2003 PONTIAC GRAND AM Owners Manual

Warning Lights, Gages and Indicators
This part describes the warning lights and gages that
may be on your vehicle. The pictures will help you
locate them.
Warning lights and gages can signal that something is
wrong before it becomes serious enough to cause an expensive repair or replacement. Paying attention to
your warning lights and gages could also save you
or others from injury.
Warning lights come on when there may be or is a
problem with one of your vehicle’s functions.
As you will
see in the details on the next few pages, some
warning lights come on briefly when you start the engine just to let you
know they’re working. If you are
familiar with this section, you should not be alarmed
when this happens.
Gages can indicate when there may be or
is a problem
with one of your vehicle’s functions. Often gages
and warning lights work together to let you know when
there’s a problem with your vehicle.
When one of the warning lights comes on and stays
on
when you are driving, or when one of the gages
shows there may be a problem, check the section that
tells you what to
do about it. Please follow this
manual’s advice. Waiting
to do repairs can be
costly
- and even dangerous. So please get to know
your warning lights and gages. They’re a big help.
3-22

Instrument Panel Cluster
Your instrument panel cluster is designed to let you know at a glance how your vehicle is running. You’ll know how
fast you’re going, how much fuel you have, and many other things you’ll need
to drive safely and economically.
Your vehicle has this cluster
or one very similar to it. It includes indicator warning lights and gages that are explained
on the following pages. Be sure to read about them.
3-23

Speedometer and Odometer Tachometer
Your speedometer
lets you see your speed in both
miles per hour (mph) and kilometers per hour (km/h).
Your odometer shows how far your vehicle has
been driven, in either miles (used in the United States)
or kilometers (used in Canada).
Your vehicle has a tamper resistant odometer. The
digital odometer will read 999,999
if someone tries to
turn it back.
You may wonder what happens
if your vehicle needs a
new odometer installed. If the new one can be set
to
the mileage total of the old odometer, then it must
be. But
if it can’t, then it’s set at zero and a label must
be put on the driver’s door to show the old mileage
reading when the new odometer was installed.
Trip Odometer
The trip odometer can tell you how far you have driven
since you last reset it. The
tachometer shows your engine speed in revolutions
per minute
(rpm).
Notice: Do not operate the engine with the
tachometer in the red area,
or engine damage
may occur.
The reset button is located below the tachometer. To
reset the trip odometer
to zero, press and hold briefly the
ribbed side of the button while the trip odometer is
displayed.
Also, by pressing this button for less than one
second you can toggle between the odometer and the
trip odometer.
3-24

Safety Belt Reminder Light
When the key is turned to ON or START, a chime will
come on for several seconds to remind people
to fasten
their safety belts, unless the driver's safety belt is
already buckled.
The safety belt light will
also come on and stay on
for several seconds,
then it will flash for
several more.
If the driver's belt is already buckled, neither the chime
nor the light will come on.
Air Bag Readiness Light
There is an air bag readiness light on the instrument
panel, which shows AIR BAG. 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 modules, the wiring and the
crash sensing and diagnostic module. For more
information on the air bag system, see
Supplemental
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AIR
BAG
This light will come on
when you start your
vehicle, and it will flash 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.
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 inflate in a crash, or they
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.
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3-25

The air bag readiness light should flash for a few
seconds when you turn the ignition key to
ON. If the
light doesn’t come on then, have it fixed
so it will
be ready to warn you
if there is a problem.
Charging System Light
The charging system light
will come on when you
turn on the ignition, but the
II engine is not running, as
a check to show you
it
is working.
When the engine is running, the light should go out.
If it stays on, or comes on while you are driving and you
hear a chime, you may have a problem with the
electrical charging system. It could indicate that you have a loose generator drive belt or another electrical
problem. Have it checked right away. Driving while
this light is on could drain your battery. If
you must drive a short distance with the light on, be
certain to turn
off all your accessories, such as the radio
and air conditioner.
Up-Shift Light
If your manual transaxle
vehicle has this feature
this light comes on
when you need to shift to
the next higher gear.
See
Manual Transaxle
Operation on page
2-27.
Brake System Warning Light
Your vehicle’s hydraulic brake system is divided into two
parts. If one part isn’t working, the other part can still
work and stop you.
For good braking, though, you need
both parts working well.
3-26

If the warning light comes on, there is a brake problem.
Have your brake system inspected right away.
BRAKE
~~~
United States
Canada
This light should come on briefly when you turn the
ignition key to
ON. If it doesn’t come on then, have it
fixed
so it will be ready to warn you if there’s a problem.
When the ignition is on, the brake system warning
light will also come on when you set your parking brake.
The light will stay on
if your parking brake doesn’t
release fully.
If it stays on after your parking brake is
fully released, it means you have a brake problem.
If the light comes on while you are driving, pull off the
road and stop carefully. You may notice that the pedal is
harder
to push. Or, the pedal may go closer to the
floor. It may take longer to stop.
If the light is still on,
have the vehicle towed for service. See
Towing
Your Vehicle on page 4-32.
Your brake system may not be working
properly
if the brake system warning light is
on. Driving with the brake system warning light
on can lead to an accident.
If the light is still
on after you’ve pulled
off the road and stopped
carefully, have the vehicle towed for service.
3-27

Anti-Lock Brake System
Warning Light
If your vehicle has the
anti-lock brake system, the
light will come on when
your engine is started and
may stay on for several
seconds. That’s normal.
If the light stays on, turn the ignition to OFF. Or, if the
light comes on when you’re driving, stop as soon
as possible and turn the ignition
off. Then start the
engine again to reset the system. If the light still stays
on, or comes on again while you’re driving, your vehicle
needs service. If the regular brake system warning
light isn’t on, you still have brakes, but you don’t have
anti-lock brakes. If the regular brake system warning
light is also on, you don’t have anti-lock brakes
and there’s a problem with your regular brakes. See
Brake System Warning Light on page 3-26 earlier in this
section.
The anti-lock brake system warning light will come on
briefly when you turn the ignition key
to ON. This is
normal.
If the light doesn’t come on then, have it fixed
so it will be ready to warn you if there is a problem.
Enhanced Traction System
Warning Light
TRAC
OFF
If your vehicle has the
Enhanced Traction System
(ETS), this warning light
should come on briefly as
you start the engine.
If the warning light doesn’t come on then, have it fixed
so it will be ready to warn you if there’s a problem.
If the warning light stays on, or comes on when you’re
driving, there may be a problem with your Enhanced
Traction System and your vehicle may need service.
When this warning light is on, the system will not
limit wheel spin. Adjust your driving accordingly.
3-28

The Enhanced Traction System warning light may come
on for the following reasons:
0 If you turn the system off by pressing the ETS
button on the center console near the gear
shift lever, the warning light will come on and stay
on. To turn the system back on, press the button
again. The warning light should
go off. See
Enhanced Traction System (ETS) on page 4-9 for
more information.
0 If the traction control system is affected by an
engine-related problem, the system will turn
off and
the warning light will come on.
0 If the vehicle is driven on an extremely rough road,
the warning light may come on momentarily but will
go
off again when the vehicle leaves the rough
surface.
If the Enhanced Traction System warning light comes
on and stays on for an extended period of time when the
system is turned on and the parking brake is fully
released, your vehicle needs service.
Enhanced Traction System
Active Light
LOW
TRAC
If your vehicle has the
Enhanced Traction System
(ET§), this light
will
come on when the system
is limiting wheel spin.
Slippery road conditions may exist
if the Enhanced
Traction System active light comes
on, so adjust your
driving accordingly.
The light will stay on for a few seconds after the
Enhanced Traction System stops limiting wheel spin.
The Enhanced Traction System active light also comes on briefly when you turn the ignition key to
ON. If
the light doesn’t come on then, have
it fixed so it will be
there
to tell you when the system is active.
3-29