2002 GMC SONOMA control

3-47
Adjusting the Speakers (Balance/Fade)
AUDIO: To adjust the balance between the right and
left speakers, push the AUDIO knob until BAL appears
on the display. Turn the knob to adjust the sound to the
left or right speakers. The middle position balances the
sound between the speakers.
To adjust the fade between the front and rear speakers,
push and hold the AUDIO knob until FAD appears on
the display. Turn the knob to adjust the sound to the
front or rear speakers. The middle position balances the
sound between the speakers.
To adjust the balance and fade to the middle position,
select balance or fade and push and hold the AUDIO
knob. The radio will beep once and will adjust the
display level to the middle position.
To adjust all tone and speaker controls to the middle
position, push and hold the AUDIO knob when tone
or speaker controls are not displayed. The radio will
produce one beep and CENTERED will appear on
the display.Using RDS
Your audio system is equipped with a Radio Data
System (RDS). RDS mode gives you many useful new
features. With RDS, the radio can do the following:

Seek only to stations with the types of programs you
want to listen to,

seek to stations with traffic announcements,

receive announcements concerning local and
national emergencies, and

receive and display messages from radio stations.
RDS features are only available for use on FM stations
which broadcast RDS information. The RDS features of
your radio rely upon receiving specific RDS information
from these stations. These features will only work when
the RDS information is available. In rare cases, a radio
station may broadcast incorrect information that will
cause the radio features to work improperly. If this
happens, contact the radio station.
When you are tuned to an RDS station, the station
name will appear on the display, instead of the
frequency. Most RDS stations provide their station
name, the time of day and a Program Type (PTY) for
their current programming.

3-56 Remote Cassette Tape Player (If Equipped)
If your vehicle has this feature it is located in the center
console extension.
Your tape player is built to work best with tapes that are
up to 30 to 45 minutes long on each side. Tapes longer
than that are so thin they may not work well in
this player.
To load a cassette tape with the ignition off, first press
EJECT on the remote player. Then, insert the cassette
tape. The tape will play if the ignition is on but the radio
is off.Once the tape is playing, use the control knobs for
VOL, AUTO TONE, BAL, FADE, BASS and TREB
just as you do for the radio. A lighted tape symbol
shows when a cassette tape is in the player. A lighted
arrow will also appear and show the direction of play
when a tape is active.
The player automatically senses if the cassette tape is
metal or CrO
2 and adjusts for best playback sound.
Anytime a cassette tape is inserted, the top side is
selected for play first.
Primary Radio Controls
The following functions are controlled by the
main radio:
1 PREV (Previous): Press this pushbutton or the left
SEEK arrow (in the opposite direction that the lighted
tape direction arrow points) to search for the previous
selection. A minimum three
-second blank gap is needed
for the player to stop at the beginning of the selection.
The tape direction arrow will blink during the SEEK
operation and the sound is muted in this mode.

3-57
3 NEXT: Press this pushbutton or the right SEEK arrow
(in the direction that the lighted tape direction arrow
points) to search for the next selection. The tape
direction arrow will blink during SEEK operation and
the sound is muted in this mode.
REV 4 (Reverse): Press this pushbutton to rapidly
reverse the tape. The tape will rapidly reverse to the
beginning of the cassette or until you press this
pushbutton again. The radio plays the last selected
station during reverse operation.
5: Press this pushbutton to turn Dolby NR on and
off. Dolby NR is active when a tape is inserted in the
remote cassette. The double
-D symbol will appear on
the display.
Dolby Noise Reduction is manufactured under a license
from Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation. Dolby
and the double
-D symbol are trademarks of Dolby
Laboratories Licensing Corporation.
FWD 6 (Forward): Press this pushbutton to rapidly
advance the tape. The tape will rapidly advance to the
end of the cassette or until you press this pushbutton
again. The radio plays the last selected station during
forward operation.AM FM: Press this button to listen to the radio
when a tape is playing. The inactive tape will remain in
the player.
TAPE AUX (Auxiliary): Press this button to play a
tape when listening to the radio. The lighted arrow will
appear next to the symbol and show the direction of play
when a tape is active.
Remote Cassette Tape Player Controls
The following functions are controlled by the remote
cassette tape player:
PROG (Program): Press this button on the remote
player to go from one side of the tape to the other.
EJECT: Press this button on the remote player to
remove the tape. EJECT can be used with either the
ignition or radio off. Also, you must press EJECT before
loading a cassette with the radio off to allow loading.

3-61 Tips About Your Audio System
Hearing damage from loud noise is almost undetectable
until it is too late. Your hearing can adapt to higher
volumes of sound. Sound that seems normal can be loud
and harmful to your hearing. Take precautions by
adjusting the volume control on your radio to a safe
sound level before your hearing adapts to it.
To help avoid hearing loss or damage do the following:
1. Adjust the volume control to the lowest setting.
2. Increase volume slowly until you hear comfortably
and clearly.NOTICE:
Before you add any sound equipment to your
vehicle
-- like a tape player, CB radio, mobile
telephone or two
-way radio -- be sure you can
add what you want. If you can, it's very
important to do it properly. Added sound
equipment may interfere with the operation of
your vehicle's engine, Delphi Electronics radio or
other systems, and even damage them. Your
vehicle's systems may interfere with the
operation of sound equipment that has been
added improperly.
So, before adding sound equipment, check with
your dealer and be sure to check federal rules
covering mobile radio and telephone units.

3-62 Care of Your Cassette Tape Player
A tape player that is not cleaned regularly can cause
reduced sound quality, ruined cassettes or a damaged
mechanism. Cassette tapes should be stored in their
cases away from contaminants, direct sunlight and
extreme heat. If they aren't, they may not operate
properly or may cause failure of the tape player.
Your tape player should be cleaned regularly after every
50 hours of use. Your radio may display CLN to indicate
that you have used your tape player for 50 hours without
resetting the tape clean timer. If this message appears on
the display, your cassette tape player needs to be
cleaned. It will still play tapes, but you should clean it as
soon as possible to prevent damage to your tapes and
player. If you notice a reduction in sound quality, try a
known good cassette to see if it is the tape or the tape
player at fault. If this other cassette has no improvement
in sound quality, clean the tape player.
The recommended cleaning method for your cassette
tape player is the use of a scrubbing action,
non
-abrasive cleaning cassette with pads which scrub
the tape head as the hubs of the cleaner cassette turn.
The recommended cleaning cassette is available through
your dealer (GM Part No. 12344789).When cleaning the cassette tape player with the
recommended non
-abrasive cleaning cassette, it is
possible that the cassette may eject, because the cut tape
detection feature on your radio may recognize it as a
broken tape. To prevent the cleaning cassette from being
ejected, use the following steps.
If your vehicle is equipped with the AM
-FM Stereo with
Cassette Tape Player do the following:
1. Turn the ignition to RUN or ACCESSORY.
2. Turn the radio on.
3. Insert the scrubbing action cleaning cassette.
4. Within five seconds, press and hold the REV and
FWD buttons at the same time for three seconds. The
tape symbol will flash on the display, showing that
the cut tape detection feature is no longer active.
5. Eject the cleaning cassette after the manufacturer's
recommended cleaning time.
If your vehicle is equipped with the AM
-FM Stereo with
Cassette Tape Player and Automatic Tone Control do the
following:
1. Turn the ignition to RUN or ACCESSORY.
2. Turn the radio off.

4-
4-1
Section 4 Your Driving and the Road
Here you'll find information about driving on different kinds of roads and in varying weather conditions. We've also
included many other useful tips on driving.
4
-2 Defensive Driving
4
-3 Drunken Driving
4
-6 Control of a Vehicle
4
-6 Braking
4
-9 Steering
4
-11 Off-Road Recovery
4
-12 Passing
4
-13 Loss of Control
4
-14 Off-Road Driving with Your
Four
-Wheel-Drive Vehicle
4
-27 Driving at Night4
-29 Driving in Rain and on Wet Roads
4
-32 City Driving
4
-33 Freeway Driving
4
-34 Before Leaving on a Long Trip
4
-35 Highway Hypnosis
4
-35 Hill and Mountain Roads
4
-37 Winter Driving
4
-41 Recreational Vehicle Towing
4
-45 Loading Your Vehicle
4
-50 Pickup Conversion to Chassis Cab
4
-50 Towing a Trailer

4-6
Control of a Vehicle
You have three systems that make your vehicle go where
you want it to go. They are the brakes, the steering and
the accelerator. All three systems have to do their work
at the places where the tires meet the road.
Sometimes, as when you're driving on snow or ice, it's
easy to ask more of those control systems than the tires
and road can provide. That means you can lose control
of your vehicle.
Braking
Braking action involves perception time and
reaction time.
First, you have to decide to push on the brake pedal.
That's perception time. Then you have to bring up your
foot and do it. That's reaction time.
Average reaction time is about 3/4 of a second. But
that's only an average. It might be less with one driver
and as long as two or three seconds or more with
another. Age, physical condition, alertness, coordination
and eyesight all play a part. So do alcohol, drugs
and frustration. But even in 3/4 of a second, a vehicle
moving at 60 mph (100 km/h) travels 66 feet (20 m).
That could be a lot of distance in an emergency, so
keeping enough space between your vehicle and others
is important.
And, of course, actual stopping distances vary greatly
with the surface of the road (whether it's pavement
or gravel); the condition of the road (wet, dry, icy);
tire tread; the condition of your brakes; the weight
of the vehicle and the amount of brake force applied.

4-8
Let's say the road is wet and you're driving safely.
Suddenly, an animal jumps out in front of you.
You slam on the brakes and continue braking.
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
both rear wheels.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. This
can help you steer around the obstacle while braking hard.
As you brake, your computer keeps receiving updates on
wheel speed and controls braking pressure accordingly.