2003 PONTIAC GRAND AM warning

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

Engine Coolant Temperature Gage
L
United States Canada
This gage shows the engine coolant temperature.
If the
gage pointer moves into the red area, the light comes
on and you hear a chime, your engine is
too hot! It
means that your engine coolant has overheated. See
Engine Overheating on page 5-26.
Low Coolant Warning Light
This light comes on briefly
when you turn your
ignition on.
COOLANT
If this light comes on and stays on and you hear a
chime, the coolant level in your vehicle is
low.
See Engine Coolant on page 5-23. If the light is on
along with an overheat warning, you may have a serious
overheating problem. See
Engine Coolant Temperature
Gage on page
3-30.
Notice: Damage to your engine from neglected oil
problems can be costly and is not covered by
your warranty.
See
Engine Overheating on page 5-26 for information
on what
to do.
Your vehicle should be serviced as soon as possible.
3-30

Security Light
SECURITY
This light will come on
when you turn the key
to
ON and will stay on
until the vehicle starts.
Service Vehicle Soon Light
SERVICE
VEHICLE
SOON
This light will come on
briefly when you turn the
ignition
to ON.
If you’re driving and the security light comes on and
remains on, your Passlock@ system is not working
properly. Your vehicle is not protected by Passlock@
and you should see your dealer.
Low Washer Fluid Warning
Light
It will stay on, or come on and a chime will sound if it
detects a problem on the vehicle, such
as a Daytime
Running
Lamps (DRL) or an automatic headlamp
system malfunction.
If this happens, see your dealer as
soon as possible.
This light will come on
briefly when you turn on
the ignition.
It will also stay
on, or come on and a
chime will sound,
if
the windshield washer fluid
reservoir is less than
one-third full.
3-36

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.
Avoid needless heavy braking. Some people drive
in spurts
- heavy acceleration followed by heavy
braking
- rather than keeping pace with traffic. This is
a mistake. Your brakes may not have time to cool
between hard stops. Your brakes will wear out much
faster
if you do a lot of heavy braking. If you keep pace
with the traffic and allow realistic following distances,
you will eliminate a
lot of unnecessary braking.
That means better braking and longer brake life.
If your engine ever stops while you’re driving, brake
normally but don’t pump your brakes. If you do,
the pedal may get harder
to push down. If your engine
stops, you will still have some power brake assist.
But you will use it when you brake. Once the power
assist is used up, it may take longer
to stop and
the brake pedal will be harder
to push.
Anti-lock Brake System (ABS)
Your vehicle may have anti-lock brakes. ABS is an
advanced electronic braking system that will help
prevent a braking skid.
If your vehicle has anti-lock
brakes, this warning light
on the instrument panel will
come on briefly when
you start your vehicle.
When you start your engine, or when you begin
to drive
away, your anti-lock brake system will check itself.
You may hear a momentary motor or clicking noise while
this test is going on, and you may even notice that
your brake pedal moves or pulses a little. This is normal.
4-7

LOW
TRAC
This light will come on
when your Enhanced
Traction System is limiting
wheel spin. See
Enhanced Traction System
Active Light on page 3-29.
You may feel or hear the system working, but this is
normal. This light will also come on when the anti-lock
brake system is working.
If your vehicle is in cruise control when the enhanced
traction system begins
to limit wheel spin, the cruise
control will automatically disengage. When road
conditions allow you to safely use it again, you may
re-engage the cruise control. See “Cruise Control” under
Turn Signal/Multifunction Lever on page 3-6.
The Enhanced Traction System operates in all transaxle
shift lever positions. But the system can upshift the
transaxle only as high
as the shift lever position you’ve
chosen,
so you should use the lower gears only
when necessary. See
Automatic Transaxle Operation on
page
2-24.
TRAC
OFF
When the system is on and the parking brake is
fully released, this warning
light will come on to let
you know
if there’s a
problem.
See
Enhanced Traction System Warning Light on
page 3-28.
When this warning light is on, the system will
not limit wheel spin. Adjust your driving accordingly.
4-1 0

To limit wheel spin, especially in slippery road
conditions, you should always leave the Enhanced
Traction System on. But you can turn the system
off if
you prefer.
To turn the system on or off, press the ETS button on
the instrument panel.
When you turn the system
off, the Enhanced Traction
System warning light will come on and stay on.
If
the Enhanced Traction System is limiting wheel spin
when you press the button
to turn the system off,
the warning light will come on
- but the system won’t
turn
off right away. It will wait until there’s no longer
a current need
to limit wheel spin.
You can turn the system back on at any time by
pressing the button again. The Enhanced Traction
System warning light should go off.
Steering
Power Steerin
If you lose power steering assist because the engine
stops or the system is not functioning, you can steer but
it will take much more effort.
Steering Tips
Driving on Curves
It’s important to take curves at a reasonable speed.
A lot of the “driver lost control” accidents mentioned on
the news happen on curves. Here’s why:
Experienced driver or beginner, each of us is subject
to
the same laws of physics when driving on curves.
The traction of the tires against the road surface makes
it possible
for the vehicle to change its path when
you turn the front wheels.
If there’s no traction, inertia
will keep the vehicle going in the same direction. If
you’ve ever tried to steer a vehicle on wet ice, you’ll
understand this.
The traction you can get in a curve depends on the
condition of your tires and the road surface, the angle at
which the curve
is banked, and your speed. While
you’re in a curve, speed
is the one factor you can
control.
4-1 1

A cornering skid is best handled by easing your foot off
the accelerator pedal.
If you have the Enhanced Traction System, remember:
It helps to avoid only the acceleration skid.
If you do
not have the Enhanced Traction System, or
if the system
is
off, then an acceleration skid is also best handled
by easing your foot
off the accelerator pedal.
If your vehicle starts
to slide, ease your foot off the
accelerator pedal and quickly steer the way you want
the vehicle to go. If you start steering quickly enough,
your vehicle may straighten out. Always be ready
for a second skid
if it occurs.
Of course, traction
is reduced when water, snow, ice,
gravel or other material is on the road. For safety, you’ll
want to slow down and adjust your driving to these
conditions. It is important to slow down on slippery
surfaces because stopping distance will be longer and
vehicle control more limited. While driving on a surface
with reduced traction, try
your best to avoid sudden steering, acceleration
or braking (including engine braking by shifting to a
lower gear). Any sudden changes could cause the tires
to slide. You may not realize the surface is slippery
until your vehicle is skidding. Learn to recognize warning
clues
- such as enough water, ice or packed snow
on the road to make a “mirrored surface”
- and slow
down when you have any doubt.
If you have the anti-lock braking system, remember: It
helps avoid only the braking skid. If you do not have
anti-lock, then in a braking skid (where the wheels are
no longer rolling), release enough pressure
on the
brakes to get the wheels rolling again. This restores
steering control. Push the brake pedal down steadily
when you have to stop suddenly. As long as the wheels
are rolling, you will have steering control.
4-1 6

Driving Through Flowing Water
Flowing or rushing water creates strong
forces.
If you try to drive through flowing
water, as you might at a low water crossing,
your vehicle can be carried away.
As little as
six inches of flowing water can carry away a
smaller vehicle. If this happens, you and other
vehicle occupants could drown. Don’t ignore police warning signs, and otherwise be very
cautious about trying to drive through flowing
water.
~
Some Other Rainy Weather Tips
0 Besides slowing down, allow some extra following
distance. And be especiaiiy careiui wnen
you
pass another vehicle. Allow yourself more clear
room ahead, and be prepared
to have your
view restricted by road spray.
0 Have good tires with proper tread depth. See Tires
on page 5-53.
City Driving
One of the biggest problems with city streets is the
amount of traffic on them. You’ll want to watch out
for
what the other drivers are doing and pay attention
to traffic signals.
4-2
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