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AUTOMATIC OVERDRIVE (D): This position is
for normal driving. If you need more power for passing,
and you're:
Going less than 35 mph (55 km/h), push your
accelerator pedal about halfway down.
Going about 35 mph (55 km/h) or more, push the
accelerator pedal all the way down.
You'll shift down to the next gear and have more power.
NOTICE:
If your vehicle seems to start up rather slowly,
or if it seems not to shift gears as you go faster,
something may be wrong with a transaxle system
sensor. If you drive very far that way, your
vehicle can be damaged. If this happens, have
your vehicle serviced right away. Until then, you
can use SECOND (2) when you are driving less
than 35 mph (55 km/h) and AUTOMATIC
OVERDRIVE (D) for higher speeds.
THIRD (3): This position is also used for normal
driving, but it offers more power and lower fuel
economy than AUTOMATIC OVERDRIVE (D).
Here are some times you might choose THIRD (3)
instead of AUTOMATIC OVERDRIVE (D):
When driving on hilly, winding roads.
When towing a trailer, so there is less shifting
between gears.
When going down a steep hill.
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2-29
Parking Brake
The parking brake is located
to the left of the brake pedal
near the driver's door.
To set the parking brake, hold the brake pedal down
with your right foot. Then, push down on the parking
brake pedal with your left foot.
To release the parking brake, hold the regular brake
pedal down with your right foot and push the parking
brake pedal with your left foot. When you lift your left
foot, the parking brake pedal will follow it to the
released position.A warning chime will sound if the parking brake is
set, the ignition is in ON and the shift lever is not in
PARK (P) or NEUTRAL (N).
NOTICE:
Driving with the parking brake on can cause
your rear brakes to overheat. You may have to
replace them, and you could also damage other
parts of your vehicle.
If you are towing a trailer and are parking on a hill, see
ªTowing a Trailerº in the Index. That section shows
what to do first to keep the trailer from moving.
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2-30
Shifting Into PARK (P)
CAUTION:
It can be dangerous to get out of your vehicle if
the shift lever is not fully in PARK (P) with the
parking brake firmly set. Your vehicle can roll. If
you have left the engine running, the vehicle can
move suddenly. You or others could be injured.
To be sure your vehicle won't move, even when
you're on fairly level ground, use the steps that
follow. If you're pulling a trailer, see ªTowing a
Trailerº in the Index.
1. Hold the brake pedal down with your right foot and
set the parking brake with your left foot.
2. Move the shift lever into PARK (P) like this:
Press in and hold the shift lever button located on
the left side of the shift lever.
Push the lever all the way toward the front of
the vehicle.
3. Turn the ignition key to OFF.
4. Remove the key and take it with you. If you can
leave with the ignition key in your hand, your
vehicle is in PARK (P).
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2-34
Running Your Engine While
You're Parked
It's better not to park with the engine running. But if you
ever have to, here are some things to know.
CAUTION:
Idling the engine with the climate control
system off could allow dangerous exhaust into
your vehicle. See the earlier Caution under
ªEngine Exhaust.º
Also, idling in a closed-in place can let deadly
carbon monoxide (CO) into your vehicle even
if the fan is at the highest setting. One place
this can happen is a garage. Exhaust
-- with
CO
-- can come in easily. NEVER park in a
garage with the engine running.
Another closed-in place can be a blizzard. See
ªBlizzardº in the Index.
CAUTION:
It can be dangerous to get out of your vehicle if
the shift lever is not fully in PARK (P) with the
parking brake firmly set. Your vehicle can roll.
Don't leave your vehicle when the engine is
running unless you have to. If you've left the
engine running, the vehicle can move suddenly.
You or others could be injured. To be sure your
vehicle won't move, even when you're on fairly
level ground, always set your parking brake and
move the shift lever to PARK (P).
Follow the proper steps to be sure your vehicle won't
move. See ªShifting Into PARK (P)º in the Index.
If you are parking on a hill and if you're pulling a
trailer, also see ªTowing a Trailerº in the Index.
Horn
Press at or near the horn symbols located on the steering
wheel pad to sound the horn.
Page 100 of 363

2-36 Turn and Lane-Change Signals
The turn signal lever has two upward (for right) and two
downward (for left) positions. These positions allow you
to signal a turn or lane change.
To signal a turn, move the lever all the way up or
down. When the turn is finished, the lever will
return automatically.
An arrow on the instrument
panel cluster will flash in
the direction of the turn or
lane change.
To signal a lane change, just raise or lower the lever
until the arrow starts to flash. Hold it there until you
complete your lane change. The lever will return by
itself when you release it.
As you signal a turn or lane change, if the arrow flashes
faster than normal, a signal bulb may be burned out and
other drivers won't see your turn signal.If a bulb is burned out, replace it to help avoid an
accident. If the arrows don't go on at all when you
signal a turn, check for burned
-out bulbs and then check
the fuse. See ªFuses and Circuit Breakersº in the Index.
A chime will sound if you leave your turn signal on for
more than 3/4 mile (1.2 km).
Headlamp High/Low-Beam Changer
When the high beams are
on, this light will appear on
the instrument panel.
To change your headlamps from low beam to high
beam, push the lever away from you. To change back to
low beam, pull the lever toward you.
To flash your high beams, pull the lever toward you and
release. The lever will return to the low
-beam position.
Fog lamps, (if equipped), will not be illuminated while
the headlamps are in the high
-beam mode.
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2-37 Flash-to-Pass Feature
With the lever in the low-beam position, pull the
lever toward you momentarily to switch to high beams
(to signal you are going to pass). If you have the
headlamps on, they will return to low beams when
you release the lever.
Windshield Wipers
Use this lever located on the right side of the steering
wheel to operate the windshield wipers.
OFF: Move the lever to OFF to turn off the
windshield wipers.INT (Intermittent): Move the lever to INT to choose a
delayed wiping cycle. Turn the INT ADJ band down for
a longer delay or up for a shorter delay. The further the
INT ADJ band is turned upward, the shorter the delay
will be and the further the INT ADJ band is turned
downward, the longer the delay will be. The wiper speed
can only be adjusted when the lever is in the INT
position. Use this position for light rain or snow.
LO (Low Speed): Move the lever up to the first setting
past INT, for steady wiping at low speed.
HI (High Speed): Move the lever up to the second
setting past INT, for steady wiping at high speed.
MIST: Move the lever all the way down to MIST for a
single wiping cycle. Hold it there until the windshield
wipers start; then let go. The windshield wipers will stop
after one wipe. If you want more wipes, hold the band
on MIST longer.
Heavy snow or ice can overload the wipers. If this
occurs, a circuit breaker will stop the wipers until the
motor cools. So, be sure to clear any ice and snow from
the windshield wiper blades before using them. If the
wiper blades are frozen to the windshield, carefully
loosen them, or warm the windshield before turning the
wipers on. If your blades do become worn or damaged,
get new blades or blade inserts.
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2-48 Battery Saver
Your vehicle has a feature to help prevent you from
draining the battery in case you accidentally leave an
interior or trunk lamp on. If you leave any of these
lamps on while the ignition is in ACCESSORY or
OFF, they will automatically turn off after 20 minutes.
The lamps won't come back on until you do one of
the following:
Turn the ignition to ON,
turn the instrument panel brightness thumbwheel all
the way up or
open or close and reopen a door that is closed.
If the vehicle has less than 15 miles (25 km) on the
odometer, the battery saver will turn off the lamps after
only three minutes.
Mirrors
Adjust all mirrors so you can see clearly when you are
sitting in a comfortable position.
Inside Day/Night Rearview Mirror
To reduce glare from any lights or headlamps behind
you, push the lever located on the bottom center of the
mirror away from you to the night position. To return
the mirror back to the day position, pull the lever
toward you.
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2-50
(Maplamp): Press one of the buttons with this
symbol on it to turn on either the driver's or passenger's
maplamp. Press each button again to turn it off.
When cleaning the mirror, use a paper towel or similar
material dampened with glass cleaner. Do not spray
glass cleaner directly on the mirror housing.
If the compass needs to be recalibrated, see ªCompass
Calibrationº in the Index.
Electrochromic Day/Night Rearview
Mirror with Compass Display and OnStar
(If Equipped)
Your vehicle may have an automatic electrochromic
day/night rearview mirror with a compass display and
the OnStar system.
When turned on, this mirror functions exactly like the
electrochromic mirror described previously. See
ªMirrors, Electrochromic Rearview with Compassº in
the Index for more information.
The mirror has an eight
-point compass display in the
upper right corner of the mirror face and a three
-button
OnStar system. There are also two map lamps located on
the bottom of the mirror. Each lamp is turned on or off
with a button located next to the lamp.
(On/Off/Automatic Dimming): This button is
located on the lower left side of the mirror face. It is
used to turn the automatic dimming and compass
features of the mirror on and off.
The automatic dimming feature is turned on or off by
pressing the on/off button for up to three seconds. If the
button is pressed and held for five to seven seconds, the
compass display will go blank.
There are three buttons for the OnStar system. See your
dealer for more information on the system and how to
subscribe to OnStar. See ªOnStar
Systemº in the Index
for more information on the services OnStar provides.