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3-1
Section 3 Comfort Controls and Audio Systems
In this section, you'll find out how to operate the comfort control and audio systems offered with your vehicle. Be
sure to read about the particular systems supplied with your vehicle.
3
-2 Comfort Controls
3
-2 Climate Control Panel
3
-6 Electronic Solar Sensor
3
-6 Air Conditioning
3
-6 Heating
3
-7 Defogging and Defrosting
3
-7 Rear Window Defogger
3
-8 Rear Climate Control
3
-9 Ventilation System
3
-10 HVAC Steering Wheel Controls
3
-10 Climate Control Personalization (If Equipped)
3
-11 Audio Systems
3
-11 Setting the Clock
3
-11 AM-FM Stereo with Cassette Tape Player
3
-15 AM-FM Stereo with Cassette Tape and
Compact Disc Player (If Equipped)
3
-19 AM-FM Stereo with Cassette Tape and Compact
Disc Player with Radio Data Systems (RDS) and
Digital Signal Processing (DSP) (If Equipped)3
-28 AM-FM Stereo with Cassette Tape and
MiniDisc Player with Radio Data Systems
(RDS) and Digital Signal Processing (DSP)
(If Equipped)
3
-38 Radio Data Systems (RDS) Program Type
(PTY) Selections
3
-39 Navigation/Radio System (Option)
3
-39 CD Adapter Kits
3
-43 Radio Personalization with Home and Away
Feature (If Equipped)
3
-43 Theft-Deterrent Feature
3
-44 Audio Steering Wheel Controls
3
-45 Understanding Radio Reception
3
-45 Tips About Your Audio System
3
-46 Care of Your Cassette Tape Player
3
-48 Care of Your Compact Discs
3
-48 Care of Your Compact Disc Player
3
-48 Diversity Antenna System
3-10 HVAC Steering Wheel Controls
Some heating and cooling
controls can be adjusted at
the steering wheel. Other
touch controls operate some
audio controls. See ªAudio
Steering Wheel Controlsº
in the Index.
FAN SPEED: Press the up arrow lever to increase
the fan speed and the down arrow lever to decrease
fan speed.
TEMP: Press the up arrow lever to increase the
temperature and the down arrow lever to
decrease temperature.
Climate Control Personalization
(If Equipped)
With this feature, your vehicle will recall the latest
climate control settings as adjusted the last time your
vehicle was operated. This feature allows two different
drivers to store and recall their own climate control
settings. The settings recalled by the climate control
system are determined by which remote keyless entry
transmitter (ª1º or ª2º) was used to enter the vehicle.
The number on the back of the remote keyless entry
transmitter corresponds to driver 1 or to driver 2. After
the unlock button is pressed on the remote keyless entry
transmitter or the ignition key is placed in the ignition
(the ignition must be turned to OFF), the climate control
settings will automatically adjust to where they were last
set. The settings can also be changed by briefly pressing
the memory seat buttons 1 or 2 located on the
driver's door.
3-44 Audio Steering Wheel Controls
Some audio controls can be
adjusted at the steering
wheel. They include
the following:
VOLUME: Press the up arrow lever to increase volume
and the down arrow lever to decrease volume.SELECT: When listening to the radio, press the up or
down arrow lever to tune to the next or previous preset
radio station. (If your vehicle is equipped with the
AM-FM Stereo with Cassette Tape Player, factory
presets which have not been reprogrammed with your
stations will be ignored). When listening to a cassette
tape, the up or down arrow lever can be used to SEEK
forward and rearward through the tape. Pressing the up
or down arrow lever when listening to a CD will cause
the player to go to the next or previous selection. When
in Radio Data Systems (RDS) Program Type (PTY)
mode, the up or down arrow lever can be used to
perform a PTY preset seek. PSEEK will appear on the
display while the PTY preset seek is performed. The
radio will seek all of the PTYs stored in presets, except
for the PTY Any.
4-9
Using Anti-Lock
Don't pump the brakes. Just hold the brake pedal down
firmly and let anti
-lock work for you. You may hear the
anti
-lock pump or motor operate, and feel the brake
pedal pulsate, but this is normal.
Braking in Emergencies
With anti-lock, you can steer and brake at the same
time. In many emergencies, steering can help you more
than even the very best braking.
Traction Control System
Your vehicle has a traction control system that limits wheel
spin. This is especially useful in slippery road conditions.
The system operates only if it senses that one or both of
the front wheels are spinning or beginning to lose traction.
When this happens, the system works the front brakes and
reduces engine power to limit wheel spin.
The TRACTION ENGAGED message will display on
the Driver Information Center when the traction control
system is limiting wheel spin. See ªDriver Information
Center Messagesº in the Index. You may feel or hear the
system working, but this is normal.If your vehicle is in cruise control when the traction control
system begins to limit wheel spin, the cruise control will
automatically disengage. When road conditions allow you to
safely use it again, you may reengage the cruise control. (See
ªCruise Controlº in the Index.)United States Canada
This warning light will come on to let you know if
there's a problem with your traction control system.
See ªTraction Control System Warning Lightº in the
Index. When this warning light is on, the system will not
limit wheel spin. Adjust your driving accordingly.
4-11
Steering
Power Steering
If you lose power steering assist because the engine
stops or the system is not functioning, you can steer but
it will take much more effort.
Magnasteer
This system continuously adjusts the effort you feel
when steering at all vehicle speeds. It provides ease
when parking yet a firm, solid feel at highway speeds.
Steering Tips
Driving on Curves
It's important to take curves at a reasonable speed.
A lot of the ªdriver lost controlº accidents mentioned on
the news happen on curves. Here's why:
Experienced driver or beginner, each of us is subject to
the same laws of physics when driving on curves. The
traction of the tires against the road surface makes it
possible for the vehicle to change its path when you turn
the front wheels. If there's no traction, inertia will keep
the vehicle going in the same direction. If you've ever
tried to steer a vehicle on wet ice, you'll understand this.The traction you can get in a curve depends on the
condition of your tires and the road surface, the angle
at which the curve is banked, and your speed.
While you're in a curve, speed is the one factor you
can control.
Suppose you're steering through a sharp curve.
Then you suddenly accelerate. Both control
systems
-- steering and acceleration -- have to do
their work where the tires meet the road. Adding the
sudden acceleration can demand too much of those
places. You can lose control. Refer to ªTraction Control
Systemº in the Index.
What should you do if this ever happens? Ease up on the
accelerator pedal, steer the vehicle the way you want it
to go, and slow down.
If you have Stabilitrak
, you may see the STABILITY
SYS ENGAGED message on the Driver Information
Center. See ªStability Sys Engaged Messageº in
the Index.
Speed limit signs near curves warn that you should
adjust your speed. Of course, the posted speeds are
based on good weather and road conditions. Under less
favorable conditions you'll want to go slower.
4-12
If you need to reduce your speed as you approach a
curve, do it before you enter the curve, while your front
wheels are straight ahead.
Try to adjust your speed so you can ªdriveº through the
curve. Maintain a reasonable, steady speed. Wait to
accelerate until you are out of the curve, and then
accelerate gently into the straightaway.
If you have Stabilitrak
, to help you steer in the
direction you want to go, during certain sharp or sudden
cornering maneuvers, gear selection is controlled. This
will maximize the available drive wheel torque and
minimize the transaxle response time and shift activity.
During this kind of maneuver, the transaxle shifts
automatically as vehicle speed changes.
Steering in Emergencies
There are times when steering can be more effective
than braking. For example, you come over a hill and
find a truck stopped in your lane, or a car suddenly pulls
out from nowhere, or a child darts out from between
parked cars and stops right in front of you. You can
avoid these problems by braking
-- if you can stop in
time. But sometimes you can't; there isn't room.
That's the time for evasive action
-- steering around
the problem.Your vehicle can perform very well in emergencies like
these. First apply your brakes. (See ªBraking in
Emergenciesº earlier in this section.) It is better to
remove as much speed as you can from a possible
collision. Then steer around the problem, to the left or
right depending on the space available.
4-13
An emergency like this requires close attention and a
quick decision. If you are holding the steering wheel at
the recommended 9 and 3 o'clock positions, you can
turn it a full 180 degrees very quickly without removing
either hand. But you have to act fast, steer quickly, and
just as quickly straighten the wheel once you have
avoided the object.
The fact that such emergency situations are always
possible is a good reason to practice defensive driving at
all times and wear safety belts properly.
Off-Road Recovery
You may find that your right wheels have dropped
off the edge of a road onto the shoulder while
you're driving.
If the level of the shoulder is only slightly below the
pavement, recovery should be fairly easy. Ease off the
accelerator and then, if there is nothing in the way, steer
so that your vehicle straddles the edge of the pavement.
You can turn the steering wheel up to one
-quarter turn
until the right front tire contacts the pavement edge.
Then turn your steering wheel to go straight down
the roadway.
4-15
If other cars are lined up to pass a slow vehicle, wait
your turn. But take care that someone isn't trying to
pass you as you pull out to pass the slow vehicle.
Remember to glance over your shoulder and check
the blind spot.
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 lamps 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
ªoverdrivingº those conditions. But skids are
always possible.
The three types of skids correspond to your vehicle'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.