roof PONTIAC VIBE 2005 Owners Manual

Seats and Restraint Systems........................... 1-1
Front Seats
............................................... 1-2
Rear Seats
............................................... 1-7
Safety Belts
.............................................. 1-8
Child Restraints
.......................................1-26
Airbag System
.........................................1-46
Restraint System Check
............................1-62
Features and Controls..................................... 2-1
Keys
........................................................ 2-2
Doors and Locks
....................................... 2-7
Windows
.................................................2-13
Theft-Deterrent Systems
............................2-15
Starting and Operating Your Vehicle
...........2-17
Mirrors
....................................................2-34
OnStar
®System
......................................2-35
Storage Areas
.........................................2-37
Sunroof
..................................................2-40
Instrument Panel............................................. 3-1
Instrument Panel Overview
.......................... 3-4
Climate Controls
......................................3-20
Warning Lights, Gages, and Indicators
........3-25
Audio System(s)
.......................................3-42Driving Your Vehicle....................................... 4-1
Your Driving, the Road, and Your Vehicle
........ 4-2
Towing
...................................................4-37
Service and Appearance Care.......................... 5-1
Service
..................................................... 5-3
Fuel
......................................................... 5-5
Checking Things Under the Hood
...............5-10
All-Wheel Drive
........................................5-48
Bulb Replacement
....................................5-49
Windshield Wiper Blade Replacement
.........5-56
Tires
......................................................5-57
Appearance Care
.....................................5-87
Vehicle Identication
.................................5-95
Electrical System
......................................5-95
Capacities and Specications
...................5-100
Normal Maintenance Replacement Parts
......5-102
Maintenance Schedule..................................... 6-1
Maintenance Schedule
................................ 6-2
Customer Assistance and Information.............. 7-1
Customer Assistance and Information
........... 7-2
Reporting Safety Defects
...........................7-10
Index.................................................................1
2005 Pontiac Vibe Owner ManualM

If the on indicator is still lit, secure the child in the child
restraint in a rear seat position in the vehicle and
check with your dealer.
If the airbag readiness light and the OFF light in the
passenger airbag status indicator come on together,
it may mean there is a malfunction in the passenger
sensing system. Secure the child in the child restraint
in a rear seat position in the vehicle and check with
your dealer.
To remove the child restraint, just unbuckle the vehicle’s
safety belt and let it go back all the way. The safety
belt will move freely again and be ready to work for an
adult or larger child passenger.Airbag System
Your vehicle has a frontal airbag for the driver and a
frontal airbag for the right front passenger. Your vehicle
may also have seat-mounted side impact airbags for
the driver and right front passenger. Your vehicle
may also have roof-mounted side impact airbags for the
driver and the passenger seated directly behind the
driver and for the right front passenger and the
passenger seated directly behind that passenger.
If your vehicle has side impact airbags, it will say
SRS-SIDE AIR BAG on a label on the side of the driver’s
and right front passenger’s seat closest to the door.
If your vehicle has roof-mounted side impact airbags,
it will say SRS CURTAIN AIRBAG on the trim on
the side of the windshield.
Frontal airbags are designed to help reduce the risk of
injury from the force of an inating frontal airbag.
But these airbags must inate very quickly to do their
job and comply with federal regulations.
1-46

The right front passenger’s frontal airbag is in the
instrument panel on the passenger’s side.
If your vehicle has a seat-mounted side impact airbag
for the driver, it is in the side of the driver’s seatback
closest to the door.
If your vehicle has a seat-mounted side impact airbag
for the right front passenger, it is in the side of the
passenger’s seatback closest to the door.If your vehicle has a roof-mounted side impact airbag
for the driver and the person seated directly behind the
driver, it is in the ceiling above the side windows.
If your vehicle has a roof-mounted side impact airbag
for the right front passenger and the person seated
directly behind that passenger, it is in the ceiling above
the side windows.
{CAUTION:
If something is between an occupant and an
airbag, the bag might not inate properly or it
might force the object into that person causing
severe injury or even death. The path of an
inating airbag must be kept clear. Do not put
anything between an occupant and an airbag,
and do not attach or put anything on the
steering wheel hub or on or near any other
airbag covering. Do not let seat covers block
the ination path of a side impact airbag.
1-50

{CAUTION:
If something is between an occupant and an
airbag, the bag might not inate properly or it
might force the object into that person causing
severe injury or even death. The path of an
inating airbag must be kept clear. Do not put
anything between an occupant and an airbag,
and do not attach or put anything on the
steering wheel hub or on or near any other
airbag covering. And, if your vehicle has side
impact airbags, never secure anything to the
roof of your vehicle by routing the rope or
tiedown through any door or window opening.
If you do, the path of an inating side impact
airbag will be blocked. The path of an inating
airbag must be kept clear.
When Should an Airbag Inate?
The driver’s and right front passenger’s frontal airbags
are designed to inate in moderate to severe frontal
or near-frontal crashes. But they are designed to inate
only if the impact exceeds a predetermined deployment
threshold. Deployment thresholds take into account
a variety of desired deployment and non-deployment
events and are used to predict how severe a crash
is likely to be in time for the airbags to inate and help
restrain the occupants. Whether your frontal airbags
will or should deploy is not based on how fast your
vehicle is traveling. It depends largely on what you hit,
the direction of the impact and how quickly your
vehicle slows down.
In addition, your vehicle has “dual stage” frontal airbags,
which adjust the restraint according to crash severity.
Your vehicle is equipped with electronic frontal sensors,
which help the sensing system distinguish between a
moderate frontal impact and a more severe frontal
impact. For moderate frontal impacts, these airbags
inate at a level less than full deployment. For more
severe frontal impacts, full deployment occurs.
1-51

What Makes an Airbag Inate?
In an impact of sufficient severity, the airbag sensing
system detects that the vehicle is in a crash.
For both frontal and side impact airbags, the sensing
system triggers a release of gas from the inator,
which inates the airbag. The inator, the airbag and
related hardware are all part of the airbag modules.
Frontal airbag modules are located inside the steering
wheel and instrument panel. For vehicles with
seat-mounted side impact airbags, the airbag modules
are located in the seatback closest to the driver’s
and/or right front passenger’s door. For vehicles with
roof-mounted side impact airbags, the airbag modules
are located in the ceiling of the vehicle, near the
side windows.
How Does an Airbag Restrain?
In moderate to severe frontal or near frontal collisions,
even belted occupants can contact the steering wheel
or the instrument panel. In moderate to severe side
collisions, even belted occupants can contact the inside
of the vehicle. Airbags supplement the protection
provided by safety belts. Airbags distribute the force of
the impact more evenly over the occupant’s upper
body, stopping the occupant more gradually. But a
frontal airbag would not help you in many types of
collisions, including rollovers, rear impacts, and many
side impacts, primarily because an occupant’s motion is
not toward a frontal airbag. A side impact airbag
would not help you in many types of collisions, including
frontal or near frontal collisions, rollovers, and rear
impacts, primarily because an occupant’s motion is
not toward a side airbag. Airbags should never
be regarded as anything more than a supplement to
safety belts, and then only in moderate to severe
frontal or near-frontal collisions for frontal airbags,
and only in moderate to severe side collisions for
side impact airbags.
1-53

What Will You See After an
Airbag Inates?
After the airbag inates, it quickly deates, so quickly that
some people may not even realize the airbag inated.
Some components of the airbag module – the steering
wheel hub for the driver’s airbag, the instrument panel for
the right front passenger’s bag, the side of the seatback
closest to the front doors for the seat-mounted side
impact airbags (if equipped), and the ceiling of your
vehicle near the side windows for the roof-mounted side
impact airbags (if equipped) – will be hot for a short time.
The parts of the bag that come into contact with you may
be warm, but not too hot to touch. There will be some
smoke and dust coming from the vents in the deated
airbags. Airbag ination does not prevent the driver from
seeing or being able to steer the vehicle, nor does it stop
people from leaving the vehicle.
{CAUTION:
When an airbag inates, there is 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
can not 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.
1-54

Passenger Sensing System
Your vehicle has a passenger sensing system. A
passenger airbag status indicator on the instrument
panel will be visible when you turn your ignition key to
ON. The words ON and OFF will be visible in the
passenger airbag status indicator during the system
check. When the system check is complete, either the
word ON or the word OFF will be visible. SeePassenger
Airbag Status Indicator on page 3-30.
The passenger sensing
system will turn off the
right front passenger’s
frontal airbag and
seat-mounted side impact
airbag (if equipped)
under certain conditions.The passenger sensing system will also turn off the
right front passenger’s safety belt pretensioner if
it detects that there is no occupant in that position.
The driver’s airbag and the roof-mounted side impact
airbags are not part of the passenger sensing system.
The passenger sensing system works with sensors
that are part of the right front passenger’s seat assembly
and safety belt assembly. The sensors are designed
to detect the presence of a properly-seated occupant
and determine if the passenger’s frontal airbag and
seat-mounted side impact airbag (if equipped) and
safety belt pretensioner should be enabled (may inate)
or not.
Accident statistics show that children are safer if they
are restrained in the rear rather than the front seat.
General Motors recommends that child restraints
be secured in a rear seat, including an infant riding in a
rear-facing infant seat, a child riding in a forward-facing
child seat and an older child riding in a booster seat.
Your vehicle has a rear seat that will accommodate a
rear-facing child restraint. A label on your sun visor says,
“Never put a rear-facing child seat in the front.” This is
because the risk to the rear-facing child is so great, if the
airbag deploys.
1-56

Keys...............................................................2-2
Remote Keyless Entry System.........................2-4
Remote Keyless Entry System Operation...........2-5
Doors and Locks.............................................2-7
Door Locks....................................................2-7
Power Door Locks..........................................2-8
Programmable Automatic Door Locks................2-9
Rear Door Security Locks..............................2-10
Liftgate/Liftglass............................................2-11
Windows........................................................2-13
Manual Windows..........................................2-14
Power Windows............................................2-14
Sun Visors...................................................2-14
Theft-Deterrent Systems..................................2-15
Content Theft-Deterrent.................................2-15
Starting and Operating Your Vehicle................2-17
New Vehicle Break-In....................................2-17
Ignition Positions..........................................2-18
Starting Your Engine.....................................2-19
Engine Coolant Heater..................................2-21
Automatic Transaxle Operation.......................2-22
Overdrive Off...............................................2-24
Manual Transaxle Operation...........................2-25
Parking Brake..............................................2-28Shifting Into Park (P) (Automatic Transaxle)........2-28
Shifting Out of Park (P) (Automatic Transaxle).....2-30
Parking Your Vehicle (Manual Transaxle).........2-31
Parking Over Things That Burn.......................2-32
Engine Exhaust............................................2-32
Running Your Engine While You Are Parked.......2-33
Mirrors...........................................................2-34
Manual Rearview Mirror.................................2-34
Manual Rearview Mirror with OnStar
®..............2-34
Outside Remote Control Mirrors......................2-34
Outside Convex Mirror...................................2-35
OnStar
®System.............................................2-35
Storage Areas................................................2-37
Glove Box...................................................2-37
Cupholder(s)................................................2-37
Coinholder(s)................................................2-37
Instrument Panel Storage Area.......................2-37
Center Console Storage Area.........................2-37
Floor Mats...................................................2-38
Rear Storage Area........................................2-38
Rear Cargo Accessory Track System................2-39
Cargo Cover................................................2-39
Cargo Tie Downs..........................................2-40
Sunroof.........................................................2-40
Section 2 Features and Controls
2-1

Cargo Tie Downs
The tire tie-down straps are designed to secure a
at tire. You can also use the straps and hooks to
secure your luggage.
There are eight tie-down hooks located in the rear of the
vehicle. The straps are located under the cargo area oor
panel. To use the straps, hook the ends to the lower
tie-down hooks in a criss-cross pattern across the cargo.
Pull on the straps at the buckle to tighten the straps
as needed.
Sunroof
If the vehicle has a sunroof, it can be opened or put
in a tilt position. To tilt the sunroof, slide the sunshade
rearward, then press the switch marked UP. Press the
other end of the switch to lower the sunroof. The ignition
must be in the ON position for the switch to work.
To open or close the sunroof, press the switch marked
SLIDE rearward or forward. The sunroof will close
partially and stop. Once the sunroof stops, release
the switch and press the button again to fully close it.
The sunroof can be opened to any position.
The sunshade will open when the sunroof is
opened. The sunshade must be closed manually.
2-40

Reading Lamps
If you have a sunroof, you will have a reading lamp
near the sunroof switch. Press the button to turn
the lamp on and press it again to turn it off.If you do not have a sunroof, your vehicle’s inside
rearview mirror may be equipped with reading lamps.
If your vehicle is equipped with reading lamps, there are
two buttons located on the bottom of the mirror. Press
the buttons to turn the lamps on and press them again to
turn the lamps off.
To prevent the battery from draining on vehicles with
power door locks, the lamps will automatically turn
off when the key is in the ACC or LOCK positions or if
the key is removed for 20 minutes or more. The lights
will come on when any of the doors are opened
or if the key is turned to the ON position.
3-17