Every 2001 Silhouette under warranty is backed with the following services: 1-800-442-OLDS (For vehicles purchased in Canada, call 1-800-268-6800) that provides in an emergency: Courtesy Transportation Trip Routing Free lockout assistance Free dead-battery assistance Free out-of-fuel assistance Free flat-tire change Emergency towing 2001 Oldsmobile Silhouette Owner's Manual Litho in U.S.A. Part Number 10423827 A First Edition © Copyright General Motors Corporation 2000 All Rights Reserved i Table of Contents Seats and Restraint Systems Section 1 Seats and Seat Controls Safety Belts Air Bag Systems Restraint Systems for Children Features and Controls Section 2 Windows Keys and Door Locks Remote Keyless Entry (Option) Automatic Transaxle Parking Brake Tilt Wheel Turn Signal/Multifunction Lever Windshield Wipers Cruise Control Exterior and Interior Lamps Mirrors Storage Compartments Convenience Net (Option) Accessory Power Outlets OnStar® System (If Equipped) HomeLink® Transmitter (Option) Instrument Panel, Warning Lights and Gages Driver Information Center (DIC) (Option) Rear Parking Assist (Option) ii Table of Contents (cont'd) Comfort Controls and Audio Systems Section 3 Heating and Air Conditioning Setting the Radio Clock Radio/Cassette Player/CD Player Radio Theft-Deterrent Feature Steering Wheel Controls (If Equipped) Your Driving and the Road Section 4 Defensive Driving Drunken Driving Control of a Vehicle Braking Steering Driving Tips for Various Road Conditions Recreational Vehicle Towing Loading Your Vehicle Towing a Trailer Problems on the Road Section 5 Hazard Warning Flashers Jump Starting Towing Your Vehicle Engine Overheating Changing a Flat Tire If You're Stuck iii Table of Contents (cont'd) Service and Appearance Care Section 6 Fuel Checking Fluids and Lubricants GM Oil Life SystemTM Engine Air Cleaner/Filter Passenger Compartment Air Filter Brakes Bulb Replacement Windshield Wiper Blade Replacement Tires and Wheels Appearance Care Electrical System/Fuses and Circuit Breakers Capacities and Specifications Normal Maintenance Replacement Parts Maintenance Schedule Section 7 Scheduled Maintenance Owners Checks and Services Periodic Maintenance Inspections Recommended Fluids and Lubricants Maintenance Records iv Table of Contents (cont'd) Customer Assistance Information Section 8 Customer Satisfaction Procedures Customer Assistance Offices Roadside Assistance and Courtesy Transportation Warranty Information Reporting Safety Defects on page 8-10 Service Publications Index Section 9 In the Index you will find an alphabetical listing of almost every subject in this manual. You can use it to quickly find something you want to read. Please refer to the last page of this manual for your Service Station Guide v We support voluntary technician certification. GENERAL MOTORS, GM, the GM Emblem, OLDSMOBILE, the OLDSMOBILE Rocket Emblem and the name SILHOUETTE are registered trademarks of General Motors Corporation. This manual includes the latest information at the time it was printed. We reserve the right to make changes after that time without further notice. For vehicles first sold in Canada, substitute the name "General Motors of Canada Limited" for Oldsmobile Division whenever it appears in this manual. Please keep this manual in your vehicle, so it will be there if you ever need it when you're on the road. If you sell the vehicle, please leave this manual in it so the new owner can use it. For Canadian Owners Who Prefer a French Language Manual: Aux propriétaires canadiens: Vous pouvez vous procurer un exemplaire de ce guide en français chez votre concessionaire ou au: Helm, Incorporated P.O. Box 07130 Detroit, MI 48207 vi How to Use this Manual Many people read their owner's manual from beginning to end when they first receive their new vehicle. If you do this, it will help you learn about the features and controls for your vehicle. In this manual, you'll find that pictures and words work together to explain things quickly. CAUTION: These mean there is something that could hurt you or other people. In the caution area, we tell you what the hazard is. Then we tell you what to do to help avoid or reduce the hazard. Please read these cautions. If you don't, you or others could be hurt. You will also find a circle with a slash through it in this book. This safety symbol means "Don't," "Don't do this" or "Don't let this happen." Safety Warnings and Symbols You will find a number of safety cautions in this book. We use a box and the word CAUTION to tell you about things that could hurt you if you were to ignore the warning. vii Vehicle Damage Warnings Also in this book you will find these notices: NOTICE: These mean there is something that could damage your vehicle. In the notice area, we tell you about something that can damage your vehicle. Many times, this damage would not be covered by your warranty, and it could be costly. But the notice will tell you what to do to help avoid the damage. When you read other manuals, you might see CAUTION and NOTICE warnings in different colors or in different words. You'll also see warning labels on your vehicle. They use the same words, CAUTION or NOTICE. viii Vehicle Symbols These are some of the symbols you may find on your vehicle. Also see "Warning Lights and Gages" in the Index. For example, these symbols are used on an original battery: CAUTION POSSIBLE INJURY PROTECT EYES BY SHIELDING CAUSTIC BATTERY ACID COULD CAUSE BURNS AVOID SPARKS OR FLAMES SPARK OR FLAME COULD EXPLODE BATTERY These symbols are important for you and your passengers whenever your vehicle is driven: CHILD RESTRAINT TOP STRAP ANCHOR These symbols have to do with your lamps: MASTER LIGHTING SWITCH These symbols are on some of your controls: WINDSHIELD WIPER These symbols are used on warning and indicator lights: Here are some other symbols you may see: ENGINE COOLANT TEMP WINDSHIELD WASHER BATTERY CHARGING SYSTEM FUSE TURN SIGNALS LIGHTER DOOR LOCK UNLOCK PARKING LAMPS WINDSHIELD DEFROSTER HORN BRAKE FASTEN SEAT BELTS HAZARD WARNING FLASHER POWER WINDOW DAYTIME RUNNING LAMPS REAR WINDOW DEFOGGER COOLANT FUEL ENGINE OIL PRESSURE VENTILATING FAN AIR BAG FOG LAMPS ANTI-LOCK BRAKES ix Service Station Guide Battery See Section 6 Windshield Washer Fluid See Section 6 Tire Pressure See Section 6 For a More Detailed Look at What's Under the Hood See Section 6 Spare Tire Pressure See Section 5 Engine Oil Dipstick See Section 6 Oil Viscosity Engine Oil See Section 6 Secondary Hood Release See Section 6 Cooling System See Section 5 Hood Release See Section 6 Fuel Use unleaded only. See Section 6 for octane ratings. Section 1 Seats and Restraint Systems Here you'll find information about the seats in your vehicle and how to use your safety belts properly. You can also learn about some things you should not do with air bags and safety belts. 1-2 1-7 1-23 1-28 1-29 1-29 1-37 1-38 1-39 1-46 Seats and Seat Controls Rear Seats Safety Belts: They're for Everyone Here Are Questions Many People Ask About Safety Belts -- and the Answers How to Wear Safety Belts Properly Driver Position Safety Belt Use During Pregnancy Right Front Passenger Position Supplemental Restraint Systems (SRS) Safety Belt Pretensioners 1-47 1-50 1-53 1-54 1-58 1-76 1-79 1-80 1-80 Rear Seat Passengers Rear Safety Belt Comfort Guides for Children and Small Adults Center Passenger Position (Bench Seat) Children Restraint Systems for Children Older Children Safety Belt Extender Checking Your Restraint Systems Replacing Restraint System Parts After a Crash 1- 1-1 Seats and Seat Controls This section tells you about the seats -- how to adjust them, take them out, put them back in, fold and unfold them. Driver's 4-Way Manual Seat Use the lever located on the front left side of the seat to adjust the seat forward or rearward. Pull up the lever to unlock the seat. Slide the seat to where you want it and release the lever. To raise the seat, pull up on the lever located on the front right side of the seat. To lower the seat, push the lever down. Adjust the seat and release the lever. CAUTION: You can lose control of the vehicle if you try to adjust a manual driver's seat while the vehicle is moving. The sudden movement could startle and confuse you, or make you push a pedal when you don't want to. Adjust the driver's seat only when the vehicle is not moving. To make sure the seat is locked into place, try to move the seat back and forth with your body. 1-2 Manual Front Passenger Seats To move the seat, pull up the lever located on the front of the seat to unlock it. 8-Way Power Seat (Option) The eight-way power seat controls are located on the outboard sides of both the driver's and the front passenger's seats. Slide the seat to where you want it and release the lever. To make sure the seat is locked into place, try to move the seat back and forth with your body. D Move the front of the control in the direction of the D D D D arrows to adjust the front portion of the cushion up or down. Move the rear of the control in the direction of the arrows to adjust the rear portion of the cushion up or down. Lift up or push down on both outer arrows at the same time to move the entire seat up or down. To move the whole seat forward or rearward, slide the control in the direction of the center arrows. To raise and recline the seatback, push or pull the top of the control in the direction of the arrows. 1-3 Memory Seat (Option) If your vehicle has this feature, the controls are located to the left of the steering column and are used to program and recall the driver's seat settings. To recall your memory positions, your vehicle must be in PARK (P). Push and release the memory button (1 or 2) corresponding to the desired driving position. The seat will move to the position previously stored for the identified driver. You will hear one beep. You can also store an exit position for each driver. The exit position is programmed by moving the seat to the desired exit position and then holding the EXIT button for more than three seconds. The exit position set will be for the most recently selected driving position (1 or 2). A double beep will sound when the memory is set. To use EXIT, your vehicle must be in PARK (P). Push and release the EXIT button and the seat will move to the exit position stored for the most recently selected driver. You will hear one beep. To stop recall movement of the seat at any time, press one of the three memory buttons or one of the power seat controls located on the outboard side of the driver's seat. Adjust the driver's seat to the position you would like for driving. Then press and hold memory button "1" for more than three seconds. A double beep will sound when the memory is set. To set the seat for a second driver, follow the previous steps, but press button "2" instead. 1-4 Heated Front Seats (Option) The heated seat switch is located in the instrument panel switchbank. This feature will quickly heat the lower cushions and lower back of the driver's and front passenger's seats for added comfort. Reclining Front Seatbacks All front seats recline. The left switch is for the driver's seat and the right switch is for the front passenger's seat. Press the bottom of the switch to turn the heater on. The indicator light on the switch will glow. Press the top of the switch to turn the heater off. The heated seat switch will turn off when the ignition is turned to OFF and resume operation when the ignition is turned to RUN, unless the switch is manually turned off. To adjust the seatback, pull up on the lever located on the outboard sides of both the driver's and the front passenger's seat. It is easier to recline the seat if you lean forward, taking your weight off the seatback. 1-5 CAUTION: Sitting in a reclined position when your vehicle is in motion can be dangerous. Even if you buckle up, your safety belts can't do their job when you're reclined like this. The shoulder belt can't do its job because it won't be against your body. Instead, it will be in front of you. In a crash you could go into it, receiving neck or other injuries. The lap belt can't do its job either. In a crash the belt could go up over your abdomen. The belt forces would be there, not at your pelvic bones. This could cause serious internal injuries. For proper protection when the vehicle is in motion, have the seatback upright. Then sit well back in the seat and wear your safety belt properly. But don't have a seatback reclined if your vehicle is moving. 1-6 Head Restraints Rear Seats Seat Controls The rear seats in your vehicle have levers and straps used to adjust, remove and reinstall the seats. By using the levers and straps, in the correct order, you can easily remove the seats from your vehicle. Head restraints are fixed on some models and adjustable on others. Slide an adjustable head restraint up or down so that the top of the restraint is closest to the top of your ears. This position reduces the chance of a neck injury in a crash. Floor Seat Pin Diagram 1-7 When you put the seats back in the vehicle, be sure to follow the label on the back of the seat for proper location. Follow the previous diagram when the text in this manual tells you what sets of floor cups to use for each seat. Flip and Fold Feature The rear seats in your vehicle, except the captain's chairs, can be folded forward. Use this feature for exiting and entering third row seats. 1. If the seats have the adjustable head restraints, push them fully down. 2. Fold the seatback flat on the seat by either pulling on the nylon strap on the rear of the seat or lifting up on the lever located on the front of the seatback. If the seat adjusts forward, slide it all the way back. 3. Release the rear set of hooks from the floor pins by pulling the nylon strap located at the base of the seat; hang on to the straps as the seat folds forward. To return the seat(s) to the normal position, do the following: 1. Push the seat back and firmly push the rear hooks onto the rear floor pins by pushing down on the rear of the seat. 2. Try to raise the seat to check that it is locked down. 3. Lift the seatback recliner lever or pull the nylon strap on the back of the seat and raise the seatback until it locks upright. 4. Push and pull on the seatback to check that it is locked. 1-8