2004 Oldsmobile Silhouette instrument panel

Seats and Restraint Systems........................... 1-1
Front Seats
............................................... 1-3
Rear Seats
............................................... 1-8
Safety Belts
.............................................1-22
Child Restraints
.......................................1-46
Air Bag Systems
......................................1-70
Restraint System Check
............................1-78
Features and Controls..................................... 2-1
Keys
........................................................ 2-3
Doors and Locks
....................................... 2-9
Windows
.................................................2-23
Theft-Deterrent Systems
............................2-26
Starting and Operating
Your Vehicle
........................................2-30
Mirrors
....................................................2-44
OnStar
žSystem
......................................2-45
HomeLinkžTransmitter
.............................2-47
Storage Areas
.........................................2-51
Vehicle Personalization
.............................2-60
Instrument Panel............................................. 3-1
Instrument Panel Overview
.......................... 3-4
Climate Controls
......................................3-28
Warning Lights, Gages and Indicators
.........3-41
Message Center
.......................................3-53Driver Information Center (DIC)
..................3-60
Audio System(s)
.......................................3-63
Driving Your Vehicle....................................... 4-1
Your Driving, the Road, and Your Vehicle
........ 4-2
Towing
...................................................4-31
Service and Appearance Care.......................... 5-1
Service
..................................................... 5-3
Fuel
......................................................... 5-4
Checking Things Under the Hood
...............5-10
All-Wheel Drive
........................................5-48
Bulb Replacement
....................................5-50
Windshield Wiper Blade Replacement
.........5-56
Tires
......................................................5-58
Appearance Care
.....................................5-92
Vehicle Identi®cation
...............................5-100
Electrical System
....................................5-100
Capacities and Speci®cations
...................5-108
Maintenance Schedule..................................... 6-1
Maintenance Schedule
................................ 6-2
Customer Assistance and Information.............. 7-1
Customer Assistance and Information
........... 7-2
Reporting Safety Defects
...........................7-11
Index................................................................ 1
2004 Oldsmobile Silhouette Owner ManualM

Vehicle Damage Warnings
Also, in this book you will ®nd these notices:
Notice:These mean there is something that could
damage your vehicle.
A notice will tell you about something that can damage
your vehicle. Many times, this damage would not be
covered by your warranty, and it could be costly. But the
notice will tell you what to do to help avoid the
damage.
When you read other manuals, you might see CAUTION
and NOTICE warnings in different colors or in different
words.
You'll also see warning labels on your vehicle. They use
the same words, CAUTION or NOTICE.
Vehicle Symbols
Your vehicle has components and labels that use
symbols instead of text. Symbols, used on your vehicle,
are shown along with the text describing the operation
or information relating to a speci®c component, control,
message, gage or indicator.
If you need help ®guring out a speci®c name of a
component, gage or indicator, reference the following
topics:
·Seats and Restraint Systems in Section 1
·Features and Controls in Section 2
·Instrument Panel Overview in Section 3
·Climate Controls in Section 3
·Warning Lights, Gages and Indicators in Section 3
·Audio System(s) in Section 3
·Engine Compartment Overview in Section 5
iv

Heated Seats
Your vehicle may have
this feature. If it does,
the heated seat
switches are located
in the instrument panel
switchbank.This feature will heat the lower cushions and lower
back of the driver's and front passenger's seats
for added comfort.
The left switch is for the driver's seat and the right
switch is for the front passenger's seat. Press the bottom
of the switch to turn the heater on. The indicator light
on the switch will be lit. Press the top of the switch
to turn the heater off. The heated seat switch will turn
off when the ignition is turned to OFF and will resume
operation when the ignition is turned to RUN, unless the
switch is manually turned off.
1-5

or the instrument panel... 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.
1-26

{CAUTION:
Anyone who is up against, or very close to,
any air bag when it in¯ates can be seriously
injured or killed. Air bags plus lap-shoulder
belts offer the best protection for adults, but
not for young children and infants. Neither the
vehicle's safety belt system nor its air bag
system is designed for them. Young children
and infants need the protection that a child
restraint system can provide. Always secure
children properly in your vehicle. To read how,
see the part of this manual called ªOlder
Childrenº or ªInfants and Young Children.º
There is a air bag
readiness light on the
instrument panel cluster,
which shows the air
bag symbol.The system checks the air bag electrical system for
malfunctions. The light tells you if there is an electrical
problem. See
Air Bag Readiness Light on page 3-45for more information.
Where Are the Air Bags?
The driver's frontal air bag is in the middle of the
steering wheel.
1-72

The right front passenger's frontal air bag is in the
instrument panel on the passenger's side.The driver's side impact air bag is in the side of the
driver's seatback closest to the door.
1-73

When Should an Air Bag In¯ate?
The driver's and right front passenger's frontal air bags
are designed to in¯ate in moderate to severe frontal
or near-frontal crashes. But they are designed to in¯ate
only if the impact speed is above the system's
designed ªthreshold level.º
In addition, your vehicle has ªdual stageº frontal air
bags, which adjust the amount of restraint according
to crash severity. For moderate frontal impacts, these
air bags in¯ate at a level less than full deployment.
For more severe frontal impacts, full deployment occurs.
If the front of your vehicle goes straight into a wall
that doesn't move or deform, the threshold level for
the reduced deployment is about 12 to 18 mph
(19 to 29 km/h), and the threshold level for a full
deployment is about 18 to 24 mph (29 to 38.5 km/h).
The threshold level can vary, however, with speci®c
vehicle design, so that it can be somewhat above
or below this range.
If your ehicle strikes something that will move or deform,
such as a parked car, the threshold level will be higher.
The driver's and right front passenger's frontal air bags
are not designed to in¯ate in rollovers, rear impacts,
or in many side impacts because in¯ation would not help
the occupant.The side impact air bags are designed to in¯ate in
moderate to severe side crashes. A side impact air bag
will in¯ate if the crash severity is above the system's
designed ªthreshold level.º The threshold level can vary
with speci®c vehicle design. Side impact air bags are
not designed to in¯ate in frontal or near-frontal impacts,
rollovers or rear impacts, because in¯ation would not
help the occupant. A side impact air bag will only deploy
on the side of the vehicle that is struck.
In any particular crash, no one can say whether an air
bag should have in¯ated simply because of the damage
to a vehicle or because of what the repair costs
were.For frontal air bags, in¯ation is determined by the
angle of the impact and how quickly the vehicle
slows down in frontal and near-frontal impacts. For side
impact air bags, in¯ation is determined by the location
and severity of the impact.
What Makes an Air Bag In¯ate?
In an impact of sufficient severity, the air bag sensing
system detects that the vehicle is in a crash. For
both frontal and side impact air bags, the sensing
system triggers a release of gas from the in¯ator,
which in¯ates the air bag. The in¯ator, the air bag and
related hardware are all part of the air bag modules
inside the steering wheel, the instrument panel, and the
side of the front seatbacks closest to the door.
1-75

How Does an Air Bag Restrain?
In moderate to severe frontal or near frontal collisions,
even belted occupants can contact the steering wheel
or the instrument panel. In moderate to severe side
collisions, even belted occupants can contact the inside
of the vehicle. The air bag supplements the protection
provided by safety belts. Air bags distribute the force
of the impact more evenly over the occupant's
upper body, stopping the occupant more gradually.
But the frontal air bags would not help you in many
types of collisions, including rollovers, rear impacts,
and many side impacts, primarily because an occupant's
motion is not toward the air bag. Side impact air bags
would not help you in many types of collisions, including
frontal or near frontal collisions, rollovers, and rear
impacts, primarily because an occupant's motion is
not toward those air bags. Air bags should never
be regarded as anything more than a supplement to
safety belts, and then only in moderate to severe
frontal or near-frontal collisions for the driver's and
right front passenger's frontal air bags, and only
in moderate to severe side collisions for the driver's
and right front passenger's side impact air bag.
What Will You See After an Air Bag
In¯ates?
After the air bag in¯ates, it quickly de¯ates, so quickly
that some people may not even realize the air bag
in¯ated. Some components of the air bag module will be
hot for a short time. These components include the
steering wheel hub for the driver's frontal air bag and
the instrument panel for the right front passenger's
frontal air bag. For vehicles with side impact air bags,
the side of the seatback closest to the driver's and/or
right front passenger's door will be hot. The parts of
the bag that come into contact with you may be warm,
but not too hot to touch. There will be some smoke
and dust coming from the vents in the de¯ated air bags.
Air bag in¯ation does not prevent the driver from
seeing or being able to steer the vehicle, nor does it
stop people from leaving the vehicle.
{CAUTION:
When an air bag in¯ates, there is dust in the
air. This dust could cause breathing problems
for people with a history of asthma or other
breathing trouble. To avoid this, everyone in
CAUTION: (Continued)
1-76