F. --2 0 , a' The 1995 Pontiac Firebird Owner's Manual m .............................................................. .... This section tells you how use your manual and includes safety and vehicle damage warnings and symbols. to .'....... 1-1 Seats and Restraint Systems .................................................. This section tellsyou how to use your seats and safety belts properly. also explains the It "SIR' system. 2-1 Features and Controls ............................................................... This section explains how to start and operate your Pontiac. 3-1 Comfort Controls and Audio Systems.................................................. How to Use This Manual ........................................................... 4-1 Here you'll find helpful information and tips about the road and how to drive under different conditions. ProblemsontheRoad ............................................................... 5-1 Your Driving and the Road This section tells you how to adjust the ventilation and comfort controls andto operate your how audio system. ......................................................... Maintenanceschedule ............................................................... This section tells you when to perform vehicle maintenance and what fluids and lubricants to use. CustomerAssistanceInformation ..................................................... Service and Appearance Care Here the manual tells you how to your Pontiac running properly and looking good. keep This section tells how to contact Pontiac for assistance and howget service publications. you to It also gives you information on "Reporting Safety Defects" page 8-4. on This section tells you what to do if you have a problem while driving, such as a or engine flat tire overheating, etc. 6-1 7-1 8-1 9-1 Index Here's an alphabetical listing almost every subject this manual.You can use it to quickly find of in something you want toread. ............................................................................. i I . IPONTIAC I k I I We support voluntary technician certification. GENERAL MOTORS, GMand the GM Emblem, PONTIAC and the PONTIAC Emblem, Firebird andthe Firebird Emblem 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 in the . product after that time without further notice. For vehicles first sold in Canada, substitute the name "General Motors of Canada Limited'' for Pontiac Motor Division whenever it appears in this manual. Please keep this manual in your Pontiac,so it will be there if you everneed it when you're on the road. If you sell the vehicle, pleaseleave this manual in it so the new owner can use it. WE SUPPORT VOLUNTARY TECHNICIAN CERTIFICATION THROUGH National Institute for AUTQMOTIVE SERVICE EXCELLENCE For Canadian Owners Who Prefer a French Language Manual: Aux propri6taires canadiens: Vous pouvez vous procurer un exemplaire de ce guide enfransais chez votre / concessionaire ou au DGN Marketing Services Ltd., 1500 Bonhill Rd., Mississauga, Ontario L5T 1C7. Litho in U.S.A. Part No. 10254416 A First Edition @Copyright General Motors Corporation 1994 All Rights Reserved ii * * : $1 How to Use This Manual Many people read their owner's manual beginning fitom to end when they first receive their vehiql?~.~.: riew ,ms will help you learn about the features and controis for your vehicle. In this manual, you'll find that pictures and words work together explain things quickly. to I ; ' Index A goad place to look what you needis the Index in for the backof the manual. It's alphabetical list of all an that's i the manual, and the n page number where you'll find it. In the gray caution area, we tell what the hazard is. you Then we tell you what do to help avoid or reduce the to hazard. Please read these cautions. you don?, you or If others could be hurt. You will also find a circle with a slash through it in this book. Safety Warnings and Symbols You will find a number safety cautions in book. of this We use a box with gray background and the word CAUTION to, tell you about things that could hurt you if you were to ignore the warning. -'.? This safety symbol me'ans "Don't,'' "Don't do this,'' m. "Don't let this happen." 2 -. ~ I I iii Vehicle Damage Warnings Also, in this book youwl fiid these notices: il 1 NOTICE: These mean there something that is could damageyour vehicle. L 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, it could be costly. and will the But the notice tell you whatto do to help avoid 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 onyour vehicle. They use yellow for cautions, blue notices and the for words CAUTION or NOTICE. iv Vehicle Symbols These aresome of the symbols you may find your vehicle. on For example, these symbols are used on an original battery: CAUTION POSSIBLE INJURY PROTECT EYES BY SHIELDING FASTEN CAUSTIC BELTS These symbols are used on warning and indicator lights: ENGINE COOLANT TEMP BATTERY CHARGING SYSTEM Here are some other symbols you may see: FUSE A These symbols are important for you and your passengers whenever your vehicle is driven: These symbols have todo with your lights: These symbols are onsome of your controls: WINDSHIELD WIPER -F* 1(0) 4 SEAT TURN SIGNALS e i `' t i WINDSHIELD Q WASHER I RAM0 VOLUME h BRAKE WINDSHIELD DEFROSTER RADIATOR COOLANT pAE: pf a OIL CONDITIONING AIR 4 3 BURNS AVOID SPARKS OR FLAMES SPARK OR FLAME COULD EXPLODE BAllERY POWER WINDOW WINDOW DEFOGGER FUEL ENGINE OIL PRESSURE RELEASE a m HIGH BEAM LAMPSoR ,\I/, FOG LAMPS =o = $0 VENTILATING FAN 9% LIGHTER TEMP ANTI-LOCK BRAKE & (a) b SPEAKER V NOTES Y .! vi Section 1 Seats And Restraint Systems Here you'll find information about the seats your Pontiac in and how to use your safety belts properly. You can also learn about some things you shouldnot do with safety belts. Move the lever under the passenger's front seat to unlock it. Seats and Seat Controls This section tells you about the seats- how to adjust them and also about reclining front seatbacks, seatback latches and the folding rear seatback. Manual FrontSeat / Slide the seat to where you want it. Then release the lever and try to move the seat with your body, to make sure the seat locked into place. Be sure the lever is returns to its original position after moving seat. the 1-1 Four-Way Manual Seat To Raise or Lower the Front the Seats:To tilt the of entire seat,lift the lever under the right front the seat, of and lean forward or backward. Six-Way Power Seat (Option) There are two levers at the front the seat.The left of lever adjusts the seat forward and back.The right lever adjusts the angle of the frontof the seat. To Adjust the Seats Forward and Rearward: the Lift lever under the left front of the seat. Slide the seat to where you wantit. Then release the lever and try to move the seat with your body make surethe seat is to locked into place. The driver's seat has three controls on the left side. The front control makes the front of thego up and down. seat The back control makes the back of thego up and down. seat The center control makes the whole seat up and down go or forward and backward. 1-2 The switch pads on the outer sideof the sea~~%~late" of and "deflate" parts your seatback. If your Pontiac has theseseats, the driver's seat has the four-way manual seat adjuster. "Four-Way Manual See Seat" earlierin this part. The passenger seat has the two way manual seat adjuster. "Manual Front Seat" See earlier in this part. To adjust the thigh support, pull up on the frontyour of seat cushion and move the support to the position you want. To release the support, continue pulling up. To engage it again, push down firmly. The two buttons that have "dots" inflate and deflate the outer partsof the seatback.To inflate, push the raised button. To deflate, push the indented button. The two buttons without "dots" inflate and deflate the lumbar (lower partof the seatback)support. To inflate, push the raised button. deflate, push the indented To button. 1-3 Seatback Recliner If you have fully articulating sport seats, your recliner lever looks like this. To adjust the seatback, lift the leveron the outer side of the seat. Release the lever lock the seatback where to you want it. Pull up on the lever, and the seat go to will its original upright position. 1-4 Don't havethe seatback reclinedif your vehicle is moving. 1-5 Head Restraints Slide the head restraints up or down that the top so of the restraint is closest to the top of your ears. This position reduces the chance a neck injury a of in crash. If you have the fully articulating sport seat, you have a six-way head restraint. can be adjusted up and down, It forward and rearward, or tilted. To adjust it forward, pull the restraint forward. To adjust it r e w a r d , pull the restraint forward the way to all release it. Then moveit tothe position you want. The front seatback folds forward to let people get into the back seat. fold a seatback forward, push the To seatback toward.therear as youlift this latch. Then the seatback will fold forward. When you return the seatback to its original position, make sure the seatback is locked. The latch must be down for the seat towork properly. Front Seatback Latches Folding Rear Seatback The rear seatback your Pontiacfolds down to provide in more storage space. To fold the seatbackdown: 1. Pull forward on both levers. 2. Fold the seatback down. .r,' seatback: To raise the $6 ,, 1. Pull itup to the locked, upright position. 2. Be sure both latcheshold the seatback in pace. Have .themfixed they don't. if <: , 1.9'6 1-7 Safety Belts: They're for Everyone This part of the manual tells you how to use safety belts properly. It also tells you some things you should do not with safety belts. And it explains theSupplemental Inflatable Restraint, or "air bag" system. Your car hasa light that comes on a reminder to buckle as up. ( S e e "Safety Belt Reminder Light" the Index.) in In many states and Canadian provinces, the law says to wear safety belts. Here's why: They work. You never know if you'll in a crash.If you dohave a be crash, you don'tknow if it will be a bad one. A few crashes are mild, and some crashes can so be serious that even buckled up a person wouldn't survive. But most crashesare in between. In many of them, people who buckle up can survive and sometimes l away. wk a Without belts they could have been badly or killed. hurt After more than years of safety belts in vehicles, the 25 facts are clear. In most crashes bucklingdoes matter up ... a lot! Why Safety Belts Work When you ride inor on anything, you go as fast as it goes. Put someoneon it. Take the simplest vehicle. Suppose it's just a seat on wheels. 1-9 I Get it up to speed. Then stop the vehicle. rider The doesn't stop. The person keeps going until stopped something. by In a real vehicle,it could be the windshield ... or the instrument panel ... or the safety belts! With safety belts, you slow down the vehicle does. as You get more time to stop. You stop over more distance, and your strongest bones take the forces. That's why safety belts make such good sense. 1-11 Here Are Questions Many People Ask About Safety Belts -- and theAnswers Won't Ibe trapped in the vehicle after an accident if I'm wearing a safety belt? If I'ma good driver, and I never drive far from home, why should wear safety belts? I A: A: You could be -- whether you're wearing a safety belt or not. But youcan unbuckle a safety belt, chance of even if you're upside down. And your being conscious during and after an accident, so you can unbuckle and get out,is much greater if y ~ are belted. u Why don't theyjust put in air bags people so won't hawe to wear safety belts? -. Air bags arein many vehicles today and will in be more of them in the future. But they are supplemental systems only; so they work with safety belts-- not insteadof them. Every air bag system ever offeredfor sale has required the use of if safety belts. Even you're in a vehicle that has air bags, youstill have to buckle up to get the most prc$ection. That's true not only frontal collisions, in but especially in side apd other collisions. 2 . You may be an excellent driver, if you're in an but accident -- even one that isn't your fault you and -your passengers can hurt. Being a good driver be doesn't protectyou from things beyond your control, such as bad drivers. Most accidents occur within miles (40 k ) 25 m of of home. And the greatest number serious injuries of and deaths occur at speedsless than40 mph (65 km/h). @ Safety belts are for everyone. A: How to Wear Safety Belts Properly Adults This part is only for people of adult size. Be aware that there are special things to know about safety belts and children. And there are different rules for smaller children and babies. a child will be riding If in your Pontiac, see the of this manual called part "Children." Follow those rules everyone's for protection. First, you'll want to know which restraint systems your vehicle has. We'll start with the driver position. Driver Position This part describes the driver's restraint system. Lap-Shoulder Belt The driver hasa lap-shoulder belt. Here's how to wear it properly. 1. Close and lock the door. 2. Adjust the seat (to see how, see "Seats" the Index) in so you can sit up straight. 3. Pick up the latch plate and pull the belt across you, Don't let it.get twisted. On convertible models,the shoulder beltmay lock if you pull the belt acrossYOU very quickly, If this happas, kt the belt go back slightly to unlock it. Then pull the belt across you more slowly. 4. Push the latch plate into the buckle until it clicks. 1-13