2004 GMC SONOMA ignition

Parking Brake
The parking brake is located near the bottom of the
instrument panel on the driver’s side of the vehicle.
To set the parking brake, hold the regular brake pedal
down with your right foot. Push down the parking
brake pedal with your left foot. If the ignition is on, the
brake system warning light will come on.
Notice:Driving with the parking brake on can
overheat the brake system and cause premature
wear or damage to brake system parts. Verify that
the parking brake is fully released and the brake
warning light is off before driving.
To release the parking brake, hold the regular brake
pedal down. Pull the BRAKE RELEASE lever fully. It is
located on the bottom off the instrument panel on
the driver’s side of the vehicle.If you are towing a trailer and you must park on a hill,
seeTowing a Trailer on page 4-55. That section
shows what to do first to keep the trailer from moving.
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•Move the lever up as far as it will go.
3. Turn the ignition key to LOCK.
4. Remove the key and take it with you. If you can
leave your vehicle with the key, your vehicle is in
PARK (P).
Leaving Your Vehicle With the Engine
Running
{CAUTION:
It can be dangerous to leave your vehicle with
the engine running. Your vehicle could move
suddenly if the shift lever is not fully in
PARK (P) with the parking brake rmly set.
And, if you leave the vehicle with the engine
running, it could overheat and even catch re.
You or others could be injured. Do not leave
your vehicle with the engine running.
If you have to leave your vehicle with the engine
running, be sure your vehicle is in PARK (P) and your
parking brake is firmly set before you leave it. After
you’ve moved the shift lever into PARK (P), hold
the regular brake pedal down. Then, see if you can
move the shift lever away from PARK (P) without first
pulling it toward you. If you can, it means that the
shift lever wasn’t fully locked into PARK (P).
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Torque Lock
If you are parking on a hill and you don’t shift your
transmission into PARK (P) properly, the weight of the
vehicle may put too much force on the parking pawl
in the transmission. You may find it difficult to pull the
shift lever out of PARK (P). This is called “torque
lock” To prevent torque lock, set the parking brake and
then shift into PARK (P) properly before you leave
the driver’s seat. To find out how, seeShifting Into
Park (P) on page 2-26.
When you are ready to drive, move the shift lever out of
PARK (P) before you release the parking brake.
If torque lock does occur, you may need to have another
vehicle push yours a little uphill to take some of the
pressure from the parking pawl in the transmission, so
you can pull the shift lever out of PARK (P).
Shifting Out of Park (P)
Your vehicle has an automatic transmission shift lock
control system which locks the shift lever in PARK when
the ignition is in the OFF position. In addition, you
have to fully apply the regular brakes before you can
shift from PARK (P) when the ignition is in RUN.
SeeAutomatic Transmission Operation on page 2-20.
If you cannot shift out of PARK (P), ease pressure
on the shift lever. Push the shift lever all the way into
PARK (P) as you maintain brake application and
then move the shift lever into the gear you want. You
must press the shift lever button on the shift lever.
If you ever hold the brake pedal down but still can’t shift
out of PARK (P), try this:
1. Turn the key to OFF.
2. Apply and hold the brake until the end of Step 4.
3. Shift the transmission to NEUTRAL (N).
4. Start the vehicle and then shift to the drive gear
you want.
5. Have the vehicle fixed as soon as you can.
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Temperature and Compass Display
The outside air temperature and the compass are
displayed at the front of the overhead console. The
buttons are located to the left of the display.
ON/OFF:Press this button to turn the display on or off.US/MET:Press this button for the temperature to be
displayed in either degrees Farenheit (English) or
Celsius (metric).
Before you turn on the ignition and move the vehicle,
the temperature indicated will be the last outside
temperature recorded with the ignition on.
If the outside temperature is 37°F (3°C) or lower when
you turn on the ignition, the word ICE will appear
on the display. This is a warning to the driver that road
conditions may be icy, and that appropriate precautions
should be taken.
The compass is self-calibrating, so it does not need to
be manually set. However, when your vehicle is new, the
compass may function erratically. If it does, CAL
(Calibration) will appear on the display. To correct the
calibration, drive in a complete 360° circle three
times and the compass will function normally.
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Driver Information Center (DIC)
If your vehicle is equipped with a Driver Information
Center (DIC), this system displays the outside air
temperature, compass direction and trip information in
the overhead console.
US/MET (United States/Metric):The US/MET (United
States/metric) button allows you to switch the display
between the English and metric system.
MODE:The MODE button can be used to toggle
between three modes of operation: OFF, COMP/TEMP
and TRIP.
COMP/TEMP (Compass/Temperature):The display
provides the outside temperature and one of eight
compass readings to indicate the direction the vehicle is
facing.Before you turn on the ignition and move the vehicle,
the temperature indicated will be the last outside
temperature recorded with the ignition on. If the outside
temperature is 37°F (3°C) or lower, the display will
toggle between the ICE and the current temperature
every eight seconds. This is a warning to the drive that
road conditions may be icy, and that appropriate
precautions should be taken.
The compass is self-calibrating, so it does not need to
be manually set. However, if C (Calibration) is displayed,
the compass will need to be calibrated. You may also
place the compass in a noncalibrated mode by pressing
the holding the MODE and US/MET buttons at the
same time while in the COMP/TEMP mode. After about
10 seconds, the compass will display C and you can
release the buttons. Drive the vehicle in a complete
360° circle three times at a speed of less than 5 mph
(8 km/h), and the compass will function normally.
Once the calibration is complete, the display will return
to a compass reading.
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Sunroof
If your vehicle has a
sunroof, the switch is
located between the sun
visors.
The sunroof switch will only work when the ignition is on
or when the ignition is off and retained accessory
power is active. See “Retained Accessory Power” under
Ignition Positions on page 2-17for more information.To operate the sunroof using the power switch do the
following:
1. When vent opening the sunroof press and hold the
side of the switch with the roof symbol on it until the
roof is vented.
2. Press and hold the side of the switch with the roof
symbol on it again to fully open the roof. The roof
will stop when it is fully opened.
Releasing the switch at any time will stop the roof
at that position.
3. To close the sunroof press the side of the switch
opposite of the roof symbol and hold it until the
glass panel is seated.
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Passing Another Vehicle While Using
Cruise Control
Use the accelerator pedal to increase your speed.
When you take your foot off the pedal, your vehicle will
slow down to the cruise control speed you set earlier.
Using Cruise Control on Hills
How well your cruise control will work on hills depends
upon your speed, load and the steepness of the
hills. When going up steep hills, you may want to step
on the accelerator pedal to maintain your speed.
When going downhill, you may have to brake or shift to
a lower gear to keep your speed down. Of course,
applying the brake takes you out of cruise control. Many
drivers find this to be too much trouble and don’t use
cruise control on steep hills.
Ending Cruise Control
There are two ways to turn off the cruise control:
•Step lightly on the brake pedal.
•Move the cruise switch to OFF.
Erasing Speed Memory
When you turn off the cruise control or the ignition, your
cruise control set speed memory is erased.
Exterior Lamps
The control on the driver’s side of the instrument panel
operates the exterior lamps.
The exterior lamp control has three positions:
9(Off):Turn the exterior lamps control all the way
counterclockwise to turn off the lamps and put the
system in automatic headlamp mode.
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;(Parking Lamps):Turning the exterior lamps
control to this position turns on the parking lamps
together with the following:
•Sidemarker Lamps
•Taillamps
•License Plate Lamps
•Instrument Panel Lights
O(Headlamps):Turning the exterior lamps control to
this position turns on the headlamps, together with
the previously listed lamps and lights.
Automatic Headlamp System
When it is dark enough outside, your automatic
headlamp system will turn on your headlamps at the
normal brightness along with other lamps such as
the taillamps, sidemarker, parking lamps and the
instrument panel lights. The radio lights will also be dim.
Your vehicle is equipped with a light sensor on the
top of the instrument panel under the radio speaker grill.
Be sure it is not covered or the system will be on
whenever the ignition is on.
The system may also turn on your headlamps when
driving through a parking garage, heavy overcast
weather or a tunnel. This is normal.There is a delay in the transition between the daytime
and nighttime operation of the Daytime Running
Lamps (DRL) and the automatic headlamp systems so
that driving under bridges or bright overhead street
lights does not affect the system. The DRL and
automatic headlamp system will only be affected when
the light sensor sees a change in lighting lasting
longer than the delay.
To idle your vehicle with the automatic headlamp
system off, set the parking brake while the ignition is off.
Then start your vehicle. The automatic headlamp
system will stay off until you release the parking brake.
As with any vehicle, you should turn on the regular
headlamps when you need them.
You may be able to turn off your automatic headlamp
system. See “Daytime Running Lamps (DRL)” later
in this section for more information.
If you start your vehicle in a dark garage, the automatic
headlamp system will come on immediately. Once
you leave the garage, it will take approximately
one minute for the automatic headlamp system to
change to DRL if it is light outside. During that delay,
your instrument panel cluster may not be as bright
as usual. Make sure your instrument panel brightness
control is in the full bright position. See “Instrument
Panel Brightness Control” underInterior Lamps
on page 3-15.
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