2004 Oldsmobile Alero Owner's Manuals

W(Unlock):Press this button once to unlock the
driver’s door. If the button is pressed again within five
seconds, all remaining doors will unlock. The interior
lamps will stay on for 10 seconds or until the ignition is
turned on. The parking lamps will flash twice to
indicate unlocking has occurred.
V(Remote Trunk Release):Press this button to
open the trunk, if the trunk lockout is not engaged. You
can open the trunk with the transmitter when the
vehicle speed is less than 2 mph (3 km/h), when the
parking brake is engaged, or when the ignition is off. The
interior lamps will come on for 10 seconds or until the
ignition switch is turned to ON.
L(Remote Alarm):Press this button to make the
horn sound and the headlamps and the parking lamps
flash for up to two minutes. The interior lamps will
come on and remain on while the horn is sounding and
the lamps are flashing. Turn off the horn and lamps
by pressing the remote alarm button again or by turning
the ignition to ON.
Programmable Horn Chirp
When you use the remote keyless entry transmitter to
lock the doors or use the delayed locking feature
the parking lamps will flash and the horn will chirp.
Disable the programmable horn chirp by pressing and
holding either of the door lock switches in the unlock
position for 10 seconds with the ignition ON and all of
the doors closed. When you hear the horn chirp,
programming is complete.
Reactivate the horn chirp feature by repeating the
above procedure.
Matching Transmitter(s) to Your
Vehicle
Each remote keyless entry transmitter is coded to prevent
another transmitter from unlocking your vehicle. If a
transmitter is lost or stolen, a replacement can be
purchased through your dealer. Remember to bring any
remaining transmitters with you when you go to your
dealer. When the dealer matches the replacement
transmitter to your vehicle, any remaining transmitters
must also be matched. Once your dealer has coded the
new transmitter, the lost transmitter will not unlock your
vehicle. Each vehicle can have a maximum of four
transmitters matched to it.
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Battery Replacement
Under normal use, the battery in your remote keyless
entry transmitter should last about four years.
You can tell the battery is weak if the transmitter won’t
work at the normal range in any location. If you have
to get close to your vehicle before the transmitter works,
it’s probably time to change the battery.
Notice:When replacing the battery, use care not to
touch any of the circuitry. Static from your body
transferred to these surfaces may damage the
transmitter.To replace the battery in the remote keyless entry
transmitter do the following:
1. Use a flat object like a coin to separate the bottom
half from the top half of the transmitter.
2. Remove the battery and replace it with the new
one. Make sure the positive side of the battery
faces up. Use one three-volt, CR2032, or
equivalent, type battery.
3. Put the two halves back together. Make sure the
cover is on tightly, so water won’t get in.
2-6

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.
CAUTION: (Continued)
CAUTION: (Continued)

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.
From the outside, use your key or remote keyless
entry system, if your vehicle is equipped with this
feature. If your vehicle has remote keyless entry, you
can only use your key to unlock the driver’s side door.
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From the inside, you can lock or unlock the door by
moving the manual lever forward or rearward.
Power Door Locks
With the power door locks, you can lock or unlock all of
the doors on your vehicle using the driver’s or front
passenger’s door lock switch.
Press the bottom of the switch to lock all of the doors.
Press the top of the switch to unlock all of the doors.
Delayed Locking
This feature will allow the driver to delay the actual
locking of the vehicle. This feature will not operate if the
key is left in the ignition. SeeLockout Protection on
page 2-11.
With the key out of the ignition and the driver’s door
open, pressing LOCK on the driver’s power door
lock switch will not immediately lock the other doors.
Instead a seven second delay will start and three chimes
will be heard. Seven seconds after the driver’s door
has been closed, all of the doors will lock and the
parking lamps will flash. The horn will also chirp if the
horn chirp feature is enabled. See “Programmable Horn
Chirp” previously for more information.
If the driver opens another door before the seven
seconds, the doors will not lock until seven seconds
after the last door is closed.
Press LOCK twice on the power door lock switch on the
driver’s door to lock the doors without a delay or
press the LOCK button on the remote keyless entry
transmitter while all doors are closed.
2-8

Programmable Automatic Door
Locks
Programmable automatic power door locks are intended
to provide enhanced security and convenience by
automatically locking and unlocking doors. This features
lets you program your power door locks to one of
four different modes.
Customizing the Automatic Door Locks
for Automatic Transaxle Vehicles
Mode 1:All doors automatically lock when the transaxle
is shifted out of PARK (P). The doors will remain
locked unless manually unlocked or the lock button is
pressed. All doors will unlock when the transaxle is
shifted into PARK (P) and the key is turned to OFF.
Mode 2:This mode is only available on vehicles
equipped with a remote keyless entry transmitter. All
doors automatically lock when the transaxle is shifted
out of PARK (P). Automatic driver’s door only unlock
when the transaxle is shifted into PARK (P) and the key
is turned to OFF.
Mode 3:All doors automatically lock when the transaxle
is shifted out of PARK (P). No automatic door unlock.
Mode 4:No automatic door lock or unlock.
Customizing the Automatic Door Locks
for Manual Transaxle Vehicles
Mode 1:All doors automatically lock when the vehicle
speed is greater than 5 mph (8 km/h). The doors
will remain locked unless manually unlocked or the lock
button is pressed. All doors will unlock when the
transaxle is shifted into REVERSE (R) and the key is
turned to OFF.
Mode 2:This mode is only available with the remote
keyless entry transmitter. All doors automatically
lock when the vehicle speed is greater than 5 mph
(8 km/h). Automatic driver’s door only unlock when the
transaxle is shifted into REVERSE (R) and the key
is turned to OFF.
Mode 3:All doors automatically lock when the vehicle
speed is greater than 5 mph (8 km/h). No automatic
door unlock.
Mode 4:No automatic door lock or unlock.
2-9

Before your vehicle was shipped from the factory it was
programmed in Mode 1. To determine the current
mode or to change to a different mode, do the following:
1. Put an automatic transaxle in PARK (P) or a
manual transaxle in REVERSE (R) with the parking
brake engaged and turn the ignition to ON.
2. Press and hold the lower part of the power door
lock switch for 10 seconds. Release the switch
when you hear the chime.
3. Count the number of chimes you hear. The number
of chimes tells you which mode your vehicle is in.
You can change the mode by pressing and
holding the lower part of the power door lock switch
(two chimes for Mode 2, three chimes for Mode 3
and four chimes for Mode 4).
4. Repeat Step 2 until you hear the number of chimes
that matches the mode you want.
The mode you selected is now set.Rear Door Security Locks
If your vehicle is a four-door model, it has rear door
security locks that help prevent passengers from
opening the rear doors from the inside.
The switch is located on the
inside of each rear door.
To use the security locks, do the following to each
rear door:
1. Move the switch up.
2. Close the door.
2-10

The rear doors on your vehicle cannot be opened from
the inside when this feature is in use. If you want to
open a rear door when the security lock is on, do
the following:
1. Unlock the door from the inside.
2. Then open the door from the outside.
If you don’t cancel the security lock feature, adults or
older children who ride in the rear won’t be able to open
the rear door from the inside. You should let adults
and older children know how these security locks work,
and how to cancel the locks.
To cancel a rear door lock, do the following:
1. Unlock the door from the inside and open it from
the outside.
2. Move the switch down.
3. Do the same to the other rear door.
The rear doors will now work normally.Lockout Protection
Lockout protection is intended to provide enhanced
security and convenience. This feature prevents a driver
who has left the key in the ignition from locking the
doors, using the power door locks while any door
is open.
To override this feature, when the key is in the ignition
and any door is open, press and hold down the
power door lock switch for three seconds.
This feature cannot guarantee that you will never be
locked out of your vehicle. If you don’t leave the key in
the ignition, or if you use the manual door lock or
the remote keyless entry transmitter, you could still lock
your keys inside your vehicle. Always remember to
take your keys with you.
2-11

Leaving Your Vehicle
If you are leaving your vehicle, open your door and set
the locks from the inside, then get out and close the door.
Trunk
To unlock the trunk from the outside, insert the key and
turn the trunk lock cylinder or use the remote keyless
entry transmitter, if your vehicle has this feature.
When closing the trunk, push the trunk lid in the center
to ensure that the lock fully latches.
{CAUTION:
It can be dangerous to drive with the trunk lid
open because carbon monoxide (CO) gas can
come into your vehicle. You can’t see or smell
CO. It can cause unconsciousness and even
death. If you must drive with the trunk lid open
or if electrical wiring or other cable
connections must pass through the seal
between the body and the trunk lid:
Make sure all other windows are shut.
Turn the fan on your heating or cooling
system to its highest speed and select the
control setting that will force outside air
into your vehicle. See “Climate Control
System” in the Index.
If you have air outlets on or under the
instrument panel, open them all the way.
See “Engine Exhaust” in the Index.
2-12