2003 PONTIAC GRAND PRIX start

You’ll shift down to the next gear and have more power.
Notice: If your vehicle seems to start up rather
slowly, or if
it seems not to shift gears as you go
faster, something may be wrong with a transaxle system sensor.
If you drive very far that way, your
vehicle can be damaged. So, if
this happens,
have your vehicle serviced right away. Until then,
you can use SECOND
(2) when you are driving
less than
35 mph (55 km/h) and AUTOMATIC
OVERDRIVE (D) for higher speeds.
THIRD
(3): This position is also used for normal driving,
but
it offers more power and lower fuel economy than
AUTOMATIC OVERDRIVE
(@ ).
Here are some times you might choose THIRD (3)
instead of AUTOMATIC OVERDRIVE (a):
When driving on hilly, winding roads.
When towing a trailer, so there is less shifting
between gears.
When going down a steep hill.
When driving in non-highway scenarios
(i.e. city streets, etc.). SECOND
(2): This
position gives you more power but
lower fuel economy than THIRD
(3). You can use
SECOND (2) on hills. It can help control your speed as
you go down steep mountain roads, but then you
would also want to use your brakes
off and on.
Notice: Don’t drive in SECOND (2) for more than
25 miles (40 km), or at speeds over 55 mph
(90 km/h), or you can damage your transaxle.
Use THIRD
(3) or AUTOMATIC OVERDRIVE (D) as
much as possible. Don’t shift into SECOND
(2)
unless you are going slower than 65 mph (105 km/h)
or you can damage your engine.
FIRST
(1): This position gives you even more power
but lower fuel economy than SECOND (2). You can use
it on very steep hills, or in deep snow or mud. If the
shift lever is in
FIRST (I), the transaxle won’t shift into
first gear until the vehicle is going slowly enough.
Notice: If your front wheels won’t turn, don’t try to
drive. This might happen if you were stuck in
very deep sand or mud or were up against a solid
object. You could damage your transaxle. Also,
if you stop when going uphill, don’t hold your
vehicle there with only the accelerator pedal. This
could overheat and damage the transaxle. Use your
brakes to hold your vehicle in position on
a hill.
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Assist Handles
An assist handle with a reading lamp is located over
each rear side window. The handle can be used to help
you get in or out
of the vehicle. Press the reading
lamp to turn it on. Press
it again to turn it off.
Purse or Litter Bag Holder
On the front of the center console, to the right of the
accessory power outlet, there is a hook that can be used
to hold a purse or litter bag.
Rear Storage Area
If you have a trunk access panel, you will also have a
pull down armrest that contains an open storage bin and
two cupholders.
Convenience Net
The vehicle may have a convenience net. You’ll see it
on the back wall of the trunk.
Put small loads, like grocery bags, behind the net. It can
help keep them from falling over during sharp turns or
quick starts and stops. The
net isn’t for larger, heavier loads, which should be
stored
in the trunk as far forward as possible.
You can unhook the net
so that it will lie flat when
you’re not using it.
Trunk Access Panel
If the vehicle has rear seat armrests, you will also have
a trunk access panel.
This feature allows access to the trunk from the rear
seat area. To use the trunk access panel, pull the rear
armrest down, unlock the access panel with the
ignition key and pull it down.
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Turn SignaVMultifunction Lever
a
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 Feature
0 Windshield Wipers
Windshield Washer
Cruise Control For information
on the exterior lamps, see
Exterior
Lamps on page 3-10.
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 to its
original position automatically.
An arrow on the
instrument panel
cluster
will flash in the
direction of the turn or
lane change.
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 to its
original position when you release it.
3-5

Windshield Wipers
To operate the windshield wipers, turn the band marked
WIPER located on the multifunction lever, upward or
downward.
MIST: Turn the band to MIST for a single wiping cycle.
Hold it there until the windshield wipers start, then let
it go. The windshield wipers will stop after one cycle.
For more cycles, hold the band on MIST longer.
OFF: Turn the band to OFF to turn the windshield
wipers
off.
DELAY (Delayed Wiping): Turn the band upward to
choose one of the five delay settings. For longer periods
of time between wiper blade cycles, select a low
setting. For shorter periods of time between wiper blade
cycles, select a higher setting. The further the band
is turned upward, the longer the delay between
wiper cycles.
LOW: Turn the band to LOW for steady wiping at a
low speed.
HIGH: Turn the band to HIGH for steady wiping at a
high speed. Be sure to clear ice and snow
from the wiper blades
before using them.
If they’re frozen to the windshield,
carefully loosen or thaw them.
If the blades do become
damaged, get new blades or blade inserts.
Heavy snow or ice can overioad the wipers.
A circuit
breaker will stop them until the motor cools. Clear away
snow or ice to prevent an overload.
Windshield Washer
0 PUSH: Press the paddle with the word PUSH and
the washer symbol on
it, located on top of the
multifunction lever, to spray washer fluid on the
windshield. The wipers will clear the windshield ana
then either stop or return to the se’ -peed.
In freezing weather, don’t use your washer
until the windshield is warmed. Otherwise the
washer fluid can form ice on the windshield,
blocking your vision.
3-7

Cruise Control
With cruise control, you can maintain a speed of about
25 mph (40 km/h) or more without keeping your foot
on the accelerator. This can really help on long
trips. Cruise control does not work at speeds below
approximately
25 mph (40 km/h).
When you apply the brakes, the cruise control
shuts
off.
If your vehicle is in cruise control when the traction
control system on the
3800 Supercharged V6 engine or
the enhanced traction system on the 3100 V6 and
3800 V6 engine begins to limit wheel spin, the cruise
control will automatically disengage. See Traction
Control System (TCS) on page
4- 10 or Enhanced
Traction System (ETS) on page
4-1 1. When road
conditions allow you to safely use it again, you may
turn the cruise control back on.
Setting Cruise Control
Cruise control can be dangerous where
you can’t drive safely at a steady speed.
So, don’t use you’r cruise control on
winding roads or in heavy traffic.
Cruise control can be dangerous on
slippery roads. On such roads, fast
changes
in tire traction can cause
needless wheel spinning, and you could
lose control. Don’t use cruise control on
slippery roads.
I
If you leave your cruise control on when you’re
not using cruise, you might hit a button and go
into cruise when you don’t want to. You could
be startled and even lose control. Keep the
cruise control switch off until you want to use
cruise control.
1. Move the cruise control switch to ON.
2. Get up to the speed you want.
3. Push in the SET button at the end of the
4. Take your foot off the accelerator pedal.
multifunction lever
and release it.
3-8

Daytime Running Lamps (DRL) /
Automatic Headlamp System
Daytime Running Lamps (BRL) can make it easier for
others
to see the front of y~ur vehicle during the
day. DRL can be helpful in many different driving
conditions, but they can be especially helpful in the short
periods after dawn and before sunset. Fully functional
daytime running lamps are required on all vehicles
first sold in Canada.
A light sensor on top of the instrument panel makes the
DRL work,
so be sure it isn’t covered.
The DRL system will make your low-beam headlamps
come on at a reduced brightness when the following
conditions are met:
The ignition is on,
0 the exterior lamps control is off,
0 the transaxle is not in PARK (P) and
the parking brake is released. When
the DRL are on, only your low-beam headlamps,
at a reduced brightness, will be on. The taillamps,
sidemarker and other lamps won’t be on. Your
instrument panel won’t be lit up either.
When it’s dark enough outside, your headlamps
will
change to full brightness. The other lamps that come on
with your headlamps will also come on.
When it’s bright enough outside, the headlamps will go
out, and your low-beam headlamps will change to
the reduced brightness of DRL.
To idle your vehicle with the DRL off, set the parking
brake while the ignition is in OFF or LOCK. Then
start your vehicle. The DRL will stay
off until you shift
out of PARK (P) and release the parking brake.
As with any vehicle, you should turn on the regular
headlamps system when you need
it.
3-1 1

The HUD also shows the following lights when they are
lit on the instrument panel cluster:
Turn Signal Indicators
High-Beam Indicator Symbol
Low Fuel Symbol
The HUD will display CHECK GAGES when the
following items are lit on the instrument panel cluster:
Oil Warning Symbol
Coolant Temperature Symbol
Charging System Symbol
When the ignition key is turned to RUN, the entire HUD
image will come on. Then the Head-Up Display will
operate normally.
Notice: Although the HUD image appears to be
near the front
of the vehicle, do not use it as
a parking aid. The
HUD was not designed for that
purpose.
If you try to use it as such, you may
misjudge the distance and damage your vehicle.
When the HUD is on, the speedometer reading will be
displayed continually. The current radio station
or
CD track number will only be displayed for three
seconds after the radio or CD track status changes.
This will happen whenever one of the radio controls is
pressed, either on the radio itself or on the optional
steering wheel controls. To
adjust the HUD
so you can see it properly do the
following:
1. Adjust your seat, if necessary, to a comfortable
position.
2. Start the engine and adjust the HUD controls
located on the instrument panel, to the right
of
the steering wheel. Move the DIM thumbwheel up
or down to adjust brightness.
3-1 6

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.
Your vehicle may also have a Driver Information
Center (DIC) that works along with the warning lights
and gages. See Driver Information Center (DIC)
on page 3-38.
3-23