The best way to protect the fetus is to protect the
mother. When a safety belt
is worn properly, it’s more
likely that the fetus won’t be hurt in a crash. For
pregnant women, as for anyone, the key to making
safety belts effective is wearing them properly.
Right Front Passenger Position
The right front passenger’s safety belt works the same
way as the driver’s safety belt. See “Driver Position,”
earlier
in this section.
Supplemental Restraint System (SRS)
This part explains the Supplemental Restraint System
(SRS) or air bag system.
Your Pontiac has two air bags
-- one air bag for the
driver and another air bag for the right front passenger.
Here are the most important things to know about the
air bag system:
7
You can be severely injured or killed in a crash if
you aren’t wearing your safety belt
-- even if you
have air bags. Wearing your safety belt during a
crash helps reduce your chance
of hitting things
inside the vehicle or being ejected from it.
Air
bags are “supplemental restraints” to the safety
belts. All air bags are designed to work with
safety belts, but don’t replace them. Air bags
are
designed to work only in moderate to severe
crashes where the front of your vehicle hits
something. They aren’t designed to inflate at
all in rollover, rear, side or low-speed frontal
crashes. Everyone in your vehicle should wear a
safety belt properly
-- whether or not there’s an
air bag for that person.
1-21
Your vehicle is equipped with a crash sensing and
diagnostic module, which records information about
the air bag system. The module records information
about
the readiness of the system, when the sensors are
activated
and driver’s safety belt usage at deployment,
Let only qualified technicians work on your air bag
system. Improper service can mean that your
air bag system won’t work properly.
See your
dealer
for service.
I I
NOTICE:
If you damage the covering for the driver% or the
right front passenger’s
air bag, the bag may not
work properly. You may have to replace the air
bag module in the steering wheel
or both the air
bag module and the instrument panel for the
right front passenger’s air bag. Do not open or
break the air bag coverings.
S ~ ring Your Air Bag-Equipped Pontiac
Air bags affect how your Pontiac should be serviced.
There are parts
sf the air bag system in several places
around your vehicle. You don’t want the system to
inflate while someone is working on your vehicle. Your
Pontiac deal’er and the Firebird Service Manual have
information about servicing your vehicle and the air bag
system.
To purchase a service manual, see “Service and
Owner Publications” in the Index,
For up to 10 minutes after the ignition key is
turned of€ and the battery is disconnected, an air
bag can still inflate during improper service, You
can be injured if you are close to an air bag when
it inflates. Avoid
wires wrapped with yellow tape
or yellow connectors.
They are probably part of
the air bag system. Be sure to follow proper
service procedures, and make sure
the person
performing
work for you is qualified to do so.
rhe air bag system does not need regular maintenance.
1-26
Section 2 Features and Controls
~~ ~ ~
Here you can learn about the many standard and optional features on your Pontiac, and information on starting,
shifting and braking. Also explained are the instrument panel and the warning systems that tell you if everything is
working properly -- and what to do if you have a problem.
2-2
2-4
2-6
2-
10
2-12
2-13
2-1 6
2- 17
2-23
2-23
2-25
2-27 2-28
2-32
2-37
2-3 8
2-40
Keys
Door Locks
Remote Keyless Entry System
Hatch
Theft
Vehicle and Content Theft-Deterrent System
Feature Customization New Vehicle “Break-In”
Ignition Switch
Starting Your Engine
Engine Coolant Heater
Automatic Transmission Operation
Manual Transmission
Parking Brake
Shifting Into PARK (P)
Parking Your Vehicle
PASS-K@ 11
2-40
2-4 1
2-4
1
2-43
2-43
2-44
2-44
2-5 1
2-54
2-56
2-5
8
2-59
2-60
2-6 1
2-68
2-74
2-77
Shifting Out of PARK (P)
Parking Over Things That Burn
Engine Exhaust
Windows
Horn
Tilt Steering Wheel
Turn SignaVMultifunction Lever
Lamps
Interior Lamps
Mirrors
Storage Compartments
Ashtray and Lighter
Sun Visors
Floor Mats
Convertible
Top
Instrument Panel
Warning Lights,
Cages and Indicators
2-1
Keys
Leaving young children in a vehicle with the
ignition key
is dangerous for many reasons.
A child or others could be badly injured or
even killed.
They
could operate power windows or other
controls or even
make the vehicle move. If they
turned the
ignition to ON and moved the shift
lever out of PARK (a), that would release the
parking brake. Don't leave the keys in a vehicle
with
young children.
2-2
The ignition keys are for the
ignition only.
The door keys are for the
doors and all other locks. The
ignition keys don’t have plugs. Instead they have
bar-coded key tags. These
tags may be removed by
your dealer
or even before the vehicle is delivered to
your dealer.
Each plug has a code on it that tells your dealer or
a
qualified locksmith how to make extra door keys. Keep
the plugs in a safe place.
If you lose your door keys,
you’ll be able
to have new ones made using these plugs.
If you need a new ignition key, contact your Pontiac
dealer who can obtain the correct key code. Remember
to carry the pre-cut emergency key which Pontiac sends
after delivery. In an emergency, call Pontiac Roadside
Assistance at 1-800-ROADSIB
or 1-800-762-3743.
(In Canada, call 1-800-268-6800).
When a new Firebird is delivered, the dealer removes
the plugs from the door keys and gives them to the
first owner.
NOTICE:
Your Pontiac has a number of new features that
can help prevent theft. But you can have a lot
of trouble getting into your vehicle if you ever
lock your keys inside. You may even have to
damage your vehicle to get in.
So be sure you
have extra keys.
Door Locks
A CAUTION:
Unlocked doors can be dangerous.
Passengers
-- especially children -- can easily
open the doors and fall out. When a door is
locked, the inside handle won’t open it.
Outsiders can easily enter through an unlocked
door when you slow down or stop your vehicle.
This may not be so obvious: You increase the
chance of being thrown out of the vehicle in a
crash if the doors aren’t locked. Wear safety belts
properly, lock your doors, and you
will be far
better off whenever you drive your vehicle.
There are several ways to lock and unlock your vehicle.
From the outside, use your door key,
If your vehicle has
the Vehicle and Content Theft-Deterrent System and it
is armed, unlocking and opening a door
this way will set
off the alarm.
See “Vehicle and Content Theft-Deterrent
System”
in the Index.
‘4 -- I
From the inside, to lock the door, move the lock control
on the door rearward.
To unlock the door, move the lock control on the door
forward.
2-4
Power Door Locks (If Equipped)
Push the power door lock switch to lock or unlock
both doors at once.
The lock switch works at all times except during
“Lockout Prevention” (if that feature is enabled). The
unlock switch only works when the ignition switch is in
RUN or ACC or when RAP is present, (See “Retained
Accessorv Power”
in the Index.)
Last Door Closed Locking (If Equipped)
If you have power door locks, you can program a Last
Door Closed Locking feature for your vehicle. This
feature allows for a delayed locking
of the doors. This
lets you
and your passengers exit the vehicle after
you’ve pressed the power door lock switch. All
of the
doors will lock once everyone has gotten out of the
vehicle and closed their doors. When the power door lock switch is pressed,
a chime
will sound three times, indicating that Last Door Closed
Locking has been activated. Pressing the
LOCK switch
again will lock the doors immediately. Pressing the
UNLOCK switch will cancel a previously requested
Last Door Closed Locking.
This feature is shipped from the factory in the
off
position. To turn this feature on, see “Feature
Customization” in the Index.
Lockout Prevention (If Equipped)
To protect you from locking your keys in the vehicle,
this feature stops the power door locks from locking
wh’en the keys
are in the ignition and a door is open. If
the power lock switch is pressed when
a door is open, a
chime will sound five times as a reminder to take
the
keys out of the ignition before locking the door. This
feature is shipped from the factory in the
on position. If
you would like to turn this feature off, see “Feature
Customization” in the Index.
Leaving Your Vehicle
If you are leaving the vehicle, take your keys, open your
door and set
the locks from the inside. Then get out and
close the door.
2-5
Remote Keyless Entry System
I
3-Button Fob 4-Button Fob
If your vehicle bas this opti'on, you can lock; and
unlock
your doors or unlock your hatch up from about
3 feet (1 m) to about 30 feet (9 m) using the remote
keyless entry transmitter supplied with your vehicle. Your
Remote Keyless Entry System operates on a
radio frequency subject to Federal Communications
Commission
(FCC) Rules and with Industry and
Science Canada.
This device complies with Part
15 of the FCC Rules.
Operation is subject to the foll'owing two conditions:
(1) this device may not cause harmful interference,
and
(2) this device must accept any interference
received, including interference that
may cause
undesired operation.
This device complies with
RSS-210 of Industry and
Science Canada. Operation is subject to the following
two conditions: (1) this device may not cause
interference, and
(2) this device must accept any
interference received, including interference that may
cause undesired operation
of the device.
Changes or modifications to this system by other
than an
authorized service facility could void authorization
to
use this equipment.
2-6