2009 SATURN ASTRA Owners Manual

Recycled original equipment parts
may also be used for repair.
These parts are typically removed
from vehicles that were total
losses in prior crashes. In most
cases, the parts being recycled are
from undamaged sections of the
vehicle. A recycled original
equipment GM part, may be an
acceptable choice to maintain your
vehicle’s originally designed
appearance and safety performance,
however, the history of these
parts is not known. Such parts are
not covered by your GM New
Vehicle Limited Warranty, and any
related failures are not covered
by that warranty.
Aftermarket collision parts are also
available. These are made by
companies other than GM and may
not have been tested for your
vehicle. As a result, these parts
may t poorly, exhibit premature
durability/corrosion problems,
and may not perform properly
in subsequent collisions.Aftermarket parts are not covered
by your GM New Vehicle Limited
Warranty, and any vehicle failure
related to such parts are not covered
by that warranty.
Repair Facility
We recommend that you choose a
collision repair facility that meets
your needs before you ever
need collision repairs. Your
dealer/retailer may have a collision
repair center with GM-trained
technicians and state of the art
equipment, or be able to
recommend a collision repair center
that has GM-trained technicians
and comparable equipment.
Insuring Your Vehicle
Protect your investment in your
GM vehicle with comprehensive
and collision insurance coverage.
There are signicant differences
in the quality of coverage afforded
by various insurance policy terms.Many insurance policies provide
reduced protection to your GM
vehicle by limiting compensation
for damage repairs by using
aftermarket collision parts.
Some insurance companies will not
specify aftermarket collision
parts. When purchasing insurance,
we recommend that you assure
your vehicle will be repaired with
GM original equipment collision
parts. If such insurance coverage is
not available from your current
insurance carrier, consider switching
to another insurance carrier.
If your vehicle is leased, the leasing
company may require you to
have insurance that assures
repairs with Genuine GM Original
Equipment Manufacturer (OEM)
parts or Genuine Manufacturer
replacement parts. Read your lease
carefully, as you may be charged
at the end of your lease for poor
quality repairs.
Customer Information 12-11
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If a Crash Occurs
Here is what to do if you are
involved in a crash.
Check to make sure that you are
all right. If you are uninjured,
make sure that no one else in
your vehicle, or the other vehicle,
is injured.
If there has been an injury, call
emergency services for help.
Do not leave the scene of a crash
until all matters have been
taken care of. Move your vehicle
only if its position puts you in
danger or you are instructed to
move it by a police officer.
Give only the necessary and
requested information to
police and other parties involved
in the crash. Do not discuss
your personal condition, mental
frame of mind, or anything
unrelated to the crash. This will
help guard against post-crash
legal action.
If you need roadside assistance,
call GM Roadside Assistance.
SeeRoadside Assistance
Program on page 12-6for more
information.
If your vehicle cannot be driven,
know where the towing service
will be taking it. Get a card
from the tow truck operator or
write down the driver’s name, the
service’s name, and the phone
number.
Remove any valuables from your
vehicle before it is towed away.
Make sure this includes your
insurance information and
registration if you keep these
items in your vehicle.
Gather the important information
you will need from the other
driver. Things like name,
address, phone number, driver’slicense number, vehicle license
plate, vehicle make, model
and model year, Vehicle
Identication Number (VIN),
insurance company and policy
number, and a general
description of the damage to the
other vehicle.
If possible, call your insurance
company from the scene of
the crash. They will walk
you through the information they
will need. If they ask for a
police report, phone or go to the
police department headquarters
the next day and you can get
a copy of the report for a nominal
fee. In some states/provinces
with “no fault” insurance laws, a
report may not be necessary.
This is especially true if there are
no injuries and both vehicles
are driveable.
12-12 Customer Information
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Choose a reputable collision
repair facility for your vehicle.
Whether you select a
dealer/retailer or a private
collision repair facility to x the
damage, make sure you are
comfortable with them.
Remember, you will have to feel
comfortable with their work
for a long time.
Once you have an estimate,
read it carefully and make
sure you understand what work
will be performed on your
vehicle. If you have a question,
ask for an explanation. Reputable
shops welcome this opportunity.
Managing the Vehicle Damage
Repair Process
In the event that your vehicle
requires damage repairs, GM
recommends that you take an active
role in its repair. If you have a
pre-determined repair facility
of choice, take your vehicle there,
or have it towed there. Specify to
the facility that any required
replacement collision parts be
original equipment parts, either new
Genuine GM parts or recycled
original GM parts. Remember,
recycled parts will not be covered
by your GM vehicle warranty.
Insurance pays the bill for the repair,
but you must live with the repair.
Depending on your policy limits,
your insurance company may
initially value the repair using
aftermarket parts. Discuss this
with your repair professional, and
insist on Genuine GM parts.Remember if your vehicle is leased
you may be obligated to have
the vehicle repaired with Genuine
GM parts, even if your insurance
coverage does not pay the full cost.
If another party’s insurance
company is paying for the repairs,
you are not obligated to accept
a repair valuation based on
that insurance company’s collision
policy repair limits, as you have
no contractual limits with that
company. In such cases, you can
have control of the repair and
parts choices as long as cost stays
within reasonable limits.
Customer Information 12-13
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Reporting Safety
Defects
Reporting Safety Defects
to the United States
Government
If you believe that your vehicle
has a defect which could
cause a crash or could cause
injury or death, you should
immediately inform the
National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration (NHTSA), in
addition to notifying Saturn
Corporation.
If NHTSA receives similar
complaints, it could open an
investigation, and if it nds that
a safety defect exists in a
group of vehicles, it could order
a recall and remedy campaign.
However, NHTSA cannot
become involved in individual
problems between you, your
retailer or Saturn Corporation.To contact NHTSA, call the
Vehicle Safety Hotline toll-free
at 1-888-327-4236
(TTY: 1-800-424-9153); go to
Safercar.gov; or write to:
Administrator, NHTSA
1200 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington D.C., 20590
You can also obtain other
information about motor vehicle
safety from Safercar.gov.
Reporting Safety Defects
to the Canadian
Government
If you live in Canada, and you
believe that your vehicle has
a safety defect, notify Transport
Canada immediately, in addition to
notifying General Motors of
Canada Limited. Call them at
1-800-333-0510 or write to:
Transport Canada
Road Safety Branch
2780 Sheffield Road
Ottawa, Ontario K1B 3V9
Reporting Safety Defects
to Saturn
In addition to notifying NHTSA
(or Transport Canada) in a situation
like this, please notify Saturn.
Call 1-800-553-6000, or write:
Saturn Corporation
100 Saturn Parkway
Mail Drop 371-999-S24
Spring Hill, TN 37174-1500
In Canada, call 1-800-263-1999,
or write:
Saturn Customer Communication
Centre
General Motors of Canada Limited
CA1-163-005
1908 Colonel Sam Drive
Oshawa, Ontario L1H 8P7
12-14 Customer Information
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Service Publications
Ordering Information
Service Manuals
A variety of publications are
available to you. Saturn service
manuals are written for trained
technicians, and in some cases,
specialized tools and equipment are
necessary to complete certain
repairs. However, the manuals are
available to owners who either
have the training, or wish to gain a
greater understanding of the
technical aspect of their Saturn.
For additional publications
information or to order publications
in the United States, call toll
free 1-800-2-SATURN or visit
Saturn-publications.com to order
on-line.
In Canada, Saturn service manuals
are available by calling toll free
1-800-551-4123.
Owner Publications
Information on how to obtain
product bulletins and as described
below is applicable only in the
fty U.S. states and the District of
Columbia, and only for cars and
light trucks with a Gross Vehicle
Weight Rating (GVWR) less
than 10,000 pounds (4 536 kg).
Copies of individual bulletins
are also at your participating Saturn
retailer. You can ask to see them.
In Canada, information relating
to product service bulletins can be
obtained by contacting your
Saturn retailer.
Service Bulletins
Saturn regularly sends its retailers
useful service bulletins about Saturn
products. Saturn monitors product
performance in the eld. We then
prepare bulletins for servicing
our products better. You can get
these bulletins, too.Bulletins cover various subjects.
Some pertain to the proper use
and care of your vehicle.
Some describe costly repairs.
Others describe inexpensive repairs
which, if done on time with the
latest parts, may avoid future costly
repairs.
Some bulletins tell a technician how
to repair a new or unexpected
condition. Others describe a quicker
way to x your vehicle. They can
help a technician service your
vehicle better.
Most bulletins apply to conditions
affecting a small number of vehicles.
Your Saturn retailer or a qualied
technician may have to determine if
a specic bulletin applies to your
vehicle. To order Saturn bulletins,
call Saturn Publications at
1-800-2-SATURN or visit
saturn-publications.com to order
online.
Customer Information 12-15
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Vehicle Data
Recording and
Privacy
Your Saturn vehicle has a number
of sophisticated computers that
record information about the
vehicle’s performance and how it is
driven. For example, your vehicle
uses computer modules to monitor
and control engine and transmission
performance, to monitor the
conditions for airbag deployment
and deploy airbags in a crash and,
if so equipped, to provide antilock
braking to help the driver control the
vehicle. These modules may store
data to help your dealer/retailer
technician service your vehicle.
Some modules may also store data
about how you operate the vehicle,
such as rate of fuel consumption or
average speed. These modules may
also retain the owner’s personal
preferences, such as radio pre-sets,
seat positions, and temperature
settings.
Event Data Recorders
This vehicle has an Event Data
Recorder (EDR). The main purpose
of an EDR is to record, in certain
crash or near crash-like situations,
such as an airbag deployment
or hitting a road obstacle, data that
will assist in understanding how
a vehicle’s systems performed.
The EDR is designed to record data
related to vehicle dynamics and
safety systems for a short period
of time, typically 30 seconds or less.
The EDR in this vehicle is designed
to record such data as:
How various systems in your
vehicle were operating
Whether or not the driver and
passenger safety belts were
buckled/fastened
How far, if at all, the driver was
pressing the accelerator and/or
brake pedal
How fast the vehicle was travelingThis data can help provide a better
understanding of the circumstances
in which crashes and injuries occur.
Important:EDR data is recorded
by your vehicle only if a non-trivial
crash situation occurs; no data
is recorded by the EDR under
normal driving conditions and no
personal data (e.g., name, gender,
age, and crash location) is
recorded. However, other parties,
such as law enforcement, could
combine the EDR data with the type
of personally identifying data
routinely acquired during a crash
investigation.
To read data recorded by an EDR,
special equipment is required,
and access to the vehicle or the
EDR is needed. In addition to
the vehicle manufacturer, other
parties, such as law enforcement,
that have the special equipment, can
read the information if they have
access to the vehicle or the EDR.
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Saturn will not access this data or
share it with others except: with
the consent of the vehicle owner or,
if the vehicle is leased, with the
consent of the lessee; in response
to an official request of police or
similar government office; as part of
Saturn’s defense of litigation
through the discovery process; or,
as required by law. Data that Saturn
collects or receives may also be
used for Saturn research needs or
may be made available to others
for research purposes, where
a need is shown and the data is not
tied to a specic vehicle or vehicle
owner.
OnStar®
If your vehicle has OnStar and you
subscribe to the OnStar services,
please refer to the OnStar Terms
and Conditions for information
on data collection and use. See also
OnStar
®System on page 4-38in
this manual for more information.
Navigation System
If your vehicle has a navigation
system, use of the system
may result in the storage of
destinations, addresses, telephone
numbers, and other trip information.
Refer to the navigation system
operating manual for information
on stored data and for deletion
instructions.
Radio Frequency
Identication (RFID)
RFID technology is used in some
vehicles for functions such as
tire pressure monitoring and ignition
system security, as well as in
connection with conveniences such
as key fobs for remote door
locking/unlocking and starting, and
in-vehicle transmitters for garage
door openers. RFID technology in
Saturn vehicles does not use
or record personal information or
link with any other Saturn system
containing personal information.
Customer Information 12-17
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✍NOTES
12-18 Customer Information
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