2004 PONTIAC GRAND PRIX Page 5

SERVICE STABILITY SYSTEM
This symbol will appear
with the SERVICE
STABILITY SYSTEM
warning message.
If the vehicle has the Stabilitrak
žPlus system, this
warning message will appear when it is not functioning
properly. See
StabilitrakžPlus System on page 4-13for more information. Have the StabilitrakžPlus system
serviced by your dealer as soon as possible.
This warning message will display only while the ignition
is in RUN. Press the set/reset button to acknowledge
this warning message and to clear it from the screen.
This message will continue to display if it has not been
acknowledged when the engine is turned off. It will
also re-display for three seconds if the message has
been acknowledged, but the condition still exists
when the engine is turned off.
The message will re-appear when the engine is turned
on and the condition still exists.
SERVICE THEFT SYSTEM
This warning message will appear if there is a problem
with the theft-deterrent system programmed in the
key. A fault has been detected in the system which
means that the system is disabled and it is not protecting
the vehicle. The vehicle usually restarts, however,
you may want to take the vehicle to your dealer before
turning off the engine. See
Keys on page 2-2for
information on the PASS-KeyžIII system.
This warning message will display only while the ignition
is in RUN. Press the set/reset button to acknowledge
this warning message. and to clear it from the screen.
This message will continue to display if it has not
been acknowledged when the engine is turned off.
It will also re-display for three seconds if the message
has been acknowledged, but the condition still exists
when the engine is turned off.
The message will re-appear when the engine is turned
on and the condition still exists.
3-83

SERVICE VARIABLE EFFORT
STEERING
This symbol appears with
the SERVICE VARIABLE
EFFORT STEERING
warning message.
If the vehicle has Anti-Lock Brakes (ABS), it has the
variable steering effort system. This warning message
will display if this system is not functioning properly.
See
Steering on page 4-14for more information.
Have your system serviced by your dealer as soon
as possible.
This warning message will display only while the ignition
is in RUN. Press the set/reset button to acknowledge
this warning message and to clear it from the screen.
This message will continue to display if it has not been
acknowledged when the engine is turned off. It will
also re-display for three seconds if the message has
been acknowledged, but the condition still exists
when the engine is turned off.
The message will re-appear when the engine is turned
on and the condition still exists.
SERVICE VEHICLE SOON
This symbol appears with
the SERVICE VEHICLE
SOON warning message.
This warning message displays when a non-emissions
related malfunction occurs. Have the vehicle serviced
by your dealer as soon as possible.
This warning message will display only while the ignition
is in RUN. Press the set/reset button to acknowledge
this warning message and to clear it from the screen.
This message will continue to display if it has not been
acknowledged when the engine is turned off. It will
also re-display for three seconds if the message has
been acknowledged, but the condition still exists
when the engine is turned off.
The message will re-appear when the engine is turned
on and the condition still exists.
3-84

STARTING DISABLED DUE TO
ELECTRONIC THROTTLE CONTROL
This warning message will appear when there is
a malfunction with the electronic throttle control which
prevents the vehicle from starting. Have the vehicle
serviced by your dealer.
This warning message will only appear while the
ignition is in RUN, and will not disappear until the
problem is resolved. A chime will sound for two seconds.
This warning message cannot be acknowledged.
STARTING DISABLED DUE TO
THEFT SYSTEM
This warning message will appear when the system
detects a malfunction in the content theft-deterrent
system and prevents the vehicle from starting.
This warning message will only appear while the
ignition is in RUN, and will not disappear until the
problem is resolved. A chime will sound for two seconds.
This warning message cannot be acknowledged.
THEFT SYSTEM NOT PROGRAMMED
This warning message will appear if the theft deterrent
system has not been programmed through the DIC.
See ªPersonal Programmingº under the options mode in
DIC Controls and Displays on page 3-45for information
on how to set the theft-deterrent system.
This warning message will display only while the ignition
is in RUN. Press the set/reset button to acknowledge
this warning message and to clear it from the screen.
This message will continue to display if it has not been
acknowledged when the engine is turned off. It will
also re-display for three seconds if the message has
been acknowledged, but the condition still exists
when the engine is turned off.
The message will re-appear when the engine is turned
on and the condition still exists.
3-86

Audio System(s)
Notice:Before you add any sound equipment to
your vehicle ± like a tape player, CB radio, mobile
telephone or two-way radio ± be sure you can
add what you want. If you can, it's very important
to do it properly. Added sound equipment may
interfere with the operation of your vehicle's engine,
radio or other systems, and even damage them.
Your vehicle's systems may interfere with the
operation of sound equipment that has been added
improperly.
So, before adding sound equipment, check with
your dealer and be sure to check federal rules
covering mobile radio and telephone units.
Your audio system has been designed to operate easily
and to give years of listening pleasure. You will get
the most enjoyment out of it if you acquaint yourself with
it ®rst. Figure out which radio you have in your vehicle,
®nd out what your audio system can do and how to
operate all of its controls to be sure you're getting the
most out of the advanced engineering that went into it.Your vehicle has a feature called Retained Accessory
Power (RAP). With RAP, you can play your audio
system even after the ignition is turned off. See
ªRetained Accessory Power (RAP)º underIgnition
Positions on page 2-18.
Setting the Time
Your radio may have a button marked with an H or HR to
represent hours and an M or MIN to represent minutes.
Press and hold the hour button until the correct hour
appears on the display. AM will also appear for morning
hours. Press and hold the minute button until the
correct minute appears on the display. The time may be
set with the ignition on or off.
To synchronize the time with an FM station broadcasting
Radio Data System (RDS) information, press and hold
the hour and minute buttons at the same time until
UPDATED appears on the display. If the time is not
available from the station, NO UPDATE will appear on
the display.
3-88

wSEEKx:Your tape must have at least three
seconds of silence between each selection for seek to
work. Press the up or the down arrow to search for the
next or the previous selection on the tape. You can skip
as many as nine selections up or down on the tape.
Choose how many selections you want to skip, then
press the SEEK arrow that many times. The number of
selections to be skipped will appear on the display.
wSCANx:Press and hold one of the arrows for
more than two seconds until SCAN appears on the
display and you hear a beep. The tape will go to the next
selection, play for a few seconds, then go on to the next
selection. The tape will scan in forward only. Press this
button again to stop scanning.
BAND:Press this button to listen to the radio when a
tape is playing. The inactive tape or CD will remain
safely inside the radio for future listening.
CD TAPE:Press this button to switch between playing
a cassette tape and a compact disc, if both are
loaded, when listening to the radio. The display will
show tape and CD symbols.
Z(Eject):Press this button, located next to the
cassette tape slot, to eject a tape. Eject may be
activated with either the ignition or radio off. Cassettes
may be loaded with the radio and ignition off if this
button is pressed ®rst.
Cassette Tape Messages
If an error occurs while trying to play a cassette tape,
it could be for one of the following reasons:
TIGHT TAPE:This message is displayed when the
tape is tight and the player can't turn the tape hubs.
Remove the tape. Hold the tape with the open end down
and try to turn the right hub counterclockwise with a
pencil. Turn the tape over and repeat. If the hubs do not
turn easily, your tape may be damaged and should
not be used in the player. Try a new tape to make sure
your player is working properly.
BROKEN TAPE:This message is displayed when the
tape is broken. Try a new tape.
WRAPPED TAPE:This message is displayed when the
tape is wrapped around the tape head. Attempt to get
the cassette out. Try a new tape.
CLEAN PLAYER:If this message appears on the
display, the 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 the tapes and player.
See
Care of Your Cassette Tape Player on page 3-130.
If any error occurs repeatedly or if an error can't be
corrected, contact your dealer. If your radio displays an
error message, write it down and provide it to your
dealer when reporting the problem.
3-110

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 1-10.
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's 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 on the
¯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.
4-2

Control of a Vehicle
You have three systems that make your vehicle go where
you want it to go. They are the brakes, the steering and
the accelerator. All three systems have to do their work at
the places where the tires meet the road.
Sometimes, as when you're driving on snow or ice, it's
easy to ask more of those control systems than the tires
and road can provide. That means you can lose control of
your vehicle. Also see
Traction Control System (TCS)
on page 4-10andEnhanced Traction System (ETS) on
page 4-11.
Braking
Braking action involvesperception timeandreaction time.
First, you have to decide to push on the brake pedal.
That'sperception time.Then you have to bring up your
foot and do it. That'sreaction time.
Averagereaction timeis about 3/4 of a second.
But that's only an average. It might be less with one
driver and as long as two or three seconds or more with
another. Age, physical condition, alertness, coordination
and eyesight all play a part. So do alcohol, drugs
and frustration. But even in 3/4 of a second, a vehicle
moving at 60 mph (100 km/h) travels 66 feet (20 m).
That could be a lot of distance in an emergency,
so keeping enough space between your vehicle and
others is important.
And, of course, actual stopping distances vary greatly
with the surface of the road (whether it's pavement
or gravel); the condition of the road (wet, dry, icy);
tire tread; the condition of your brakes; the weight of
the vehicle and the amount of brake force applied.
4-6

Traction Control System (TCS)
If your vehicle has the 3800 supercharged V6 engine
it has a traction control system that limits wheel
spin. This is especially useful in slippery road conditions.
The system operates only if it senses that one or both
of the front wheels are spinning or beginning to lose
traction. When this happens, the system works the front
brakes and reduces engine power to limit wheel spin.
This symbol will appear on
the DIC screen when the
system is active, along with
the TRACTION CONTROL
ACTIVE message.
You may feel or hear the system working, but this is
normal.
When the traction control
system is not working, this
symbol will appear on the
instrument panel cluster.This symbol, along with
the message TRACTION
CONTROL OFF will
also display in the DIC
for three seconds when
the traction control system
is not active.
When these symbols and messages appear on the
instrument panel and the Driver's Information Center
(DIC), the system will not limit wheel spin. Adjust your
driving accordingly.
The traction control system automatically comes on
whenever you start your vehicle. To limit wheel spin,
especially in slippery road conditions, you should always
leave the system on. But you can turn the traction
control system off if you ever need to. You should turn
the system off if your vehicle ever gets stuck in
sand, mud or snow and rocking the vehicle is required.
See ªRocking Your Vehicle to Get It Outº under
If You Are Stuck: In Sand, Mud, Ice or Snow on
page 4-32.
4-10