2003 PONTIAC GRAND AM tires

The 2003 Pontiac Grand Am Owner Manual
Seats and Restraint Systems ........................... 1-1
Front Seats ............................................... 1-2
Rear Seats ............................................... 1-8
Safety Belts .............................................. 1-9
Child Restraints ....................................... 1-32
Supplemental Restraint
System
(SRS) ...................................... 1-53
Restraint System Check ............................ 1-60
Keys ........................................................ 2-2
Doors and Locks ....................................... 2-7
Theft-Deterrent Systems ............................ 2-1 7
Starting and Operating Your Vehicle ........... 2-18
Mirrors .................................................... 2-35
Sunroof .................................................. 2-38
Instrument Panel Overview .......................... 3-2
Climate Controls ...................................... 3-1 8
\Warning Lights, Gages a.nd Indicators ......... 3-22
Audio System@) ....................................... 3-38
Features and Controls ..................................... 2-1
Windows ................................................. 2-1 5
Stcr3.g~ .A rean ~ ................... 2-37 ..........
Instrument Panel ............................................. 3-1
Driving Your Vehicle ....................................... 4-1
Your Driving, the Road, and Your Vehicle ..... 4-2
Towing ................................................... 4-32
Service ..................................................... 5-3
Fuel ......................................................... 5-5
Checking Things Under
Service
and Appearance
Care .......................... 5-1
the Hood ............................................. 5-10
Bulb Replacement .................................... 5-49
Windshield Wiper Blade Replacement ......... 5-52
Tires ...................................................... 5-53
Appearance Care ..................................... 5-72
Vehicle Identification ................................. 5-80
Electrical System ...................................... 5-81
Capacities and Specifications ..................... 5-86
Normai iviainienance Fiepiawl I 1t.1-1; F&iJiS ...... 5-00 nn
Maintenance Schedule ..................................... 6-1
bhintenance Schedule ................................ 6-2
Customer Assistance Information .................... 7-1
Customer Assistance Information .................. 7-2
Index ............................................................... ..I

Malfunction Indicator Lamp
Service Engine Soon Light
SERVICE
ENGINE
SOON
Your vehicle is equipped
with a computer which
monitors operation of the
fuel, ignition and emission control systems.
This system is called OBD
II (On-Board
Diagnostics-Second Generation) and is intended to
assure that emissions are at acceptable levels for the
life of the vehicle, helping
to produce a cleaner
environment. The
SERVICE ENGINE SOON light
comes on to indicate that there is a problem and
service is required. Malfunctions often will be indicated
by the system before any problem
is apparent. This
may prevent more serious damage
to your vehicle. This
system is also designed to assist your service
technician in correctly diagnosing any malfunction.
Notice: If you keep driving your vehicle with this
light on, after a while, your emission controls
may not work as well, your fuel economy may not
smoothly. This could lead to costly repairs that may not be covered by your warramty.
be 85 gcod and yaur engine may not run as
Notice: Modifications made to the engine,
transaxle, exhaust, intake or fuel system of your
vehicle or the replacement of
the original tires with
other than those
of the same Tire Performance
Criteria
(TPC) can affect your vehicle’s emission
controls and may cause
this light to come on.
Modifications to these systems could lead to costly
repairs not covered &y your warranty. This may
also result in a failure to pass a required Emission
Inspection/Maintenance test.
This light should come on, as a check to show you
it is
working, when the ignition is on and the engine
is
not running. If the light doesn’t come on, have it
repaired. This light will also come on during
a
malfunction in one of two ways:
e
e
Light Flashing - A misfire condition has been
detected.
A misfire increases vehicle emissions
and may damage the emission control system
on
your vehicle. Dealer or qualified service center
diagnosis and service may be required.
Light On Steady
- An emission control system
malfunction has been detected on your vehicle.
Dealer or qualified service center diagnosis
and service may be required.
3-31

Control of a Vehicle
You have three systems that make your vehicle go
where you want it
to go. They are the brakes, the
steering and the accelerator.
All three systems have to
do their work at the places where the tires meet
the road. Sometimes,
as when you’re driving
on snow or ice, it’s
easy to ask more of those control systems than the
tires and road can provide. That means you can lose
control
of your vehicle. Also see Enhanced Traction
System
(ETS) on page 4-9.
Braking
Braking action involves perception time and
reaction time.
First, you have to decide to push on the brake pedal.
That’s
perception time. Then you have to bring up your
foot and do it. That’s
reaction time.
Average reaction time is about 3/4 of a second. But
that’s only an average. It might be less with one driver
and as long as two or three seconds or more with
another. Age, physical condition, alertness, coordination
and eyesight all play a part.
So do alcohol, drugs and
frustration. But even in
3/4 of a second, a vehicle moving
at
60 mph (1 00 km/h) travels 66 feet (20 m). That
could be a lot of distance in an emergency,
so keeping
enough space between your vehicle and others is
important.
4-6

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

Suppose you’re steering through a sharp curve.
Then you suddenly accelerate. Both control
systems
- steering and braking - have to do their work
where the tires meet the road. Unless you have
four-wheel anti-lock brakes, adding the hard braking can
demand
too much of those places. You can lose
control.
The same thing can happen
if you’re steering through a
sharp curve and you suddenly accelerate. Those two
control systems
- steering and acceleration - can
overwhelm those places where the tires meet the road
and make you lose control. See
Enhanced Traction
System
(ETS) on page 4-9.
What should you do if this ever happens? Ease up on
the brake or accelerator pedal, steer the vehicle the way
you want it
to go, and slow down.
Speed limit signs near curves warn that you should
adjust your speed. Of course, the posted speeds
are based on good weather and road conditions. Under
less favorable conditions you’ll want
to go slower.
If you need
to reduce your speed as you approach a
curve, do it before you enter the curve, while your front
wheels are straight ahead.
Try to adjust your speed so you can “drive” through the
curve. Maintain a reasonable, steady speed. Wait
to
accelerate until you are out of the curve, and then
accelerate gently into the straightaway.
4-1 2
Steering in Emergencies
There are times when steering can be more effective
than braking. For example, you come over a hill and find
a truck stopped in your lane, or
a car suddenly pulls
out from nowhere, or a child darts out from between
parked cars and stops right in front of you. You
can avoid these problems by braking
- if you can stop
in time. But sometimes you can’t; there isn’t room.
That’s the time for evasive action
- steering around the
problem.
Your vehicle can perform very well in emergencies like
these. First apply your brakes
- but, unless you
have anti-lock, not enough
to lock your wheels.
See
Braking on page 4-6. It is better to remove as much
speed as you can from a possible collision. Then
steer around the problem,
to the left or right depending
on the space available.

Check your mirrors, glance over your shoulder, and
start your left lane change signal before moving out
of the right lane to pass. When you are far
enough ahead of the passed vehicle to see its front
in your inside mirror, activate your right lane
change signal and move back into the right lane.
(Remember that your right outside mirror is convex.
The vehicle you just passed may seem
to be
farther away from you than it really is.)
Try not to pass more than one vehicle at a time on
two-lane roads. Reconsider before passing the
next vehicle.
Don’t overtake a slowly moving vehicle too rapidly.
Even though the brake lamps are not flashing, it
may be slowing down or starting to turn.
0 If you’re being passed, make it easy for the
following driver to get ahead of you. Perhaps you
can ease a little
to the right.
Loss of Control
Let’s review what driving experts say about what
happens when the three control systems (brakes,
steering and acceleration) don’t have enough friction
where the tires meet the road to do what the driver has
asked.
In any emergency, don’t give up. Keep trying to steer
and constantly seek an escape route or area of
less danger.
Skidding
In a skid, a driver can lose control of the vehicle.
Defensive drivers avoid most skids by taking reasonable
care suited to existing conditions, and by not
“overdriving” those conditions. But skids are always
possible.
The three types of skids correspond to your vehicle’s
three control systems. In the braking skid, your wheels
aren’t rolling. In the steering or cornering skid,
too
much speed or steering in a curve causes tires to slip
and lose cornering force.
And In the acceleratlon
skid, too much throttle causes the driving wheels
to spin.
4-1 5

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 in Rain and on Wet Roads
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Rain and wet roads can mean driving trouble. Qn a wet
because your tire-to-road traction isn’t as good as on
dry roads. And,
if your tires don’t have much tread left,
you’ll get even
less traction. It’s always wise to go
slower and be cautious
if rain starts to fall while you are
driving. The surface may get wet suddenly when your
reflexes are tuned for driving on dry pavement.
reed, yo: cx’f stcp, acce!er2te 9: tnrr! 2s !!E!!
The heavier the rain, the harder it is to see. Even if your
windshield wiper blades are in good shape, a heavy
rain can make it harder
to see road signs and
traffic signals, pavement markings, the edge of the road
and even people walking.
It’s wise to keep your windshield wiping equipment in
good shape and keep your windshield washer tank filled
with washer fluid. Replace your windshield wiper
inserts when they show signs of streaking or missing
areas on the windshield, or when strips
of rubber start to
separate from the inserts.
4-1 9