Using the Auxiliary Input Jack
The radio system has an auxiliary input jack
located on the lower right side of the faceplate.
This is not an audio output. Do not plug the
headphone set into the front auxiliary input jack.
An external audio device such as an iPod,
laptop computer, MP3 player, CD changer, or
cassette tape player, etc. can be connected to the
auxiliary input jack for use as another source
for audio listening.
The auxiliary input jack also accepts cell phone
connectors. Plug the cell phone connector into the
auxiliary input jack to hear a person speaking
on a cell phone during conversation through the
vehicle sound system.
Drivers are encouraged to set up any auxiliary
device while the vehicle is in PARK (P). See
Defensive Driving on page 220for more
information on driver distraction.To use a portable audio player, connect a 3.5 mm
(1/8 inch) cable to the radio’s front auxiliary
input jack. While a device is connected, turn the
portable audio player on and press the radio
CD/AUX button to hear audio from the device over
the vehicle speakers.
CD/AUX (CD/Auxiliary):Press this button once
to play a CD while a portable audio device is
playing. Press this button a second time for the
system to begin playing audio from the connected
portable audio player. Once in this mode,
“Auxinput” appears on the display. If the auxiliary
jack does not detect the presence of an output
jack, the auxiliary mode does not display.
O(Power/Volume):Turn theOknob clockwise
or counterclockwise to increase or decrease the
volume of the portable player. Additional
adjustments on a portable device might be needed
to get the desired volume.
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Radio with Six-Disc CD (MP3/WMA)
Playing the Radio
O
(Power/Volume):Press and release this knob
to turn the system on. Press and hold this knob
for more than two seconds to turn the system off.
Turn this knob clockwise or counterclockwise
to increase or decrease the volume.
When the system is on, press and release this
knob to mute the system. Press and release this
knob again to turn the sound back on.
Finding a Station
AM:Press this button to switch to an AM station.
The display shows the selection.
FM:Press this button to switch to an FM station.
The display shows the selection.
()TUNE:Press the up(or down)
TUNE arrow to select radio stations.
Press the up
(TUNE arrow to increase or the
down
)to decrease the radio frequencies.
¥SEEK:Press the up¦or down¥SEEK
arrow to seek radio stations.
Press the up
¦SEEK arrow to seek the next
radio station or the down
¥SEEK arrow to seek
the previous radio station.
SCAN/AST:Press this button to scan radio
stations. The radio goes to a station, plays for a
few seconds, then goes to the next station.
Press this button again to stop scanning.
The radio only scans stations with a strong signal
that are in the selected band.
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If the CD is not playing correctly, for any other
reason, try a known good CD.
If any error occurs repeatedly or if an error cannot
be corrected, contact your dealer/retailer. If the
radio displays an error message, write it down and
provide it to your dealer/retailer when reporting
the problem.
Using the Auxiliary Input Jack
AUX IN (Auxiliary Input):The radio system has
an auxiliary input jack located on the lower
right side of the faceplate. This is not an audio
output. Do not plug the headphone set into
the front auxiliary input jack. An external audio
device such as an iPod, laptop computer,
MP3 player, CD changer, or XM™ receiver, etc.
can be connected to the auxiliary input jack for use
as another source for audio listening.
The auxiliary input jack also accepts cell phone
connectors. Plug the cell phone connector into the
auxiliary input jack to hear a person speck on a
cell phone during a conversation through the
vehicle sound system.Drivers are encouraged to set up any auxiliary
device while the vehicle is in PARK (P). See
Defensive Driving on page 220for more
information on driver distraction.
To use a portable audio player, connect a 3.5 mm
(1/8 inch) cable to the radio’s front auxiliary
input jack. While a device is connected, turn the
portable audio player on and press the radio
CD/AUX button to hear audio from the device over
the vehicle speakers.
O(Power/Volume):Turn theOknob clockwise
or counterclockwise to increase or decrease the
volume of the portable player. Additional
adjustments on a portable device might be needed
to get the desired volume.
CD/AUX (CD/Auxiliary):Press this button once
to play a CD while a portable audio device is
playing. Press this button a second time for the
system to begin playing audio from the connected
portable audio player. Once in this mode,
“Auxinput” displays. If the auxiliary jack does not
detect the presence of an output jack, the auxiliary
mode does not display.
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Your Driving, the Road, and Your Vehicle.... 220
Defensive Driving...................................... 220
Drunken Driving........................................ 221
Control of a Vehicle.................................. 224
Braking...................................................... 224
Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS).................. 225
Braking in Emergencies............................. 227
Steering.................................................... 228
Off-Road Recovery.................................... 230
Passing..................................................... 230
Loss of Control.......................................... 232
Driving at Night......................................... 234
Driving in Rain and on Wet Roads............ 235
City Driving............................................... 238Freeway Driving........................................ 239
Before Leaving on a
Long Trip............................................... 240
Highway Hypnosis..................................... 241
Hill and Mountain Roads........................... 241
Winter Driving........................................... 243
If Your Vehicle is Stuck in Sand, Mud,
Ice, or Snow.......................................... 248
Rocking Your Vehicle to Get It Out........... 249
Loading Your Vehicle................................ 249
Towing........................................................ 258
Towing Your Vehicle................................. 258
Recreational Vehicle Towing...................... 258
Towing a Trailer........................................ 260
Section 4 Driving Your Vehicle
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Avoid needless heavy braking. Some people drive
in spurts — heavy acceleration followed by heavy
braking — rather than keeping pace with traffic.
This is a mistake. The brakes may not have time to
cool between hard stops. The brakes will wear out
much faster if you do a lot of heavy braking. If you
keep pace with the traffic and allow realistic
following distances, you will eliminate a lot of
unnecessary braking. That means better braking
and longer brake life.
If your vehicle’s engine ever stops while you are
driving, brake normally but do not pump the
brakes. If you do, the pedal may get harder to
push down. If the engine stops, you will still have
some power brake assist. But you will use it
when you brake. Once the power assist is used
up, it may take longer to stop and the brake pedal
will be harder to push.
Adding non-GM accessories can affect your
vehicle’s performance. SeeAccessories and
Modifications on page 264.Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS)
Your vehicle might have the Anti-Lock Brake
System (ABS), an advanced electronic braking
system that will help prevent a braking skid.
If your vehicle has ABS,
this warning light will
come on briefly
when you start your
vehicle.
The warning light is on the instrument panel
cluster for a sedan. SeeAnti-Lock Brake System
Warning Light on page 179. For hatchback
models, the warning light is on the Secondary
Information Center (SIC). SeeAnti-Lock Brake
System Warning Light on page 179.
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Remember: ABS does not change the time you
need to get your foot up to the brake pedal or
always decrease stopping distance. If you get too
close to the vehicle in front of you, you will not have
time to apply the brakes if that vehicle suddenly
slows or stops. Always leave enough room up
ahead to stop, even though you have ABS.
Using ABS
Do not pump the brakes. Just hold the brake
pedal down firmly and let anti-lock work for you.
You might feel a slight brake pedal pulsation
or notice some noise, but this is normal.
Braking in Emergencies
At some time, nearly every driver gets into a
situation that requires hard braking.
If you have ABS, you can steer and brake at the
same time. However, if you do not have ABS, your
first reaction — to hit the brake pedal hard and
hold it down — might be the wrong thing to
do. Your wheels can stop rolling. Once they do,
the vehicle cannot respond to your steering.Momentum will carry it in whatever direction it was
headed when the wheels stopped rolling. That
could be off the road, into the very thing you were
trying to avoid, or into traffic.
If you do not have ABS, use a “squeeze” braking
technique. This will give you maximum braking
while maintaining steering control. You can do this
by pushing on the brake pedal with steadily
increasing pressure.
In an emergency, you will probably want to squeeze
the brakes hard without locking the wheels. If you
hear or feel the wheels sliding, ease off the brake
pedal. This will help you retain steering control. If
you do have ABS, it is different. SeeAnti-Lock
Brake System (ABS) on page 225.
In many emergencies, steering can help you more
than even the very best braking.
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Steering
Power Steering
If you lose power steering assist because the
engine stops or the system is not functioning, you
can steer but it will take much more effort.
Steering Tips
It is important to take curves at a reasonable
speed.
A lot of the “driver lost control” accidents
mentioned on the news happen on curves.
Here is why:
Experienced driver or beginner, each of us is
subject to the same laws of physics when driving on
curves. The traction of the tires against the road
surface makes it possible for the vehicle to change
its path when you turn the front wheels. If there is
no traction, inertia will keep the vehicle going in the
same direction. If you have ever tried to steer a
vehicle on wet ice, you will understand this.
The traction you can get in a curve depends on
the condition of the tires and the road surface, the
angle at which the curve is banked, and your
speed. While you are in a curve, speed is the one
factor you can control.Suppose you are steering through a sharp curve.
Then you suddenly apply the brakes. Both
control systems — steering and braking — have
to do their work where the tires meet the road.
Unless you have four-wheel anti-lock brakes,
adding the hard braking can demand too much of
those places. You can lose control.
The same thing can happen if you are steering
through a sharp curve and you suddenly
accelerate. Those two control systems — steering
and acceleration — can overwhelm those
places where the tires meet the road and make
you lose control.
What should you do if this ever happens? Ease up
on the brake or accelerator pedal, steer the
vehicle the way you want it to go, and slow down.
Speed limit signs near curves warn that you
should adjust your speed. Of course, the posted
speeds are based on good weather and road
conditions. Under less favorable conditions you will
want to go slower.
If you need to reduce your speed as you approach
a curve, do it before you enter the curve, while
the front wheels are straight ahead.
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Try to adjust your speed so you can “drive”
through the curve. Maintain a reasonable, steady
speed. Wait to accelerate until you are out of
the curve, and then accelerate gently into
the straightaway.
Adding non-dealer/non-retailer accessories can
affect your vehicle’s performance. SeeAccessories
and Modifications on page 264.
Steering in Emergencies
There are times when steering can be more
effective than braking. For example, you come over
a hill and find a truck stopped in your lane, or a car
suddenly pulls out from nowhere, or a child darts
out from between parked cars and stops right in
front of you. You can avoid these problems by
braking — if you can stop in time. But sometimes
you cannot; there is not room. That is the time for
evasive action — steering around the problem.
Your vehicle can perform very well in emergencies
like these. First apply the brakes — but, unless you
have anti-lock brakes, not enough to lock the
wheels. SeeBraking on page 224. It is better to
remove as much speed as you can from a possible
collision. Then steer around the problem, to the left
or right depending on the space available.An emergency like this requires close attention
and a quick decision. If you are holding the
steering wheel at the recommended 9 and
3 o’clock positions, you can turn it a full
180 degrees very quickly without removing either
hand. But you have to act fast, steer quickly,
and just as quickly straighten the wheel once you
have avoided the object.
The fact that such emergency situations are always
possible is a good reason to practice defensive
driving at all times and wear safety belts properly.
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