2003 PONTIAC GRAND PRIX wheel

Enhanced Traction System Warning
Light
TRAC
OFF
If your vehicle is equipped
with a
31 00 V6 or 3800 V6
engine and the optional
ABS brake system, the
Enhanced Traction System
warning light may come on
for the following reasons:
e
e
e
If you turn the system off by pressing the TRAC
button on the far right side of the Driver Information
Center or trip computer (if equipped), 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 4-1 1 for more information.
If the Enhanced Traction System warning light
comes on and stays on for an extended period of
time while the system is turned on, your vehicle
needs service. Adjust your driving accordingly.
If the traction control system is affected by an
engine-related problem, the system will turn off and
the warning light will come on.
When this warning light is on, the system will not limit
wheel spin. Adjust your driving accordingly.
Low Traction Light
LOW
TRAC
If your vehicle has the
Enhanced Traction
System or the Traction
Control System, this light
will also come on while
the system is limiting
wheel spin.
You may feel or hear the system working, but this is
normal. Slippery road conditions may exist
if the
low traction light comes on,
so adjust your driving
accordingly. The light will stay on for a few seconds after
the Enhanced Traction System or the Traction Control
System stops limiting wheel spin. See Enhanced
Traction System
(ETS) on page 4-1 1 or Traction Control
System (TCS) on page
4- 10.
The low traction light also comes on briefly when you
turn the ignition key to RUN. If the light doesn’t come on
then, have it fixed so it will be there to tell you when
the Traction Control System or Enhanced Traction
System is active.
3-30

The Driver Information Center (DIC) gives you important
safety and maintenance facts. When you turn the
ignition on, all of the DIC lights illuminate for a few
seconds. After this, the DIC will begin working.
Functions
__ (Door Ajar): If one of the doors is ajar, this light
will appear next to that door on the vehicle outline.
CHANGE OIL SOON: This light will appear when the
system indicates that it’s time for an oil change. The
system predicts remaining oil life using data from length
of drives, coolant temperature, engine rpm and
vehicle speed. It alerts you to change the oil on a
schedule consistent with the vehicle’s driving conditions.
After changing the oil, the system must be reset. See
How to Reset the GM
Oil Life SystemTM under
Engine
Oil on page 5- 18.
e LOW: This light will come on when the ignition is
on and the fluid in the washer fluid container is low.
AJAR: This light alerts you that the trunk is not
fully closed.
LOW TRAC (Low Traction): If your vehicle is equipped
with anti-lock brakes, this light will come on when the
enhanced traction system is limiting wheel spin. See Enhanced Traction System (ETS) on page 4-
I I or
Low Traction Light on page 3-30.
TRAC OFF (Traction Off): If your vehicle is equipped
with anti-lock brakes, this light lets you know that
the enhanced traction system has been disabled and
will not limit wheel spin. See Enhanced Traction System
Warning Light
on page 3-30 or Low Traction Light on
page 3-30.
TRAC (Traction): If the vehicle has anti-lock brakes
and the enhanced traction system, you will have a
disable button on the far right side of the DIC.
The enhanced traction system is automatically activated
when you turn the ignition on. This button will
activate/deactivate the system. If you need to disable
the system, such
as when you are stuck and are rocking
the vehicle back and forth, push this button. See If
You Are Stuck: in Sand, Mud, Ice or Snow on
page 4-32.
3-39

DOOR AJAR: If one of the doors is left ajar, a light will
appear next to that door on the vehicle outline.
BOOST GAGE: If you have the 3800 V6 supercharged
engine, this gage will show the amount
of boost the
engine is receiving.
TRUNK AJAR: If the trunk is not fully closed, the trunk
area will light up on the vehicle outline.
LOW TRAC (Low Traction): This light will come on
when the enhanced traction system (3100 or 3800
V6 engine) or the traction control system (3800
supercharged V6 engine) is limiting wheel spin.
See Traction Control System (TCS)
on page 4- IO,
Enhanced Traction System (ETS) on page 4- 1 I
and Low Traction Light on page 3-30.
TRAC OFF (Traction Off) or TCS OFF (Traction
Control System
Off): This light lets you know that the
enhanced traction system (31
00 or 3800 V6 engine) or the
traction control system (3800 supercharged
V6 engine) has been disabled and will not limit wheel
spin. See Traction Control System (TCS) Warning Light
on page 3-29, Enhanced Traction System Warning Light
on page 3=30 and Low Trxti=n Light a1 page 3-38.
TRAC (Traction) or TCS (Traction Control
System):
If the vehicle has the enhanced traction
system (3100 or 3800 V6 engine) or the traction control
system (3800 supercharged V6 engine), you will
have a disable button on the far right side of the trip
computer. The enhanced traction system and traction
control system are automatically activated when you turn
the ignition on. This button will activate/deactivate the
system.
If you need to disable the system, such as when
you are stuck and are rocking the vehicle back and
forth, push this button. See If
You Are Stuck: In Sand,
Mud, Ice or Snow on page 4-32.
3-43

Disabling the Theft-Deterrent Feature
Enter your secret code as follows; pause no more than
15 seconds between steps:
1. Turn the ignition on.
2. Turn the radio off.
3. Press the 1 and 4 pushbuttons at the same time.
Hold them down until
SEC shows on the display.
4. Press MIN and 000 will appear on the display.
5. Press MIN again to make the last two digits agree
with your code.
6. Press HR to make the first one or two digits agree
with your code.
7. Press AM/FM after you have confirmed that the
code matches the secret code you have written
down. The display will show
---, indicating that the
radio is no longer secured.
If the code entered is incorrect,
SEC will appear on the
display. The radio will remain secured until the correct
code is entered.
When battery power is removed and later applied to
a
secured radio, the radio won’t turn on and LOC will
appear on the display.
To unlock a secured radio, see “Unlocking the
Theft-Deterrent Feature After a Power
Loss” earlier in
this section.
Audio Steering Wheel Controls
If your vehicle has this feature, you can control certain
radio functions using the buttons on your steering
wheel.
PRESET: Press this button to play the stations you
have programmed on the radio preset pushbuttons.
The radio will go to a preset station, play for a few
seconds, then go to the next station. When a cassette
tape is playing, press this button to change tape
sides. Press this button again to stop scanning the
preset stations.
3-56

Let’s say the road is wet and you’re driving safely.
Suddenly, an animal jumps out in front
of you. You slam
on the brakes and continue braking. Here’s what
happens with
ABS:
A computer senses that wheels are slowing down. If
one of the wheels is about to stop rolling, the computer
will separately work the brakes at each front wheel
and at both rear wheels. The anti-lock
system can change the brake pressure
faster than any driver could. The computer is
programmed to make the most of available tire and road
conditions. This can help you steer around the obstacle
while braking hard.
As you brake, your computer keeps receiving updates
on wheel speed and controls braking pressure
accordingly.
4-8

Remember: Anti-lock doesn’t change the time you need
to get your foot up to the brake pedal or always
decrease stopping distance. If you get too close to the
vehicle in front of you, you won’t have time to apply
your brakes
if that vehicle suddenly slows or stops.
Always leave enough room up ahead to stop, even
though you have anti-lock brakes.
Using Anti-Lock
Don’t pump the brakes. Just hold the brake pedal down
firmly and let anti-lock work for you. You may feel a
slight brake pedal pulsation or notice some noise, but
this is normal.
Braking in Emergencies
At some time, nearly every driver gets into a situation
that requires hard braking.
If you have anti-lock, you can steer and brake at the
same time. However,
if you don’t have anti-lock,
your first reaction
- to hit the brake pedal hard and
hold it down
- may be the wrong thing to do. Your
wheels can stop rolling. Once they do, the vehicle
can’t respond to your steering. Momentum will carry
it in whatever direction it was headed when the wheels
stopped rolling. That could be off the road, into the
very
thing you were trying to avoid, or into traffic.
If you don’t have anti-lock, use a “squeeze’’ braking
technique. This will give you maximum braking while
maintaining steering control. You can do this by pushing
on the brake pedal with steadily increasing pressure.
In an emergency, you will probably want to squeeze the
brakes hard without locking the wheels. If you hear or
feel the wheels sliding, ease off the brake pedal.
This will help you retain steering control.
If you do have
anti-lock, it’s different. See “Anti-Lock Brakes.”
In many emergencies, steering can help you more than
even the very best braking.
4-9

Traction Control System (TCS)
If your vehicle has the 3800 supercharged V6 engine it
has a traction control system that limits wheel spin.
This is especially useful in slippery road conditions. The
system operates only
if it senses that one or both of
the front wheels are spinning or beginning to lose
traction. When this happens, the system works the front
brakes and reduces engine power to limit wheel spin.
LOW
TRAC
This light will come on
when your traction control
system is limiting wheel
spin. See Traction Control
System (TCS) Warning
Light on page 3-29.
You may feel or hear the system working, but this
is normal.
If your vehicle is in cruise control when the traction
control system begins to limit wheel spin, the cruise
control will automatically disengage. When road
conditions allow you to safely use it again, you may
reengage the cruise control. See “Cruise Control” under
Turn SignaVMultifunction Lever on page 3-5.
TCS
OFF
This light should come on
briefly when you start the
engine.
If it stays on or
comes on while you
are driving, there is a
problem with your traction
control system.
See Traction Control System (TCS) Warning Light on
page 3-29. When this warning light
is on, the system will
not limit wheel spin. Adjust your driving accordingly.
The traction control system automatically comes
on whenever you start your vehicle.
To limit wheel spin,
especially in slippery road conditions, you should
always leave the system on. But you can turn the
traction control system
off if you ever need to. You
should turn the system
off if your vehicle ever gets stuck
in sand, mud or snow and rocking the vehicle is
required. See “Rocking Your Vehicle to Get It Out”
under
If You Are Stuck: In Sand, Mud, Ice or Snow
on page
4-32.
4-1 0

1 press the button located
To
turn the system
off,
on the instrument
panel DIC (Driver’s
Information Center) or
Trip Computer,
if equipped.
The traction control system warning light will come on
and stay on. If the system is limiting wheel spin
when you press the button, the warning light will come
on and the system will turn
off instantly.
You can turn the system back on at any time by
pressing the button again. The traction control system
warning light should go
off.
Enhanced Traction System (ETS)
If your vehicle has the 3100 V6 or 3800 V6 engine and
anti-lock brakes, your vehicle may have an Enhanced
Traction System (ETS) that limits wheel spin. This
is especially useful in slippery road conditions. The
system operates only
if it senses that one or both of the
front wheels are spinning or beginning to lose traction.
When this happens, the system reduces engine
power and may also upshift the transaxle to limit
wheel spin.
LOW
TRAC
This light will come on
when your Enhanced
Traction System is limiting
wheel spin. See
Enhanced Traction System
Warning Light
on
page 3-29.
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 3-5.
4-1 1