
An,,ne who is up against, or very close to,
any air bag when
it inflates can be seriously
injured or killed. Air bags plus lap-shoulder
belts offer the best protection for adults, but
not for young children and infants. Neither the
vehicle’s safety belt system nor its air bag system is designed for them. Young children
and infants need the protection that a child
restraint system can provide. Always secure
children properly
in your vehicle. To read how,
see the part of this manual called “Older
Children” or
“Infants and Young Children”.
There is a air bag readiness light on the
instrument panel cluster,
which shows the air
bag symbol. The
system checks the air bag electrical system for
malfunctions. The light tells you
if there is an electrical
problem. See
Air Bag Readiness Light on page 3-31
for more information.
Where Are the Air Bags?
The driver’s frontal air bag is in the middle of the
steering wheel.
1-74

/r CAUTION:
If the air bag readiness light in the instrument
panel cluster ever comes on and stays on,
it
means that something may be wrong with the
air bag system. If this ever happens, have the
CAUTION: (Continued)
CAUTION:
u icle servicc- prom. y, because an
adult-size person sitting in the right front passenger’s seat may not have the protection
of the frontal air bag. See “Air Bag Readiness
Light”
in the Index for more on this, including
important safety information.
Aftermarket equipment, such as seat covers, can affect
how well the passenger sensing system operates.
You may want to consider not using seat covers or other
aftermarket equipment
if your vehicle has the passenger
sensing system.
Stowing of articles under
th -3assenger’s seat
or between the passenger’s seat cushion and
seatback may interfere with the proper
operation of the passenger sensing system.
1 -84

Theft-Deterrent Systems
Vehicle theft is big business, especially in some cities.
Although your vehicle has a number of theft-deterrent
features, we know that nothing we put on it can make it
impossible
to steal.
Content Theft-Deterrent
Your vehicle is equipped with a content theft-deterrent
alarm system.
With this system, the
security light in the instrument panel cluster
will flash as you open
the door
if your ignition
is
off.
This light reminds you to activate the theft-deterrent
system. Here’s how
to do it:
1. Open the door.
2. Lock the door with the power door lock switch or
the remote keyless entry transmitter. The security
light should come
on and stay on.
3. Close all doors. The security light should go off
after about 30 seconds. The alarm is not armed
until the security light goes
off.
If a locked door is opened without the key or the remote
keyless entry transmitter, the alarm will
go off. The
headlamps and parking lamps will flash for
two minutes,
and the horn will sound for
30 seconds, then will turn
off to save the battery power. You can choose different
feedback options for the alarm. See Driver lnformation
Center
(DIC) on page 3-43.
Remember, the theft-deterrent system won’t activate if
you lock the doors with a key or use the manual
door lock.
It activates only if you use a power door lock
switch with the door open, or with the remote keyless
entry transmitter. You should also remember that
you can start your vehicle with the correct ignition key
if
the alarm has been set off.
Here’s how to avoid setting off the alarm by accident:
If you don’t want to activate the theft-deterrent
system, the vehicle should be locked with the door
key after the doors are closed.
Always unlock a door with a key, or use the remote
keyless entry transmitter. Unlocking a door any
other way will set
off the alarm.
If you set
off the alarm by accident, unlock any door with
the key. You can also turn
off the alarm by pressing
unlock on the remote keyless entry transmitter. The alarm
won’t stop
if you try to unlock a door any other way.
2-1 6

Automatic Transmission Operation
Your vehicle is equipped with an automatic transmission
and features an electronic shift position indicator
located within the instrument panel cluster.
There are several different positions for your shift lever.
PARK
(P): This position locks your drive wheels. It’s
the best position to use when you start your engine
because your -1icle
c ’t move easily.
It is aangerous to get out of your venlcle il
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 have left the
engine running, the vehicle can move
suddenly. You or others could be injured.
CAUTION: (Continued)
o 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). See “Shifting Into Park (P)” in the
Index.
If you’re pulling a trailer, see “Towing a
Trailer” in the Index.
REVERSE (R): Use this gear to back up.
Notices Shifting to REVERSE (R) while your vehicle
is moving forward could damage your transmission.
Shift to REVERSE
(R) only after your vehicle is
stopped.
To rock your vehicle back and forth to get out of snow,
ice or sand without damaging your transmission,
see If
You Are Stuck: In Sand, Mud, Ice or Snow on
page 4-4 1.
NEUTRAL (N): In this position, your engine doesn’t
connect with the wheels. To restart when you’re already
moving, use NEUTRAL
(N) only.
2-22

Section 3 Instrument Panel
Instrument Panel Overview ............................... 3.4
Hazard Warning Flashers
................................ 3.5
Other Warning Devices ................................... 3.6
Horn
............................................................. 3.6
Tilt Wheel
..................................................... 3-6
Turn SignaVMultifunction Lever
......................... 3.7
Exterior Lamps
............................................. 3.13
Interior Lamps
.............................................. 3.16
Accessory Power Outlets
............................... 3.17
Ashtrays and Cigarette Lighter
........................ 3.18
Climate Controls ............................................ 3. 1 9
Electronic Climate Control System
................... 3.19
Outlet Adjustment
......................................... 3.25
Rear Climate Control System
......................... 3.25
Climate Controls Personalization
..................... 3.27
Warning Lights, Gages and Indicators ............. 3.28
Instrument Panel Cluster
................................ 3.29
Speedometer and Odometer
........................... 3.30
Tachometer
................................ ......... 3.30
~
Safety Belt Reminder Light ............................. 3.30
Air Bag Readiness Light
................................ 3.31
Passenger Air Bag Status Indicator ................ -3-32
Charging System Light
.................................. 3-33
Voltmeter Gage
............................................ 3-34
Brake System Warning Light
...................... 3-34
Anti-Lock Brake System Warning Light
........................................... 3-35
Traction
Off Light .......................................... 3-36
Transmission Temperature Gage
..................... 3-37
Malfunction Indicator Lamp
............................. 3-38
Oil Pressure Gage ........................................ 3-40
Security Light
............................................... 3-41
Tow/Haul Mode Light .................................... 3-42
Fuel Gage
................................................... 3-42
Low Fuel Warning Light
............................. 3-42
Engine Coolant Temperature Gage
.................. 3-36
Cruise Control
Light ...................................... 3-41
3- 1

The main components of your instrument panel
are the following:
A. Air Outlets
€3. Exterior Lamps Contro!
C. Turn SignaVMultifunction Lever
D. Onstar@ and Radio Steering Wheel Buttons
E. Instrument Panel Cluster
F. Shift Lever/Tow/Haul Selector Button
G. Audio System
H. Dome Override Button
I. Rear Wiper Washer
J. Fog Lamps Button
K. Driver Information Center (DIC) Buttons
L. Parking Brake Release
M. Tilt Lever
N. Comfort Control System
0. Storage Area
P. Compact Disc Changer
Q. Accessory Power Outlet
R. StabiliTrak@ Button
S. Glove Box
Hazard Warning Flashers
Your hazard warning flashers let you warn others. They
also let police know you have a problem, Your front
and rear turn signal
lamps will flash on and off.
But they won’t flash if you’re braking.
3-5

Turn SignaVMultifunction Lever
The lever on the left side of the steering column
includes the following:
Turn and Lane Change Signals
Headlamp High/Low-Beam Changer
Flash-to-Pass
Windshield Wipers
Windshield Washer
Cruise Control
For information on the exterior lamps, see Exterior
Lamps
on page 3-13.
Turn and Lane Change Signals
The turn signal has two upward (for right) and two
downward (for left) positions. These positions allow you
to signal a turn or a 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.
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.
An arrow on the instrument
panel cluster will flash in
the direction of the
turn or lane change.
As you signal a turn or a lane change, if the arrows
flash more quickly 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 a blown fuse
(see Fuses
and Circuit Breakers on page 5-87).
3-7

Turn Signal On Chime
If your turn signal is left on for more than 3/4 of a mile
(1.2 km), a chime will sound at each flash of the
turn signal and the message TURN SIGNAL ON will
also appear in the
DIC. To turn the chime and message
off, move the turn signal lever td the off position.
Headlamp High/Low-Beam Changer
$0 io (Headlamp High/Low Beam Changer): To
change the headlamps from low
to high beam, push the
lever toward the instrument panel. To return
to
low-beam headlamps, pull the multifunction lever toward
you. Then release
it.
When the high beams are
on, this indicator light on
the instrument panel
cluster will also be on.
I I
Flash-to-Pass
This feature lets you use your high-beam headlamps to
signal a driver in front of you that you want to pass.
It works even if your headlamps are in the automatic
position. To
use it, pull the turn signal lever toward you, then
release it.
If your headlamps are in the automatic position or on
low beam, your high-beam headlamps will turn on.
They’ll stay on
as long as you hold the lever toward you.
The high-beam indicator
on the instrument panel
cluster will come on. Release the lever
to return to
normal operation.
Windshield Wipers
You control the windshield wipers by turning the band
with the wiper symbol on it.
(Mist): For a single wiping cycle, turn the band to
mist. Hold it there until the wipers start. Then let go.
The wipers will stop after one wipe.
If you want
more wipes, hold the band on mist longer.
(Delay): You can set the wiper speed for a long or
short delay between wipes. This can be very useful
in light rain or snow. Turn the band to choose the delay
time. The closer
to the top of the lever, the shorter
the delay.
0 (Low Speed): For steady wiping at low speed,
turn the band away from you
to the first solid band past
the delay settings. For high-speed wiping, turn the
band further, to the second solid band past the delay
settings. To stop the wipers, move the band
to off.
3-8