2006 CHEVROLET OPTRA 5 Owners Manual

Warning Lights, Gages, and
Indicators
This part describes the warning lights and gages that
may be on your vehicle. The pictures will help you
locate them.
Warning lights and gages can signal that something is
wrong before it becomes serious enough to cause
an expensive repair or replacement. Paying attention to
your warning lights and gages could also save you
or others from injury.
Warning lights come on when there may be or is a
problem with one of your vehicle’s functions. As you will
see in the details on the next few pages, some
warning lights come on briefly when you start the
engine just to let you know they’re working. If you are
familiar with this section, you should not be alarmed
when this happens.Gages can indicate when there may be or is a problem
with one of your vehicle’s functions. Often gages
and warning lights work together to let you know when
there’s a problem with your vehicle.
When one of the warning lights comes on and stays on
as you are driving, or when one of the gages shows
there may be a problem, check the section that tells you
what to do about it. Please follow this manual’s
advice. Waiting to do repairs can be costly — and even
dangerous. So please get to know your warning
lights and gages. They’re a big help.
Instrument Panel Cluster
Your instrument panel cluster is designed to let you
know at a glance how your vehicle is running. You will
know how fast you are going, how much fuel you
are using, and many other things you will need to drive
safely and economically.
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Your vehicle’s instrument panel cluster includes indicator warning lights and gages that are explained on the
following pages.
Uplevel shown, Base similar
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Speedometer and Odometer
Your speedometer lets you see your speed in both
miles per hour (mph) and kilometers per hour (km/h).
Your odometer shows how far your vehicle has
been driven in kilometers.
Trip Odometer
The trip odometer can record the number of kilometers
traveled for up to two trips.
You can cycle between the odometer and trip
odometers A and B by pressing the reset button located
in the lower right area of the speedometer. By pressing
the reset button, you can tell how many kilometers
have been recorded on either Trip A or Trip B since you
last set the trip odometer back to zero.
To reset each trip odometer to zero, press and hold the
reset button. The reset button resets only the trip
odometer that is displayed. Each trip odometer must be
reset individually.
Tachometer
The tachometer
displays your engine
speed in revolutions
per minute (rpm).
Notice:If you operate the engine with the
tachometer in the shaded warning area, your vehicle
could be damaged, and the damages would not
be covered by your warranty. Do not operate
the engine with the tachometer in the shaded
warning area.
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Safety Belt Reminder Light
The safety belt light will
come on and stay on until
the driver’s safety belt
is buckled.
If the driver’s belt is already buckled, the light will not
come on.
Safety Belt Reminder Tone
If your vehicle has this feature, a tone will sound for
several seconds when the ignition is turned to ON
to remind people to fasten their safety belts. The tone
will not sound if the driver’s safety belt is already
buckled.
Airbag Readiness Light
There is an airbag readiness light on the instrument
panel cluster, which shows 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 1-52.
This light will come on
when you start your
vehicle, and it will flash 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.
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{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 flash for a
few seconds when you turn the ignition to ON. If the
light does not come on then, have it fixed so it will
be ready to warn you if there is a problem.
Passenger Airbag Status Indicator
Your vehicle has a passenger airbag status indicator in
the clock, located in the center of the instrument panel.
When the ignition key is
turned to ON or START,
the passenger airbag
status indicator will light for
several seconds as a
system check.
Then, after several more seconds, if the off symbol is lit
on the passenger airbag status indicator, it means
that the passenger sensing system has turned off the
right front passenger’s frontal airbag and side airbag
(if equipped). SeePassenger Sensing System on
page 1-60for more on this, including important safety
information.
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If the off symbol is not lit on the passenger airbag status
indicator, it means that the right front passenger’s frontal
airbag and side airbag (if equipped) are enabled (may
inflate).
{CAUTION:
If the off symbol in the passenger airbag
status indicator does not come on when you
have a rear-facing child restraint installed in
the right front passenger’s seat, it means that
the passenger sensing system has not turned
off the passenger’s frontal airbag and side
airbag (if equipped). A child in a rear-facing
child restraint can be seriously injured or killed
if the right front passenger’s airbag or airbags
inate. This is because the back of the
rear-facing child restraint would be very close
to the inating airbag or airbags. Do not use a
rear-facing child restraint in the right front
passenger’s seat unless the airbag or airbags
have been turned off.Your vehicle has a rear seat that will accommodate a
rear-facing child restraint. A label on your sun visor says,
“Never put a rear-facing child seat in the front.” This
is because the risk to the rear-facing child is so great, if
the airbag deploys.
{CAUTION:
Even though the passenger sensing system
is designed to turn off the right front
passenger’s frontal airbag and side impact
airbag (if equipped) if the system detects a
rear-facing child restraint, no system is fail-safe,
and no one can guarantee that an airbag will not
deploy under some unusual circumstance, even
though it is turned off. We recommend that
rear-facing child restraints be transported in
vehicles with a rear seat that will accommodate
a rear-facing child restraint, whenever possible.
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{CAUTION:
If the airbag readiness light in the instrument
panel cluster ever comes on and stays on, it
means that something may be wrong with the
airbag system. If this ever happens, have the
vehicle serviced promptly, because an
adult-size person sitting in the right front
passenger’s seat may not have the protection
of the frontal airbag and side airbag (if
equipped). SeeAirbag Readiness Light on
page 3-30for more on this, including important
safety information.
Charging System Light
The charging system light
will come on briefly when
you turn on the ignition,
and the engine is not
running, as a check
to show you it is working.
Then it should go out when the engine is started.
If it stays on, or comes on while you are driving, you
may have a problem with the electrical charging system.
Have it checked by your GM dealer. Driving while this
light is on could drain your battery.
If you must drive a short distance with the light on, be
certain to turn off all your accessories, such as the radio
and air conditioner.
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Brake System Warning Light
Your vehicle’s hydraulic brake system is divided into two
parts. If one part is not working, the other part can
still work and stop you. For good braking, though, you
need both parts working well.
If the warning light comes on, there is a brake problem.
Have your brake system inspected right away.
This light should come on
briefly when you turn the
ignition to ON. If it does not
come on then, have it
fixed so it will be ready to
warn you if there is a
problem.
When the ignition is on, the brake system warning light
will also come on when you set your parking brake.
The light will stay on if your parking brake does not fully
release. If it stays on after your parking brake is fully
released, it means you have a brake problem.If the light comes on while you are driving, pull off the
road and stop carefully. You may notice that the pedal is
harder to push. Or, the pedal may go closer to the
floor. It may take longer to stop. If the light is still on,
have the vehicle towed for service. SeeTowing
Your Vehicle on page 4-33.
{CAUTION:
Your brake system may not be working
properly if the brake system warning light is
on. Driving with the brake system warning light
on can lead to an accident. If the light is still
on after you have pulled off the road and
stopped carefully, have the vehicle towed for
service.
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