Seats and Restraint Systems........................... 1-1
Front Seats
............................................... 1-2
Rear Seats
............................................... 1-8
Safety Belts
.............................................1-10
Child Restraints
.......................................1-29
Air Bag Systems
......................................1-48
Restraint System Check
............................1-56
Features and Controls..................................... 2-1
Keys
........................................................ 2-2
Doors and Locks
....................................... 2-8
Windows
.................................................2-12
Theft-Deterrent Systems
............................2-14
Starting and Operating Your Vehicle
...........2-16
Mirrors
....................................................2-29
OnStar
žSystem
......................................2-34
HomeLinkžTransmitter
.............................2-35
Storage Areas
.........................................2-39
Sunroof
..................................................2-40
Vehicle Personalization
.............................2-41
Instrument Panel............................................. 3-1
Instrument Panel Overview
.......................... 3-4
Climate Controls
......................................3-22
Warning Lights, Gages and Indicators
.........3-30
Message Center
.......................................3-44
Driver Information Center (DIC)
..................3-52Trip Computer
.........................................3-55
Audio System(s)
.......................................3-56
Driving Your Vehicle....................................... 4-1
Your Driving, the Road, and Your Vehicle
..... 4-2
Towing
...................................................4-29
Service and Appearance Care.......................... 5-1
Service
..................................................... 5-3
Fuel
......................................................... 5-4
Checking Things Under the Hood
...............5-10
Headlamp Aiming
.....................................5-53
Bulb Replacement
....................................5-54
Windshield Wiper Blade Replacement
.........5-58
Tires
......................................................5-59
Appearance Care
.....................................5-82
Vehicle Identi®cation
.................................5-90
Electrical System
......................................5-90
Capacities and Speci®cations
.....................5-98
Normal Maintenance Replacement Parts
....5-100
Maintenance Schedule..................................... 6-1
Maintenance Schedule
................................ 6-2
Customer Assistance Information.................... 7-1
Customer Assistance Information
.................. 7-2
Reporting Safety Defects
............................ 7-8
Index................................................................ 1
2003 Chevrolet Monte Carlo Owner ManualM
Vehicle Damage Warnings
Also, in this book you will ®nd these notices:
Notice:These mean there is something that could
damage your vehicle.
A notice will tell you about something that can damage
your vehicle. Many times, this damage would not be
covered by your warranty, and it could be costly.
But the notice will tell you what to do to help avoid
the damage.
When you read other manuals, you might see
CAUTION and NOTICE warnings in different colors
or in different words.
You'll also see warning labels on your vehicle. They use
the same words, CAUTION or NOTICE.
Vehicle Symbols
Your vehicle has components and labels that use
symbols instead of text. Symbols, used on your vehicle,
are shown along with the text describing the operation
or information relating to a speci®c component, control,
message, gage or indicator.
If you need help ®guring out a speci®c name of a
component, gage or indicator, reference the following
topics:
·Seats and Restraint Systems in Section 1
·Features and Controls in Section 2
·Instrument Panel Overview in Section 3
·Climate Controls in Section 3
·Warning Lights, Gages and Indicators in Section 3
·Audio System(s) in Section 3
·Engine Compartment Overview in Section 5
iv
Ignition Positions
With the key in the ignition, you can turn the switch to
four positions.
The ignition switch is
located on the instrument
panel, to the right of
the steering column.
OFF:This is the only position from which you can
remove the key. Removing the key locks your ignition
and automatic transaxle.
Notice:If your key seems stuck in OFF and you
can't turn it, be sure you are using the correct key;
if so, is it all the way in? Turn the key only with
your hand. Using a tool to force it could break the
key or the ignition switch. If none of this works, then
your vehicle needs service.ACC (ACCESSORY):This is the position in which you
can operate your electrical accessories. With the key
in this position, the ignition and automatic transaxle will
unlock.
ON:This is the position to which the switch returns
after you start the engine and release the switch. The
switch stays in ON while the engine is running. But even
when the engine is not running, you can use ON to
operate your electrical accessories and to display some
instrument panel cluster messages and warning
lights.
START:This position starts the engine. When the
engine starts, release the key. The ignition switch will
return to ON for normal driving.
While the engine is not running, ACC and ON allow you
to operate your electrical accessories, such as the
radio.
A warning chime will sound if you open the driver's door
while the ignition is in OFF or ACC and the key is in
the ignition.Retained Accessory Power (RAP)
With Retained Accessory Power (RAP), your power
windows, audio system and sunroof (option) will
continue to work for up to 10 minutes after the ignition is
turned to OFF and none of the doors is opened.
2-17
Driver Information Center (DIC).......................3-52
Trip Computer................................................3-55
Audio System(s).............................................3-56
Setting the Time...........................................3-56
Radio with Cassette......................................3-57
Radio with CD..............................................3-67
Radio with Cassette and CD..........................3-78
Theft-Deterrent Feature..................................3-89
Audio Steering Wheel Controls.......................3-90Understanding Radio Reception......................3-91
Care of Your Cassette Tape Player.................3-91
Care of Your CDs.........................................3-92
Care of Your CD Player................................3-92
Backglass Antenna.......................................3-93
XMŸ Satellite Radio Antenna System
(United States Only)..................................3-94
Vehicle Customization Settings.......................3-94
Chime Level Adjustment................................3-94
Section 3 Instrument Panel
3-2
The main components of your instrument panel are listed here:
A. Instrument Panel Fuse Block. See ªInstrument Panel
Fuse Blockº under
Fuses and Circuit Breakers on
page 5-91.
B. Turn Signal/Multifunction Lever (behind steering
wheel). See
Turn Signal/Multifunction Lever
on page 3-7.
C. Audio Steering Wheel Controls (If Equipped). See
Audio Steering Wheel Controls on page 3-90.
D. Instrument Panel Cluster. See
Instrument Panel
Cluster on page 3-31.
E. Hazard Warning Flasher Button. See
Hazard
Warning Flashers on page 3-6.
F. Audio System. See
Audio System(s) on page 3-56.
G. Air Outlet. See ªOutlet Adjustmentº under
Dual
Climate Control System on page 3-22.
H. Exterior Lamps Control. See
Exterior Lamps on
page 3-15.I. Remote Trunk Release. See ªRemote Trunk
Releaseº under
Trunk on page 2-10.
J. Tilt Steering Wheel Lever. See
Tilt Wheel on
page 3-7.
K. Hood Release. See
Hood Release on page 5-10.
L. Cruising Steering Wheel Controls (If Equipped). See
ªCruise Controlº under
Turn Signal/Multifunction
Lever on page 3-7.
M. Ignition Switch. See ªIgnition Positionsº under
New
Vehicle Break-In on page 2-16.
N. Automatic Transaxle Shift Lever. See
Automatic
Transaxle Operation on page 2-21.
O. Climate Controls. See
Dual Climate Control System
on page 3-22.
P. Glove Box. See
Glove Box on page 2-39.
3-5
Audio System(s)
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,
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.
Your audio system has been designed to operate easily
and to give years of listening pleasure. You will get
the most enjoyment out of it if you acquaint yourself with
it ®rst. Figure out which radio you have in your vehicle,
®nd out what your audio system can do and how to
operate all of its controls to be sure you're getting the
most out of the advanced engineering that went into it.
Your vehicle has a feature called Retained Accessory
Power (RAP). With RAP, you can play your audio
system even after the ignition is turned off. See
ªRetained Accessory Power (RAP)º under
Ignition
Positions on page 2-17.
Setting the Time
Press and hold the HR or MN buttons, located below
the tune knob, for two seconds. Then press and hold HR
until the correct hour appears on the display. AM or
PM will also appear. Press and hold MN until the correct
minute appears on the display. The time may be set
with the ignition on or off. The clock symbol will appear
on the display in time-set mode.
To synchronize the time with an FM station broadcasting
Radio Data System (RDS) information, press and
hold HR and MN at the same time for two seconds until
UPDATED and the clock symbol appear on the
display. If the time is not available from the station, NO
UPDAT will appear on the display instead.
3-56
Radio with Cassette
Radio Data System (RDS)
Your audio system is equipped with a Radio Data
System (RDS). RDS features are available for use only
on FM stations that broadcast RDS information.
With RDS, your radio can do the following:
·Seek to stations broadcasting the selected type of
programming
·Receive announcements concerning local and
national emergencies
·Display messages from radio stations
·Seek to stations with traffic announcementsThis system relies upon receiving speci®c information
from these stations and will only work when the
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.
While you are tuned to an RDS station, the station
name or the call letters will appear on the display instead
of the frequency. RDS stations may also provide the
time of day, a program type (PTY) for current
programming, and the name of the program being
broadcast.
XMŸ Radio Satellite Service
(USA Only)
XMŸ is a continental U.S. based satellite radio service
that offers 100 coast to coast channels including
music, news, sports, talk, and children's programming.
XMŸ provides digital quality audio and text information,
including song title and artist name. A service fee is
required in order to receive the XMŸ service. For more
information, contact XMŸ at www.xmradio.com or
call 1-800-852-XMXM (9696).
3-57
Playing the Radio
PWR (Power):Press this knob to turn the system on
and off.
VOL (Volume):Turn this knob to increase or to
decrease volume.
AUTO VOL (Automatic Volume):With automatic
volume, your audio system adjusts automatically
to make up for road and wind noise as you drive.
Set the volume at the desired level. Press this button to
select LOW, MEDIUM, or HIGH. AVOL will appear
on the display. Each higher setting will allow for more
volume compensation at faster vehicle speeds. Then as
you drive, automatic volume increases the volume as
necessary to overcome noise at any speed. The volume
level should always sound the same to you as you
drive. NONE will appear on the display if the radio
cannot determine the vehicle speed. If you don't want to
use automatic volume, select OFF.
DISPL (Display):For RDS, press this knob to change
what appears on the display while using RDS. The
display options are station name, RDS station frequency,
PTY and the name of the program (if available).
For XMŸ (USA only, if equipped), press this button
while in XM mode to retrieve four different categories of
information related to the current song or channel:
Artist, Song Title, Category or PTY, Channel
Number/Channel Name.To change the default on the display, press the knob
until you see the display you want, then hold the
knob for two seconds. The radio will produce one beep
and selected display will now be the default.
Finding a Station
BAND:Press this button to switch between FM1, FM2,
AM, or XM1 or XM2 (USA only, if equipped). The
display will show your selection.
TUNE:Turn this knob to choose radio stations.
qSEEKr:Press the right or the left arrow to seek
to the next or to the previous station and stay there.
The radio will seek only to stations that are in the
selected band and only to those with a strong signal.
qPSCAN (Preset Scan)r:Press and hold one of
the arrows for more than two seconds and the radio will
produce one beep. The radio will scan to the ®rst preset
station stored on your pushbuttons, play for a few
seconds, then go on to the next preset station. SCAN will
appear on the display. Press one of the arrows again or
one of the pushbuttons to stop scanning presets.
The radio will scan only to the preset stations that are in
the selected band and only to those with a strong signal.
3-58