2006 CHEVROLET COBALT Owners Manual

Tilt Wheel
A tilt wheel allows you to adjust the steering wheel
before you drive. You can raise the steering wheel to
the highest level to give your legs more room when you
enter and exit the vehicle.
The lever that allows you to tilt the steering wheel is
located on the left side of the steering column.
To tilt the wheel, pull down the lever. Then move the
wheel to a comfortable position, pull up the lever to lock
the wheel in place.
Turn Signal/Multifunction Lever
The lever on the left side of the steering column
includes the following:
GTurn and Lane-Change Signals. SeeTurn and
Lane-Change Signals on page 3-8.
23Headlamp High/Low-Beam Changer.
SeeHeadlamp High/Low-Beam Changer on
page 3-8.
Flash-to-Pass. SeeFlash-to-Pass on page 3-8.
OExterior Lamp Control. SeeHeadlamps
on page 3-13.
3-7

Turn and Lane-Change Signals
The turn signal has two upward (for right) and
two downward (for left) positions. These positions
allow you to signal a turn or a lane change.
To signal a turn, move the lever all the way up or
down. When the turn is nished, the lever will return
automatically.
An arrow on the instrument
panel cluster will ash in
the direction of the
turn or lane change.
To signal a lane change, just raise or lower the lever
until the arrow starts to ash. Hold it there until you
complete your lane change. The lever will return by
itself when you release it.
As you signal a turn or a lane change, if the arrows
ash rapidly, a signal bulb may be burned out and other
drivers will not see your turn signal. If a bulb is burned
out, replace it to help avoid an accident.
If the arrows do not go on at all when you signal a turn,
check the fuse. SeeFuses and Circuit Breakers on
page 5-98.
Headlamp High/Low-Beam Changer
To change the headlamps from low beam to high
beam, push the turn signal lever away from you.
When the high beams
are on, this light on the
instrument panel cluster
will also be on.
To change the headlamps from high beam to low beam,
pull the turn signal lever toward you.
Flash-to-Pass
This feature lets you use your high-beam headlamps to
signal a driver in front of you that you want to pass.
To use it, pull the turn signal/multifunction lever toward
you until the high-beam headlamps come on, then
release the lever to turn them off.
3-8

Windshield Wipers
Use this lever, located on the right side of the steering
wheel, to operate the windshield wipers.
9(Off):Move the lever to this position to turn off the
windshield wipers.
&(Intermittent):Move the lever to this position to
choose a delayed wiping cycle. Rotate the intermittent
adjustment band to set for shorter or longer delay
cycles. To the left of the adjustment band are bars,
increasing in size from top to bottom. Smaller bars mean
the wiper movement is less frequent and larger bars
mean the wiper movement is more frequent.
During intermittent wiping mode, the cycle delay time is
also affected by vehicle speed. As your vehicle speed
increases, your delay cycle time will automatically
decrease.
x(Delay):When the lever is in the intermittent
position, turn the intermittent adjust band with this
symbol on it up or down to set for a shorter or longer
delay between wipes. To the left of the adjust band
are bars, increasing in size from bottom to top,
that indicate the frequency of the wipes. Smaller
bars mean the wipers movement is less frequent.
Larger bars mean the movement is more frequent.
6(Low Speed):Move the lever up to the
rst setting past intermittent, for steady wiping at low
speed.
1(High Speed):Move the lever up to the second
setting past intermittent, for wiping at high speed.
8(Mist):Move the lever all the way down to this
position for a single wiping cycle. Hold it there until the
windshield wipers start; then let go. The windshield
wipers will stop after one wiping cycle. If you want
additional wiping cycles, hold the lever down longer.
Damaged wiper blades may prevent you from seeing well
enough to drive safely. To avoid damage, be sure to clear
ice and snow from the wiper blades before using them.
If the wiper blades are frozen to the windshield, carefully
loosen or thaw them. If your blades do become
damaged, get new blades or blade inserts.
3-9

Heavy snow or ice can overload your wiper motor.
A circuit breaker will stop the motor until it cools. Clear
away snow or ice to prevent an overload. If the motor
gets stuck, turn the wipers off, clear away the snow or ice,
and then turn the wipers back on.
As an added safety feature, if the wipers are on for
more than 15 seconds, the vehicle’s headlamps will turn
on automatically. They will turn off 15 seconds after
the wipers are turned off.
Windshield Washer
To wash your windshield, press the button at the end of
the lever until the washers begin.
{CAUTION:
In freezing weather, do not use your washer
until the windshield is warmed. Otherwise the
washer uid can form ice on the windshield,
blocking your vision.
When you release the button, the washers will stop, but
the wipers will continue to wipe for about three times
or will resume the speed you were using before.
Cruise Control
With cruise control, you can maintain a speed of about
25 mph (40 km/h) or more without keeping your foot
on the accelerator. This can really help on long
trips. Cruise control does not work at speeds below
25 mph (40 km/h).
{CAUTION:
Cruise control can be dangerous where you
cannot drive safely at a steady speed. So, do
not use your cruise control on winding roads
or in heavy traffic.
Cruise control can be dangerous on slippery
roads. On such roads, fast changes in tire
traction can cause excessive wheel slip, and
you could lose control. Do not use cruise
control on slippery roads.
3-10

Setting Cruise Control
{CAUTION:
If you leave your cruise control on when you
are not using cruise, you might hit a button
and go into cruise when you do not want to.
You could be startled and even lose control.
Keep the cruise control switch off until you
want to use cruise control.
The cruise control buttons are located on the
steering wheel.
J(On/Off):Press this button to turn the cruise control
system on and off.
+RES (Resume):Press this part of the button to
resume a set speed and to accelerate the speed.
−SET (Set):Press this part of the button to set a speed
and to decrease the speed.
To set a speed do the following:
1. Press the on/off button to turn cruise control on.
The indicator light on the button will come on.
2. Get to the speed you want.
3. Press the−SET part of the control button and
release it. The CRUISE ENGAGED message
will appear on the Driver Information Center (DIC)
to show the system is engaged.
4. Take your foot off the accelerator pedal.
If the vehicle is in cruise control and the Traction
Control System (TCS) begins to limit wheel spin, the
cruise control will automatically disengage. See
Enhanced Traction System (ETS) on page 4-9. When
road conditions allow, the cruise control can be
used again.
3-11

Resuming a Set Speed
Suppose you set your cruise control at a desired
speed and then you apply the brake. This, of course,
disengages the cruise control. To return to your
previously set speed, you do not need to go through
the set process again. Once you’re going about
25 mph (40 km/h) or more, you can press the +RES
part of the button briey.
This will take you back up to your previously chosen
speed and stay there.
Increasing Speed While Using
Cruise Control
There are two ways to go to a higher speed.
1. Disengage the cruise control by applying the brake
pedal but do not turn it off. Accelerate to a higher
speed and reset the cruise control.
2. If the cruise control system is already engaged, press
the +RES part of the button. Hold it there until you
get up to the speed you want, and then release the
button. To increase your speed in very small
amounts, press the +RES part of the button briey
and then release it. Each time you do this, your
vehicle will go about 1 mph (1.6 km/h) faster.
Reducing Speed While Using
Cruise Control
If the cruise control system is already engaged,
Push and hold the−SET part of the button until you
reach the lower speed you want, then release it.
To slow down in very small amounts, push
the−SET part of 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 have 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.
3-12

Ending Cruise Control
To end cruise control, step lightly on the brake pedal or
the clutch if your vehicle has a manual transmission.
Stepping on the brake pedal or clutch will only end the
current cruise control session. Press the cruise control
on/off button to turn the system completely off.
Erasing Speed Memory
When you turn off the cruise control or the ignition, your
cruise control set speed memory is erased.
Headlamps
The lever on the left side of the steering column
operates the exterior lamps.The exterior lamp switch has the following four positions:
2(Headlamps):This position turns on the
headlamps, parking lamps, and taillamps.
;(Parking Lamps):This position turns on the
parking lamps and taillamps only.
AUTO (Automatic Headlamp System):This position
automatically turns on the Daytime Running Lamps
during daytime, and the headlamps, parking lamps, and
taillamps at night. This position must be selected in order
for the Wiper Activated Headlamps to be activated. See
Wiper Activated Headlamps on page 3-14.
P(Off/On):This position is the momentary Off/On
switch for the Automatic Headlamp System. In Canada,
this only works when a vehicle with an automatic
transaxle is in PARK (P).
When operating in AUTO, a momentary turn of the
switch to off/on will turn off the Automatic Headlamp
System. Rotating the switch to off/on again will turn the
Automatic Headlamp System back on. The Automatic
Headlamp System is always turned on at the beginning
of an ignition cycle.
3-13

Wiper Activated Headlamps
This feature activates the headlamps and parking lamps
after the windshield wipers are turned on. For this feature
to work, automatic lighting must be enabled. See
Headlamps on page 3-13for additional information.
When the ignition is turned off, the wiper-activated
headlamps will immediately turn off. They will also turn
off 15 seconds after the windshield wiper control is
turned off.
Headlamps on Reminder
If you open the driver’s door with the ignition off and the
lamps on, you will hear a warning chime.
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 vehicle has a light sensor on top of the
instrument panel. Make sure it is not covered, or the
head lamps will be on when not needed.
The DRL system will make your front turn signal lamps
come on when the following conditions are met:
The ignition is on.
The exterior lamps control is in AUTO or the
parking lamps only position.
The light sensor detects daytime light.
The parking brake is released.
When the DRL system is on, the taillamps, sidemarker
lamps, parking lamps, and instrument panel lights
will not be illuminated unless you have turned the
exterior lamps control to the parking lamp position.
As with any vehicle, you should turn on the regular
headlamp system when you need it.
3-14