2004 GMC SONOMA ESP

or the safety belts!
With safety belts, you slow down as the vehicle does.
You get more time to stop. You stop over more distance,
and your strongest bones take the forces. That’s why
safety belts make such good sense.
Questions and Answers About
Safety Belts
Q:Won’t I be trapped in the vehicle after an
accident if I’m wearing a safety belt?
A:Youcouldbe – whether you’re wearing a safety
belt or not. But you can unbuckle a safety belt,
even if you’re upside down. And your chance
of being conscious during and after an accident,
so youcanunbuckle and get out, ismuchgreater if
you are belted.
Q:If my vehicle has air bags, why should I have to
wear safety belts?
A:Air bags are in many vehicles today and will be in
most of them in the future. But they are
supplemental systems only; so they workwith
safety belts – not instead of them. Every air bag
system ever offered for sale has required the
use of safety belts. Even if you’re in a vehicle that
has air bags, you still have to buckle up to get
the most protection. That’s true not only in frontal
collisions, but especially in side and other
collisions.
1-12

{CAUTION:
If something is between an occupant and an
air bag, the bag might not inate properly or it
might force the object into that person causing
severe injury or even death. The path of an
inating air bag must be kept clear. Don’t put
anything between an occupant and an air bag,
and don’t attach or put anything on the
steering wheel hub or on or near any other air
bag covering.
When Should an Air Bag Inate?
An air bag is designed to inflate in a moderate to severe
frontal, or near-frontal crash. The air bag will inflate
only if the impact speed is above the system’s designed
'threshold level'. If your vehicle goes straight into a
wall that doesn’t move or deform, the threshold level is
about 9 to 16 mph (14 to 26 km/h). The threshold
level can vary, however, with specific vehicle design, so
that it can be somewhat above or below this range. If
your vehicle strikes something that will move or deform,
such as a parked car, the threshold level will behigher. The air bag is not designed to inflate in rollovers,
rear impacts, or in many side impacts because inflation
would not help the occupant.
In any particular crash, no one can say whether an air
bag should have inflated simply because of the damage
to a vehicle or because of what the repair costs were.
Inflation is determined by the angle of the impact
and how quickly the vehicle slows down in frontal or
near-frontal impacts.
The air bag system is designed to work properly under
a wide range of conditions, including off-road usage.
Observe safe driving speeds, especially on rough
terrain. As always, wear your safety belt. SeeOff-Road
Driving with Your Four-Wheel-Drive Vehicle on
page 4-14for more tips on off-road driving.
1-49

Doors and Locks
Door Locks
{CAUTION:
Unlocked doors can be dangerous.
Passengers — especially children — can
easily open the doors and fall out of a
moving vehicle. When a door is locked, the
handle will not open it. You increase the
chance of being thrown out of the vehicle
in a crash if the doors are not locked. So,
wear safety belts properly and lock the
doors whenever you drive.
Young children who get into unlocked
vehicles may be unable to get out. A child
can be overcome by extreme heat and can
suffer permanent injuries or even death
from heat stroke. Always lock your vehicle
whenever you leave it.
Outsiders can easily enter through an
unlocked door when you slow down or
stop your vehicle. Locking your doors can
help prevent this from happening.There are several ways to lock and unlock your vehicle:
•You can use the keyless entry system, if your
vehicle has this feature.
•You can use your key to unlock your door from the
outside.
•You can use the power lock switch (if equipped) to
lock or unlock the doors.
To manually lock or unlock
a door from the inside,
slide the manual lever on
your door.
You will see a colored area on the lever when the
door is unlocked.
2-7

Windows
{CAUTION:
Leaving children, helpless adults, or pets in a
vehicle with the windows closed is dangerous.
They can be overcome by the extreme heat
and suffer permanent injuries or even death
from heat stroke. Never leave a child, a
helpless adult, or a pet alone in a vehicle,
especially with the windows closed in warm or
hot weather.
Manual Windows
Turn the hand crank on each door to raise or lower your
manual side door windows.
2-12

Sliding Rear Window
If your vehicle has this feature, squeeze the latch in the
center of the window and slide the glass to open it.
When you close the window, be sure the latch is
engaged.
Sun Visors
To block out glare, you can pull the visor down. You
can also swing the visor from side-to-side.
Theft-Deterrent Systems
Vehicle theft is big business, especially in some cities.
Although your vehicle has a number of theft-deterrent
features, we know that nothing we put on it can make it
impossible to steal. However, there are ways you
can help.
Content Theft-Deterrent
Your vehicle may be equipped with a Content
Theft-Deterrent alarm system.
With this system, the
SECURITY light will flash
as you open the door
if your ignition is off.
This light reminds you to activate the theft-deterrent
system. Here’s how to do it:
1. Open the door.
2. Lock the door with the power door lock switch or
the remote keyless entry transmitter. The
SECURITY light should come on and stay on.
2-14

Lamps On Reminder
A reminder chime will sound when your headlamps or
parking lamps are manually turned on, the driver’s door
is opened and your ignition is in OFF, LOCK or
ACCESSORY. To turn the chime off, turn the control
counterclockwise or turn the instrument panel brightness
thumbwheel down to the fully dimmed position. In the
automatic mode, the headlamps turn off once the ignition
key is in OFF.
Daytime Running Lamps
Daytime Running Lamps (DRL) can make it easier for
others to see the front of your 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.The DRL system will make your headlamps come on
at reduced brightness when the following conditions
are met:
•The ignition is on,
•the exterior lamp control is in OFF,
•the sensor detects daytime light,
•an automatic transmission is not in PARK (P), and
•the parking brake is released.
When the DRL are on, only your headlamps will be on.
The taillamps, sidemarker and other lamps won’t be
on. The instrument panel won’t be lit up either.
When it begins to get dark, the headlamps will
automatically switch from DRL to the regular headlamps.
The DRL system on some vehicles may turn off
temporarily while the turn signals are activated.
To idle an automatic transmission vehicle with the DRL
off, put the transmission in PARK (P). To idle a
manual transmission vehicle with the DRL off, set the
parking brake. The DRL will stay off until you shift out of
PARK (P) or release the parking brake.
The following does not apply to vehicles sold in Canada.
3-13

To insert multiple CDs, do the following:
1. Turn the ignition on.
2. Press and hold the LOAD side of the LOAD CD
button for two seconds.
You will hear a beep and the light, located to the
right of the slot, will begin to flash.
3. Once the light stops flashing and turns green, load
a CD. Insert the CD partway into the slot, label side
up. The player will pull the CD in.
4. Once the CD is loaded, the light will begin flashing
again. Press the LOAD side of the LOAD CD button
again. Once the light turns green, load the next
CD. Repeat this procedure for each CD.
The CD player takes up to six CDs. Do not try to
load more than six.
To load more than one CD but less than six, complete
Steps 1 through 3. When you have finished loading
CDs, the radio will begin to play the last CD loaded.
When a CD is inserted, the CD symbol will be displayed.
If more than one CD has been loaded, a number for
each CD will be displayed. If you select an equalization
setting for your CD, it will be activated each time you
play a CD.
As each new track starts to play, the track number will
appear on the display.Playing a Specic Loaded CD
For every CD loaded, a number will appear on the
display. To play a specific CD, first press the CD AUX
button, then press the numbered pushbutton that
corresponds to the CD you want to play. A small bar will
appear under the CD number that is playing, and the
track number will appear.
If an error appears on the display, see “CD Messages”
later in this section.
LOAD CD
Z(Eject):Press the CD eject side of this
button to eject a CD. You will hear a beep and the
light will flash to let you know when a CD is being
ejected.
REMOVE CD will be displayed. You can now remove
the CD. If the CD is not removed, after 25 seconds, the
CD will be automatically pulled back into the receiver.
If you try to push the CD back into the receiver,
before the 25 second time period is complete, the
receiver will sense an error and will try to eject the CD
several times before stopping.
Do not repeatedly press the CD eject button to eject a
CD after you have tried to push it in manually. The
receivers 25-second eject timer will reset at each press
of eject, which will cause the receiver to not eject
the CD until the 25-second time period has elapsed.
3-69

Understanding Radio Reception
AM
The range for most AM stations is greater than for FM,
especially at night. The longer range, however, can
cause stations to interfere with each other. AM can pick
up noise from things like storms and power lines. Try
reducing the treble to reduce this noise.
FM Stereo
FM stereo will give you the best sound, but FM signals
will reach only about 10 to 40 miles (16 to 65 km).
Tall buildings or hills can interfere with FM signals,
causing the sound to come and go.
XM™ Satellite Radio Service
(48 Contiguous US States)
XM™ Satellite Radio gives you digital radio reception
from coast to coast. Just as with FM, tall buildings
or hills can interfere with satellite radio signals, causing
the sound to come and go. Your radio may display
NO SIGNAL to indicate interference.
Care of Your Cassette Tape Player
A tape player that is not cleaned regularly can cause
reduced sound quality, ruined cassettes, or a damaged
mechanism. Cassette tapes should be stored in their
cases away from contaminants, direct sunlight, and
extreme heat. If they are not, they may not operate
properly or may cause failure of the tape player.
Your tape player should be cleaned regularly after every
50 hours of use. Your radio may display CLEAN to
indicate that you have used your tape player for
50 hours without resetting the tape clean timer. If this
message appears on the display, your cassette
tape player needs to be cleaned. It will still play tapes,
but you should clean it as soon as possible to
prevent damage to your tapes and player. If you notice
a reduction in sound quality, try a known good
cassette to see if the tape or the tape player is at fault.
If this other cassette has no improvement in sound
quality, clean the tape player.
For best results, use a scrubbing action, non-abrasive
cleaning cassette with pads which scrub the tape
head as the hubs of the cleaner cassette turn. The
recommended cleaning cassette is available through
your dealer.
3-74