Page 1 of 368

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
Page 7 of 368

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
Page 11 of 368
Trunk Release
The vehicle may have a
release button located on
the driver door. Press it to
open the trunk.
The vehicle may have a
trunk release lever
located on the outboard
side of the driver seat.
Pull the lever to open
the trunk.
For more information see Trunk on page 3‑8.
Windows
Manual Windows
Use the window crank to open and close each window.
The rear windows do not open fully.
For more information seeManual Windows
on
page 3‑13.
1-5
Page 12 of 368
Power Windows
On vehicles with power windows, the switches for all
windows are located on the driver door armrest.
Each passenger door has a switch for its own window.
The ignition must be in ON/RUN to use the power
windows. To lower the window, press and hold the
switch. To raise the window, lift up on the switch.
Release the switch when the window reaches the
desired level.
For more information seePower Windows
on
page 3‑13.
Seat Adjustment
Manual Seats
1. Lift the bar under the front of the seat to
unlock it.
2. Slide the seat to the desired position and release the bar.
3. Push and pull on the seat to make sure it is locked into place.
1-6
Page 19 of 368
Hatchback shown
The lever is located on the right side of the steering
column. The ignition must be turned to ON/RUN to
operate the windshield wipers.
HI : Fast wipes.
LO : Slow wipes.
INT : 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. For several wipes, hold the band toward INT longer.
Windshield Washer
Pull the windshield washer/wiper lever toward you to
spray washer fluid on the windshield.
SeeWindshield Wipers
on page 4‑6andWindshield
Washeron page 4‑7. For vehicles with a Rear
Window Wiper/Washer, see Rear Window Wiper/
Washer on page 4‑7.
1-13
Page 20 of 368
Climate Controls
For vehicles with these climate control systems, the
heating, cooling, and ventilation can be controlled for
the vehicle.
Climate Control System with Heater andAir Conditioning
A. Temperature Control
B. Fan Control
C. Air Delivery Mode Control D. Air Conditioning (A/C)
E. Air Recirculation
F. Rear Window Defogger
Climate Control System with Heater Only
A. Temperature Control
B. Fan Control
C. Air Delivery Mode Control D. Rear Window Defogger
E. Outside Air/Recirculation
See Climate Control System on page 4‑15.
1-14
Page 70 of 368
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
Page 88 of 368

Airbags are designed to supplement the protection
provided by safety belts. Even though today's airbags
are also designed to help reduce the risk of injury from
the force of an inflating bag, all airbags must inflate very
quickly to do their job.
Here are the most important things to know about the
airbag system:
{WARNING:
You can be severely injured or killed in a crash if
you are not wearing your safety belt—even if you
have airbags. Airbags are designed to work with
safety belts, but do not replace them. Also,
airbags are not designed to deploy in every crash.
In some crashes safety belts are your only
restraint. See When Should an Airbag Inflate?
on
page 2‑62
.
Wearing your safety belt during a crash helps
reduce your chance of hitting things inside the
vehicle or being ejected from it. Airbags are
“supplemental restraints” to the safety belts.
Everyone in your vehicle should wear a safety belt
properly —whether or not there is an airbag for
that person.
{WARNING:
Airbags inflate with great force, faster than the
blink of an eye. Anyone who is up against, or very
close to, any airbag when it inflates can be
seriously injured or killed. Do not sit unnecessarily
close to the airbag, as you would be if you were
sitting on the edge of your seat or leaning forward.
Safety belts help keep you in position before and
during a crash. Always wear your safety belt,
even with airbags. The driver should sit as far
back as possible while still maintaining control of
the vehicle.
Occupants should not lean on or sleep against the
door or side windows in seating positions with
seat-mounted airbags.
2-58