Page 6 of 354
Vehicle Symbols 
These are some of the symbols  you  may find on your vehicle. 
For example, 
these symbols 
are used on an 
original battery; 
POSSIBLE A 
CAUTION 
INJURY 
PROTECT  EYES  BY 
SHIELDING 
CAUSTIC 
ACID  COULD  BATTERY 
CAUSE 
BURNS 
AVOID 
SPARKS 
OR 
FLAMES 
SPARK 
OR ,\I/, 
COULD  FLAME 
EXPLODE  BATTERY 
These symbols 
are  important 
for 
you and 
your passengers 
whenever your 
vehicle is 
driven: 
DOOR  LOCK 
UNLOCK 
FASTEN  SEAT 
BELTS 
S 
These symbols 
have to 
do with 
your lights: 
SIGNALS e 
TURN 
HIGH 
LAMPSoR BEAM = =o 
FOG  LAMPS $0 
These symbols 
are 
011 some of 
your controls: 
WINDSHIELD  WIPER 
WINDSHIELD  DEFROSTER 
WINDOW 
DEFOGGER 
VENTILATING 
a+ 
FAN w* 
These  symbols 
are  used 
on 
warning and 
indicator lights: 
COOLANT F- 
ENGINE 
TEMP 
- k 
CHARGING BATTERY 
SYSTEM 
BRAKE 
(0) 
RADIATOR COOLANT 
a 
FUEL 
ENGINE  OIL 
PRESSURE 
Wb 
TEMP  OIL & 
ANTI-LOCK (@) 
BRAKE 
Here  are some 
other symbols 
you may see: 
FUSE 
RELEASE  RADIO 
k 
VOLUME a 
CONDITIONING AIR 33 
RELEASE TRUNK ru 
t 
LIGHTER m 
SPEAKER 
b 
V 
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        Page 95 of 354
To Get Out of Cruise  Control 
There are two  ways  to turn off the cruise control: 
Step lightly  on  the  brake  pedal; OR 
Move the cruise  switch 
to 
OFF. 
To Erase Cruise Speed Memory 
When you  turn off the cruise control or the ignition, or 
shift into PARK (P) or  NEUTRAL (N), your cruise 
control set speed  memory is erased. 
Lamps 
The  lamp  controls  are on the  instrument  panel.  They 
control  these  systems: 
0 
0 
0 
0 
0 
0 
0 
0 
Headlamps 
Taillamps 
Parking  Lamps 
License  Lamps 
Sidemarker  Lamps 
Instrument  Panel Lamps 
Courtesy  Lamps 
Fog Lamps 
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        Page 113 of 354

Brake System  Warning  Light 
I 
Your  Pontiac’s  hydraulic 
brake  system  is divided  into 
two  parts.  If  one  part  isn’t 
working,  the  other  part  can  still  work  and  stop  you.  For 
good  braking,  though,  you 
need  both  parts  working 
well. 
If  the  warning  light  comes  on,  there  could  be  a  brake 
problem.  Have  your  brake  system  inspected  right  away. 
This  light  should  come  on briefly  as  you  start  the 
vehicle.  If it doesn’t  come  on  then,  have 
it fixed so it 
will  be  ready  to  warn  you  if there’s  a  problem. 
If  the  light  comes  on  while  you  are  driving,  pull  off the 
road  and  stop  carefully.  You  may notice  that  the  pedal  is 
harder 
to push.  Or,  the  pedal  may  go  closer  to  the  floor.  It  may  take  longer  to  stop. 
If the  light 
is still on, or if  the 
anti-lock  brake  system  warning  light 
is flashing,  have 
the  vehicle  towed  for  service.  (See  “Anti-Lock  Brake  System  Warning  Light”  and  “Towing  Your  Vehicle”  in 
the  Index 
.) 
The  brake  system  warning  light  will  also  come  on  when 
you  set  your  parking  brake,  and  it will  stay  on  if  your 
parking  brake  doesn’t  release  fully. 
If it  stays  on  after 
your  parking  brake  is fully  released,  it means  you  have  a 
brake  problem. 
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        Page 114 of 354

Anti-Lock Brake System Warning  Light 
(Option) 
2801 0 With  the anti-lock  brake 
0 system, this light  will come 
RPM x1 000 on  when  you start your 
engine  and it 
will stay  on 
for  three  seconds. That’s 
normal.  If the  light  doesn’t 
come on, have  it fixed 
so it 
will  be ready  to  warn  you  if 
there  is a problem. 
If the light flashes  when you’re  driving,  you don’t  have 
anti-lock  brakes and there could  be a problem  with  your 
regular brakes. Pull 
off the road and stop  carefully. You 
may notice  that the pedal  is harder  to push. Or, the pedal 
may  go closer 
‘to the  floor.  It may  take longer to stop. 
Have  the vehicle  towed for service. (See  “Towing  Your 
Vehicle”  in  the Index.)  If 
the  anti-lock brake system  warning light stays 
on 
longer than  normal  after you’ve  started your engine, turn 
the ignition  off.  Or,  if the light comes  on  and  stays on 
when  you’re 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 you’re driving,  your  Pontiac  needs service. 
If the 
light  is 
on but not flashing  and the regular brake system 
warning  light isn’t on,  you still have  brakes,  but  you 
don’t  have anti-lock  brakes. 
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        Page 115 of 354

Anti-Lock Brake System  Active  Light 
(Option) 
When  your  anti-lock system 
is adjusting  brake  pressure 
to  help  avoid  a braking  skid, 
the 
LOW TRAC  light will 
come  on. 
Slippery  road conditions will  exist 
if this light comes  on, 
so adjust your  driving  accordingly.  The light will stay on 
for  a few  seconds  after the system stops  adjusting  brake 
pressure. 
The 
LOW TRAC  light also comes  on  briefly,  as  a bulb 
check,  when the engine is started.  If the light doesn’t 
come  on then,  have it fixed 
so it  will  be there  to  tell you 
when  the system  is active. 
Engine Coolant  Temperature  Light 
4b 100 
This light tells  you  that 
your  engine coolant  has 
overheated 
or your  radiator 
cooling fan  is not  working. 
-k 
If  you  have  been  operating  your  vehicle  under  normal 
driving conditions,  you  should pull 
off the road,  stop 
your  vehicle  and  turn  off  the  engine as  soon  as possible. 
Hot Coolant Can Burn You Badly! 
In “Problems  on  the  Road,”  this manual  shows  what  to 
do. See “Engine  Overheating’’  in  the  Index. 
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        Page 150 of 354
I 
260L 0 0 instrument  panel  will come 
And  this 
light on  the 
R p M x1 000 on  briefly  when  you  start 
your  vehicle. 
When  you start  your  vehicle,  or when  you  begin  to drive 
away,  you may  hear  a  momentary  motor  or  clicking 
noise.  And  you  may  even  notice  that  your  brake  pedal  moves  a  little while  this is going  on. 
This is the  ABS 
system  testing itself. 
If there’s  a  problem  with  the 
anti-lock  brake  system,  the  anti-lock  brake  system 
warning  light will stay  on  or  flash. 
See  “Anti-Lock  Brake  System  Warning  Light”  in  the 
Index.  Here’s  how  anti-lock  works.  Let’s  say  the  road 
is wet. 
You’re  driving  safely.  Suddenly  an  animal  jumps out 
in 
front of  you. 
You  slam  on  the  brakes.  Here’s  what  happens  with 
ABS. 
A  computer  senses  that  wheels are slowing  down.  If  one 
of  the  wheels  is about 
to stop  rolling,  the  computer  will 
separately  work  the  brakes  at  each front wheel  and  at  the 
rear  wheels. 
~~ 
4-7 
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        Page 151 of 354

The anti-lock  system  can  change the brake pressure 
faster  than  any  driver  could. 
The computer is 
programmed to make the most of available tire and 
road  conditions. 
You  can  steer  around 
the obstacle  while  braking  hard. 
As you  brake,  your  computer  keeps  receiving  updates  on 
wheel  speed  and  controls 
braking pressure  accordingly. 
Remember:  Anti-lock  doesn’t  change  the  time 
you need 
to  get  your  foot  up  to  the  brake  pedal. 
If you  get  too 
close  to  the  vehicle  in  front 
of you,  you  won’t  have  time 
to  apply  your  brakes  if  that  vehicle  suddenly  slows  or  stops.  Always  leave  enough  room  up  ahead  to  stop,  even 
though  you  have  anti-lock  brakes. 
To Use Anti-Lock 
Don’t  pump  the  brakes.  Just  hold  the  brake  pedal  down  and  let  anti-lock  work  for you.  You  may  feel the  system 
working,  or  you  may  notice  some  noise,  but  this  is 
normal.  When  your  anti-lock  system  is  adjusting  brake 
pressure  to  help  avoid  a  braking  skid,  the 
LOW TRAC 
light  will  come  on.  See “Anti-Lock  Brake  System 
Active  Light”  in  the  Index. 
4-8 
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        Page 156 of 354

0 Check  your mirrors, glance  over  your  shoulder,  and 
start  your  left lane change signal  before  moving out 
of  the right  lane to  pass.  When  you  are  far enough 
ahead  of the  passed  vehicle  to see  its  front  in  your 
inside  mirror,  activate  your right lane  change signal 
and  move  back into the right  lane.  (Remember  that 
your  right outside  mirror is convex.  The vehicle  you 
just  passed  may  seem  to  be  farther away from you 
than  it really 
is.) 
Try  not  to  pass more  than  one vehicle  at  a time  on 
two-lane  roads. Reconsider before  passing the next 
vehicle. 
Don’t  overtake a  slowly  moving  vehicle too  rapidly. 
Even  though  the brake  lights  are  not flashing, 
it may 
be  slowing  down  or  starting to  turn. 
If you’re being passed, make it easy  for the 
following driver to  get  ahead of  you. Perhaps  you 
can  ease  a little  to the right. 
Loss of Control 
Let’s  review  what  driving  experts say about  what 
happens  when  the three control  systems (brakes, steering 
and  acceleration)  don’t have  enough  friction where  the 
tires  meet  the road  to do  what the driver  has asked. 
In any  emergency,  don’t  give up. Keep  trying  to steer 
and  constantly  seek  an escape route or  area of less 
danger. 
Skidding 
In  a skid, a driver  can lose  control  of the  vehicle. 
Defensive drivers  avoid  most  skids by taking  reasonable 
care  suited  to existing conditions,  and  by  not 
“overdriving” those conditions.  But skids are  always 
possible. 
The  three  types  of skids correspond to  your  Pontiac’s 
three  control systems. In  the  braking  skid  your  wheels 
aren’t  rolling. 
In the  steering  or cornering skid,  too 
much  speed  or steering  in  a curve causes  tires  to  slip and 
lose cornering force.  And  in  the acceleration  skid  too 
much  throttle causes  the driving  wheels  to  spin. 
A cornering  skid  and  an acceleration  skid  are  best 
handled  by easing  your foot off the  accelerator pedal. 
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