2004 SATURN VUE tires

Seats and Restraint Systems........................... 1-1
Front Seats
............................................... 1-2
Rear Seats
............................................... 1-8
Safety Belts
.............................................1-10
Child Restraints
.......................................1-28
Airbag Systems
........................................1-48
Restraint System Check
............................1-58
Features and Controls..................................... 2-1
Keys
........................................................ 2-2
Doors and Locks
....................................... 2-7
Windows
.................................................2-11
Theft-Deterrent Systems
............................2-13
Starting and Operating Your Vehicle
...........2-14
Mirrors
....................................................2-29
OnStar
®System
......................................2-35
Storage Areas
.........................................2-36
Sunroof
..................................................2-38
Instrument Panel............................................. 3-1
Instrument Panel Overview
.......................... 3-4
Climate Controls
......................................3-21
Warning Lights, Gages, and Indicators
........3-25
Audio System(s)
.......................................3-42Driving Your Vehicle....................................... 4-1
Your Driving, the Road, and Your Vehicle
..... 4-2
Towing
...................................................4-46
Service and Appearance Care.......................... 5-1
Service
..................................................... 5-3
Fuel
......................................................... 5-5
Checking Things Under the Hood
...............5-10
All-Wheel Drive
........................................5-51
Headlamp Aiming
.....................................5-52
Bulb Replacement
....................................5-53
Windshield Wiper Blade Replacement
.........5-60
Tires
......................................................5-62
Appearance Care
.....................................5-89
Vehicle Identication
.................................5-97
Electrical System
......................................5-98
Capacities and Specications
...................5-102
Maintenance Schedule..................................... 6-1
Maintenance Schedule
................................ 6-2
Customer Assistance and Information.............. 7-1
Customer Assistance and Information
........... 7-2
Reporting Safety Defects
............................ 7-8
Index................................................................ 1
2004 Saturn VUE Owner ManualM
ProCarManuals.com

AUTOMATIC OVERDRIVE (D):This position is for
normal driving with the automatic transaxle. If you need
more power for passing, and you are:
Going less than about 35 mph (55 km/h), push your
accelerator pedal about halfway down.
Going about 35 mph (55 km/h), push your
accelerator all the way down.
INTERMEDIATE (I):This position is also used for
normal driving, however, it offers more power and lower
fuel economy than AUTOMATIC OVERDRIVE (D).
Here are some times you might choose
INTERMEDIATE (I) instead of AUTOMATIC
OVERDRIVE (D):
When driving on hilly, winding roads.
When going down a steep hill.
LOW (L):This position gives you more power but lower
fuel economy. You can use LOW (L) on hills. It can
help control your speed as you go down steep mountain
roads, but then you would also want to use your
brakes off and on.Notice:If you drive in LOW (L) for more than
25 miles (40 km) or at speeds over 55 mph (90 km/h),
you could damage your engine and/or transaxle.
Use DRIVE (D) or INTERMEDIATE (I) as much
as possible. Shift into LOW (L) only if your vehicle
is going slower than 65 mph (105 km/h).
Notice:Spinning the tires or holding the vehicle
in one place on a hill using only the accelerator
pedal may damage the transaxle. If you are stuck,
do not spin the tires. When stopping on a hill,
use the brakes to hold the vehicle in place.
Shift Lock Release
If you ever hold the brake pedal down but still cannot
shift out of PARK (P), try this:
1. Turn the ignition to OFF and remove the key.
2. Carefully pry the shift lock override cover from the
oor shift console.
2-20
ProCarManuals.com

Malfunction Indicator Lamp
Service Engine Soon Light
Your vehicle is equipped
with a computer which
monitors operation of the
fuel, ignition, and emission
control systems.
This system is called OBD II (On-Board
Diagnostics-Second Generation) and is intended
to assure that emissions are at acceptable levels
for the life of the vehicle, helping to produce a cleaner
environment. The SERVICE ENGINE SOON light
comes on to indicate that there is a problem and service
is required. Malfunctions often will be indicated by
the system before any problem is apparent. This may
prevent more serious damage to your vehicle. This
system is also designed to assist your service technician
in correctly diagnosing any malfunction.
Notice:If you keep driving your vehicle with this
light on, after awhile, your emission controls may not
work as well, your fuel economy may not be as good,
and your engine may not run as smoothly. This could
lead to costly repairs that may not be covered by
your warranty.Notice:Modications made to the engine,
transaxle, exhaust, intake, or fuel system of your
vehicle or the replacement of the original tires with
other than those of the same Tire Performance
Criteria (TPC) can affect your vehicle’s emission
controls and may cause this light to come on.
Modications to these systems could lead to costly
repairs not covered by your warranty. This may
also result in a failure to pass a required Emission
Inspection/Maintenance test.
This light should come on, as a check to show you
it is working, when the ignition is on and the engine is
not running. If the light does not come on, have it
repaired. This light will also come on during a
malfunction in one of two ways:
Light Flashing— A misre condition has been
detected. A misre increases vehicle emissions
and may damage the emission control system on
your vehicle. Diagnosis and service may be
required.
Light On Steady— An emission control system
malfunction has been detected on your vehicle.
Diagnosis and service may be required.
3-35
ProCarManuals.com

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 is
easy to ask more of those control systems than the tires
and road can provide. That means you can lose control
of your vehicle. SeeTraction Control System (TCS)
on page 4-10.
Braking
Braking action involvesperception timeand
reaction time.
First, you have to decide to push on the brake pedal.
That isperception time.Then you have to bring up your
foot and do it. That isreaction time.
Averagereaction timeis about 3/4 of a second. But
that is 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 is 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.
4-7
ProCarManuals.com

Steering Tips
Driving on Curves
It is important to take curves at a reasonable speed.
A lot of the “driver lost control” accidents mentioned on
the news happen on curves. Here is why:
Experienced driver or beginner, each of us is subject
to the same laws of physics when driving on curves.
The traction of the tires against the road surface makes
it possible for the vehicle to change its path when
you turn the front wheels. If there is no traction,
inertia will keep the vehicle going in the same direction.
If you have ever tried to steer a vehicle on wet ice,
you will understand this.
The traction you can get in a curve depends on the
condition of your tires and the road surface, the angle
at which the curve is banked, and your speed. While you
are in a curve, speed is the one factor you can control.
Suppose you are steering through a sharp curve.
Then you suddenly apply the brakes. Both control
systems — steering and braking — have to do their
work where the tires meet the road. Unless you
have four-wheel anti-lock brakes, adding the hard
braking can demand too much of those places.
You can lose control.The same thing can happen if you are steering through
a sharp curve and you suddenly accelerate. Those
two control systems — steering and acceleration — can
overwhelm those places where the tires meet the
road and make you lose control. SeeTraction Control
System (TCS) on page 4-10.
What should you do if this ever happens? Ease up on
the brake or accelerator pedal, steer the vehicle the way
you want it to go, and slow down.
Speed limit signs near curves warn that you should
adjust your speed. Of course, the posted speeds
are based on good weather and road conditions. Under
less favorable conditions you will want to go slower.
If you need to reduce your speed as you approach
a curve, do it before you enter the curve, while your
front wheels are straight ahead.
Try to adjust your speed so you can “drive” through
the curve. Maintain a reasonable, steady speed.
Wait to accelerate until you are out of the curve, and
then accelerate gently into the straightaway.
4-13
ProCarManuals.com

Do not get too close to the vehicle you want to
pass while you are awaiting an opportunity. For one
thing, following too closely reduces your area of
vision, especially if you are following a larger
vehicle. Also, you will not have adequate space if
the vehicle ahead suddenly slows or stops.
Keep back a reasonable distance.
When it looks like a chance to pass is coming up,
start to accelerate but stay in the right lane and do
not get too close. Time your move so you will be
increasing speed as the time comes to move into
the other lane. If the way is clear to pass, you will
have a running start that more than makes up for the
distance you would lose by dropping back. And if
something happens to cause you to cancel your
pass, you need only slow down and drop back again
and wait for another opportunity.
If other vehicles are lined up to pass a slow vehicle,
wait your turn. But take care that someone is not
trying to pass you as you pull out to pass the slow
vehicle. Remember to glance over your shoulder and
check the blind spot.
Check your mirrors, glance over your shoulder,
and start your left lane change signal before moving
out of the right lane to pass. When you are far
enough ahead of the passed vehicle to see its front
in your inside mirror, activate your right lane
change signal and move back into the right lane.Remember that your right outside mirror is convex.
The vehicle you just passed may seem to be farther
away from you than it really is.
Try not to pass more than one vehicle at a time on
two-lane roads. Reconsider before passing the next
vehicle.
Do not overtake a slowly moving vehicle too rapidly.
Even though the brake lamps are not ashing, it may
be slowing down or starting to turn.
If you are being passed, make it easy for the
following driver to get ahead of you. Perhaps you
can ease a little to the right.
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.
4-16
ProCarManuals.com

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 overdriving
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 is best handled by easing your foot
off the accelerator pedal.
If you have the Traction Control System (TCS),
remember: It helps avoid only the acceleration skid.
SeeTraction Control System (TCS) on page 4-10.Ifyou
do not have this system, or if the system is off, then
an acceleration skid is also 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 — such as enough water, ice, or packed snow
on the road to make a mirrored surface — and
slow down when you have any doubt.
If you have the anti-lock braking system (ABS),
remember: It helps avoid only the braking skid. If you
do not have ABS, 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.
4-17
ProCarManuals.com

{CAUTION:
Cargo on the load oor piled higher than
the seatbacks can be thrown forward
during a sudden stop. You or your
passengers could be injured. Keep cargo
below the top of the seatbacks.
Unsecured cargo on the load oor can be
tossed about when driving over rough
terrain. You or your passengers can be
struck by ying objects. Secure the cargo
properly.
Heavy loads on the roof raise the vehicle’s
center of gravity, making it more likely to
roll over. You can be seriously or fatally
injured if the vehicle rolls over. Put heavy
loads inside the cargo area, not on the
roof. Keep cargo in the cargo area as far
forward and low as possible.
You will nd other important information in this manual.
SeeLoading Your Vehicle on page 4-49,Roof Rack
System on page 2-37andTires on page 5-62.
Environmental Concerns
Off-road driving can provide wholesome and satisfying
recreation. However, it also raises environmental
concerns. We recognize these concerns and urge every
off-roader to follow these basic rules for protecting
the environment:
Always use established trails, roads and areas that
have been specially set aside for public off-road
recreational driving; obey all posted regulations.
Avoid any driving practice that could damage
the environment — shrubs, owers, trees,
grasses — or disturb wildlife (this includes
wheel-spinning, breaking down trees or
unnecessary driving through streams or over
soft ground).
Always carry a litter bag — make sure all refuse
is removed from any campsite before leaving.
Take extreme care with open res (where
permitted), camp stoves and lanterns.
Never park your vehicle over dry grass or other
combustible materials that could catch re form
the heat of the vehicle’s exhaust system.
4-19
ProCarManuals.com