2010 Pontiac G3 Owner ManualM
In Brief. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-1
Instrument Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-2
Initial Drive Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-3
Vehicle Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-16
Performance and Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-20
Seats and Restraint System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-1
Head Restraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-2
Front Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-4
Rear Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-8
Safety Belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-15
Child Restraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-33
Airbag System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-57
Restraint System Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-72
Features and Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-1
Keys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-2
Doors and Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-6
Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-12 Theft-Deterrent Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-14
Starting and Operating Your Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-17
Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-34
Storage Areas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-36
Sunroof . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-37
Instrument Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-1
Instrument Panel Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-3
Climate Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-15
Warning Lights, Gages, and Indicators . . . . . . . . . . 4-20
Audio System(s) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-36
Driving Your Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-1
Your Driving, the Road, and the Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . 5-2
Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-25
Service and Appearance Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-1
Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-3
Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-5
Checking Things Under the Hood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-11
Safety Belt
Refer to the following sections for important information
on how to use safety belts properly.
.Safety Belts: They Are for Everyone on page 2‑15.
.How to Wear Safety Belts Properly on page 2‑20.
.Lap-Shoulder Belt on page 2‑29.
.Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children (LATCH)on page 2‑43.
Sensing System for Passenger
Airbag
The passenger sensing system will turn off the right
front passenger frontal airbag and seat‐mounted side
impact airbag (if equipped) under certain conditions.
The driver airbags are not affected by this.
The passenger airbag status indicator will be visible,
near the clock, located in the center of the instrument
panel when the vehicle is started.
United StatesCanada
See Passenger Sensing System
on page 2‑65for
important information.
1-9
Section 2 Seats and Restraint System
Head Restraints. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-2
Front Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-4
Manual Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-4
Seat Height Adjuster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-5
Manual Lumbar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-5
Reclining Seatbacks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-6
Rear Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-8
Rear Seat Operation (Sedan) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-8
Rear Seat Operation (Hatchback) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-10
Safety Belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-15
Safety Belts: They Are for Everyone . . . . . . . . . . . 2-15
How to Wear Safety Belts Properly . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-20
Lap-Shoulder Belt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-29
Safety Belt Use During Pregnancy . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-32
Safety Belt Extender . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-33
Child Restraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-33
Older Children . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-33
Infants and Young Children . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-36
Child Restraint Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-40
Where to Put the Restraint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-42 Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children
(LATCH) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-43
Securing a Child Restraint in a Rear Seat Position . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-51
Securing a Child Restraint in the Right Front
Seat Position . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-54
Airbag System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-57
Where Are the Airbags? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-60
When Should an Airbag Inflate? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-62
What Makes an Airbag Inflate? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-63
How Does an Airbag Restrain? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-63
What Will You See After an Airbag Inflates? . . . 2-64
Passenger Sensing System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-65
Servicing Your Airbag-Equipped Vehicle . . . . . . . 2-70
Adding Equipment to Your Airbag-Equipped Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-71
Restraint System Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2-72
Checking the Restraint Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-72
Replacing Restraint System Parts After a Crash . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-73
2-1
Lap-Shoulder Belt
All seating positions in the vehicle have a
lap-shoulder belt.
If you are using a rear seating position with a
detachable safety belt and the safety belt is not
attached, seeRear Seat Operation (Sedan)
on
page 2‑8or Rear Seat Operation (Hatchback)on
page 2‑10for instruction on reconnecting the safety
belt to the mini-buckle.
The following instructions explain how to wear a
lap-shoulder belt properly.
1. Adjust the seat, if the seat is adjustable, so you can sit up straight. To see how, see “Seats”in the
Index.
2. Pick up the latch plate and pull the belt across you. Do not let it get twisted.
The lap-shoulder belt may lock if you pull the belt
across you very quickly. If this happens, let the belt
go back slightly to unlock it. Then pull the belt
across you more slowly.
If the shoulder portion of a passenger belt is pulled
out all the way, the child restraint locking feature
may be engaged. If this happens, let the belt go
back all the way and start again.
3. If the belt stops before it reaches the buckle, tilt thelatch plate and keep pulling until it can be buckled.
2-29
Safety Belt Extender
If the vehicle's safety belt will fasten around you,
you should use it.
But if a safety belt is not long enough, your dealer/
retailer will order you an extender. When you go in to
order it, take the heaviest coat you will wear, so the
extender will be long enough for you. To help avoid
personal injury, do not let someone else use it, and use
it only for the seat it is made to fit. The extender has
been designed for adults. Never use it for securing child
seats. To wear it, attach it to the regular safety belt.
For more information, see the instruction sheet that
comes with the extender.
Child Restraints
Older Children
Older children who have outgrown booster seats should
wear the vehicle's safety belts.
2-33
The manufacturer's instructions that come with the
booster seat, state the weight and height limitations for
that booster. Use a booster seat with a lap-shoulder belt
until the child passes the below fit test:
.Sit all the way back on the seat. Do the knees
bend at the seat edge? If yes, continue. If no,
return to the booster seat.
.Buckle the lap-shoulder belt. Does the shoulder
belt rest on the shoulder? If yes, continue. If no,
then return to the booster seat.
.Does the lap belt fit low and snug on the hips,
touching the thighs? If yes, continue. If no, return
to the booster seat.
.Can proper safety belt fit be maintained for the
length of the trip? If yes, continue. If no, return to
the booster seat. Q: What is the proper way to wear safety belts?
A:
An older child should wear a lap-shoulder belt and
get the additional restraint a shoulder belt can
provide. The shoulder belt should not cross the face
or neck. The lap belt should fit snugly below the
hips, just touching the top of the thighs. This applies
belt force to the child's pelvic bones in a crash.
It should never be worn over the abdomen, which
could cause severe or even fatal internal injuries in
a crash.
According to accident statistics, children and infants are
safer when properly restrained in the rear seating
positions than in the front seating positions.
In a crash, children who are not buckled up can strike
other people who are buckled up, or can be thrown out
of the vehicle. Older children need to use safety belts
properly.
2-34
{WARNING:
Never do this.
Children who are up against, or very close to, any
airbag when it inflates can be seriously injured or
killed. Never put a rear-facing child restraint in the
right front seat. Secure a rear-facing child restraint
in a rear seat. It is also better to secure a
forward-facing child restraint in a rear seat. If you
must secure a forward-facing child restraint in the
right front seat, always move the front passenger
seat as far back as it will go.
2-38
Child Restraint Systems
A rear-facing infant
seat (A) provides restraint
with the seating surface
against the back of the
infant.
The harness system holds the infant in place and, in a
crash, acts to keep the infant positioned in the restraint.
A forward-facing child
seat (B) provides restraint
for the child's body with
the harness.
A booster seat (C-D) is a child restraint designed to
improve the fit of the vehicle's safety belt system.
A booster seat can also help a child to see out the
window.
2-40