2009 PONTIAC G5 steering

Passing Another Vehicle While Using
Cruise Control
Use the accelerator pedal to increase the vehicle’s
speed. When you take your foot off the pedal, the
vehicle will slow down to the cruise control speed
you set earlier.
Using Cruise Control on Hills
How well the cruise control will work on hills depends
upon the vehicle speed, load, and the steepness of
the hills. When going up steep hills, you might have to
step on the accelerator pedal to maintain the vehicle’s
speed. When going downhill, you might have to brake
or shift to a lower gear to keep the vehicle’s speed
down. Applying the brake will turn off the cruise control.
Ending Cruise Control
There are two ways to end cruise control:
Step lightly on the brake pedal or the clutch pedal if
the vehicle has a manual transmission. This will
only end the current cruise control session.
PressJto turn the system completely off.
Erasing Speed Memory
The cruise control set speed memory is erased when
the cruise control or the ignition is turned off.
Headlamps
The lever on the left side of the steering column
operates the exterior lamps.
The exterior lamp switch has the following four positions:
2(Headlamps):Turns on the headlamps, parking
lamps, and taillamps.
;(Parking Lamps):Turns on the parking lamps and
taillamps only.
AUTO (Automatic Headlamp System):Automatically
turns on the Daytime Running Lamps (DRL) during
daytime, and the headlamps, parking lamps, and
taillamps at night. This position must be selected in
order for the Wiper Activated Headlamps to be activated.
SeeWiper Activated Headlamps on page 3-13.
3-12

Fog Lamps
For vehicles with fog lamps, the button is located on the
instrument panel, to the left of the steering wheel.
The ignition must be on to use the fog lamps.
#:Press to turn the fog lamps on off. An indicator
light on the button comes on when the fog lamps are on.
The parking lamps automatically turn on and off when
the fog lamps are turned on and off.
The fog lamps will turn off while the high-beam
headlamps are turned on.
Some localities have laws that require the headlamps to
be on along with the fog lamps.
Instrument Panel Brightness
The control for this feature
is located on the instrument
panel to the left of the
steering wheel.
Turn the knob clockwise to brighten the lights or
counterclockwise to dim them.
3-14

Driver Information Center (DIC)
Your vehicle has a Driver Information Center (DIC).
The DIC display gives you the status of many of your
vehicle’s systems. The DIC is also used to display
driver personalization menu modes and warning/status
messages. All messages will appear in the DIC display,
located at the bottom of the instrument panel cluster.
The DIC buttons are
located on the left side
of the steering wheel.
INFO (Information):Press this button to scroll through
the vehicle information mode displays.
r(Reset):Press this button to reset some vehicle
information mode displays, select a personalization
menu mode setting, or acknowledge a warning
message.Press and hold the information and reset buttons at the
same time for one second, then release the buttons
to enter the personalization menu. SeeDIC Vehicle
Personalization on page 3-47for more information.
DIC Operation and Displays
The DIC comes on when the ignition is on. The DIC has
different modes which can be accessed by pressing the
DIC buttons. The button functions are detailed in the
following.
Information Modes
INFO (Information):Press this button to scroll through
the following vehicle information modes:
Outside Air Temperature and Odometer
Press the information button until the outside air
temperature and the odometer display. This mode shows
the temperature outside of the vehicle in either degrees
Fahrenheit (°F) or degrees Celsius (°C) and the total
distance the vehicle has been driven in either miles (mi)
or kilometers (km). The outside air temperature appears
on the left side of the DIC display and the odometer
appears on the right side of the display.
To change the DIC display to English or metric units,
see “UNITS” underDIC Vehicle Personalization on
page 3-47.
3-39

LOW TRACTION
If your vehicle has the Enhanced Traction System (ETS)
or Traction Control System (TCS), this message displays
and the ETS light or the ESC/TCS light on the instrument
panel cluster ashes when the system is actively limiting
wheel spin. Slippery road conditions may exist if this
message is displayed, so adjust your driving accordingly.
This message stays on for a few seconds after the
system stops limiting wheel spin. SeeEnhanced Traction
System (ETS) on page 4-10orTraction Control System
(TCS) on page 4-7andEnhanced Traction System (ETS)
Indicator/Warning Light on page 3-31orElectronic
Stability Control (ESC)/Traction Control System (TCS)
Indicator/Warning Light on page 3-31for more
information.
PARKING BRAKE
This message displays if the parking brake is left
engaged. SeeParking Brake on page 2-30for more
information.
POWER STEERING
This message displays if a problem has been detected
with the electric power steering. Have your vehicle
serviced by your dealer/retailer immediately.
SERVICE AIR BAG
This message displays when there is a problem with
the airbag system. Have your vehicle serviced by your
dealer/retailer immediately.
SERVICE ESC (ELECTRONIC STABILITY
CONTROL)
If your vehicle has Electronic Stability Control (ESC),
this message displays and a chime sounds if there has
been a problem detected with ESC. The ESC/TCS light
also appears on the instrument panel cluster. This light
stays on solid as long as the detected problem remains
present. When this message displays, the system is not
working. Adjust your driving accordingly. SeeElectronic
Stability Control (ESC) on page 4-6andElectronic
Stability Control (ESC)/Traction Control System (TCS)
Indicator/Warning Light on page 3-31for more
information.
If this message turns on while you are driving, pull
off the road as soon as possible and stop carefully.
Try resetting the system by turning the ignition off and
then back on. If this message still stays on or turns back
on again while you are driving, your vehicle needs
service. Have the ESC inspected by your dealer/retailer
as soon as possible.
3-45

Storing Radio Stations
Depending on which radio the vehicle has, radio
stations are stored as either favorites or presets.
Storing a Radio Station as a Favorite
Radio that have a FAV button store radio stations as
favorites.
Drivers are encouraged to set up radio station favorites
while the vehicle is in P (Park). Tune to favorite stations
using the softkeys, favorites button, and steering wheel
controls. SeeDefensive Driving on page 4-2.
FAV (Favorites):A maximum of 36 stations can be
stored as favorites using the six softkeys located below
the radio station frequency tabs and by using the radio
favorites page button (FAV button). Press FAV to go
through up to six pages of favorites, each having six
favorite stations available per page. Each page of
favorites can contain any combination of AM, FM,
or XM stations. The current balance/fade and tone
settings are also stored with the favorite stations.To store a station as a favorite:
1. Tune to the desired radio station and set the
balance/fade and tone settings to the desired levels.
2. Press FAV to display the page where to store the
station.
3. Press and hold one of the six softkeys until a beep
sounds.
4. Repeat the steps for each radio station to be stored
as a favorite.
To setup the number of favorites pages:
1. Press MENU to display the radio setup menu.
2. Press the softkey located below the FAV 1-6 tab.
3. Select the desired number of favorites pages
by pressing the softkey located below the displayed
page numbers.
4. Press FAV, or let the menu time out, to return to
the original main radio screen showing the radio
station frequency tabs and to begin programming
favorites.
3-58

Bluetooth Controls
Use the buttons located on the steering wheel to
operate the in-vehicle Bluetooth system. SeeAudio
Steering Wheel Controls on page 3-85for more
information.
bg(Push To Talk):Press to answer incoming calls,
to conrm system information, and to start speech
recognition.
cx(Phone On Hook):Press to end a call, reject a
call, or to cancel an operation.
Pairing
A Bluetooth enabled cell phone must be paired to
the in-vehicle Bluetooth system rst and then connected
to the vehicle before it can be used. See the cell phone
manufacturers user guide for Bluetooth functions before
pairing the cell phone. If a Bluetooth phone is not
connected, calls will be made using OnStar
®Hands-Free
Calling, if available. Refer to the OnStar owner’s guide for
more information.Pairing Information:
Up to ve cell phones can be paired to the in-vehicle
Bluetooth system.
The pairing process is disabled when the vehicle is
moving.
The in-vehicle Bluetooth system automatically links
with the rst available paired cell phone in the order
the phone was paired.
Only one paired cell phone can be connected to the
in-vehicle Bluetooth system at a time.
Pairing should only need to be completed once,
unless changes to the pairing information have
been made or the phone is deleted.
To link to a different paired phone, see Linking to a
Different Phone later in this section.
3-75

Theft-Deterrent Feature
THEFTLOCK®is designed to discourage theft of the
vehicle’s radio by learning a portion of the Vehicle
Identication Number (VIN). The radio does not operate
if it is stolen or moved to a different vehicle.
Audio Steering Wheel Controls
Vehicles with audio
steering wheel controls
could differ depending
on the vehicle’s options.
Some audio controls
can be adjusted at the
steering wheel.
e+/e−(Volume):Press to increase or to decrease
the radio volume.
w/x(Next / Previous):Press to change radio
stations, select tracks on a CD, or to select tracks
and navigate folders on an iPod
®or USB device.
To change radio stations:
Press and releaseworxto go to the next or
previous radio station stored as a preset.
Press and holdworxto go to the next or
previous radio station in the selected band with
a strong signal.
To select tracks on a CD:
Press and release
worxto go to the next or previous
track.
To select tracks on an iPod or USB device:
1. Press and hold
worxwhile listening to a song
until the contents of the current folder display on
the radio display.
2. Press and release
worxto scroll up or down the
list, then press and hold
wto play the highlighted
track.
3-85

Your Driving, the Road, and the Vehicle............4-2
Driving for Better Fuel Economy.......................4-2
Defensive Driving...........................................4-2
Drunk Driving.................................................4-3
Control of a Vehicle........................................4-3
Braking.........................................................4-4
Antilock Brake System (ABS)...........................4-4
Braking in Emergencies...................................4-5
Electronic Stability Control (ESC)......................4-6
Traction Control System (TCS).........................4-7
Enhanced Traction System (ETS)....................4-10
Steering......................................................4-12
Off-Road Recovery.......................................4-13
Passing.......................................................4-14
Loss of Control.............................................4-14
Driving at Night............................................4-15Driving in Rain and on Wet Roads..................4-16
Before Leaving on a Long Trip.......................4-17
Highway Hypnosis........................................4-17
Hill and Mountain Roads................................4-18
Winter Driving..............................................4-19
If Your Vehicle is Stuck in Sand, Mud,
Ice, or Snow.............................................4-21
Rocking Your Vehicle to Get It Out.................4-22
Loading the Vehicle......................................4-22
Towing..........................................................4-28
Towing Your Vehicle.....................................4-28
Recreational Vehicle Towing...........................4-28
Towing a Trailer (Automatic Transmission)........4-31
Towing a Trailer (Manual Transmission)...........4-38
Section 4 Driving Your Vehicle
4-1