Parking
Parking Brake
The parking brake uses the brakes on the
rear wheels.
To set the parking brake: Hold the brake
pedal down and pull up on the parking brake lever. If the ignition is on, the brake
system warning light will come on.
To release the parking brake: Hold the
brake pedal down.
Pull the parking brake
lever up until you can push in the release
button. Hold the release button in as you
move the brake lever all the way down.
NOTICE:
Driving with the parking brake on
can cause your rear brakes to over-
heat. You may have to replace them,
and you could also damage other
parts of your vehicle.
If you are towing a trailer and are
parking on any hill:
See “Towing a
Trailer” in the Index. That section shows
what to do first to keep the trailer from
moving.
63 ...
ProCarManuals.com
Features and Controls
Shifting into P (Park)
(AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION)
1. Hold the brake pedal down with your
right foot and set the parking brake.
2. Move the shift lever into T“ (Park)
position like this:
Hold in the button on the lever,
and push the lever all the way
toward the front of your vehicle.
3. Move the ignition key to “LOCK.”
4. Remove the key and take it with you.
If you can walk away from your
vehicle with the ignition key in your
hand, your vehicle is in
“P’ (Park).
Leaving Your Vehicle with the
Engine Running
(AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION)
If you have to leave your vehicle with the
engine running, be sure your vehicle is
in
“P’ (Park) and your parking brake is
firmly set before you leave it. After
you’ve moved the shift lever into the
“P’
(Park) position, hold the regular brake
pedal down. Then, see if you can move
the shift lever away from
“P’ (Park)
without first pushing the button. If you
can, it means that the shift lever wasn’t
fully locked into
“P” (Park).
... 64
ProCarManuals.com
Torque Lock
(AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION)
If you are parking on a hill and you don’t
shift your transmission into “P” (Park)
properly, the weight of the vehicle may
put too much force on the parking pawl in
the transmission. You may find it difficult
to pull the shift lever out of “P” (Park)
This is called “torque lock.” To prevent
torque lock, set the parking brake and
then shift into “P’7 (Park) properly before
you leave the driver’s Seat. To find out
how, see “Shifting Into “P” (Park)” in
the Index.
When you are ready to drive, move the
shift lever out of
“P” (Park) 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 transmission,
so you can pull the
shift lever out of “P” (Park).
Shifting out of P (Park)
(AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION)
Your Pontiac has a brake-transmission
shift interlock. You have to fully apply
your regular brake before you can shift
from “P” (Park) when the ignition is in
the “Run” position. See “Automatic
Transmission” in the Index.
If you cannot shift out of
“F”’ (Park), ease
pressure on the shift lever
- push the
shift lever all the way into
“P” (Park) and
release the shift lever button as you
maintain brake application. Then press
the shift lever button and move the shift
lever into the gear you wish.
If you ever hold the brake pedal down but
still can’t shift out of
“P” (Park), try this:
1. Turn the key to “Off.”
2. Apply and hold the brake until the end
3. Shift to “N’ (Neutral).
4. Start the vehicle and then shift to the
drive gear you want.
of
Step
4.
5. Have the vehicle fixed as soon as you
can.
Parking Your Vehicle
(MANUAL TRANSMISSION)
Before you get out of your vehicle, put
your manual transmission in
“R’
(Reverse) and firmly apply the parking
brake.
If your vehicle is equipped
to tow a
trailer, see “Towing a Trailer” in the
Index.
65..
ProCarManuals.com
Features and Controls
The switch for the driver’s window has an
5xpress Down feature. Quickly press and
aelease the switch for the driver’s window
md the window will lower completely.
fou can also open the driver’s window
my amount by pressing the switch again
while the window is in the Express Down
node when it has lowered to the position
IOU want.
Power Windows (Option)
With power windows, switches on the
door control each window when the
ignition is on or when RAP is present.
(See “Retained Accessory Power” in
the Index.)
You can
also open the passenger window
any amount by pressing the switch and
releasing it when the window has
lowered to the position you want.
... 68
Horn
ro sound the horn, press either horn
;ymbol on your steering wheel.
ProCarManuals.com
Passing Another Vehicle While Using
Cruise Control
Use the accelerator pedal to increase your
speed. When you take your foot
off the
pedal, your vehicle will slow down to the
Cruise Control speed you set earlier.
Using Cruise Control on Hills
How well your Cruise Control will work
on hills depends upon your speed, load,
and the steepness
of the hills. When going
up steep hills, you may have to step on
the accelerator pedal to maintain your
speed. When going downhill, you may
have to brake or
shift to a lower gear to
keep your speed down.
Of course,
applying the brake takes you out
of
Cruise Control. Many drivers find this to
be too much trouble and don’t use Cruise
Control on steep hills.
ro Get Out of Cruise Control
:here are several ways to turn off the
3ruise Control:
I. Step lightly on the brake pedal or pus1
the clutch pedal, if you have a manual
transmission;
OR
!. Move the Cruise switch to “OFF.”
:o Erase Speed Memory
Yhen you turn off the Cruise Control or
he ignition, your Cruise Control set speec
nemory is erased.
kaction Control System and Cruise
lontrol
f your traction control system engages
vhile your Cruise Control
is set, Cruise
lontrol will disengage. Your speed will
le
set in memory, though. When Cruise
lontrol engages again, use
“WA”
Resume/Accelerate) to go back to your
et speed.
”‘ 1. 2. 4>
fa...
ProCarManuals.com
Features and Controls
Operation of Lights
Although your vehicle’s lighting system
(headlights, parking lights, fog lamps,
side marker lights and taillights) meets
al
applicable federal lighting requirements,
certain states and provinces may apply
their own lighting regulations that may
require special attention before you
operate these lights.
For example, some jurisdictions may
require that you operate your fog lamps
only when your lower beam headlights
are
also on, or that headlights be turned
on whenever
you must use your
windshield wipers. In addition, most
jurisdictions prohibit driving solely with
parking lights, especially at dawn or dusk.
It is recommended that you check with
your own state or provincial highway
authority for applicable lighting
regulations.
Main Light Control
The main light control is a knob that
works these lights:
Headlights
Taillights
Parking lights
License lights
Sidemarker lights
Instrument panel lights
Turn the knob to
-v to turn on your
headlights and okbpoperating lights.
Turn the knob to
p$ to turn on your
parking lights without your headlights.
Turn the knob to “OFF” to turn
off the
lights.
‘I
’
II
Crightness Control
’his switch controls the brightness of
‘our instrument panel lights.
Turn the
witch to brighten or dim the lights. If you
~rn the switch all the way up to .w ,
‘our courtesy lights will come on.
Lights On Reminder
f you turn the ignition “Off’ and leave
he lights on, you will hear a chime when
IOU open the driver’s door.
ieadlight Doors
The headlight doors are designed to open
vhen
you turn the headlights on and close
vhen you turn the headlights off. The
leadlight doors can be opened without
. . .76
ProCarManuals.com
turning on the headlights by turning the
headlights on, then turning the switch
back to the parking lights position.
The headlight doors should be open when
driving
in icy or snowy conditions to
prevent the doors from freezing when
closed and when washing the vehicle to
help clean the headlights.
You can open the headlight doors
nanually
:
1. Turn on the headlights.
2. Open the hood.
3. Remove the plastic cover from the
#. Turn the retractor motor knob
retractor motor
knob.
counterclockwise until the headlight
door is fully open. The knob will get
harder to turn when the headlight do01
is all the way up.
retractor motor knob.
5. Replace the plastic cover on the
ro manually close the headlight doors,
:urn the lights off and turn the knob
:lockwise.
If the headlight doors aren’t working properly,
see
your Pontiac dealer
for help.
Daytime Running Lights (Canada)
The Canadian Federal Government has
decided that “Daytime Running Lights”
(DRL) are a useful feature,
in that DIU
can make your vehicle more visible to
pedestrians and other drivers during
daylight hours. DRL are required on new
vehicles sold in Canada.
Your DRL work with a light sensor on top
of the instrument panel. Don’t cover it up.
The front
turn signal lights will come on
in daylight when:
0 The ignition is on
The headlight switch is off, &d
The parking brake is released.
At dusk, the exterior lights will come
on
automatically and the front turn signal
lights will go out. At dawn, the exterior
lights will go out and the front turn signal
lights will come on (if the headlight
switch
is off).
Of course, you may still turn on the
headlights any time you need to.
77 ...
ProCarManuals.com
Features and Controls
To idle your vehicle with the DRL off, set
the parking brake while the ignition is
in
the "Off" or "LOCK" position. Then start
the vehicle. The
DRL will stay off until
you release the parking brake.
. . .78
Fog Lights (Option)
Jse your fog lights for better vision in
!'oggy or misty conditions. Your parking
ights must be
on or your fog lights won'
work.
ro turn the fog lights on, push the right
;ide
of the switch. Push $0 to turn the
Fog lights
off. A light on the switch will
:ome on when the fog lights are
on.
't
Fog lights will go off whenever your high
beams come on. When the high beams go
Dff, the fog lights will come on again. Znterior Lights
Courtesy Lights
When any door is opened, several interior
lights go on. These lights are courtesy
lights. They make it easier for you to
enter and leave your vehicle.
Courtesy lights include the dome light and other lights throughout the interior
of
your vehicle.
ProCarManuals.com