2005 CHEVROLET ASTRO ignition

Hazard Warning Flashers
Your hazard warning ashers let you warn others. They
also let police know you have a problem. Your front
and rear turn signal lamps will ash on and off.
The hazard warning
asher button is located
on top of the steering
column.
Your hazard warning ashers work no matter what
position your key is in, and even if the key is not in
the ignition.
Press the button to make the front and rear turn signal
lamps ash on and off. Press the button again to
turn the ashers off.
When the hazard warning ashers are on, your turn
signals will not work.
Other Warning Devices
If you carry reective triangles, you can set them up
at the side of the road about 300 feet (100 m) behind
your vehicle.
Horn
Press the horn symbol in the middle of the steering
wheel to sound the horn.
Tilt Wheel
A tilt steering wheel allows you to adjust the steering
wheel before you drive. You can also raise it to the
highest level to give your legs more room when you
exit and enter the vehicle.
The lever that allows you to tilt the steering wheel is
located on the left side of the steering column.
3-6

Increasing Speed While Using
Cruise Control
There are two ways to go to a higher speed:
Use the accelerator pedal to get to the higher
speed. Press the button at the end of the lever,
then release the button and the accelerator pedal.
You’ll now cruise at the higher speed.
Move the cruise switch from ON to R/A. Hold it
there until you get up to the speed you want,
and then release the switch. To increase your speed
in very small amounts, move the switch to R/A
briey. Each time you do this, your vehicle will go
about 1 mph (1.6 km/h) faster.
Reducing Speed While Using
Cruise Control
There are two ways to reduce your speed while using
cruise control:
Press the button at the end of the lever until you
reach the lower speed you want, then release it.
To slow down in very small amounts, press the
button briey. Each time you do this, you’ll go
about 1 mph (1.6 km/h) slower.
Passing Another Vehicle While Using
Cruise Control
Use the accelerator pedal to increase your speed.
When you take your foot off the pedal, your vehicle will
slow down to the cruise control speed you set earlier.
Using Cruise Control on Hills
How well your cruise control will work on hills
depends upon your speed, load and the steepness of
the hills. When going up steep hills, you may want
to step on the accelerator pedal to maintain your speed.
When going downhill, you may have to brake or shift
to a lower gear to keep your speed down. Of course,
applying the brake takes you out of cruise control. Many
drivers nd this to be too much trouble and don’t use
cruise control on steep hills.
Ending Cruise Control
There are two ways to turn off the cruise control:
Step lightly on the brake pedal.
Move the cruise switch to OFF.
Erasing Speed Memory
When you turn off the cruise control or the ignition,
your cruise control set speed memory is erased.
3-13

Exterior Lamps
The exterior lamp control is located on the driver’s side
of the instrument panel.
The exterior lamp control has three positions:
9(Off):Turning the control to this position turns off
all lamps except the Daytime Running Lamps (DRL).
;(Parking Lamps):Turning the control to this
position turns on the parking lamps, together with the
following:
Sidemarker Lamps
Taillamps
License Plate Lamps
Instrument Panel Lights
Ashtray Lamp
O(Headlamps):Turning the control to this position
turns on the headlamps, together with the previously
listed lamps and lights.
Headlamps on Reminder
A reminder tone will sound when your headlamps or
parking lamps are manually turned on and your ignition
is in OFF, LOCK or ACCESSORY. To disable the
tone, turn the instrument panel brightness thumbwheel
all the way down. In the automatic mode, the
headlamps turn off once the ignition key is in OFF.
3-14

Daytime Running Lamps (DRL)
Daytime Running Lamps (DRL) can make it easier for
others to see the front of your vehicle during the
day. DRL can be helpful in many different driving
conditions, but they can be especially helpful in the short
periods after dawn and before sunset. Fully functional
daytime running lamps are required on all vehicles
rst sold in Canada.
The DRL system will make your headlamps come on at
a reduced brightness when the following conditions
are met:
The ignition is on,
the exterior lamp control is off,
the automatic transmission is not in PARK (P),
the light sensor determines it is daytime, and
the parking brake is released.
When the DRL are on, only your DRL lamps will be on.
The taillamps, sidemarker and other lamps won’t be
on. Your instrument panel won’t be lit up either.
When it begins to get dark, the automatic headlamp
system will switch from DRL to the headlamps or the last
chosen headlamp setting that was used.To idle your vehicle with the DRL off, put the
transmission in PARK (P). The DRL will stay off until
you shift out of PARK (P).
The following does not apply to vehicles rst sold in
Canada.
When necessary, you may turn off the automatic
headlamp system and the Daytime Running Lamps
(DRL) feature by following the steps below:
1. Turn the ignition to RUN.
2. Press the DOME OVERRIDE button four times
within six seconds. After the fourth press of the
button, a chime will sound informing you that
the system is off.
To return to the automatic mode, push the DOME
OVERRIDE button four times within six seconds
(the chime will sound), or turn the ignition to off and
then to RUN again.
As with any vehicle, you should turn on the regular
headlamp system when you need it.
3-15

Automatic Headlamp System
When it is dark enough outside, your automatic
headlamp system will turn on your headlamps at the
normal brightness along with other lamps such as
the taillamps, sidemarker, parking lamps and the
instrument panel lights. The radio lights will also dim.
Your vehicle is equipped with a light sensor on the top of
the instrument panel in the defroster grille. Be sure it
is not covered, or the system will be on whenever
the ignition is on.
The system may also turn on your headlamps when
driving through a parking garage, heavy overcast
weather or a tunnel. This is normal.
There is a delay in the transition between the daytime
and nighttime operation of the Daytime Running
Lamps (DRL) and the automatic headlamp systems so
that driving under bridges or bright overhead street
lights does not affect the system. The DRL and
automatic headlamp system will only be affected when
the light sensor sees a change in lighting lasting
longer than the delay.
To idle your vehicle with the automatic headlamp
system off, set the parking brake while the ignition is
off. Then start your vehicle. The automatic headlamp
system will stay off until you release the parking brake.You may be able to turn off your automatic headlamp
system. SeeDaytime Running Lamps (DRL) on
page 3-15for more information.
As with any vehicle, you should turn on the regular
headlamps when you need them.
Instrument Panel Brightness
The thumbwheel for this feature is located to the right of
the exterior lamps control. Turn the thumbwheel up to
brighten the lights or down to dim them.
Moving the thumbwheel up to the rst position will
activate the interior dome lamps.
Dome Lamps
The dome lamps will come on when you open a door.
The dome lamps will not come on if only the rear door is
opened.
Press the DOME OVERRIDE button in to cancel
automatic operation of the dome lamps. The button is
located near the exterior lamp control. Press the button
again to return it to the out position for normal
operation.
3-16

You can also turn the dome lamps on by turning the
thumbwheel, located next to the exterior lamp control, all
the way up. In this position, the dome lamps will
remain on whether a door is opened or closed.
You can use the DOME OVERRIDE button to set the
dome lamps to come on automatically when a door
is opened, or to remain off. To turn the lamps off,
press the button into the in position, the dome lamps
will remain off when a door is open. To return the
lamps to automatic operation, press the button again
and return it to the out position. With the button in
this position, the dome lamps will come on when you
open a door.
Entry Lighting
Your vehicle is equipped with an illuminated entry
feature.
When a door is opened, the dome lamps will come on
if the DOME OVERRIDE button is in the out position.
The dome lamps will not come on when the Dutch,
or rear doors are opened. When all the doors are closed,
the lamps will stay on for a short period of time and
will then go out. If the DOME OVERRIDE button
is pressed in, the lamps will not come on.
Exit Lighting
With exit lighting, the interior lamps will come on when
you remove the key from the ignition. The interior
lamps will not come on if the DOME OVERRIDE button
is pressed in.
Battery Run-Down Protection
This feature shuts off the dome, courtesy, vanity,
reading and glove box lights if they are left on for more
than 20 minutes when the ignition is off. This will
keep your battery from running down.
If the battery run-down protection shuts off the interior
lamps, it may be necessary to do one of the following to
return to normal operation:
Shut off all lamps and close all doors, or
turn the ignition key to RUN.
Accessory Power Outlets
You can plug accessory electrical equipment into an
accessory power outlet. Just pull on the outlet cover to
remove it and follow the proper installation instructions
that are included with any electrical equipment that
you install.
3-17

Defogging and Defrosting
Turn the right knob to select the defog or defrost mode.
-(Floor/Defog):With this setting, the outside air
comes out of both the oor and defroster outlets. Adjust
the temperature knob for warmer or cooler air. The
air conditioning compressor may operate in this setting
to dehumidfy the air.
1(Defrost):This setting operates the defroster. Most
of the air comes out near the windshield, with some
going to the oor outlets and front side windows. The air
conditioning compressor may operate in this setting to
dehumidify the air.
The bi-level setting is useful for cold weather with a
large number of passengers or very humid conditions to
help keep the windshield clear. Use defrost to remove
fog or ice from the windshield quickly in extremely
cold conditions. The temperature knob should be in the
red area and the fan control toward high.
Rear Window Defogger
The rear window defogger uses a warming grid to
remove fog or frost from the rear window.
The rear window defogger will only work when the
ignition is in RUN.
Press this button to turn
the rear window defogger
on or off. Be sure to
clear as much snow from
the window as possible.
The rear window defogger will turn off several minutes
after the button is pressed. If turned on again, the
defogger will run for several more minutes before turning
off. The defogger can also be turned off by pressing
the button again or by turning off the engine.
3-20

Airbag Readiness Light
There is an airbag readiness light on the instrument
panel, which shows AIR BAG or the airbag symbol.
The system checks the airbag’s electrical system
for malfunctions. The light tells you if there is an
electrical problem. The system check includes the airbag
sensor, the airbag modules, the wiring and the crash
sensing and diagnostic module. For more information on
the airbag system, seeAirbag System on page 1-63.
This light will come on when you start your vehicle, and
it will ash for a few seconds. Then the light should
go out. This means the system is ready.
If the airbag readiness light stays on after you start the
vehicle or comes on when you are driving, your airbag
system may not work properly. Have your vehicle
serviced right away.{CAUTION:
If the airbag readiness light stays on after you
start your vehicle, it means the airbag system
may not be working properly. The airbags in
your vehicle may not inate in a crash, or they
could even inate without a crash. To help
avoid injury to yourself or others, have your
vehicle serviced right away if the airbag
readiness light stays on after you start your
vehicle.
The airbag readiness light should ash for a few
seconds when you turn the ignition key to RUN. If the
light doesn’t come on then, have it xed so it will
be ready to warn you if there is a problem. United States
Canada
3-26