2010 PONTIAC G3 stop start

{WARNING:
It is dangerous to get out of the vehicle if the shift
lever is not fully in P (Park) with the parking brake
firmly set. The vehicle can roll.
Do not leave the vehicle when the engine is
running unless you have to. If you have left the
engine running, the vehicle can move suddenly.
You or others could be injured. To be sure the
vehicle will not move, even when you are on fairly
level ground, always set the parking brake and
move the shift lever to P (Park). SeeShifting Into
Park (Automatic Transmission) on page 3‑29.
Ensure that the shift lever is fully in P (Park) before
starting the engine. The vehicle has an automatic
transmission shift lock control system. You have to
apply the brake pedal before you can shift from P (Park)
when the key is in ON/RUN. If you cannot shift out of
P (Park) while holding the brake pedal down, see
Shifting Out of Park on page 3‑30.
R (Reverse) : Use this gear to back up.
When shifting from N (Neutral) to R (Reverse), you need
to apply the brake pedal and push the release button on
the front of the shifter. Notice:
Shifting to R (Reverse) while the vehicle is
moving forward could damage the transmission.
The repairs would not be covered by the vehicle
warranty. Shift to R (Reverse) only after the vehicle
is stopped.
To rock the vehicle back and forth to get out of snow,
ice or sand without damaging the transmission, see If
Your Vehicle is Stuck in Sand, Mud, Ice, or Snow
on
page 5‑13.
N (Neutral) : In this position, the engine does not
connect with the wheels. To restart the engine while the
vehicle is already moving, use N (Neutral) only. Also,
use N (Neutral) when the vehicle is being towed.
{WARNING:
Shifting into a drive gear while the engine is
running at high speed is dangerous. Unless your
foot is firmly on the brake pedal, the vehicle could
move very rapidly. You could lose control and hit
people or objects. Do not shift into a drive gear
while the engine is running at high speed.
3-23

Notice:Shifting out of P (Park) or N (Neutral) with
the engine running at high speed may damage the
transmission. The repairs would not be covered by
the vehicle warranty. Be sure the engine is not
running at high speed when shifting the vehicle.
D4 (Automatic Overdrive) : This position is for normal
driving.
When operating the vehicle in severe cold conditions,
the transmission may be prevented from shifting into
D4 gear until the transmission fluid has warmed up to
it's operational temperature.
Notice: If the vehicle seems to start up rather
slowly or not shift gears when you go faster, and
you continue to drive the vehicle that way, you
could damage the transmission. Have the vehicle
serviced right away. You can drive in 2 (Second)
when you are driving less than 35 mph (55 km/h)
and D4 (Automatic Overdrive) for higher speeds
until then.
2 (Second) : This position gives you more power but
lower fuel economy. You can use 2 (Second) on hills.
It can help control vehicle speed as you go down steep
mountain roads, while using the brakes off and on. Notice:
Do not drive in 2 (Second) at speeds over
65 mph (105 km/h), or you can damage the
transmission. Use D4 (Automatic Overdrive) as
much as possible. Do not shift into 2 (Second)
unless you are going slower than 65 mph (105 km/h)
or you can damage the engine.
1 (First) : This position gives you even more power but
lower fuel economy than 2 (Second). You can use it on
very steep hills, or in deep snow or mud. If the shift
lever is put in 1 (First), the transmission will not shift into
first gear until the vehicle is going slowly enough.
Notice: Spinning the tires or holding the vehicle in
one place on a hill using only the accelerator pedal
may damage the transmission. The repair will not be
covered by the vehicle warranty. If you are stuck, do
not spin the tires. When stopping on a hill, use the
brakes to hold the vehicle in place.
If there is a malfunction with the automatic transmission,
the malfunction indicator lamp (MIL) or the HOLD
indicator light will turn on or flash. See Malfunction
Indicator Lamp on page 4‑29.
Have the vehicle fixed as soon as possible.
3-24

Hold Mode
If the vehicle's transmission has hold mode, you can
select this mode to allow the automatic transmission to
stay in a specific gear range.
Press the HOLD button on the shift lever console to turn
on hold mode. The HOLD light on the instrument panel
cluster will turn on. Press the button again to turn off
hold mode, and return to normal automatic transmission
operation.When hold mode is activated, the transmission runs as
follows:
Selector Lever Position Gear Range D4 Third Gear
2 Second Gear
1 First Gear
See Hold Mode Light on page 4‑27.
When Hold Mode is selected in D4 (Drive), the
transmission is held in 3 (Third) gear, which locks out
D4 (Drive). This allows for engine braking when slowing
from higher speeds.
When Hold Mode is selected in 2 (Second), the
transmission will start in 2 (Second) gear instead of
1 (First), helping to reduce wheel spin when starting out
on slippery surface such as snow, mud or ice.
Since selecting Hold Mode in D4 (Drive) locks the
transmission in 3 (Third), and prevents downshifts to
2 (Second) or 1 (First), acceleration from a stop or near
stop on dry pavement will be slower than expected.
Hold Mode should not be selected during these
situations.
3-25

Manual Transmission Operation
Five-Speed
This is your shift pattern.
1 (First) :Press the clutch pedal and shift into 1 (First).
Then, slowly let up on the clutch pedal as you press the
accelerator pedal. You can shift into 1 (First) when you are going less than
20 mph (32 km/h). If you have come to a complete stop
and it is hard to shift into 1 (First), put the shift lever in
N (Neutral) and let up on the clutch. Press the clutch
pedal back down. Then shift into 1 (First).
2 (Second) :
Press the clutch pedal as you let up on
the accelerator pedal and shift into 2 (Second). Then,
slowly let up on the clutch pedal as you press the
accelerator pedal.
3 (Third), 4 (Fourth) and 5 (Fifth) : Shift into 3 (Third),
4 (Fourth) and 5 (Fifth), the same way you do for
2 (Second). Slowly let up on the clutch pedal as you
press the accelerator pedal.
To stop, let up on the accelerator pedal and press the
brake pedal. Just before the vehicle stops, press the
clutch pedal and the brake pedal, and shift to
N (Neutral).
N (Neutral) : Use this position when you start or idle
the engine.
3-26

Windshield Wipers
Sedan shown
Hatchback shownThe lever is located on the right side of the steering
column. The ignition must be turned to ON/RUN to
operate the windshield wipers.
Move the lever to one of the following positions:
HI (High Speed) :
Fast wipes.
LO (Low Speed) : Slow wipes.
INT (Intermittent) : Move to this position for a delayed
wiping cycle. Turn the band on the windshield wiper
toward FAST or SLOW for a shorter or longer delay
between wipes. The wiper speed can only be adjusted
when the lever is in the INT position.
OFF : Turns the windshield wipers off.
Misting Function
Move the lever toward INT for a single wiping cycle.
Hold it there until the windshield wipers start; then let
go. The windshield wipers will stop after one wipe.
If more wipes are needed, hold the band toward INT
longer.
Clear ice and snow from the wiper blades before using
them. If frozen to the windshield, carefully loosen or
thaw them. Damaged wiper blades should be replaced.
SeeWindshield Wiper Blade Replacement
on
page 6‑49.
Heavy snow or ice can overload the wipers. A circuit
breaker stops them until the motor cools.
4-6

When the ignition is on, the brake system warning light
will also come on when the parking brake is set. The
light will stay on if the parking brake does not fully
release. If it stays on after the parking brake is fully
released, it means there is a brake problem.
If the light comes on while driving, carefully pull off the
road and stop. The pedal may be harder to push or may
go closer to the floor. It may take longer to stop. If the
light is still on, have the vehicle towed for service.
SeeTowing Your Vehicle on page 5‑25.
Antilock Brake System (ABS)
Warning Light
For vehicles with the
Antilock Brake System
(ABS), this light comes on
briefly when the engine is
started.
If the light stays on, turn the ignition to LOCK/OFF or if
the light comes on, stop as soon as possible and turn
the ignition off. Then start the engine again to reset the
system. If the light still stays on, or comes on again while driving, the vehicle needs service. See your
dealer/retailer. If the regular brake system warning light
is not on, the brakes will still work, but the antilock
brakes will not work. If the regular brake system
warning light is also on, the antilock brakes will not
work and there is a problem with the regular brakes.
See
Brake System Warning Light on page 4‑26.
The ABS warning light will come on briefly when the
ignition is turned to ON/RUN. This is normal. If the light
does not come on then, have it fixed so it will be ready
to warn if there is a problem.
Hold Mode Light
If the vehicle has this
feature, this light comes
on when the hold mode
is active.
If the HOLD mode light flashes, have the vehicle
checked. See “Hold Mode”underAutomatic
Transmission Operation
on page 3‑22for more
information.
4-27

Engine Coolant Temperature Gage
United StatesCanada
The vehicle may have an engine coolant temperature
gage. With the ignition turned to ON/RUN, this gage
shows the engine coolant temperature.
If the gage pointer moves into the red area, the engine
is too hot. It means that the engine coolant has
overheated.
If the vehicle has been operating under normal driving
conditions, pull off the road, stop the vehicle and turn off
the engine as soon as possible.
See Engine Overheating on page 6‑30.
Tire Pressure Light
For vehicles with the tire
pressure monitoring
system, this light comes
on briefly when the engine
is started.
It provides information about tire pressures and the
Tire Pressure Monitoring System.
When the Light is On Steady
This indicates that one or more of the tires are
significantly underinflated.
Stop and check the tires as soon as it is safe to do,
and inflate them to the proper pressure. See Tires
on
page 6‑50for more information.
4-28

This light comes on during a malfunction in one of
two ways:
Light Flashing :A misfire condition has been
detected. A misfire increases vehicle emissions and
could damage the emission control system on the
vehicle. Diagnosis and service might be required.
The following can prevent more serious damage to the
vehicle:
.Reduce vehicle speed.
.Avoid hard accelerations.
.Avoid steep uphill grades.
If the light continues to flash, when it is safe to do so,
stop the vehicle. Find a safe place to park the vehicle.
Turn the key off, wait at least 10 seconds, and restart
the engine. If the light is still flashing, follow the
previous steps and see your dealer/retailer for service
as soon as possible.
Light On Steady : An emission control system
malfunction has been detected on the vehicle.
Diagnosis and service might be required.
An emission system malfunction might be corrected by
doing the following:
.Make sure the fuel cap is fully installed. See Filling
the Tankon page 6‑8. The diagnostic system
can determine if the fuel cap has been left off or improperly installed. A loose or missing fuel cap
allows fuel to evaporate into the atmosphere. A few
driving trips with the cap properly installed should
turn the light off.
.If the vehicle has been driven through a deep
puddle of water, the vehicle's electrical system
might be wet. The condition is usually corrected
when the electrical system dries out. A few driving
trips should turn the light off.
.Make sure to fuel the vehicle with quality fuel.
Poor fuel quality causes the engine not to run as
efficiently as designed and may cause: stalling
after start-up, stalling when the vehicle is changed
into gear, misfiring, hesitation on acceleration,
or stumbling on acceleration. These conditions
might go away once the engine is warmed up.
If one or more of these conditions occurs, change
the fuel brand used. It will require at least one full
tank of the proper fuel to turn the light off.
See
Gasoline Octane on page 6‑6.
If none of the above have made the light turn off, have
your dealer/retailer check the vehicle. The dealer/
retailer has the proper test equipment and diagnostic
tools to fix any mechanical or electrical problems that
might have developed.
4-30