2004 PONTIAC VIBE warning

Warning Lights, Gages and
Indicators
This part describes the warning lights and gages that
may be on your vehicle. The pictures will help you
locate them.
Warning lights and gages can signal that something is
wrong before it becomes serious enough to cause
an expensive repair or replacement. Paying attention to
your warning lights and gages could also save you
or others from injury.
Warning lights come on when there may be or is a
problem with one of your vehicle's functions. As you will
see in the details on the next few pages, some
warning lights come on brie¯y when you start the
engine just to let you know they're working. If you are
familiar with this section, you should not be alarmed
when this happens.Gages can indicate when there may be or is a problem
with one of your vehicle's functions. Often gages
and warning lights work together to let you know when
there's a problem with your vehicle.
When one of the warning lights comes on and stays on
when you are driving, or when one of the gages shows
there may be a problem, check the section that tells you
what to do about it. Please follow this manual's advice.
Waiting to do repairs can be costly- and even dangerous.
So please get to know your warning lights and gages.
They're a big help.
3-25

Charging System Light
This light will come on
brie¯y when you turn on the
ignition, but the engine is
not running, as a check to
show you it is working.
Then it should go out when
the engine starts.
If it stays on, or comes on while you are driving, you may
have a problem with the electrical charging system. It
could indicate that you have a loose generator drive belt
or another electrical problem. Have it checked right away.
Driving while this light is on could drain your battery.
If you must drive a short distance with the charging
system light on, be certain to turn off all your
accessories, such as the radio and air conditioner.
Brake System Warning Light
Your vehicle's hydraulic brake system is divided into two
parts. If one part isn't working, the other part can still
work and stop you. For good braking, though, you need
both parts working well.
If the warning light comes on, there is a brake problem.
Have your brake system inspected right away.
If your vehicle has anti-lock brakes, this light should
come on when you turn the key to START. If it doesn't
come on then, have it ®xed so it will be ready to
warn you if there's a problem.
When the ignition is on, the brake system warning light
will also come on when you set your parking brake.
The light will stay on if your parking brake doesn't
release fully. If it stays on after your parking brake is
fully released, it means you have a brake problem.
United StatesCanada
3-31

If the light comes on while you are driving, pull off the
road and stop carefully. You may notice that the pedal is
harder to push. Or, the pedal may go closer to the
¯oor. It may take longer to stop. If the light is still on,
have the vehicle towed for service. See
Anti-Lock Brake
System Warning Light on page 3-32andTowing Your
Vehicle on page 4-30.
{CAUTION:
Your brake system may not be working
properly if the brake system warning light is
on. Driving with the brake system warning light
on can lead to an accident. If the light is still
on after you've pulled off the road and stopped
carefully, have the vehicle towed for service.
Anti-Lock Brake System Warning
Light
With the anti-lock brake system, the light will come on
when your engine is started and may stay on for several
seconds. That's normal.United States
Canada
3-32

If the light stays on, turn the ignition to LOCK. Or, if the
light comes on when you're driving, stop as soon as
possible and turn the ignition off. Then start the engine
again to reset the system. If the light still stays on,
or comes on again while you're driving, your vehicle
needs service. If the regular brake system warning light
isn't on, you still have brakes, but you don't have
anti-lock brakes. If the regular brake system warning
light is also on, you don't have anti-lock brakes
and there's a problem with your regular brakes. See
Brake System Warning Light on page 3-31.
The anti-lock brake system warning light will come on
brie¯y when you turn the ignition key to ON. This is
normal. If the light doesn't come on then, have it ®xed
so it will be ready to warn you if there is a problem.
Engine Coolant Temperature Gage
This gage shows the engine coolant temperature. If the
gage pointer moves into the red area, your engine is
too hot! It means that your engine has overheated. If you
have been operating your vehicle under normal driving
conditions, you should pull off the road, stop your
vehicle and turn off the engine as soon as possible. See
Engine Overheating on page 5-30. United States
Canada
3-33

Cruise Control Light
The CRUISE light appears
whenever you use the
ON-OFF button to set your
cruise control. See
ªCruise Controlº under
Turn Signal/Multifunction
Lever on page 3-5.
Overdrive Off Light
Your automatic transaxle
has overdrive. The light
will come on whenever you
turn off the overdrive.
See ªOverdrive Offº under
Automatic Transaxle
Operation on page 2-20.
Low Washer Fluid Warning Light
This light will come on
when your windshield
washer ¯uid is low
(Canada Only).
Door Ajar Light
This light will come on if
any door, the rear liftgate
or the rear liftglass are
not completely closed.
3-39

Fuel Gage
Your fuel gage shows about how much fuel is in your
tank. There is an arrow on the fuel gage that indicates
that the fuel ®ller door is on the left side of your
vehicle. The fuel gage works only when the ignition
switch is ON. When the gage ®rst indicates E or empty,
you still have a little fuel left, about 1 or 2 gallons
(3.8 L or 7.6 L), but you need to get more right away.
When your vehicle is low on fuel the low fuel warning
light, located below the empty mark, will also come on to
remind you to add fuel.Here are ®ve things some owners ask about. None of
these show a problem with your fuel gage.
·At the gas station, the fuel pump shuts off before
the gage reads F or full.
·It takes a little more or less fuel to ®ll up than the
gage indicated. For example, the gage may have
indicated the tank was half full, but it actually took
more or less than half the tank's capacity to ®ll it.
·It takes the gage several minutes to read F or full
after ®lling the vehicle with fuel.
·The gage moves a little when you turn, stop or
speed up.
·The gage doesn't go back to E or empty when you
turn off the ignition. United StatesCanada
3-40

Anti-lock Brake System
Your vehicle may have anti-lock brakes. ABS is an
advanced electronic braking system that will help
prevent a braking skid.
If your vehicle has anti-lock brakes, this warning light on
the instrument panel will come on brie¯y when you
start your vehicle.
When you start your engine, or when you begin to drive
away, your anti-lock brake system will check itself.
You may hear a momentary motor or clicking noise while
this test is going on, and you may even notice that
your brake pedal moves or pulses a little. This is normal.
If there is a problem with the anti-lock brake system,
the anti-lock brake system warning light will stay on. See
Anti-Lock Brake System Warning Light on page 3-32.Let us say the road is wet and you are driving safely.
Suddenly, an animal jumps out in front of you. You slam
on the brakes and continue braking. Here is what
happens with ABS:
A computer senses that wheels are slowing down. If
one of the wheels is about to stop rolling, the computer
will separately work the brakes at each front wheel
and at both rear wheels. United States
Canada
4-7

Loss of Control
Let us review what driving experts say about what
happens when the three control systems (brakes,
steering and acceleration) do not have enough friction
where the tires meet the road to do what the driver
has asked.
In any emergency, do not give up. Keep trying to steer
and constantly seek an escape route or area of less
danger.
Skidding
In a skid, a driver can lose control of the vehicle.
Defensive drivers avoid most skids by taking reasonable
care suited to existing conditions, and by not
ªoverdrivingº those conditions. But skids are always
possible.
The three types of skids correspond to your vehicle's
three control systems. In the braking skid, your wheels
are not rolling. In the steering or cornering skid, too
much speed or steering in a curve causes tires to slip
and lose cornering force. And in the acceleration
skid, too much throttle causes the driving wheels
to spin.
A cornering skid and an acceleration skid are best
handled by easing your foot off the accelerator pedal.If your vehicle starts to slide, ease your foot off the
accelerator pedal and quickly steer the way you want
the vehicle to go. If you start steering quickly enough,
your vehicle may straighten out. Always be ready
for a second skid if it occurs.
Of course, traction is reduced when water, snow, ice,
gravel or other material is on the road. For safety,
you will want to slow down and adjust your driving to
these conditions. It is important to slow down on slippery
surfaces because stopping distance will be longer and
vehicle control more limited.
While driving on a surface with reduced traction, try
your best to avoid sudden steering, acceleration
or braking (including engine braking by shifting to a
lower gear). Any sudden changes could cause the tires
to slide. You may not realize the surface is slippery
until your vehicle is skidding. Learn to recognize warning
clues Ð such as enough water, ice or packed snow
on the road to make a ªmirrored surfaceº Ð and slow
down when you have any doubt.
If you have the anti-lock braking system, remember: It
helps avoid only the braking skid. If you do not have
anti-lock, then in a braking skid (where the wheels are
no longer rolling), release enough pressure on the
brakes to get the wheels rolling again. This restores
steering control. Push the brake pedal down steadily
when you have to stop suddenly. As long as the wheels
are rolling, you will have steering control.
4-14