2003 CHEVROLET IMPALA ignition

Windshield Washer
At the top of the multifunction lever, there's a paddle
with the word PUSH on it. To spray washer ¯uid on the
windshield, push the paddle. The wipers will run for
several sweeps and then either stop or return to your
preset speed. The ignition key must be in ACC or ON for
this to work. See
Windshield Washer Fluid on
page 5-44.
{CAUTION:
In freezing weather, don't use your washer
until the windshield is warmed. Otherwise the
washer ¯uid can form ice on the windshield,
blocking your vision.When you are low on washer ¯uid, the LOW WASHER
FLUID message will be illuminated in the message
center for 60 seconds. When the ignition is turned off,
this message will appear again for three seconds
to remind you that the ¯uid level is low.
Until the ¯uid tank is re®lled, every time you start your
vehicle, the LOW WASHER FLUID message will be
illuminated in the message center for 60 seconds.
Be sure to re®ll the tank right away.United States
Canada
3-10

Using Cruise Control on Hills
How well your cruise control will work on hills depends
upon your speed, load and the steepness of the
hills. When going up steep hills, you may have to step
on the accelerator pedal to maintain your speed.
When going downhill, you may have to brake or shift to
a lower gear to keep your speed down. Of course,
applying the brake takes you out of cruise control. Many
drivers ®nd this to be too much trouble and don't use
cruise control on steep hills.
Ending Cruise Control
There are three ways to cancel the cruise control:
·Step lightly on the brake pedal.
·Slide the lever on the multifunction lever to the left
to the OFF position.
·Press the COAST and ACCEL buttons at the
same time.
Erasing Speed Memory
When you turn off the cruise control or the ignition, your
cruise control set speed memory is erased.
Exterior Lamps
The exterior lamps control
is located on the
instrument panel to the left
of the steering wheel.
It controls the following systems:
·Headlamps
·Taillamps
·Parking Lamps
·License Plate Lamps
·Instrument Panel Lights
3-14

The exterior lamps control has three positions:
Off:Push the control all the way in to turn off the
exterior lamps.
Parking Lamps:Pull the control out halfway to turn on
the parking lamps together with the following:
·Taillamps
·License Plate Lamps
·Instrument Panel Lights
Headlamps:Pull the control all the way out to turn on
the headlamps together with the previously listed
lamps and lights. See
Interior Lamps on page 3-17for
information on the instrument panel brightness
control and on the dome lamps. A warning chime will
sound if you open the driver's door when the ignition
switch is off and the headlamps are on.
Daytime Running Lamps/Automatic
Headlamp System
Daytime Running Lamps (DRL) can make it easier for
others to see the front of your vehicle during the
day. DRL can be helpful in many different driving
conditions, but they can be especially helpful in the short
periods after dawn and before sunset. Fully functional
daytime running lamps are required on all vehicles
®rst sold in Canada.A light sensor on top of the instrument panel makes the
DRL work, so be sure it isn't covered.
The DRL system's automatic headlamp control will
make your high-beam headlamps come on at a reduced
brightness when the following conditions are met:
·The ignition is on,
·the exterior lamps control is off and
·the gearshift is not in PARK (P).
When the DRL are on, only your high-beam headlamps,
at a reduced level of brightness, will be on. The
headlamps, taillamps, sidemarker and other lamps won't
be on. Your instrument panel and cluster won't be lit
up either.
When it's dark enough outside, your high-beam
headlamps will turn off and the headlamps and parking
lamps will turn on. The other lamps that come on
with your headlamps will also come on.
When it's bright enough outside, your headlamps will go
off and your DRL will come on.
As with any vehicle, you should turn on the regular
headlamp system when you need it.
3-15

Delayed Headlamps
The delayed headlamps feature provides a period of
exterior lighting as you leave the area around your
vehicle. The feature is activated when the headlamps
are on due to the automatic headlamps control
feature described previously in this section, and when
the ignition is turned off. Your headlamps will then
remain on until the exterior lamps control is moved to
the parking lamps position or until either a 30 second or
60 second lighting period has ended.
If you turn off the ignition with the headlamps switch in
the parking lamps or headlamps position, the delayed
headlamps cycle will not occur.
To disable the delayed headlamps feature or change
the time of delay, see
Vehicle Customization Settings on
page 3-94.
Fog Lamps
If your vehicle is equipped
with fog lamps, the button
is located on the
instrument panel next to
the exterior lamps
control wheel to the left of
the steering column.
Your ignition must be in ON for the fog lamps to
illuminate.
To turn the fog lamps on, press the FOG button. A light
will come on in the button to let you know that the
fog lamps are on. Press the FOG button again to turn
the fog lamps off.
The ignition must be ON and the parking lamps must be
on for your fog lamps to work.
The fog lamps will go off while you change to high-beam
headlamps.
3-16

Interior Lamps
Instrument Panel Brightness
This feature controls the instrument panel lights.
The control for this feature is located on the exterior
lamps control. Your parking lamps must be on for this
feature to work. Turn the control clockwise to brighten
the lights or counterclockwise to dim them.
Courtesy Lamps
When any door is opened, several lamps come on.
These lamps are courtesy lamps. They make it easy for
you to enter and leave your vehicle. You can also
turn these lamps on by turning the exterior lamps control
all the way clockwise.
Some of the lamps have switches so you can turn them
on, even when the doors are closed. These lamps
are reading lamps.
Entry Lighting
Your vehicle may be equipped with courtesy lamps that
will come on and stay on for a set time whenever
you press UNLOCK on the remote keyless entry
transmitter (if equipped).
If you open a door, the lamps will stay on while it's open
and then turn off automatically about 25 seconds after
you close it. If you press UNLOCK and don't open
a door, the lamps will turn off after about 40 seconds.Entry lighting includes a feature called theater dimming.
With theater dimming, the lamps don't just turn off at
the end of the delay time. Instead, they slowly dim after
the delay time until they go out. The delay time is
canceled if you turn the ignition key to ON or press
the power door lock switch. The lamps will dim
right away.
When the ignition is on, illuminated entry is inactive,
which means the courtesy lamps won't come on unless
a door is opened.
Delayed Entry Lighting
Delayed entry lighting illuminates the interior for a
period of time after all the doors have been closed.
The ignition must be off for delayed entry lighting
to work. Immediately after all the doors have been
closed, the delayed entry lighting feature will continue to
work until one of the following occurs:
·The ignition is moved to ON,
·the doors are locked, or
·an illumination period of 25 seconds has elapsed.
If during the illumination period a door is opened,
the timed illumination period will be canceled and the
interior lamps will remain on because a door is open.
3-17

Delayed Exit Lighting
This feature illuminates the interior for a period of time
after the key is removed from the ignition.
The ignition must be off for delayed exit lighting to work.
When the key is removed, interior illumination will
activate and remain on until one of the following occurs:
·The ignition is moved to ON,
·the power door locks are activated, or
·an illumination period of 25 seconds has elapsed.
If during the illumination period a door is opened,
the timed illumination period will be canceled and the
interior lamps will remain on because a door is open.
Parade Dimming
The instrument panel has an added feature called
parade mode. This feature prohibits the dimming of your
instrument panel displays during the daylight while
the headlamps are on so that you'll still be able to see
the displays.
Reading Lamps
Your vehicle may be equipped with reading lamps that
are located on the assist handles in the headliner.
These lamps and the interior courtesy lamps come on
when any door is opened. Press the lens to turn
them on. Press it again to turn them off.
Dome Lamp
If your vehicle has this feature, the dome lamp will
come on when you open a door. You can also turn this
lamp on by turning the exterior lamps control clockwise
as far as it will go. Vehicles that have the optional
sunroof do not have a dome lamp.
Battery Rundown Protection
Your vehicle has a feature to help prevent you from
draining the battery in case you accidentally leave on the
interior courtesy lamps, reading/map lamps, visor
vanity lamps, trunk lamp or glove box lamps. If you leave
any of these lamps on, they will automatically turn off
after 10 minutes, if the ignition is moved to OFF.
The lamps won't come back on again until you do
the following:
·Turn the ignition on, or
·turn the exterior lamps control off, then on again.
If your vehicle has less than 15 miles (25 km) on
the odometer, the battery saver will turn off the lamps
after only three minutes.
Battery rundown protection will also work if the
headlamps are left on. After having been left on for
10 minutes, the headlamps and the parking lamps will
¯ash three times. They will remain on for one more
minute before being turned off automatically.
3-18

To change the passenger compartment air ®lter, use the
following steps:
1. Turn off the ignition when the windshield wipers are
in the up position.
2. Raise the vehicle hood.
3. Disconnect the windshield washer pump hose from
the fender rail and air inlet grille.
4. Peel back the hood weatherstrip from the
passenger's side of the vehicle halfway to center.5. Remove the air inlet grille retainers.
6. Remove the air inlet grille.
7. Remove the air de¯ector grille in the compartment.
8. Remove the old passenger compartment air
®lter.
9. Reverse the steps to install the new air ®lter.
For the type of ®lter to use, see
Normal Maintenance
Replacement Parts on page 5-105.
3-27

Air Bag Readiness Light
There is an air bag readiness light on the instrument
panel, which shows the air bag symbol. The system
checks the air bag's electrical system for malfunctions.
The light tells you if there is an electrical problem.
The system check includes the air bag sensors, the air
bag modules, the wiring and the crash sensing and
diagnostic module. For more information on the air bag
system, see
Air Bag Systems on page 1-51.
This light will come on
when you start your
vehicle, and it will ¯ash for
a few seconds. Then
the light should go out.
This means the system
is ready.If the air bag readiness light stays on after you start the
vehicle or comes on when you are driving, your air
bag system may not work properly. Have your vehicle
serviced right away.
{CAUTION:
If the air bag readiness light stays on after you
start your vehicle, it means the air bag system
may not be working properly. The air bags in
your vehicle may not in¯ate in a crash, or they
could even in¯ate without a crash. To help
avoid injury to yourself or others, have your
vehicle serviced right away if the air bag
readiness light stays on after you start your
vehicle.
The air bag readiness light should ¯ash for a few
seconds when you turn the ignition key to ON. If the
light doesn't come on then, have it ®xed so it will
be ready to warn you if there is a problem.
3-33