2005 CHEVROLET COBALT tow

If the Light is Flashing
The following may prevent more serious damage to
your vehicle:
Reducing vehicle speed
Avoiding hard accelerations
Avoiding steep uphill grades
If you are towing a trailer, reduce the amount of
cargo being hauled as soon as it is possible
If the light stops ashing and remains on steady, see “If
the Light Is On Steady” following.
If the light continues to ash, when it is safe to do so,
stop the vehicle. Find a safe place to park your vehicle.
Turn the key off, wait at least 10 seconds and restart
the engine. If the light remains on steady, see “If
the Light Is On Steady” following. If the light is still
ashing, follow the previous steps, and see your dealer
for service as soon as possible.
If the Light Is On Steady
You may be able to correct the emission system
malfunction by considering the following:
Did you recently put fuel into your vehicle?
If so, reinstall the fuel cap, making sure to fully install
the cap. SeeFilling the Tank on page 5-8. The
diagnostic system can determine if the fuel cap hasbeen left off or improperly installed. A loose or missing
fuel cap will allow fuel to evaporate into the atmosphere.
A few driving trips with the cap properly installed
should turn the light off.
Did you just drive through a deep puddle of water?
If so, your electrical system may be wet. The condition
will usually be corrected when the electrical system
dries out. A few driving trips should turn the light off.
Have you recently changed brands of fuel?
If so, be sure to fuel your vehicle with quality fuel. See
Gasoline Octane on page 5-5. Poor fuel quality will
cause your engine not to run as efficiently as designed.
You may notice this as stalling after start-up, stalling
when you put the vehicle into gear, misring, hesitation
on acceleration, or stumbling on acceleration. (These
conditions may go away once the engine is warmed up.)
This will be detected by the system and cause the
light to turn on.
If you experience one or more of these conditions,
change the fuel brand you use. It will require at least
one full tank of the proper fuel to turn the light off.
If none of the above steps have made the light turn off,
your dealer can check the vehicle. Your dealer has
the proper test equipment and diagnostic tools to x any
mechanical or electrical problems that may have
developed.
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To adjust the tone controls to the middle position, rst end
out of tone by pressing another button, causing the radio
to perform that function, or by waiting ve seconds for the
display to return to the default display. Then press and
hold the EQ button for more than two seconds until you
hear a beep. CEN will appear on the display.
Adjusting the Speakers (Balance/Fade)
xw
(Balance/Fade):To adjust the balance between
the right and the left speakers, press and release
the balance/fade button until BAL appears on the
display. Then turn the ADJ knob to move the sound
toward the right or the left speakers.
To adjust the fade between the front and the rear
speakers, press and release the balance/fade button
until FADE appears on the display. Then turn the
ADJ knob to move the sound toward the front or the
rear speakers.
To adjust the balance or the fade to the middle position,
select BAL or FADE. Then press and hold the
balance/fade button for more than two seconds. You will
hear a beep and the level will be adjusted to the
middle position.To adjust the speaker controls to the middle position,
rst end out of balance and fade by pressing another
button, causing the radio to perform that function, or by
waiting ve seconds for the display to return to the
default display. Then press and hold the balance/fade
button for more than two seconds until you hear a beep.
CEN will appear on the display.
Radio Messages
CAL (Calibration):The audio system has been
calibrated for your vehicle from the factory. If CAL
appears on the display it means that the radio has not
been congured properly for your vehicle and must
be returned to your GM dealer for service.
LOCK:This message is displayed when the
THEFTLOCK
®system has locked up the radio. Take
the vehicle to your GM dealer for service.
If any error occurs repeatedly or if an error cannot be
corrected, contact your GM dealer.
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Adjusting the Speakers (Balance/Fade)
xw
(Balance/Fade):To adjust the balance between
the right and the left speakers, press and release
the balance/fade button until BAL appears on the
display. Then turn the ADJ knob to move the sound
toward the right or the left speakers.
To adjust the fade between the front and the rear
speakers, press and release the balance/fade button
until FADE appears on the display. Then turn the
ADJ knob to move the sound toward the front or the
rear speakers.
To adjust the balance or the fade to the middle position,
select BAL or FADE. Then press and hold the
balance/fade button for more than two seconds. You will
hear a beep and the level will be adjusted to the
middle position.
To adjust the speaker controls to the middle position,
rst end out of balance and fade by pressing another
button, causing the radio to perform that function, or by
waiting ve seconds for the display to return to the
default display. Then press and hold the balance/fade
button for more than two seconds until you hear a beep.
ALL CENTERED will appear on the display.
Finding a Program Type (PTY) Station
(RDS and XM™)
To select and nd a desired PTY perform the following:
1. Press the P-TYPE button to activate program
type select mode. PTY and a program type will
appear on the display.
2. Turn the ADJ knob to select a PTY.
3. Once the desired PTY is displayed, press the
SEEK left arrow to select the PTY and to take
you to the PTY’s rst station.
4. To go to another station within that PTY press the
SEEK left arrow again. If the radio cannot nd the
desired PTY, NONE FOUND will appear on the
display and the radio will return to the last station
you were listening to.
After 15 seconds of inactivity or if the P-TYPE
button is pressed again, the radio will exit program
type select mode.
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Adjusting the Speakers (Balance/Fade)
xw
(Balance/Fade):To adjust the balance between
the right and the left speakers, press and release
the balance/fade button until BAL appears on the
display. Then turn the ADJ knob to move the sound
toward the right or the left speakers.
To adjust the fade between the front and the rear
speakers, press and release the balance/fade button
until FADE appears on the display. Then turn the
ADJ knob to move the sound toward the front or the
rear speakers.
To adjust the balance or the fade to the middle position,
select BAL or FADE. Then press and hold the
balance/fade button for more than two seconds. You will
hear a beep and the level will be adjusted to the
middle position.
To adjust the speaker controls to the middle position,
rst end out of balance and fade by pressing another
button, causing the radio to perform that function, or by
waiting ve seconds for the display to return to the
default display. Then press and hold the balance/fade
button for more than two seconds until you hear a beep.
ALL CENTERED will appear on the display.
Finding a Program Type (PTY) Station
(RDS and XM™)
To select and nd a desired PTY perform the following:
1. Press the P-TYPE button to activate program
type select mode. PTY and a program type will
appear on the display.
2. Turn the ADJ knob to select a PTY.
3. Once the desired PTY is displayed, press the
SEEK left arrow to select the PTY and to take
you to the PTY’s rst station.
4. To go to another station within that PTY press the
SEEK left arrow again. If the radio cannot nd the
desired PTY, NONE FOUND will appear on the
display and the radio will return to the last station
you were listening to.
After 15 seconds of inactivity or if the P-TYPE
button is pressed again, the radio will exit program
type select mode.
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Your Driving, the Road, and Your Vehicle..........4-2
Defensive Driving...........................................4-2
Drunken Driving.............................................4-2
Control of a Vehicle........................................4-5
Braking.........................................................4-5
Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS).........................4-6
Braking in Emergencies...................................4-8
Enhanced Traction System (ETS).....................4-8
Limited-Slip Differential....................................4-9
Steering......................................................4-10
Off-Road Recovery.......................................4-12
Passing.......................................................4-13
Loss of Control.............................................4-14
Driving at Night............................................4-16
Driving in Rain and on Wet Roads..................4-17City Driving..................................................4-20
Freeway Driving...........................................4-21
Before Leaving on a Long Trip.......................4-22
Highway Hypnosis........................................4-23
Hill and Mountain Roads................................4-23
Winter Driving..............................................4-25
If Your Vehicle is Stuck in Sand, Mud,
Ice or Snow..............................................4-29
Rocking Your Vehicle to Get It Out.................4-30
Loading Your Vehicle....................................4-30
Towing..........................................................4-35
Towing Your Vehicle.....................................4-35
Recreational Vehicle Towing...........................4-35
Towing a Trailer (Manual Transaxle)................4-37
Towing a Trailer (Automatic Transaxle)............4-38
Section 4 Driving Your Vehicle
4-1

Rocking Your Vehicle to Get It Out
First, turn your steering wheel left and right. That
will clear the area around your front wheels. Then shift
back and forth between REVERSE (R) and a forward
gear, or with a manual transaxle, between FIRST (1) or
SECOND (2) and REVERSE (R), spinning the wheels
as little as possible. Release the accelerator pedal while
you shift, and press lightly on the accelerator pedal
when the transaxle is in gear. By slowly spinning your
wheels in the forward and reverse directions, you
will cause a rocking motion that may free your vehicle. If
that does not get you out after a few tries, you may
need to be towed out. If you do need to be towed out,
seeTowing Your Vehicle on page 4-35.
Loading Your Vehicle
It is very important to know how much weight your
vehicle can carry. This weight is called the vehicle
capacity weight and includes the weight of all occupants,
cargo and all nonfactory-installed options. Two labels
on your vehicle show how much weight it may properly
carry, the Tire and Loading Information label and the
Certication label.
{CAUTION:
Do not load your vehicle any heavier than the
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR), or either
the maximum front or rear Gross Axle Weight
Rating (GAWR). If you do, parts on your
vehicle can break, and it can change the way
your vehicle handles. These could cause you
to lose control and crash. Also, overloading
can shorten the life of your vehicle.
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4. The resulting gure equals the available amount of
cargo and luggage load capacity. For example, if
the “XXX” amount equals 1400 lbs and there will be
ve 150 lb passengers in your vehicle, the amount
of available cargo and luggage load capacity is
650 lbs (1400−750 (5 x 150) = 650 lbs).
5. Determine the combined weight of luggage and
cargo being loaded on the vehicle. That weight
may not safely exceed the available cargo
and luggage load capacity calculated in Step 4.
6. If your vehicle will be towing a trailer, the load from
your trailer will be transferred to your vehicle.
Consult this manual to determine how this reduces
the available cargo and luggage load capacity of
your vehicle.
If your vehicle can tow a trailer, seeTowing a
Trailer (Manual Transaxle) on page 4-37orTowing
a Trailer (Automatic Transaxle) on page 4-38for
important information on towing a trailer, towing
safety rules, and trailering tips.
Item Description Total
AVehicle Capacity Weight
for Example 1=1,000 lbs (453 kg)
BSubtract Occupant
Weight 150 lbs
(68 kg)×2=300 lbs (136 kg)
CAvailable Occupant and
Cargo Weight=700 lbs (317 kg) Example 1
4-32

{CAUTION:
Things you put inside your vehicle can strike
and injure people in a sudden stop or turn, or
in a crash.
Put things in the trunk or rear area of your
vehicle. In a trunk, put them as far forward
as you can. Try to spread the weight
evenly. If you have fold-down rear seats,
you will nd four anchors on the back wall
of your trunk. You can use these anchors
to tie down lighter loads. They are not
strong enough for heavy things, however,
so put them as far forward as you can in
the trunk or rear area.
Never stack heavier things, like suitcases,
inside the vehicle so that some of them
are above the tops of the seats.
Do not leave an unsecured child restraint
in your vehicle.
When you carry something inside the
vehicle, secure it whenever you can.
Do not leave a seat folded down unless
you need to.
Towing
Towing Your Vehicle
Consult your dealer or a professional towing service if
you need to have your disabled vehicle towed. See
Roadside Assistance Program on page 7-6.
If you want to tow your vehicle behind another vehicle
for recreational purposes (such as behind a motorhome),
see “Recreational Vehicle Towing” following.
Recreational Vehicle Towing
Recreational vehicle towing means towing your vehicle
behind another vehicle — such as behind a motorhome.
The two most common types of recreational vehicle
towing are known as “dinghy towing” (towing your
vehicle with all four wheels on the ground) and “dolly
towing” (towing your vehicle with two wheels on
the ground and two wheels up on a device known
as a “dolly”).
With the proper preparation and equipment, many
vehicles can be towed in these ways. See “Dinghy
Towing” and “Dolly Towing,” following.
4-35