2006 PONTIAC TORRENT window

Seats and Restraint Systems........................... 1-1
Front Seats
............................................... 1-2
Rear Seats
..............................................1-10
Safety Belts
.............................................1-12
Child Restraints
.......................................1-30
Airbag System
.........................................1-53
Restraint System Check
............................1-62
Features and Controls..................................... 2-1
Keys
........................................................ 2-2
Doors and Locks
....................................... 2-6
Windows
.................................................2-11
Theft-Deterrent Systems
............................2-13
Starting and Operating Your Vehicle
...........2-15
Mirrors
....................................................2-27
OnStar
®System
......................................2-32
Storage Areas
.........................................2-34
Sunroof
..................................................2-40
Instrument Panel............................................. 3-1
Instrument Panel Overview
.......................... 3-4
Climate Controls
......................................3-19
Warning Lights, Gages, and Indicators
........3-23
Audio System(s)
.......................................3-38Driving Your Vehicle....................................... 4-1
Your Driving, the Road, and Your Vehicle
..... 4-2
Towing
...................................................4-36
Service and Appearance Care.......................... 5-1
Service
..................................................... 5-3
Fuel
......................................................... 5-5
Checking Things Under the Hood
...............5-10
All-Wheel Drive
........................................5-40
Bulb Replacement
....................................5-42
Windshield Wiper Blade Replacement
.........5-45
Tires
......................................................5-46
Appearance Care
.....................................5-74
Vehicle Identication
.................................5-82
Electrical System
......................................5-83
Capacities and Specications
.....................5-88
Maintenance Schedule..................................... 6-1
Maintenance Schedule
................................ 6-2
Customer Assistance and Information.............. 7-1
Customer Assistance and Information
........... 7-2
Reporting Safety Defects
...........................7-14
Index................................................................ 1
2006 Pontiac Torrent Owner ManualM

Q:What if a child is wearing a lap-shoulder belt,
but the child is so small that the shoulder belt
is very close to the child’s face or neck?
A:If the child is sitting in a seat next to a window,
move the child toward the center of the vehicle.
Also seeRear Safety Belt Comfort Guides on
page 1-27. If the child is sitting in the center rear
seat passenger position, move the child toward
the safety belt buckle. In either case, be sure that
the shoulder belt still is on the child’s shoulder,
so that in a crash the child’s upper body would
have the restraint the belts provide.
{CAUTION:
Never do this.
Here a child is sitting in a seat that has a
lap-shoulder belt, but the shoulder part is
behind the child. If the child wears the belt
in this way, in a crash the child might slide
under the belt. The belt’s force would then
be applied right on the child’s abdomen.
That could cause serious or fatal injuries.
Wherever the child sits, the lap portion of the belt
should be worn low and snug on the hips, just touching
the child’s thighs. This applies belt force to the child’s
pelvic bones in a crash.
1-32

A forward-facing child seat (C-E) provides restraint for
the child’s body with the harness and also sometimes
with surfaces such as T-shaped or shelf-like shields.A booster seat (F-G) is a child restraint designed to
improve the t of the vehicle’s safety belt system.
Some booster seats have a shoulder belt positioner,
and some high-back booster seats have a ve-point
harness. A booster seat can also help a child to see
out the window.
1-37

Airbag System
Your vehicle has a frontal airbag for the driver and a
frontal airbag for the right front passenger. Your vehicle
may also have roof-mounted side impact airbags.
Roof-mounted side impact airbags are available for
the driver and the passenger seated directly behind
the driver and for the right front passenger and
the passenger seated directly behind that passenger.
If your vehicle has side impact airbags, the word
AIRBAG will appear on the airbag covering on the
ceiling near the driver’s and right front passenger’s
window.
Even if you do not have a right front passenger seat
in your vehicle there is still an active frontal airbag in
the right side of the instrument panel. Do not place
cargo in front of this airbag.{CAUTION:
Be sure that cargo is not near an airbag.
In a crash, an inating airbag might force
that object toward a person. This could cause
severe injury or even death. Secure objects
away from the area in which an airbag would
inate. For more information, seeWhere Are
the Airbags? on page 1-55andLoading Your
Vehicle on page 4-31.
Frontal airbags are designed to help reduce the risk
of injury from the force of an inating frontal airbag.
But these airbags must inate very quickly to do their
job and comply with federal regulations.
1-53

The right front passenger’s frontal airbag is in the
instrument panel on the passenger’s side.If your vehicle has a side impact airbag for the driver
and the person seated directly behind the driver, it is
in the ceiling above the side windows.
1-56

If your vehicle has a side impact airbag for the right
front passenger and the person seated directly behind
that passenger, it is in the ceiling above the side
windows.
{CAUTION:
If something is between an occupant and an
airbag, the bag might not inate properly or it
might force the object into that person causing
severe injury or even death. The path of an
inating airbag must be kept clear. Do not put
anything between an occupant and an airbag,
and do not attach or put anything on the
steering wheel hub or on or near any other
airbag covering. And, if your vehicle has
roof-mounted side impact airbags, never
secure anything to the roof of your vehicle
by routing the rope or tiedown through any
door or window opening. If you do, the path
of an inating side impact airbag will be
blocked. The path of an inating airbag must
be kept clear.
1-57

Your vehicle may or may not have side impact airbags.
SeeAirbag System on page 1-53. Side impact airbags
are intended to inate in moderate to severe side
crashes. A side impact airbag will inate if the crash
severity is above the system’s designed “threshold level.”
The threshold level can vary with specic vehicle design.
Side impact airbags are not intended to inate in frontal
or near-frontal impacts, rollovers or rear impacts.
In any particular crash, no one can say whether an airbag
should have inated simply because of the damage
to a vehicle or because of what the repair costs were.
For frontal airbags, ination is determined by what the
vehicle hits, the angle of the impact, and how quickly the
vehicle slows down. For side impact airbags, ination is
determined by the location and severity of the impact.
What Makes an Airbag Inate?
In an impact of sufficient severity, the airbag sensing
system detects that the vehicle is in a crash. The
sensing system triggers a release of gas from the
inator, which inates the airbag. The inator, airbag,
and related hardware are all part of the airbag modules
inside the steering wheel and in the instrument panel
in front of the right front passenger. For vehicles
with side impact airbags, there are also airbag modules
in the ceiling of the vehicle, near the side windows.
How Does an Airbag Restrain?
In moderate to severe frontal or near frontal collisions,
even belted occupants can contact the steering wheel
or the instrument panel. In moderate to severe side
collisions, even belted occupants can contact the inside
of the vehicle. The airbag supplements the protection
provided by safety belts. Airbags distribute the force of
the impact more evenly over the occupant’s upper
body, stopping the occupant more gradually. But the
frontal airbags would not help you in many types
of collisions, including rollovers, rear impacts, and many
side impacts, primarily because an occupant’s motion
is not toward the airbag. Side impact airbags would not
help you in many types of collisions, including many
frontal or near frontal collisions, and rear impacts,
primarily because an occupant’s motion is not toward
those airbags. Airbags should never be regarded
as anything more than a supplement to safety belts, and
then only in moderate to severe frontal or near-frontal
collisions for the driver’s and right front passenger’s
frontal airbags, and only in moderate to severe
side collisions for side impact airbags.
1-59

What Will You See After an
Airbag Inates?
After a frontal airbag inates, it quickly deates,
so quickly that some people may not even realize the
airbag inated. Roof-mounted side impact airbags
deate more slowly and may still be at least partially
inated minutes after the vehicle comes to rest. Some
components of the airbag module may be hot for a
short time. These components include the steering
wheel hub for the driver’s frontal airbag and the
instrument panel for the right front passenger’s frontal
airbag. For vehicles with roof-mounted side impact
airbags, the ceiling of your vehicle near the side
windows, and the vehicle metal near the rear windows
and tailgate may be warm. The parts of the airbag
that come into contact with you may be warm, but
not too hot to touch. There will be some smoke and
dust coming from the vents in the deated airbags.
Airbag ination does not prevent the driver from
seeing out of the windshield or being able to steer the
vehicle, nor does it stop people from leaving the vehicle.
{CAUTION:
When an airbag inates, there is dust in the
air. This dust could cause breathing problems
for people with a history of asthma or other
breathing trouble. To avoid this, everyone in
the vehicle should get out as soon as it is
safe to do so. If you have breathing problems
but cannot get out of the vehicle after an
airbag inates, then get fresh air by opening a
window or a door. If you experience breathing
problems following an airbag deployment,
you should seek medical attention.
In many crashes severe enough to inate an airbag,
windshields are broken by vehicle deformation.
Additional windshield breakage may also occur from
the right front passenger airbag.
1-60