2006 PONTIAC VIBE key

Seats and Restraint Systems........................... 1-1
Front Seats
............................................... 1-2
Rear Seats
............................................... 1-7
Safety Belts
.............................................. 1-9
Child Restraints
.......................................1-26
Airbag System
.........................................1-49
Restraint System Check
............................1-66
Features and Controls..................................... 2-1
Keys
........................................................ 2-2
Doors and Locks
....................................... 2-6
Windows
.................................................2-10
Theft-Deterrent Systems
............................2-12
Starting and Operating Your Vehicle
...........2-14
Mirrors
....................................................2-30
OnStar
®System
......................................2-32
Storage Areas
.........................................2-34
Sunroof
..................................................2-37
Instrument Panel............................................. 3-1
Instrument Panel Overview
.......................... 3-4
Climate Controls
......................................3-18
Warning Lights, Gages, and Indicators
........3-24
Audio System(s)
.......................................3-42Driving Your Vehicle....................................... 4-1
Your Driving, the Road, and Your Vehicle
..... 4-2
Towing
...................................................4-37
Service and Appearance Care.......................... 5-1
Service
..................................................... 5-3
Fuel
......................................................... 5-5
Checking Things Under the Hood
...............5-10
All-Wheel Drive
........................................5-45
Bulb Replacement
....................................5-46
Windshield Wiper Blade Replacement
.........5-51
Tires
......................................................5-52
Appearance Care
.....................................5-81
Vehicle Identication
.................................5-89
Electrical System
......................................5-90
Capacities and Specications
.....................5-96
Normal Maintenance Replacement Parts
......5-98
Maintenance Schedule..................................... 6-1
Maintenance Schedule
................................ 6-2
Customer Assistance and Information.............. 7-1
Customer Assistance and Information
........... 7-2
Reporting Safety Defects
...........................7-13
Index................................................................ 1
2006 Pontiac Vibe Owner ManualM

Safety Belt Use During Pregnancy
Safety belts work for everyone, including pregnant
women. Like all occupants, they are more likely to be
seriously injured if they do not wear safety belts.
A pregnant woman should wear a lap-shoulder belt, and
the lap portion should be worn as low as possible,
below the rounding, throughout the pregnancy.
The best way to protect the fetus is to protect the mother.
When a safety belt is worn properly, it is more likely that
the fetus will not be hurt in a crash. For pregnant women,
as for anyone, the key to making safety belts effective is
wearing them properly.
Right Front Passenger Position
To learn how to wear the right front passenger’s safety
belt properly, seeDriver Position on page 1-14.
The right front passenger’s safety belt works the same
way as the driver’s safety belt — except for one thing.
If you ever pull the shoulder portion of the belt out all the
way, you will engage the child restraint locking feature.
If this happens, just let the belt go back all the way
and start again.
Rear Seat Passengers
It is very important for rear seat passengers to buckle
up! Accident statistics show that unbelted people in
the rear seat are hurt more often in crashes than those
who are wearing safety belts.
Rear passengers who are not safety belted can be
thrown out of the vehicle in a crash. And they can strike
others in the vehicle who are wearing safety belts.
1-22

6. To tighten the belt, push down on the child restraint,
pull the shoulder portion of the belt to tighten the
lap portion of the belt and feed the shoulder
belt back into the retractor. If you are using a
forward-facing child restraint, you may nd it helpful
to use your knee to push down on the child
restraint as you tighten the belt. You should not be
able to pull more of the belt from the retractor
once the lock has been set.7. Push and pull the child restraint in different
directions to be sure it is secure.
8. If the passenger sensing system has turned off
the right front passenger’s frontal airbag and
seat-mounted side impact airbag (if equipped),
the off indicator in the passenger airbag status
indicator will be lit and stay lit when the key
is turned to ON.
If a child restraint has been installed and the on
indicator is lit, turn the vehicle off. Remove the child
restraint from the vehicle and reinstall the child restraint
with the ignition key in the ACC or LOCK position.
If after reinstalling the child restraint and restarting the
vehicle, the on indicator is still lit, check to make
sure that the vehicle’s seatback is not pressing the child
restraint into the seat cushion. If this happens, slightly
recline the vehicle’s seatback and adjust the seat
cushion if possible. Also make sure the child restraint is
not trapped under the vehicle head restraint. If this
happens, adjust the head restraint.
1-48

In many crashes severe enough to inate the airbag,
windshields are broken by vehicle deformation.
Additional windshield breakage may also occur from
the right front passenger airbag.
Airbags are designed to inate only once. After an
airbag inates, you will need some new parts for
your airbag system. If you do not get them,
the airbag system will not be there to help protect
you in another crash. A new system will include
airbag modules and possibly other parts. The
service manual for your vehicle covers the need to
replace other parts.
Your vehicle is equipped with a crash sensing and
diagnostic module which records information after
a crash. SeeVehicle Data Collection and Event
Data Recorders on page 7-9
Let only qualied technicians work on your airbag
system. Improper service can mean that the
airbag system will not work properly. See your
dealer for service.
Passenger Sensing System
Your vehicle has a passenger sensing system.
A passenger airbag status indicator on the instrument
panel will be visible when you turn your ignition key
to ON. The words ON and OFF will be visible in
the passenger airbag status indicator during the system
check. When the system check is complete, either
the word ON or the word OFF will be visible if there
is weight on the seat or the safety belt is buckled.
SeePassenger Airbag Status Indicator on page 3-29.
The passenger sensing
system will turn off the
right front passenger’s
frontal airbag and
seat-mounted side impact
airbag (if equipped)
under certain conditions.
The passenger sensing system will also turn off the
right front passenger’s safety belt pretensioner if
it detects that there is no occupant in that position.
The driver’s airbags and the roof-mounted side impact
airbags are not part of the passenger sensing system.
1-59

The passenger sensing system is designed to turn off
the right front passenger’s frontal airbag and
seat-mounted side impact airbag (if equipped) if:
the right front passenger seat is unoccupied
the system determines that a small child is present
in a child restraint
the system determines that a small child is present
in a booster seat
a right front passenger takes his/her weight off of
the seat for a period of time
the right front passenger seat is occupied by a
smaller person, such as a child who has outgrown
child restraints
or if there is a critical problem with the airbag
system or the passenger sensing system.
When the passenger sensing system has turned off the
passenger’s frontal airbag and seat-mounted side
impact airbag (if equipped), the off indicator will light
and stay lit to remind you that the airbag is off.
If a child restraint has been installed and the on indicator
is lit, turn the vehicle off. Remove the child restraint
from the vehicle and reinstall the child restraint with the
ignition key in the ACC or LOCK position, following
the child restraint manufacturer’s directions and refer to
Securing a Child Restraint in the Right Front Seat
Position on page 1-45.If after reinstalling the child restraint and restarting the
vehicle, the on indicator is still lit, check to make
sure that the vehicle’s seatback is not pressing the child
restraint into the seat cushion. If this happens, slightly
recline the vehicle’s seatback and adjust the seat
cushion if possible. Also make sure the child restraint is
not trapped under the vehicle head restraint. If this
happens, adjust the head restraint.
If the on indicator is still lit, secure the child in the child
restraint in a rear seat position in the vehicle and
check with your dealer.
An object, person or child in the rear seat contacting or
pressing the right front passenger’s seatback, or
objects stowed under the right front passenger’s seat,
may affect the proper functioning of the passenger
sensing system.
When you use a safety belt extender in the right front
passenger’s seat, make sure the passenger airbag
status indicator shows “ON”. If the indicator shows
“OFF”, disconnect the extender’s latch from the buckle
then reconnect the safety belt. Make sure the indicator
light shows “ON”, then reconnect the safety belt
extender. If you use the safety belt extender while the
indicator light shows “OFF”, the right front passenger’s
frontal airbag and seat-mounted side impact airbag
(if equipped) may not activate correctly. SeeAirbag
System on page 1-49for important safety information
about your airbags.
1-61

Servicing Your Airbag-Equipped
Vehicle
Airbags affect how your vehicle should be serviced.
There are parts of the airbag system in several places
around your vehicle. Your dealer and the service manual
have information about servicing your vehicle and the
airbag system. To purchase a service manual, see
Service Publications Ordering Information on page 7-14.
{CAUTION:
For up to two minutes after the ignition key is
turned off and the battery is disconnected, an
airbag can still inate during improper service.
You can be injured if you are close to an airbag
when it inates. Avoid wires wrapped with
yellow tape or yellow connectors. They are
probably part of the airbag systems. Be sure to
follow proper service procedures, and make
sure the person performing work for you is
qualied to do so.
The airbag system does not need regular maintenance.
Adding Equipment to Your
Airbag-Equipped Vehicle
Q:Is there anything I might add to the vehicle that
could keep the airbags from working properly?
A:Yes. If you add things that change your vehicle’s
frame, bumper system, front end or side sheet metal
or height, they may keep the airbag system from
working properly. Also, the airbag system may not
work properly if you relocate any of the airbag
sensors. If you have any questions about this, you
should contact Customer Assistance before you
modify your vehicle. The phone numbers and
addresses for Customer Assistance are in Step Two
of the Customer Satisfaction Procedure in this
manual. SeeCustomer Satisfaction Procedure on
page 7-2.
1-64

Keys...............................................................2-2
Remote Keyless Entry System.........................2-3
Remote Keyless Entry System Operation...........2-4
Doors and Locks.............................................2-6
Door Locks....................................................2-6
Power Door Locks..........................................2-7
Rear Door Security Locks................................2-8
Liftgate/Liftglass.............................................2-9
Windows........................................................2-10
Manual Windows..........................................2-11
Power Windows............................................2-11
Sun Visors...................................................2-12
Theft-Deterrent Systems..................................2-12
Content Theft-Deterrent.................................2-12
Starting and Operating Your Vehicle................2-14
New Vehicle Break-In....................................2-14
Ignition Positions..........................................2-15
Starting the Engine.......................................2-16
Engine Coolant Heater..................................2-17
Automatic Transaxle Operation.......................2-18
Overdrive Off...............................................2-21
Manual Transaxle Operation...........................2-21
Parking Brake..............................................2-24
Shifting Into Park (P) (Automatic Transaxle)......2-25Shifting Out of Park (P)
(Automatic Transaxle)................................2-26
Parking Your Vehicle (Manual Transaxle).........2-27
Parking Over Things That Burn.......................2-28
Engine Exhaust............................................2-28
Running the Engine While Parked...................2-29
Mirrors...........................................................2-30
Manual Rearview Mirror.................................2-30
Manual Rearview Mirror with OnStar
®..............2-30
Outside Remote Control Mirrors......................2-31
Outside Convex Mirror...................................2-31
OnStar
®System.............................................2-32
Storage Areas................................................2-34
Glove Box...................................................2-34
Cupholder(s)................................................2-34
Coinholder(s)................................................2-34
Instrument Panel Storage Area.......................2-34
Center Console Storage Area.........................2-34
Floor Mats...................................................2-34
Rear Storage Area........................................2-35
Rear Cargo Accessory Track System...............2-36
Cargo Cover................................................2-36
Cargo Tie Downs..........................................2-37
Sunroof.........................................................2-37
Section 2 Features and Controls
2-1

Keys
{CAUTION:
Leaving children in a vehicle with the ignition
key is dangerous for many reasons. They
could operate the power windows or other
controls or even make the vehicle move. The
children or others could be badly injured or
even killed. Do not leave the keys in a vehicle
with children.
2-2