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 Your Tank on page 5-8.
The diagnostic system can determine if the fuel cap has
been 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.
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Have you recently changed brands of fuel?
If so, be sure to fuel your vehicle with quality fuel.
SeeGasoline 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, mis ring, 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.Emissions Inspection and
Maintenance Programs
Some state/provincial and local governments have or
may begin programs to inspect the emission control
equipment on your vehicle. Failure to pass this inspection
could prevent you from getting a vehicle registration.
Here are some things you need to know to help your
vehicle pass an inspection:
Your vehicle will not pass this inspection if the check
engine light is on or not working properly.
Your vehicle will not pass this inspection if the OBD
(on-board diagnostic) system determines that critical
emission control systems have not been completely
diagnosed by the system. The vehicle would be
considered not ready for inspection. This can happen
if you have recently replaced your battery or if your
battery has run down. The diagnostic system is
designed to evaluate critical emission control systems
during normal driving. This may take several days
of routine driving. If you have done this and your
vehicle still does not pass the inspection for lack of
OBD system readiness, your GM dealer can prepare
the vehicle for inspection.
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Fuel Gage
Your fuel gage tells you about how much fuel you have
left, when the ignition is on. SeeLow Fuel Warning
Light on page 3-36for more information.
Low Fuel Warning Light
This light comes on when the fuel tank is low on fuel.
To turn if off, add fuel to the fuel tank.
Driver Information Center (DIC)
The Driver Information Center (DIC) provides the
following:
A way to personalize your vehicle
Trip information
Warning messages
United States
Canada
United StatesCanada
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The buttons used to activate the DIC are located on the
left side of the vehicle’s audio system.
INFO/
4(Information):Press this button to scroll
through the vehicle information mode displays.
MENU:Press this button to enter and scroll through the
menu mode.
ENTER/
r(Enter):Press this button to select a
menu option or to acknowledge a warning message.
The DIC messages will be read through your audio
system display.
DIC Operation and Displays
The DIC comes on when the ignition is on. If your
vehicle has the uplevel audio system, the time and
outside temperature will be shown on the rst line of the
display and the DIC information will be shown on the
second line of the display.
The DIC has different modes which can be accessed by
pressing the DIC buttons. The button functions are
detailed in the following.
Information Mode
INFO/4(Information):Press this button to scroll
through the vehicle information mode displays in the
following order:
TRIP A
TRIP B
FUEL RANGE (Fuel Range Until Empty)
ECON (Average Fuel Economy)
AV SPEED (Average Vehicle Speed)
OIL LIFE (Engine Oil Life System)
TRIP A or TRIP B:Press the information button
until TRIP A or TRIP B is displayed. This shows the
current distance traveled since the last reset for
each trip odometer in either miles or kilometers.
Both odometers can be used at the same time.
Each trip odometer can be reset to zero separately by
pressing and holding the enter button for a few seconds
while the desired trip odometer is displayed.
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FUEL RANGE:Press the information button until FUEL
RANGE is displayed. This shows the remaining
distance you can drive without refueling. It is based on
fuel economy and the fuel remaining in the tank.
The fuel economy data used to determine fuel range
is an average of recent driving conditions. As your
driving conditions change, this data is gradually updated.
Fuel range cannot be reset.
ECON:Press the information button until ECON is
displayed. Average fuel economy is how many miles
per gallon or liters per 100 kilometers your vehicle
is getting based on current and past driving conditions.
Press and hold the enter button while ECON is
displayed to reset the average fuel economy. Average
fuel economy will then be calculated starting from
that point. If the average fuel economy is not reset,
it will be continually updated each time you drive.AV SPEED:Press the information button until
AV SPEED is displayed. This shows the vehicle’s
average speed in miles per hour or kilometers per hour.
Press and hold the enter button while AV SPEED is
displayed to reset the average vehicle speed.
OIL LIFE:Press the information button until OIL LIFE
is displayed. The engine oil life system shows an
estimate of the oil’s remaining useful life. It will show
100% when the system is reset after an oil change.
It will alert you to change your oil on a schedule
consistent with your driving conditions.
Always reset the engine oil life system after an oil
change. See “OIL LIFE RESET” underDIC Vehicle
Personalization on page 3-42andEngine Oil Life
System on page 5-16.
In addition to the engine oil life system monitoring
the oil life, additional maintenance is recommended
in the Maintenance Schedule in this manual.
SeeScheduled Maintenance on page 6-4and
Engine Oil on page 5-13.
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ENG PWR REDUCED:This message informs you that
the vehicle has reduced engine power to avoid
damaging the engine.
ICE POSSIBLE:This message appears when the
outside air temperature is cold enough to create icy
road conditions.
KEY FOB BATT LOW:This message is displayed if
the remote keyless entry transmitter battery is low.
LOW COOLANT:This message is displayed when there
is a low level of engine coolant. Have the cooling system
serviced by your GM dealer as soon as possible.
LOW FUEL:This message is displayed when your
vehicle is low on fuel. You should re ll the tank as soon
as possible. You will also see a low fuel warning light
on the instrument panel cluster.
LOW WASHER FLUID:This message is displayed
when your vehicle is low on windshield washer uid.
You should re ll the tank as soon as possible.PARKING BRAKE:This message is displayed if the
parking brake is left engaged and you try to drive away.
POWER STEERING:This message is displayed if a
problem has been detected with the electric power
steering. Have your vehicle serviced immediately
by your GM dealer.
SERVICE AIR BAG:There is a problem with the airbag
system when this message appears. Have your
vehicle serviced immediately by your GM dealer.
TRUNK AJAR:This message is displayed when the
trunk lid of your vehicle is not closed completely.
You should make sure that the trunk lid is closed
completely.
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DIC Vehicle Personalization
The following personalization options may appear
on your vehicle’s audio display by pressing the
MENU button:
OIL LIFE RESET:When this option is displayed, you
can reset the engine oil life system. To reset the system
to 100%, press and hold the enter button for at least
one second. An ACKNOWLEDGED display message
will appear for three seconds or until the next button is
pressed. This will tell you the system has been reset.
SeeEngine Oil Life System on page 5-16for more
information.
UNITS:When UNITS appears on the display, press the
enter button to move between METRIC or ENGLISH.
When you have made your choice, press the MENU
button to record your selection. The initial setting from
the factory is English.
If you choose English, all information will be displayed
in English units. For example, distance in miles and fuel
economy in miles per gallon is displayed.If you choose metric, all information will be displayed in
metric units. For example, distance in kilometers and
fuel economy in liters per 100 kilometers is displayed.
The unit measurement will also change the trip odometer,
temperature and average fuel economy displays.
REMOTE START:The remote start option, if equipped,
can be enabled or disabled. When REMOTE START
appears on the display, press the enter button to move
between OFF and ON. When you have made your
choice, press the MENU button to record your selection.
The initial setting from the factory is ON.
LOCK HORN:If your vehicle has remote keyless entry,
this option which allows the vehicle’s horn to chirp
every time the lock button on the remote keyless entry
transmitter is pressed, can be enabled or disabled.
When LOCK HORN appears on the display, press the
enter button to move between ON and OFF. When you
have made your choice, press the MENU button to
record your selection. The initial setting from the
factory is ON.
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Here are some things you can check before a trip:
Windshield Washer Fluid:Is the reservoir full? Are
all windows clean inside and outside?
Wiper Blades:Are they in good shape?
Fuel, Engine Oil, Other Fluids:Have you checked
all levels?
Lamps:Are they all working? Are the lenses clean?
Tires:They are vitally important to a safe,
trouble-free trip. Is the tread good enough for
long-distance driving? Are the tires all in ated to the
recommended pressure?
Weather Forecasts:What is the weather outlook
along your route? Should you delay your trip a
short time to avoid a major storm system?
Maps:Do you have up-to-date maps?
Highway Hypnosis
Is there actually such a condition as highway hypnosis?
Or is it just plain falling asleep at the wheel? Call it
highway hypnosis, lack of awareness, or whatever.
There is something about an easy stretch of road with
the same scenery, along with the hum of the tires on the
road, the drone of the engine, and the rush of the
wind against the vehicle that can make you sleepy. Do
not let it happen to you! If it does, your vehicle can
leave the road in less than a second, and you could
crash and be injured.
What can you do about highway hypnosis? First, be
aware that it can happen.
Then here are some tips:
Make sure your vehicle is well ventilated, with a
comfortably cool interior.
Keep your eyes moving. Scan the road ahead and
to the sides. Check your rearview mirrors and your
instruments frequently.
If you get sleepy, pull off the road into a rest,
service, or parking area and take a nap, get some
exercise, or both. For safety, treat drowsiness
on the highway as an emergency.
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