Your Driving, the Road, and
Your Vehicle
Defensive Driving
The best advice anyone can give about driving is: Drive
defensively.
Please start with a very important safety device in your
vehicle: Buckle up. See
Safety Belts: They Are for
Everyone on page 1-8.
Defensive driving really means ªbe ready for anything.º
On city streets, rural roads or freeways, it means
ªalways expect the unexpected.º
Assume that pedestrians or other drivers are going to
be careless and make mistakes. Anticipate what
they might do. Be ready for their mistakes.
Rear-end collisions are about the most preventable of
accidents. Yet they are common. Allow enough following
distance. It is the best defensive driving maneuver, in
both city and rural driving. You never know when
the vehicle in front of you is going to brake or turn
suddenly.
Defensive driving requires that a driver concentrate on
the driving task. Anything that distracts from the
driving task Ð such as concentrating on a cellular
telephone call, reading, or reaching for something onthe ¯oor Ð makes proper defensive driving more
difficult and can even cause a collision, with resulting
injury. Ask a passenger to help do things like this, or
pull off the road in a safe place to do them yourself.
These simple defensive driving techniques could save
your life.
Drunken Driving
Death and injury associated with drinking and driving is
a national tragedy. It is the number one contributor
to the highway death toll, claiming thousands of victims
every year.
Alcohol affects four things that anyone needs to drive a
vehicle:
·Judgment
·Muscular Coordination
·Vision
·Attentiveness.
Police records show that almost half of all motor
vehicle-related deaths involve alcohol. In most cases,
these deaths are the result of someone who was
drinking and driving. In recent years, more than
16,000 annual motor vehicle-related deaths have been
associated with the use of alcohol, with more than
300,000 people injured.
4-2
Hydroplaning
Hydroplaning is dangerous. So much water can build up
under your tires that they can actually ride on the
water. This can happen if the road is wet enough and
you are going fast enough. When your vehicle is
hydroplaning, it has little or no contact with the road.
Hydroplaning does not happen often. But it can if your
tires do not have much tread or if the pressure in
one or more is low. It can happen if a lot of water is
standing on the road. If you can see re¯ections
from trees, telephone poles or other vehicles, and
raindrops ªdimpleº the water's surface, there could be
hydroplaning.
Hydroplaning usually happens at higher speeds. There
just is not a hard and fast rule about hydroplaning.
The best advice is to slow down when it is raining.
Driving Through Deep Standing Water
Notice:If you drive too quickly through deep
puddles or standing water, water can come in
through your engine's air intake and badly damage
your engine. Never drive through water that is
slightly lower than the underbody of your vehicle. If
you can not avoid deep puddles or standing
water, drive through them very slowly.
Driving Through Flowing Water
{CAUTION:
Flowing or rushing water creates strong forces.
If you try to drive through ¯owing water, as you
might at a low water crossing, your vehicle can
be carried away. As little as six inches of
¯owing water can carry away a smaller vehicle.
If this happens, you and other vehicle
occupants could drown. Do not ignore police
warning signs, and otherwise be very cautious
about trying to drive through ¯owing water.
Some Other Rainy Weather Tips
·Turn on your low-beam headlamps ± not just
your parking lamps ± to help make you more visible
to others.
·Besides slowing down, allow some extra following
distance. And be especially careful when you
pass another vehicle. Allow yourself more clear
room ahead, and be prepared to have your
view restricted by road spray.
·Have good tires with proper tread depth. SeeTires
on page 5-59
.
4-35
Customer Assistance and Information...............7-2
Customer Satisfaction Procedure......................7-2
Online Owner Center......................................7-3
Customer Assistance for Text
Telephone (TTY) Users................................7-4
Customer Assistance Offices............................7-4
GM Mobility Program for Persons with
Disabilities..................................................7-5
Roadside Assistance Program..........................7-6
Courtesy Transportation...................................7-7
Vehicle Data Collection and Event Data
Records.....................................................7-9Reporting Safety Defects................................7-10
Reporting Safety Defects to the United States
Government..............................................7-10
Reporting Safety Defects to the Canadian
Government..............................................7-11
Reporting Safety Defects to General Motors.....7-11
Service Publications Ordering Information.........7-11
Section 7 Customer Assistance and Information
7-1
STEP THREE:Both General Motors and your dealer
are committed to making sure you are completely
satis®ed with your new vehicle. However, if you continue
to remain unsatis®ed after following the procedure
outlined in Steps One and Two, you should ®le with the
BBB Auto Line Program to enforce any additional
rights you may have. Canadian owners refer to your
Warranty and Owner Assistance Information booklet for
information on the Canadian Motor Vehicle Arbitration
Plan (CAMVAP).
The BBB Auto Line Program is an out of court program
administered by the Council of Better Business
Bureaus to settle automotive disputes regarding vehicle
repairs or the interpretation of the New Vehicle
Limited Warranty. Although you may be required to
resort to this informal dispute resolution program prior to
®lling out a court action, use of the program is free of
charge and your case will generally be heard within
40 days. If you do not agree with the decision given in
your case, you may reject it and proceed with any other
venue for relief available to you.You may contact the BBB Auto Line Program using the
toll-free telephone number or write them at the
following address:
BBB Auto Line Program
Council of Better Business Bureaus, Inc.
4200 Wilson Boulevard
Suite 800
Arlington, VA 22203-1804
Telephone: 1-800-955-5100
This program is available in all 50 states and the District
of Columbia. Eligibility is limited by vehicle age,
mileage and other factors. General Motors reserves the
right to change eligibility limitations and/or discontinue
its participation in this program.
Online Owner Center
The Owner Center is a resource for your GM ownership
needs. You can ®nd your speci®c vehicle information
all in one place.
7-3
The Owner Center allows you to:
·Get e-mail service reminders.
·Access information about your speci®c vehicle,
including tips and videos and an electronic
version of this owner's manual. (United States only)
·Keep track of your vehicle's service history and
maintenance schedule.
·Find GM dealers for service nationwide.
·Receive special promotions and privileges only
available to members. (United States only)
Refer to the web for updated information.
To register your vehicle, visit www.MyGMLink.com.
(United States) or My GM Canada within
www.gmcanada.com (Canada).
Customer Assistance for Text
Telephone (TTY) Users
To assist customers who are deaf, hard of hearing, or
speech-impaired and who use the Text Telephones
(TTYs), GMC has TTY equipment available at its
Customer Assistance Center. Any TTY user can
communicate with GMC by dialing: 1-800-GMC-8583
(462-8583). (TTY users in Canada can dial
1-800-263-3830.)
Customer Assistance Offices
GMC encourages customers to call the toll-free number
for assistance. If a U.S. customer wishes to write to
GMC, the letter should be addressed to GMC's
Customer Assistance Center.
United States
Pontiac-GMC Customer Assistance Center
P.O. Box 33172
Detroit, MI 48232-5172
1-800-GMC-8782 (462-8782)
1-800-GMC-8583 (462-8583)
(For Text Telephone devices (TTYs))
Roadside Assistance: 1-800-GMC-8782 (462-8782)
Fax Number: 313-381-0022
From Puerto Rico
1-800-496-9992 (English)
1-800-496-9993 (Spanish)
Fax Number: 313-381-0022
U.S. Virgin Islands:
1-800-496-9994
Fax Number: 313-381-0022
7-4
Canada
General Motors of Canada Limited
Customer Communication Centre, 163-005
1908 Colonel Sam Drive
Oshawa, Ontario L1H 8P7
1-800-263-3777 (English)
1-800-263-7854 (French)
1-800-263-3830
(For Text Telephone devices (TTYs))
Roadside Assistance: 1-800-268-6800
All Overseas Locations
Please contact the local General Motors Business Unit.
Mexico, Central America and
Caribbean Islands/Countries (Except
Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands)
General Motors de Mexico, S. de R.L. de C.V.
Customer Assistance Center
Paseo de la Reforma # 2740
Col. Lomas de Bezares
C.P. 11910, Mexico, D.F.
01-800-508-0000
Long Distance: 011-52-53 29 0 800
GM Mobility Program for Persons
with Disabilities
This program, available to
quali®ed applicants, can
reimburse you up to
$1,000 toward eligible
aftermarket driver or
passenger adaptive
equipment you may
require for your vehicle
(hand controls,
wheelchair/scooter
lifts, etc.).
This program can also provide you with free resource
information, such as area driver assessment centers and
mobility equipment installers. The offer is available for
a limited period of time from the date of vehicle
purchase/lease. For more details, or to determine your
vehicle's eligibility, see your GM dealer or call the
GM Mobility Assistance Center at 1-800-323-9935.
Text telephone (TTY) users, call 1-800-833-9935.
GM of Canada also has a Mobility Program.
Call 1-800-GM-DRIVE (463-7483) for details.
All TTY users call 1-800-263-3830.
7-5
For prompt and efficient assistance when calling, please
provide the following to the Roadside Assistance
Representative:
·Your name, home address, and home telephone
number
·Telephone number of your location
·Location of the vehicle
·Model, year, color, and license plate number
·Mileage, Vehicle Identi®cation Number, and delivery
date of the vehicle
·Description of the problem
While we hope you never have the occasion to use our
service, it is added security while traveling for you
and your family. Remember, we are only a phone call
away. GMC Roadside Assistance: 1-800-462-8782,
text telephone (TTY) users, call 1-888-889-2438.
GMC reserves the right to limit services or
reimbursement to an owner or driver when, in GMC's
judgement, the claims become excessive in frequency or
type of occurrence.
Roadside Assistance is not part of or included in the
coverage provided by the New Vehicle Limited Warranty.
GMC reserves the right to make any changes or
discontinue the Roadside Assistance program at any
time without noti®cation.
Canadian Roadside Assistance
Vehicles purchased in Canada have an extensive
roadside assistance program accessible from anywhere
in Canada or the United States. Please refer to the
Warranty and Owner Assistance Information book.
Courtesy Transportation
GMC has always exempli®ed quality and value in its
offering of motor vehicles. To enhance your ownership
experience, we and our participating dealers are
proud to offer Courtesy Transportation, a customer
support program for new vehicles.
The Courtesy Transportation program is offered to retail
purchase/lease customers in conjunction with the
Bumper-to-Bumper coverage provided by the New
Vehicle Limited Warranty. Several transportation options
are available when warranty repairs are required.
This will reduce your inconvenience during warranty
repairs.
Plan Ahead When Possible
When your vehicle requires warranty service, you
should contact your dealer and request an appointment.
By scheduling a service appointment and advising
your service consultant of your transportation needs,
your dealer can help minimize your inconvenience.
7-7
Chime Level Adjustment..................................3-88
Cigarette Lighter.............................................3-19
Cleaning
Inside of Your Vehicle..................................5-96
Outside of Your Vehicle................................5-99
Underbody Maintenance.............................5-102
Weatherstrips..............................................5-98
Cleaning Aluminum or Chrome-Plated
Wheels.....................................................5-101
Cleaning Exterior Lamps/Lenses.......................5-99
Cleaning Fabric/Carpet....................................5-96
Cleaning Glass Surfaces..................................5-98
Cleaning Interior Plastic Components.................5-98
Cleaning Leather............................................5-97
Cleaning the Mirror.........................................2-33
Cleaning the Top of the Instrument Panel...........5-97
Cleaning the Windshield and Wiper Blades.......5-100
Cleaning Tires..............................................5-101
Cleaning Vinyl................................................5-97
Cleaning Wood Panels....................................5-98
Climate Control System
Dual Automatic............................................3-19
Compass Calibration.......................................2-33
Compass Variance..........................................2-32
Content Theft-Deferrent....................................2-16
Control of a Vehicle.......................................... 4-5Coolant
Engine Temperature Gage............................3-38
Heater, Engine............................................2-20
Surge Tank Pressure Cap.............................5-24
Cooling System..............................................5-28
Cruise Control.................................................. 3-8
Cruise Control Light........................................3-44
Cupholder(s)..................................................2-42
Current and Past Model Order Forms................7-12
Customer Assistance Information
Courtesy Transportation.................................. 7-7
Customer Assistance for Text
Telephone (TTY) Users............................... 7-4
Customer Assistance Offices........................... 7-4
Customer Satisfaction Procedure..................... 7-2
GM Mobility Program for Persons with
Disabilities................................................ 7-5
Reporting Safety Defects to General
Motors....................................................7-11
Reporting Safety Defects to the Canadian
Government............................................7-11
Reporting Safety Defects to the United
States Government...................................7-10
Roadside Assistance Program......................... 7-6
Service Publications Ordering Information........7-11
4