2002 PONTIAC FIREBIRD steering

2-56
Exterior Lamps
The control located on the instrument panel to the left
of the steering column operates the exterior lamps.The exterior lamp control has three positions:
OFF: Turning the control to this position turns off all
lamps, except the Daytime Running Lamps (DRL).
(Parking Lamps): Turning the control to this
position turns on the parking lamps, together with
the following:

Sidemarker Lamps

Taillamps

License Plate Lamps

Instrument Panel Lights
(Headlamps): Turning the control to this position
turns on the headlamps, together with the previously
listed lamps and lights.

2-59 Fog Lamps
Use your fog lamps for better vision in foggy or misty
conditions. Your parking lamps must be on or your
fog lamps won't work.
Your fog lamp switch is
located on your instrument
panel to the left of the
steering wheel.
To turn the fog lamps on, push the right side of the
fog lamp switch and a light on the switch will come on
indicating that the fog lamps are on. Push the left side
of the fog lamp switch to turn the fog lamps off.
The fog lamps will go off whenever your high
-beam
headlamps come on. When the high
-beam headlamps
go off, the fog lamps will come on again.
If your vehicle is equipped with the content
theft
-deterrent/alarm system and your fog lamp switch
is on, the fog lamps may flash to indicate operation of the
content theft
-deterrent/alarm system. See ªContent
Theft
-Deterrent/Alarm Systemº in the Index.
Interior Lamps
Instrument Panel Brightness Control
This feature controls the brightness of the instrument
panel lights.
The thumbwheel for this feature is located on the
instrument panel to the left of the steering column.
Move the thumbwheel up or down to brighten or dim
the lights. If you move the thumbwheel all the way up,
your courtesy lamps will come on.

2-83
The main components of your instrument panel are the following:
A. Fog Lamp Switch
B. Exterior Lamp Control
C. Air Vents
D. Instrument Panel Cluster
E. Horn
F. Audio System
G. Glove Box
H. Remote Hatch Release
I. Audio Steering Wheel Controls (If Equipped)
J. Rear Window Defogger ButtonK. Convertible Top Switch (If Equipped)
L. Traction Control System Switch (Option)
M. Ashtray
N. Shift Lever (Automatic Transmission Shown)
O. Cupholders
P. Front Console
Q. Parking Brake Lever
R. Cigarette Lighter
S. Accessory Power Outlet
T. Comfort Controls

3-
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
-3 Cooling
3
-3 Heating
3
-4 Defogging and Defrosting
3
-4 Rear Window Defogger
3
-5 Ventilation System
3
-6 Audio Systems
3
-6 Setting the Clock
3
-6AM-FM Stereo with Compact Disc Player
and Equalizer3
-10 Trunk Mounted CD Changer (Option)
3
-13 Theft-Deterrent Feature
3
-16 Audio Steering Wheel Controls (If Equipped)
3
-17 Understanding Radio Reception
3
-17 Tips About Your Audio System
3
-18 Care of Your Compact Discs
3
-18 Care of Your Compact Disc Player
3
-18 Power Antenna Mast Care

3-16 Audio Steering Wheel Controls
(If Equipped)
If your vehicle has this feature, you can control certain
radio and compact disc functions using the buttons on
your steering wheel.
SEEK
: Press the up or down arrow to tune to the
next or previous radio station. If a compact disc is
playing, the CD will advance with the up arrow and
reverse with the down arrow.PRESET: Press this button to hear the radio stations
that are set on your pushbuttons. The radio will go to a
preset station, play for a few seconds, then go to the next
station. Press this button again to stop scanning the
preset stations. If it is pressed while playing a CD in the
radio head, the CD random feature can be turned on or
off. If it is played while in the CD changer mode, the
player will index to the next disc.
AM FM: Press this button to select AM, FM1 or FM2.
If a compact disc is playing, it will stop and the radio
will play. If this button is pressed with a CD in the CD
changer, the disc will go to the next selection.
 VOLUME
: Press the up or down arrow to increase
or decrease volume.
PLAY: Press this button to switch between listening to
the radio and playing a compact disc.
MUTE: Press this button to silence the system. Press it
again, or any other radio button, to turn mute 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 Traction Control System (Option)
4
-11 Steering
4
-13 Off-Road Recovery
4
-13 Passing
4
-15 Loss of Control
4
-16 Driving at Night4
-18 Driving in Rain and on Wet Roads
4
-21 City Driving
4
-22 Freeway Driving
4
-23 Before Leaving on a Long Trip
4
-24 Highway Hypnosis
4
-24 Hill and Mountain Roads
4
-26 Winter Driving
4
-30 Recreational Vehicle Towing
4
-30 Loading Your Vehicle
4
-32 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. Also see ªTraction Control Systemº in the Index.
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.

4-9
Remember: Anti-lock doesn't change the time you need
to get your foot up to the brake pedal or always decrease
stopping distance. If you get too close to the vehicle in
front of you, you won't have time to apply your brakes
if that vehicle suddenly slows or stops. Always leave
enough room up ahead to stop, even though you have
anti
-lock brakes.
Using Anti
-Lock
Don't pump the brakes. Just hold the brake pedal down
firmly and let anti
-lock work for you. You may feel a
slight brake pedal pulsation or notice some noise, but
this is normal.
When your anti-lock system
is adjusting brake pressure
to help avoid a braking skid,
this light will come on.
See ªLow Traction Lightº
in the Index.
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 (Option)
Your vehicle may have 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 rear wheels are spinning or
beginning to lose traction. When this happens, the
system reduces engine power (and works the rear
brakes on V8 engine vehicles) to limit wheel spin.
This light will come on
when your traction control
system is limiting wheel
spin. See ªLow Traction
Lightº in the Index. You
may feel or hear the system
working, but this is normal.
The traction control system may operate on dry roads
under some conditions, and you may notice a reduction
in acceleration when this happens. This is normal and
doesn't mean there's a problem with your vehicle.
Examples of these conditions include a hard acceleration
in a turn, or an abrupt upshift or downshift.