicle.
The parking lamps will ash and the horn may sound
briey. See “LOCK HORN” and “UNLOCK HORN”
underDIC Vehicle Personalization on page 3-44
for programming information.
Matching Transmitter(s) to
Your Vehicle
Each RKE transmitter is uniquely coded to prevent
another transmitter from unlocking the vehicle.
If a transmitter is lost or stolen, a replacement can be
purchased through your dealer/retailer. Remember
to bring any additional transmitters so they can also
be re-coded to match the new transmitter. Once
your dealer/retailer has coded the new transmitter, the
lost transmitter cannot unlock the vehicle. The vehicle
can have a maximum of four transmitters coded to it.
2-5

Power Door Locks
You can use the Remote Keyless Entry (RKE)
transmitter to lock and unlock the doors from inside
or outside the vehicle. SeeRemote Keyless Entry (RKE)
System Operation on page 2-4for more information.
In vehicles with power door lock switches, the switches
are located on the doors.
T:Press the top of the switch to lock all doors.
Press the bottom of the switch to unlock all doors.
Delayed Locking
If your vehicle has power door locks, it will have the
delayed locking feature. This feature delays the actual
locking of the doors when the Remote Keyless
Entry (RKE) transmitter is used to lock the vehicle.
If any door is open when locking the vehicle using the
RKE transmitter, three chimes will sound signaling
that the delayed locking feature is active. Five seconds
after the last door is closed, both doors will lock and
the parking lamps will ash. To cancel the delay
and lock the doors immediately, press the lock button
on the RKE a second time.
If the key is in the ignition, this feature will not lock
the doors.
Automatic Door Lock
If your vehicle has power door locks, the doors will
automatically lock when the shift lever is moved out of
PARK (P) for a vehicle with an automatic transmission.
For a vehicle with a manual transmission, the speed
must be greater than 5 mph (8 km/h).
The automatic door locking feature cannot be disabled.
Automatic Door Unlock
If your vehicle has an automatic transmission and power
door locks, the doors with automatically unlock when
the shift lever is moved into PARK (P).
If your vehicle has a manual transmission and power
door locks, the doors will automatically unlock when
the key is removed from the ignition.
The automatic unlock feature can be disabled or
programmed in different ways if the vehicle has an
automatic transmission and a Driver Information
Center (DIC). SeeDIC Vehicle Personalization on
page 3-44for more information.
2-8

Power Windows
{CAUTION:
Leaving children, helpless adults, or pets in a
vehicle with the windows closed is dangerous.
They can be overcome from extreme heat in
warm or hot weather and suffer permanent
injuries or even death from heat stroke.
Leaving children in a vehicle with the ignition
key is dangerous for many reasons, children
or others could be badly injured or even killed.
They could operate the power windows or
other controls or even make the vehicle move.
The windows will function with the keys in the
ignition and they could be seriously injured
or killed if caught in the path of a closing
window. Do not leave keys in a vehicle with
children.
When there are children in the rear seat
use the window lockout button to prevent
unintentional operation of the windows.On vehicles with power
windows, the switches on
the driver’s door armrest
control both windows.
The passenger’s door has a window switch that controls
that window. Press the front of the switch to open the
window. Pull the switch up to close it.
2-12

Express-Down Window
Windows with an express-down feature allow the
window to be lowered fully without pressing and holding
the switch. Press the front of the switch to the rst
position, and the window opens a small amount.
Press the switch down fully and the window goes all
the way down.
To stop the window while it is lowering, pull up the
front of the switch.
Sun Visors
To use the sun visor(s), pull the edge of the visor
nearest to the windshield toward you.
Visor Vanity Mirror
Your vehicle may have a driver’s side vanity mirror.
Swing down the sun visor and slide the cover to
expose the mirror.
Theft-Deterrent Systems
Vehicle theft is big business, especially in some cities.
Although your vehicle has a number of theft-deterrent
features, we know that nothing we put on it can make it
impossible to steal.
Content Theft-Deterrent
Your vehicle may have a content theft-deterrent alarm
system.
The security light, located
on the instrument panel
cluster, will turn on to
indicate that arming has
been initiated.
Once the system is armed, the security light will ash
once every three seconds.
If the security light is ashing twice per second, this
means that a door is open.
2-13

Arming the System
While the ignition is off, press the Remote Keyless
Entry (RKE) transmitter lock button, to arm the system.
The system will arm after either of these things occur:
Thirty seconds after all the doors are closed.
Sixty seconds with any door open.
If you press the lock button on the transmitter a second
time while all the doors are closed, the system will
arm immediately. The system arms in 60 seconds if
a door is open, or after the open door is closed.
If you do not want to arm the system, lock the car
with the manual door lock knobs.
Disarming the System
To disarm the system:
Press the unlock button on the RKE transmitter.
Turn the ignition on.
If the system is armed and the trunk is opened using
the trunk release button on the transmitter, the system
will temporarily disarm itself and re-arm when the
trunk has been closed. This allows you to exit the
vehicle, lock the doors using the transmitter, or open
the trunk using the transmitter without having to disarm
and re-arm the system.
Once the system is disarmed, the security light will stop
ashing.
How the System Alarm is Activated
To activate the system if it is armed:
Open the driver’s door or trunk. This causes a ten
second pre-alarm chirping noise followed by the
horn sounding and lights ashing for 30 seconds.
Open a passenger’s door. This immediately causes
a full alarm of the horn sounding and lights ashing
for 30 seconds.
After the 30 second alarm ends, the system will
re-arm itself.
How to Turn Off the System Alarm
To turn off the system alarm, do one of the following:
Press the lock button on the RKE transmitter.
The system will then re-arm itself.
Press the unlock button on the RKE transmitter.
This will also disarm the system.
Insert the key in the ignition and turn it on.
This will also disarm the system.
How to Detect a Tamper Condition
If you hear three chirps when you press the unlock,
lock, or trunk release buttons on the RKE transmitter,
it means that the content theft security system alarm
was activated previously.
2-14

If you have an automatic transmission, the ignition
switch cannot be turned to LOCK/OFF unless the
shift lever is in PARK (P).
If you have a manual transmission, the ignition switch
can be turned to LOCK/OFF in any shift lever position.
{CAUTION:
If you have a manual transmission removing
the key from the ignition switch will lock
the steering column and result in a loss of
ability to steer the vehicle. This could cause
a collision. If you need to turn the engine
off while the vehicle is moving, turn the key
to ACC/ACCESSORY.
ACC (ACC/ACCESSORY):This position operates
some of your electrical accessories. It unlocks the
steering wheel and ignition.
R(ON/RUN):This is the position the switch returns
to after you start your engine and release the switch.
The switch stays in ON/RUN when the engine is
running. But even when the ignition is not running, you
can use ON/RUN to operate your electrical accessories
and to display some warning and indicator lights.
The battery could be drained if you leave the key in the
ACC/ACCESSORY or ON/RUN position with the engine
off. You may not be able to start your vehicle if the battery
is allowed to drain for an extended period of time.
/(START):This position starts the engine. When the
engine starts, release the key. The ignition switch will
return to ON/RUN for normal driving.
A warning tone will sound if you open the driver’s door
while in LOCK/OFF or ACC/ACCESSORY, when the key
has not been removed from the ignition.
2-18

Key In the Ignition
Never leave your vehicle with the keys inside, as it is
an easy target for joy riders or thieves. If you leave
the key in the ignition and park your vehicle, a chime
will sound when you open the driver’s door. Always
remember to remove the key from the ignition and take
it with you. This will lock the ignition and transmission.
Also, always remember to lock the doors.
The battery could be drained if you leave the key in
the ignition while your vehicle is parked. You may not
be able to start your vehicle after it has been parked
for an extended period of time.
Shift Lock Release
For vehicles with an automatic transmission, the
following procedure allows the ignition to be turned to
LOCK/OFF, and for the removal of the ignition key,
in case of a dead battery or low voltage battery.
1. Make sure the shift lever is in PARK (P).
2. Using a tool, pry off the cover to the lock release
access hole, located at the bottom of the steering
column.
2-19