tow PONTIAC VIBE 2010 User Guide

Do not fold the empty rear
seat with a safety belt buckled.
This could damage the safety belt
or the seat. Unbuckle and return
the safety belt to its stowed
position, before folding the seat.
1. Attach and tighten the lowerattachments to the lower anchors.
If the child restraint does not have
lower attachments or the desired
seating position does not have
lower anchors, secure the child
restraint with the top tether and
the safety belts. Refer to the
child restraint manufacturer
instructions and the instructions
in this manual.
1.1. Find the lower anchors for the desired seating position.
1.2. Put the child restraint on the seat.
1.3. Attach and tighten the lower attachments on the child
restraint to the lower
anchors. 2. If the child restraint manufacturer
recommends that the top tether
be attached, attach and tighten
the top tether to the top tether
anchor, if equipped. Refer to the
child restraint instructions and the
following steps:
2.1. Find the top tether anchor.
2.2. If the vehicle has a cargo mat, you may need to fold
it back to access the
top tether anchors.
2.3. Open the top tether anchor cover to expose the anchor. 2.4. Route, attach, and tighten
the top tether according
to the child restraint
instructions and the
following instructions:
If the position you are using
does not have a headrest or
head restraint and you are
using a single tether, route
the tether over the seatback.
Seats and Restraints 2-49

5. To tighten the belt, push downon the child restraint, pull the
shoulder portion of the belt to
tighten the lap portion of the belt,
and feed the shoulder belt back
into the retractor. When installing
a forward-facing child restraint, it
may be helpful to use your knee
to push down on the child
restraint as you tighten the belt. 6. If the child restraint has a top
tether, follow the child restraint
manufacturer’s instructions
regarding the use of the top
tether. See Lower Anchors and
Tethers for Children (LATCH
System) on page 2-45 for more
information.
7. Push and pull the child restraint in different directions to be sure
it is secure.
To remove the child restraint,
unbuckle the vehicle safety belt and
let it return to the stowed position.
If the top tether is attached to a top
tether anchor, disconnect it.
Securing Child Restraints
(Right Front Seat
Position)
This vehicle has airbags. A rear
seat is a safer place to secure
a forward-facing child restraint.
See Where to Put the Restraint
on page 2-43.
In addition, the vehicle has a
passenger sensing system which is
designed to turn off the right front
passenger frontal and seat-mounted
side impact airbag under certain
conditions. See Passenger Sensing
System on page 2-29 andPassenger
Airbag Status Indicator on page 4-13
for more information, including
important safety information.
Seats and Restraints 2-53

6. To tighten the belt, push downon the child restraint, pull the
shoulder portion of the belt to
tighten the lap portion of the belt
and feed the shoulder belt back
into the retractor. When installing
a forward-facing child restraint,
it may be helpful to use your
knee to push down on the child
restraint as you tighten the belt.
7. Push and pull the child restraint in different directions to be sure
it is secure. If the airbags are off, the off
indicator in the passenger airbag
status indicator will come on
and stay on when the vehicle
is started.
If a child restraint has been
installed and the on indicator is lit,
see “If the On Indicator is Lit for a
Child Restraint” under
Passenger
Sensing System on page 2-29 for
more information.
To remove the child restraint,
unbuckle the vehicle safety belt and
let it return to the stowed position.
2-56 Seats and Restraints

Folding the Cargo Cover:
1. Hold the cargo cover with bothhands.
2. Bend one side of the cover toward the body. 3. Twist the other side in the
opposite direction.
4. Make a small circle, and then fold the cover inward. 5. Make sure the cover’s three
circles are side by side.
6. Return the cover to its storage bag.
Storage 3-3

Horn
Press near or on the horn symbols
on the steering wheel pad to sound
the horn.
Windshield Wiper/Washer
The windshield wiper/washer lever
is located on the right side of the
steering column.Move the lever to one of the
following positions:
z(Mist):
Move the lever to mist,
for a single wiping cycle and then
release. The wipers stop after
one wipe.
((Off): Turns the wipers off.
&(Intermittent): Move the lever
to choose a delayed wiping cycle.
For vehicles with the variable
intermittent feature, the time
between wipes can be adjusted.
Turn the
&band for a longer
or shorter delay interval.
q(Low): Slow wipes.
l(High): Fast wipes.
Clear snow and ice from the wiper
blades before using them. If the
blades are frozen to the windshield,
loosen or thaw them. If they become damaged, get new blades or
blade inserts. See
Wiper Blade
Replacement on page 9-30 .
Heavy snow or ice can overload
the wipers. A circuit breaker stops
them until the motor cools.
Windshield Washer
Pull the lever toward you to spray
washer fluid on the windshield.
The spray continues until the lever
is released. The wipers will run a
few times. See Washer Fluid on
page 9-24 for information on filling
the windshield washer fluid reservoir.
{CAUTION
In freezing weather, do not use
your washer until the windshield
is warmed. Otherwise the washer
fluid can form ice on the
windshield, blocking your vision.
Instruments and Controls 4-5

Notice:Modications made
to the engine, transmission,
exhaust, intake, or fuel system
of the vehicle or the replacement
of the original tires with other
than those of the same Tire
Performance Criteria (TPC) can
affect the vehicle’s emission
controls and can cause this light
to come on. Modications to these
systems could lead to costly
repairs not covered by the vehicle
warranty. This could also result
in a failure to pass a required
Emission Inspection/Maintenance
test. See Accessories and
Modifications on page 9-3 .
This light comes on during a
malfunction in one of two ways:
Light Flashing: A misfire condition
has been detected. A misfire
increases vehicle emissions and
could damage the emission control
system on the vehicle. Diagnosis
and service might be required. The following can prevent more
serious damage to the vehicle:
•Reduce vehicle speed.
•Avoid hard accelerations.
•Avoid steep uphill grades.
•If towing a trailer, reduce the
amount of cargo being hauled
as soon as it is possible.
If the light continues to flash, when
it is safe to do so, stop the vehicle.
Find a safe place to park the vehicle.
Turn the key off, wait at least
10 seconds, and restart the engine.
If the light is still flashing, follow the
previous steps and see your dealer/
retailer for service as soon as
possible.
Light On Steady: An emission
control system malfunction has been
detected on the vehicle. Diagnosis
and service might be required. An emission system malfunction
might be corrected by doing
the following:
•Make sure the fuel cap is fully
installed. See
Filling the Tank on
page 8-41. The diagnostic system
can determine if the fuel cap
has been left off or improperly
installed. A loose or missing fuel
cap allows fuel to evaporate into
the atmosphere. A few driving
trips with the cap properly
installed should turn the light off.
•If the vehicle has been driven
through a deep puddle of water,
the vehicle’s electrical system
might be wet. The condition is
usually corrected when the
electrical system dries out.
A few driving trips should turn
the light off.
Instruments and Controls 4-15

Brake System Warning
Light
The vehicle’s hydraulic brake
system is divided into two parts.
If one part is not working, the other
part can still work and stop the
vehicle. For good braking both
parts need to be working well.
If the warning light comes on,
there is a brake problem. Have the
brake system inspected right away.
If the vehicle has anti-lock brakes,
this light should come on when the
key is turned to START. If it does not
come on, have it fixed so it will be
ready to warn if there is a problem.When the ignition is on, the brake
system warning light also comes
on when the parking brake is
set. The light will stay on if the
parking brake does not fully release.
If it stays on after the parking
brake is fully released, it means
there is a brake problem.
{CAUTION
The brake system might not be
working properly if the brake
system warning light is on. Driving
with the brake system warning light
on can lead to a crash. If the light
is still on after the vehicle has been
pulled off the road and carefully
stopped, have the vehicle towed
for service.
See Antilock Brake System (ABS)
Warning Light later in this section
and Antilock Brake System
(ABS) Warning Light on page 4-17 .
Antilock Brake System
(ABS) Warning Light
The ABS warning light comes on
briefly when the ignition key is turned
to ON/RUN. This is normal. If the
light does not come on then, have it
fixed so it will be ready to warn you if
there is a problem.
If the light stays on, turn the ignition
to LOCK/OFF. If the light comes
on while driving, stop as soon as
possible and turn the ignition off.
Then start the engine again to
reset the system. If the light still
stays on, or comes on again while
driving, the vehicle needs service.
If the regular brake system warning
light is not on, there are still
brakes, but no antilock brakes.
United States
Canada
United StatesCanada
Instruments and Controls 4-17

Headlamps on Reminder
A tone sounds when the ignition is
turned to LOCK/OFF, the driver door
is opened and the key is removed
from the ignition while the lamps
are on.
Headlamp High/
Low-Beam Changer
The headlamps must be on for this
feature to work.
Push the turn signal lever away
from you to turn the high beams on.
This instrument panel cluster
light
3comes on while the high
beam headlamps are on.
Pull the lever towards you to return
to low beams.
Flash-to-Pass
This feature is used to signal to the
vehicle ahead that you want to pass.
With the lever in the low-beam
position, pull the lever toward you to
momentarily switch to high-beams.
If the headlamps are on when the
lever is released, the high-beams
will return to low-beam.
Daytime Running
Lamps (DRL)
Daytime Running Lamps (DRL) can
make it easier for others to see the
front of your vehicle during the day.
Fully functional DRL are required
on all vehicles first sold in Canada. The DRL system makes the
headlamps come on at a reduced
brightness when the following
conditions are met:
•The ignition is on with the engine
running.
•The exterior lamps switch is off.
•The parking brake is released.
When the exterior lamp switch is
turned to the headlamp position, the
DRL go off and the headlamps come
on. The other lamps that come on
with the headlamps also come on.
The headlamps automatically switch
from DRL to the regular headlamps
depending on the darkness of
the surroundings. See Automatic
Headlamp System on page 5-3 .
DRL also comes on if only the
parking lamps are being used.
5-2 Lighting

Fan Control
9(Fan):Turn the center knob
toward 4 to turn the system on or
increase fan speed.
If the airflow seems low when the
fan is at the highest setting, the
passenger compartment air filter
may need to be replaced. For
more information, see Passenger
Compartment Air Filter on page 7-4
and Scheduled Maintenance on
page 10-3.
Temperature Control
Turn the right knob clockwise or
counterclockwise to increase or
decrease the temperature inside the
vehicle. Air Delivery Mode Control
Turn the left knob to select from the
following modes:
H(Vent):
Air is directed to the
upper instrument panel outlets.
)(Bi-Level): Air is directed to the
upper instrument panel outlets
and the floor outlets.
6(Floor): Air is directed to the
floor and side window outlets.
-(Defog): Air is directed between
the windshield, side windows,
instrument panel outlets and the floor
outlets. Use the defog mode to clear the
inside of the windshield of fog
or moisture and to warm the
passengers. The air conditioning
compressor runs automatically in this
setting without pressing A/C, unless
the outside temperature is at or
below 32°F (0°C).
1(Defrost):
Air is directed to the
windshield, instrument panel
outlets and the side windows.
Use the defrost mode to remove
fog or frost from the outside of the
windshield more quickly. The air
conditioning compressor runs
automatically in this setting without
pressing A/C, unless the outside
temperature is at or below
32°F (0°C).
Do not drive the vehicle until all the
windows are clear.
7-2 Climate Controls

Driving and
Operating
Driving InformationDriving for Better FuelEconomy ...........................
.8-2
Defensive Driving .................
.8-2
Drunk Driving ......................
.8-3
Control of a Vehicle ..............
.8-3
Braking ...............................
.8-4
Steering ..............................
.8-4
Off-Road Recovery ...............
.8-6
Loss of Control ....................
.8-6
Driving on Wet Roads ............8-7
Highway Hypnosis ................
.8-8
Hill and Mountain Roads ........8-8
Winter Driving ......................
.8-9
If the Vehicle is Stuck ..........8-11
Vehicle Load Limits .............
.8-12
Starting and OperatingNew Vehicle Break-In ...........8-16
Ignition Positions ................
.8-16
Retained Accessory Power (RAP) ....................
.8-18Starting the Engine
.............
.8-18
Engine Heater ....................
.8-19
Shifting Into Park ................
.8-20
Shifting Out of Park .............8-22
Parking .............................
.8-22
Parking Over Things That Burn ........................
.8-23
Engine ExhaustEngine Exhaust..................
.8-23
Running the Vehicle While Parked ............................
.8-24
Automatic TransmissionAutomatic Transmission
(Four Speed Automatic) ......8-24
Automatic Transmission (Five Speed Automatic) .......8-27
Manual Mode .....................
.8-28
Manual TransmissionManual Transmission ...........8-29
Drive SystemsAll-Wheel Drive..................
.8-31
BrakesAntilock Brake
System (ABS) ..................
.8-32
Parking Brake ....................
.8-33
Ride Control SystemsTraction Control
System (TCS) ..................
.8-33
StabiliTrak System ..............
.8-35
Cruise ControlCruise Control ....................
.8-36
FuelFuel..................................
.8-38
Recommended Fuel .............8-39
Gasoline Specifications .........8-39
California Fuel Requirements ...................
.8-39
Fuels in Foreign Countries . . . .8-40
Fuel Additives ....................
.8-40
Filling the Tank ..................
.8-41
Filling a Portable Fuel Container .........................
.8-43
TowingGeneral Towing Information . . .8-43
Driving Characteristics and Towing Tips .....................
.8-44
Trailer Towing ....................
.8-48
Towing Equipment ..............
.8-49
Conversions and Add-OnsAdd-On Electrical
Equipment .......................
.8-50
Driving and Operating 8-1