
Keys.............................................................. 89
Remote Keyless Entry (RKE) System.......... 90
Remote Keyless Entry (RKE)
System Operation.................................... 91
Doors and Locks.......................................... 98
Door Locks................................................. 98
Power Door Locks....................................... 99
Automatic Door Lock................................. 100
Programmable Automatic Door Unlock....... 100
Rear Door Security Locks......................... 100
Lockout Protection..................................... 101
Trunk........................................................ 102
Windows...................................................... 104
Power Windows........................................ 105
Sun Visors................................................ 107
Theft-Deterrent Systems............................. 107
Content Theft-Deterrent............................. 107
PASS-Key
®III+......................................... 108
PASS-Key®III+ Operation......................... 109Starting and Operating Your Vehicle......... 111
New Vehicle Break-In................................ 111
Ignition Positions....................................... 112
Retained Accessory Power (RAP)............. 113
Starting the Engine.................................... 113
Engine Coolant Heater.............................. 115
Active Fuel Management™
(3.9L V6 and 5.3L V8 Engines).............. 116
Automatic Transaxle Operation.................. 116
Parking Brake........................................... 120
Shifting Into Park (P)................................. 121
Shifting Out of Park (P)............................. 123
Parking Over Things That Burn................. 123
Engine Exhaust......................................... 124
Running the Engine While Parked............. 125
Mirrors......................................................... 126
Manual Rearview Mirror............................. 126
Manual Rearview Mirror with OnStar
®....... 126
Automatic Dimming Rearview Mirror
with OnStar
®.......................................... 126
Outside Power Mirrors............................... 127
Outside Convex Mirror............................... 127
Section 2 Features and Controls
87

Notice:Your engine is designed to work with
the electronics in your vehicle. If you add
electrical parts or accessories, you could
change the way the engine operates. Before
adding electrical equipment, check with your
dealer. If you do not, your engine might not
perform properly. Any resulting damage would
not be covered by your vehicle’s warranty.
Engine Coolant Heater
Your vehicle may have this feature. In very cold
weather, 0°F (−18°C) or colder, the engine coolant
heater can help. You will get easier starting and
better fuel economy during engine warm-up.
Usually, the coolant heater should be plugged in a
minimum of four hours prior to starting your vehicle.
At temperatures above 32°F (0°C), use of the
coolant heater is not required.
To Use the Engine Coolant Heater
1. Turn off the engine.
2. Open the hood and unwrap the electrical
cord. The cord is attached to the underside
of the diagonal brace, which is located above
the engine air cleaner/ lter assembly.3. Plug it into a normal, grounded 110-volt AC
outlet.
{CAUTION:
Plugging the cord into an ungrounded
outlet could cause an electrical shock.
Also, the wrong kind of extension cord
could overheat and cause a re. You
could be seriously injured. Plug the cord
into a properly grounded three-prong
110-volt AC outlet. If the cord will not
reach, use a heavy-duty three-prong
extension cord rated for at least 15 amps.
4. Before starting the engine, be sure to unplug
and store the cord as it was before to keep it
away from moving engine parts. If you do
not, it could be damaged.
115

How long should you keep the coolant heater
plugged in? The answer depends on the outside
temperature, the kind of oil you have, and
some other things. Instead of trying to list
everything here, we ask that you contact your
dealer in the area where you will be parking your
vehicle. The dealer/retailer can give you the
best advice for that particular area.
Active Fuel Management™
(3.9L V6 and 5.3L V8 Engines)
Your vehicle’s engine may be equipped with
Active Fuel Management™. This system allows
the engine to operate on either all or half of
its cylinders, depending on your driving conditions.
When less power is required, such as cruising
at a constant vehicle speed, the system will
operate in the half cylinder mode, allowing your
vehicle to achieve better fuel economy. When
greater power demands are required, such
as accelerating from a stop, passing, or merging
onto a freeway, the system will maintain
full-cylinder operation.
Automatic Transaxle Operation
Your automatic transaxle has a shift lever on the
steering column or on the console between
the seats.
There is a display, located on the instrument panel
cluster that will indicate the gear the vehicle is in.
Maximum engine speed is limited on automatic
transaxle vehicles while you are in PARK (P)
or NEUTRAL (N) to protect driveline components
from improper operation.
There are several different positions for the shift
lever.
PARK (P):This position locks your front wheels.
It is the best position to use when the engine
is started because your vehicle cannot move
easily.
116

Dome Lamp
The dome lamp will come on when you open a
door. You can also turn this lamp on by turning the
instrument panel brightness control clockwise.
Entry Lighting
Your vehicle may have courtesy lamps that will
come on and stay on for a set time whenever the
unlock symbol is pressed on the Remote
Keyless Entry (RKE) Transmitter, if the vehicle
has one.
If a door is opened, the lamps will stay on while it
is open and then turn off automatically about
25 seconds after the door is closed. If the unlock
symbol is pressed and you do not open a
door, the lamps will turn off after about
20 seconds.
Entry lighting includes a feature called theater
dimming. With theater dimming, the lamps do not
turn off at the end of the delay time. Instead,
they slowly dim after the delay time until they go
out. The delay time is canceled if you turn the
ignition key to ON or press the power door
lock switch. The lamps will dim right away.When the ignition is on, illuminated entry is
inactive, which means the courtesy lamps will not
come on unless a door is opened.
Delayed Entry Lighting
Delayed entry lighting illuminates the interior for a
period of time after all the doors have been closed.
The ignition must be off for delayed entry lighting
to work. Immediately after all the doors have been
closed, the delayed entry lighting feature will
continue to work until one of the following occurs:
The ignition is in ON.
The doors are locked.
An illumination period of 25 seconds has
elapsed.
If during the illumination period a door is opened,
the timed illumination period will be canceled
and the interior lamps will remain on because a
door is open.
164

You will need a well-charged battery to restart the
vehicle, and possibly for signaling later on with
the headlamps. Let the heater run for a while.
Then, shut the engine off and close the window
almost all the way to preserve the heat. Start
the engine again and repeat this only when you
feel really uncomfortable from the cold. But do it as
little as possible. Preserve the fuel as long as
you can. To help keep warm, you can get out of
the vehicle and do some fairly vigorous exercises
every half hour or so until help comes.
If Your Vehicle is Stuck in Sand,
Mud, Ice, or Snow
In order to free your vehicle when it is stuck, you
will need to spin the wheels, but you do not
want to spin your wheels too fast. The method
known as rocking can help you get out when you
are stuck, but you must use caution.
{CAUTION:
If you let your vehicle’s tires spin at high
speed, they can explode, and you or
others could be injured. And, the
transaxle or other parts of the vehicle can
overheat. That could cause an engine
compartment re or other damage. When
you are stuck, spin the wheels as little as
possible. Do not spin the wheels above
35 mph (55 km/h) as shown on the
speedometer.
Notice:Spinning the wheels can destroy parts
of your vehicle as well as the tires. If you
spin the wheels too fast while shifting
the transaxle back and forth, you can destroy
the transaxle. SeeRocking Your Vehicle to
Get It Out on page 277.
For information about using tire chains on your
vehicle, seeTire Chains on page 372.
276