2010 PONTIAC G3 steering

Storing a Radio Station
Drivers are encouraged to set up radio station favorites
while the vehicle is in P (Park). Tune to favorite stations
using the pushbuttons, favorites button, and steering
wheel controls. SeeDefensive Driving on page 5‑2.
A maximum of 36 stations can be programmed as
favorites using the six pushbuttons positioned below the
radio station frequency labels and by using the radio
favorites page button (FAV button). Press the FAV
button to go through up to six pages of favorites,
each having six favorite stations available per page.
If Automatic Store is used, then four pages of favorites
are available. Each page of favorites can contain any
combination of AM, FM, or XM™ (if equipped) stations.
To store a station as a favorite:
1. Tune in the desired station.
2. Press and release the FAV button to display the page where the station is to be stored.
3. Press and hold one of the six numbered pushbuttons until a beep sounds. When the
pushbutton is pressed and released, the station
that was set will return.
4. Repeat the Steps 1 through 3 for each radio station to be stored as a favorite. To setup the number of favorites pages:
1. Press and hold FAV until the radio setup menu displays.
2. Select the desired number of favorites pages by pressing the pushbutton located below the
displayed page numbers.
3. Press FAV to return to the original main radio screen showing the radio station frequency tabs
and to begin the process of programming favorites
for the chosen amount of numbered pages.
Setting the Tone (Bass/Mid/Treble)
SOUND (Bass/Mid/Treble) : Press to adjust the bass,
midrange, or treble.
Adjusting the Bass
To adjust the bass:
1. Press SOUND.
2. Press the pushbutton below the Bass tab on the display.
3. Turn
Oto adjust the setting.
4. The settings are saved after five seconds.
4-43

XM Radio Messages
UPDATING :The encryption code in the receiver is
being updated, and no action is required. This process
should take no longer than 30 seconds.
NO SIGNAL : The system is functioning correctly, but
the vehicle is in a location that is blocking the XM™
signal. When the vehicle is moved into an open area,
the signal should return.
LOADING : The audio system is acquiring and
processing audio and text data. No action is needed.
This message should disappear shortly.
OFF AIR : This channel is not currently in service.
Tune in to another channel.
CH UNAVAILABLE : This previously assigned channel
is no longer assigned. Tune to another station. If this
station was one of the presets, choose another station
for that preset button.
RADIO ID : If tuned to channel 0, this message
alternates with the XM™ Radio 8 digit radio ID label.
This label is needed to activate the service.
CHECK XM TUNER : If this message does not clear
within a short period of time, the receiver could have a
fault. Consult with your dealer/retailer.
Audio Steering Wheel Controls
Front View of the Steering Wheel ControlsSide View of the Volume Control
If the vehicle has this feature, some audio controls can
be adjusted at the steering wheel.
PWR (Power) : Press and release to turn the system
on and off.
When the system is on, press and release for a short
time to mute the system. Press and release again to
turn the sound back on.
+ VOLUME −:Press the toggle bar located below the
+ VOLUME −to adjust the volume. Press the left side of
the toggle bar, below the + (plus) sign to increase the
volume. Press the right side of the toggle bar, below
the −(minus) sign to decrease the volume.
4-51

Section 5 Driving Your Vehicle
Your Driving, the Road, and the Vehicle. . . . . . . . . .5-2
Defensive Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-2
Drunk Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-2
Control of a Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-3
Braking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-3
Antilock Brake System (ABS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-4
Braking in Emergencies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-5
Steering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-5
Off-Road Recovery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-7
Passing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-7
Loss of Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-7
Driving at Night . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-8
Driving in Rain and on Wet Roads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-9 Before Leaving on a Long Trip . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-10
Highway Hypnosis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-10
Hill and Mountain Roads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-10
Winter Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-11
If Your Vehicle is Stuck in Sand, Mud, Ice,
or Snow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-13
Rocking Your Vehicle to Get It Out . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-14
Loading the Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-14
Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-25
Towing Your Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-25
Recreational Vehicle Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-25
Towing a Trailer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-27
5-1

For persons under 21, it is against the law in every
U.S. state to drink alcohol. There are good medical,
psychological, and developmental reasons for
these laws.
The obvious way to eliminate the leading highway
safety problem is for people never to drink alcohol
and then drive.
Medical research shows that alcohol in a person's
system can make crash injuries worse, especially
injuries to the brain, spinal cord, or heart. This means
that when anyone who has been drinking—driver or
passenger —is in a crash, that person's chance of
being killed or permanently disabled is higher than if
the person had not been drinking.
Control of a Vehicle
The following three systems help to control the vehicle
while driving —brakes, steering, and accelerator. At
times, as when driving on snow or ice, it is easy to ask
more of those control systems than the tires and road
can provide. Meaning, you can lose control of the
vehicle.
Adding non‐dealer/non‐retailer accessories can affect
vehicle performance. See Accessories and
Modifications on page 6‑3.
Braking
See Brake System Warning Light on page 4‑26.
Braking action involves perception time and reaction
time. Deciding to push the brake pedal is perception
time. Actually doing it is reaction time.
Average reaction time is about three‐fourths of a
second. But that is only an average. It might be less
with one driver and as long as two or three seconds or
more with another. Age, physical condition, alertness,
coordination, and eyesight all play a part. So do alcohol,
drugs, and frustration. But even in three‐fourths of a
second, a vehicle moving at 100 km/h (60 mph) travels
20 m (66 feet). That could be a lot of distance in an
emergency, so keeping enough space between the
vehicle and others is important.
And, of course, actual stopping distances vary greatly
with the surface of the road, whether it is pavement or
gravel; the condition of the road, whether it is wet, dry,
or icy; tire tread; the condition of the brakes; the weight
of the vehicle; and the amount of brake force applied.
Avoid needless heavy braking. Some people drive in
spurts, heavy acceleration followed by heavy braking,
rather than keeping pace with traffic. This is a mistake.
5-3

Remember: ABS does not change the time needed to
get a foot up to the brake pedal or always decrease
stopping distance. If you get too close to the vehicle in
front of you, there will not be enough time to apply the
brakes if that vehicle suddenly slows or stops. Always
leave enough room up ahead to stop, even with ABS.
Using ABS
Do not pump the brakes. Just hold the brake pedal
down firmly and let antilock work. A slight brake pedal
pulsation might be felt or some noise might be heard,
but this is normal.
Braking in Emergencies
At some time, nearly every driver gets into a situation
that requires hard braking.
If the vehicle has ABS, it allows the driver to steer and
brake at the same time. However, if the vehicle does
not have ABS, the first reaction—to hit the brake pedal
hard and hold it down —might be the wrong thing to do.
The wheels can stop rolling. Once they do, the vehicle
cannot respond to the driver's steering. Momentum will
carry it in whatever direction it was headed when the
wheels stopped rolling. That could be off the road, into
the very thing the driver was trying to avoid, or into
traffic. If the vehicle does not have ABS, use a
“squeeze”
braking technique. This gives maximum braking while
maintaining steering control. Do this by pushing on the
brake pedal with steadily increasing pressure.
In an emergency, you will probably want to squeeze the
brakes hard without locking the wheels. If you hear or
feel the wheels sliding, ease off the brake pedal. This
helps retain steering control. With ABS, it is different.
See Antilock Brake System (ABS) on page 5‑4.
In many emergencies, steering can help more than
even the very best braking.
Steering
Power Steering
If power steering assist is lost because the engine stops
or the system is not functioning, the vehicle can be
steered but it will take more effort.
Steering Tips
It is important to take curves at a reasonable speed.
Traction in a curve depends on the condition of the tires
and the road surface, the angle at which the curve is
banked, and vehicle speed. While in a curve, speed is
the one factor that can be controlled.
5-5

If there is a need to reduce speed, do it before entering
the curve, while the front wheels are straight.
Try to adjust the speed so you can drive through the
curve. Maintain a reasonable, steady speed. Wait to
accelerate until out of the curve, and then accelerate
gently into the straightaway.
Steering in Emergencies
There are times when steering can be more effective
than braking. For example, you come over a hill and
find a truck stopped in your lane, or a car suddenly pulls
out from nowhere, or a child darts out from between
parked cars and stops right in front of you. These
problems can be avoided by braking—if you can stop
in time. But sometimes you cannot stop in time because
there is no room. That is the time for evasive
action —steering around the problem.
The vehicle can perform very well in emergencies like
these. First apply the brakes —but, unless the vehicle
has antilock brakes, not enough to lock the wheels. See
Braking
on page 5‑3. It is better to remove as much
speed as possible from a collision. Then steer around
the problem, to the left or right depending on the space
available.
An emergency like this requires close attention and a
quick decision. If holding the steering wheel at the
recommended 9 and 3 o'clock positions, it can be
turned a full 180 degrees very quickly without removing
either hand. But you have to act fast, steer quickly, and
just as quickly straighten the wheel once you have
avoided the object.
The fact that such emergency situations are always
possible is a good reason to practice defensive driving
at all times and wear safety belts properly.
5-6

Off-Road Recovery
The vehicle's right wheels can drop off the edge of a
road onto the shoulder while driving.
If the level of the shoulder is only slightly below the
pavement, recovery should be fairly easy. Ease off the
accelerator and then, if there is nothing in the way, steer
so that the vehicle straddles the edge of the pavement.
Turn the steering wheel 8 to 13 cm (3 to 5 inches),
about one-eighth turn, until the right front tire contacts
the pavement edge. Then turn the steering wheel to go
straight down the roadway.
Passing
Passing another vehicle on a two-lane road can be
dangerous. To reduce the risk of danger while passing:
.Look down the road, to the sides, and to
crossroads for situations that might affect a
successful pass. If in doubt, wait.
.Watch for traffic signs, pavement markings, and
lines that could indicate a turn or an intersection.
Never cross a solid or double‐solid line on your
side of the lane.
.Do not get too close to the vehicle you want to
pass. Doing so can reduce your visibility.
.Wait your turn to pass a slow vehicle.
.When you are being passed, ease to the right.
Loss of Control
Let us review what driving experts say about what
happens when the three control systems—brakes,
steering, and acceleration —do not have enough
friction where the tires meet the road to do what the
driver has asked.
In any emergency, do not give up. Keep trying to steer
and constantly seek an escape route or area of less
danger.
5-7

Skidding
In a skid, a driver can lose control of the vehicle.
Defensive drivers avoid most skids by taking
reasonable care suited to existing conditions, and by
not overdriving those conditions. But skids are always
possible.
The three types of skids correspond to the vehicle's
three control systems. In the braking skid, the wheels
are not rolling. In the steering or cornering skid, too
much speed or steering in a curve causes tires to slip
and lose cornering force. And in the acceleration skid,
too much throttle causes the driving wheels to spin.
If the vehicle starts to slide, ease your foot off the
accelerator pedal and quickly steer the way you want
the vehicle to go. If you start steering quickly enough,
the vehicle may straighten out. Always be ready for a
second skid if it occurs.
Of course, traction is reduced when water, snow, ice,
gravel, or other material is on the road. For safety, slow
down and adjust your driving to these conditions. It is
important to slow down on slippery surfaces because
stopping distance will be longer and vehicle control
more limited.
While driving on a surface with reduced traction, try
your best to avoid sudden steering, acceleration,
or braking, including reducing vehicle speed by shifting
to a lower gear. Any sudden changes could cause thetires to slide. You may not realize the surface is slippery
until the vehicle is skidding. Learn to recognize warning
clues
—such as enough water, ice, or packed snow on
the road to make a mirrored surface —and slow down
when you have any doubt.
If the vehicle has the Antilock Brake System (ABS),
remember: It helps avoid only the braking skid. If the
vehicle does not have ABS, then in a braking skid,
where the wheels are no longer rolling, release enough
pressure on the brakes to get the wheels rolling again.
This restores steering control. Push the brake pedal
down steadily when you have to stop suddenly. As long
as the wheels are rolling, you will have steering control.
Driving at Night
Night driving is more dangerous than day driving
because some drivers are likely to be impaired —by
alcohol or drugs, with night vision problems, or by
fatigue.
Night driving tips include:
.Drive defensively.
.Do not drink and drive.
.Reduce headlamp glare by adjusting the inside
rearview mirror.
.Slow down and keep more space between you and
other vehicles because headlamps can only light
up so much road ahead.
5-8