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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.
Getting Out of Cruise Control
There are three ways to turn off cruise control:
Step lightly on the brake pedal, or push the clutch
pedal if you have a manual transmission.
Push in the CANCEL button on the end of the cruise
control lever.
Press OFF on the cruise control switch.
Erasing Speed Memory
When you turn off the cruise control or the ignition,
your cruise control set speed memory is erased.
Exterior Lamps
Daytime Running Lamps
Daytime Running Lamps (DRL) can make it easier for
others to see the front of your vehicle during the day.
DRL can be helpful in many different driving
conditions, but they can be especially helpful in the
short periods after dawn and before sunset.
The
DRL system will make your low-beam headlamps
come
on at a reduced brightness when:
The ignition is on,
0 The headlamp switch is off, and
0 The parking brake is released.
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When you turn on the headlamp switch, your DRL will
go out, and your headlamps will come on.
The other lamps that come
on with your headlamps will
also come on.
When you turn off the headlamp switch, the regular
lamps will go off, and your low-beam headlamps will
come on at the reduced brightness of
DRL.
To idle your vehicle with the DRL off, set the parking
brake. The
DRL will stay off until you release the
parking brake.
As with any vehicle, you should turn on the regular
headlamp system when you need it.
Interior Lamps
Instrument Panel Brightness Control
This knob controls the
brightness of your
instrument panel lights.
Turn the knob to the right to
brighten the lights or to the
left to dim them.
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Front Seat Side Pockets Coinholder and Bin
On
the outside of each front seat is a storage pocket.
Your console has
a coinholder and a small storage bin.
Cupholder
Two cupholders are on the center console next to the
parking brake lever.
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A. Defroster
B. Rear Defogger (If Equipped)
C. Turn SignaYMultifunction Lever
D. Power Mirror Control
(If Equipped)
E.
Air Vent
E Instrument Panel Brightness Control
G. Hazard Switch
H. Fuse Block
I. Instrument Cluster
J. Ignition Switch
K. Horn
L. Windshield Wipermasher Lever
M. Cruise Control ON/OFF Button (If Equipped)
N. Rear Window Wiper Button (If Equipped)
0. Rear Window Washer Button (If Equipped)
P. Comfort Controls
Q. Cigarette Lighter
R. Shift Lever
S. Parking Brake Lever
T. CoinholderlBin
U. Audio System
V. Transfer Case Shift Lever
W. Ashtray
X. Glove Box
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_-- ~~~~~
Brake System Warning Light
Your Geo’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.
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.)
BRAKE
United States Canada
This light
should come on when you turn the ignition
key to STmT. If it doesn.’t come on then, have it fixed
so it will be ready to warn you if there’s a problem.
Ih
CA -JTION:
Your brake system may not be working properly
if the brake system warning light is on. Driving
with the brake system warning light on can lead
to an accident.
If the light is still on or if the
anti-lock brake system warning light is flashing
after you’ve pulled
off the road and stopped
carefully, have the vehicle towed for service.
When the ignition is on, the brake system warning light
will
also come on when you set your parking brake. The
light 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.
r
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Anti-Lock Brake System Warning Light
(If Equipped)
ABS
With the anti-lock brake
system, this light will come
on when you start your
engine and it will stay
on for three seconds.
That’s normal.
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.)
A CAUTION:
Your regular brake system may not be working
properly if the anti-lock brake system warning
light is flashing. Driving with the anti-lock
brake system warning light flashing can lead to an accident. After you’ve pulled off the road
and stopped carefully, have the vehicle towed
for service.
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 Geo 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.
The anti-lock brake system warning light should come
on briefly when you turn the ignition key to
ON. If the
light doesn’t come
on then, have it fixed so it will be
ready to warn
you if there is a problem.
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Anti-Lock Brake System Active Light
(If Equipped)
ABS
ACTIVE
Engine Coolant Temperature Gage
When your anti-lock system
is adjusting brake pressure
to help avoid a braking skid,
the anti-lock brake system
active light will come on.
Slippery road conditions may 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 anti-lock brake system active light also comes on
briefly when you turn the ignition key
to ON. If the light
doesn’t come on then, have it fixed
so it will be there to
tell you when the system
is active. This
gage shows the engine
coolant temperature. If the
gage pointer moves to the
H
(red) side, your engine is
too hot!
It means that your engine coolant has overheated and
you should
stop your vehicle and turn off the engine as
soon as possible.
In “Problems on the Road,” this manual shows what to
do. See “Engine Overheating” in the Index.
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Defensive Driving
The best advice anyone can give about driving is:
Drive defensively.
Please start with a very important safety device in your
Geo: Buckle up. (See “Safety Belts” in the Index.)
Defensive driving really means “be ready for anything.
On city streets, rural roads or freeways,
it means
“always expect the unexpected.” Assume that
pedestrians or other drivers are going
to be
careless and make mistakes. Anticipate what they might
do. Be ready for their mistakes.
Rear-end collisions are about the most preventable of
accidents. Yet they are common. Allow enough
following distance.
It’s the best defensive driving
maneuver,
in both city and rural driving. You never
know when the vehicle in front
of you is going to brake
or turn suddenly.
Drunken Driving
Death and injury associated with drinking and driving is
a national tragedy. It’s the number one contributor to
the highway death toll, claiming thousands of victims
every year.
Alcohol affects four things that anyone needs to drive
a vehicle:
0 Judgment
Muscular Coordination
0 Vision
0 Attentiveness.
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