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
Section 1 In Brief
Instrument Panel. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-2
Initial Drive Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-3
Remote Keyless Entry (RKE) System . . . . . . . . . . . 1-3
Door Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-4
Liftgate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-4
Trunk Release . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-5
Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-5
Seat Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-6
Second Row Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-8
Head Restraint Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-8
Safety Belt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-9
Sensing System for Passenger Airbag . . . . . . . . . . 1-9
Mirror Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-10
Steering Wheel Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-11
Interior Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-11
Exterior Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-12
Windshield Wiper/Washer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-12
Climate Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-14
Transmission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-15 Vehicle Features
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-16
Radio(s) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-16
Satellite Radio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-17
Portable Audio Devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-18
Steering Wheel Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-18
Cruise Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-19
Power Outlets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-19
Sunroof . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-19
Performance and Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1-20
Tire Pressure Monitor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-20
Engine Oil Life System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-20
Hood Release . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-21
Driving for Better Fuel Economy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-22
Roadside Assistance Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-22
OnStar
®. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-23
1-1
Mirror Adjustment
Exterior Mirrors
Manual Outside Mirrors
The control for the outside manual mirrors are located
next to each mirror.
Manually fold the mirrors inward to prevent damage
when going through an automatic car wash. To fold, pull
the mirror toward the vehicle. Push the mirror outward,
to return to its original position.
Power Outside Mirrors
The control is located on
the instrument panel, left
of the steering wheel.
The ignition must be turned to ON/RUN to adjust the
mirrors. 1. Select the mirror by moving the selector switch to L for the driver side mirror or R for the
passenger side.
2. Press one of the four arrows located on the control pad to move the mirror to the desired direction.
For more information, see:
.Outside Power Mirrors on page 3‑35.
.Outside Manual Mirrors on page 3‑34.
1-10
Interior Mirror
Hold the mirror in the center to move it up or down and
side to side. Adjust the mirror to avoid glare from the
headlamps behind you. Push the tab forward for
daytime use and pull it for nighttime use.
SeeManual Rearview Mirror on page 3‑34.
Steering Wheel Adjustment
The tilt wheel lever is
located under the steering
column, slightly to the left.
To adjust the steering wheel: 1. Pull the lever down.
2. Move the steering wheel up or down into a comfortable position.
3. Pull the lever up to lock the wheel in place.
See Tilt Wheel on page 4‑3.
Interior Lighting
Dome Lamp
The vehicle has a dome lamp located in the overhead
console.
Move the switch to the following positions:
ON : The light comes on and stays on.
O :The light comes on when a door is opened.
The light turns off when all the doors are closed.
OFF : The light remains off even when a door is
opened.
Be sure all doors and trunk lid or hatch are completely
closed or the battery may drain.
For more information about interior lighting, see:
.Dome Lamp on page 4‑13.
1-11
Section 3 Features and Controls
Keys. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-2
Remote Keyless Entry (RKE) System . . . . . . . . . . . 3-3
Remote Keyless Entry (RKE) System Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-4
Doors and Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-6
Door Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-6
Central Door Unlocking System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-7
Door Ajar Reminder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-7
Rear Door Security Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-7
Trunk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-8
Liftgate (Hatchback) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-11
Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-12
Manual Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-13
Power Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-13
Sun Visors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-14
Theft-Deterrent Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-14
Immobilizer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-14
Immobilizer Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-14
Content Theft-Deterrent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-15
Starting and Operating Your Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . .3-17
New Vehicle Break-In . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-17
Ignition Positions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-18 Starting the Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-19
Engine Heater . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-20
Automatic Transmission Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-22
Manual Transmission Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-26
Parking Brake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-28
Shifting Into Park (Automatic Transmission) . . . 3-29
Shifting Out of Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-30
Parking the Vehicle (Manual Transmission) . . . . 3-31
Parking Over Things That Burn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-32
Engine Exhaust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-32
Running the Vehicle While Parked . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-33
Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-34
Manual Rearview Mirror . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-34
Outside Manual Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-34
Outside Power Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-35
Outside Convex Mirror . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-35
Outside Heated Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-35
Storage Areas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-36
Glove Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-36
Cupholders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-36
Sunroof . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-37
3-1
Window Lockout
The window lockout is
located with the driver
power window switches.
Press the lockout button to stop the rear passengers
from using the rear window switches. The driver can still
operate all the windows with the lockout on. Press the
lockout button again to return to normal window
operation.
Sun Visors
To block out glare you can swing down the sun visors.
You can also remove them from the center mount and
swing them to the side.
Visor Vanity Mirror
The vehicle has vanity mirrors located on the back of
the sun visors. Swing down the sun visor to expose the
vanity mirror.
Theft-Deterrent Systems
Vehicle theft is big business, especially in some cities.
This vehicle has theft-deterrent features, however, they
do not make it impossible to steal.
Immobilizer
See Radio Frequency Statementon page 8‑17for
information regarding Part 15 of the Federal
Communications Commission (FCC) Rules and
RSS-210/211 of Industry and Science Canada.
Immobilizer Operation
The vehicle may have a passive theft-deterrent system.
The immobilizer system prevents the vehicle from being
started by an unauthorized person by isolating the
power supply to the ignition system, the fuel pump and
the fuel injectors.
The system is automatically armed when the key is
removed from the ignition. You do not have to manually
arm or disarm the system.
Your vehicle has a special key that works with the
theft-deterrent system. There is a transponder in the
key head that is electronically coded. The correct key
will start the vehicle. An invalid key immobilizes the
engine. If your key is ever damaged, you may not be
able to start your vehicle.
3-14
Mirrors
Manual Rearview Mirror
Hold the inside rearview mirror in the center to move it
for a clearer view behind your vehicle. Adjust the mirror
to avoid glare from the headlamps behind you. Push the
tab forward for daytime use and pull it for nighttime use.
Outside Manual Mirrors
Adjust the mirrors to see a little of the side of your
vehicle.
Controls for the outside manual mirrors are located next
to each mirror.
Manually fold the mirrors inward to prevent damage
when going through an automatic car wash. To fold,
push the mirror toward the vehicle. Push the mirror
outward, to return it to the original position.
3-34
Outside Power Mirrors
The control is located on
the instrument panel, left
of the steering wheel.
The ignition must be turned to ON/RUN to adjust the
mirrors.
To adjust the mirrors: 1. Select the mirror you want to adjust by moving the selector switch to L for the driver side mirror
or R for the passenger side mirror.
2. Press one of the four arrows located on the control pad to move the mirror to the desired direction.
Manually fold the mirrors inward to prevent damage
when going through an automatic car wash. To fold,
push the mirror toward the vehicle. Push the mirror
outward, to return to its original position.
Outside Convex Mirror
{WARNING:
A convex mirror can make things, like other
vehicles, look farther away than they really are.
If you cut too sharply into the right lane, you could
hit a vehicle on the right. Check the inside mirror
or glance over your shoulder before changing
lanes.
The passenger side mirror is convex shaped. A convex
mirror's surface is curved so more can be seen from the
driver seat.
Outside Heated Mirrors
For vehicles with this feature:
<(Rear Window Defogger): Press to heat the
mirrors. See “Rear Window and Outside Mirror
Defogger” underClimate Control System
on page 4‑15for more information.
3-35