owner's manual A '98 1 1 1 A A _. A The 1998 Pontiac Firebird Owner's Manual 1-1 2-1 Seats and Restraint Systems This section tells you how to use your seats and safety belts properly. It explains the"SRS" system. also Features and Controls This section explains how to start and operate your vehicle. 3-1 Comfort Controls and Audio Systems This section tells you how to adjust the ventilation and comfort controls and how to operate your audio system. Your Driving and the Road Here you'll find helpful information and tips about the road and how to drive under different conditions. Problems on the Road This section tells what to do if you have a problem while driving, such as a flat tire or overheated engine, etc. Service Appearance and Care Here the manual tellsyou how to keep your vehicle running properly and looking good. Maintenance Schedule This section tells you when to perform vehicle maintenance and what fluids and lubricants to use. Customer Assistance Information This section tells you how to contact Pontiac for assistance and how to get service and owner publications. on It also gives you information on "Reporting Safety Defects" page 8-10. 4-1 5-1 6-1 7-1 8-1 9-1 Index Here's an alphabetical listing of almost every subject in manual. You can useit to quickly find this something you want to read. i We support voluntary technician certification. GENERAL MOTORS, GM, the GM Emblem, PONTIAC, the PONTIAC Emblem and the name F'IREBIRD are registered trademarks General of Motors Corporation. WE SUPPORT VOLUNTARY TECHNICIAN CERTIFICATION THROUGH National Institute for AUTOMOTIVE This manual includes the latest informationthe time it at was printed. We reserve the right to make changesin the product after that time without further notice. For vehicles first sold in Canada, substitute the name "General Motors Canada Limited"for Pontiac of Division wheneverit appears in this manual. Pleasekeepthismanual in your vehicle, so it will be there if you ever need it when you're on the road. Ifyou sell the vehicle, please leave this manual in it so the new owner can use it. SERVICE EXCELLENCE For Canadian Owners Who Prefer a French Language Manual: Aux propri6taires cmdiens: Vous pouvez vous procurer un exemplaire de ce guide en fransais chez votre concessionaire ou au: DGN Marketing ServicesLtd. 1577 Meyerside Dr. Mississauga, Ontario L5T 1B9 Litho U.S.A. Part No. 10417104 A Second Edition `Copyright General Motors Corporation 1997 . ?)::Y-.; ! All Rights Reserved , ii . ~. ~~ ~~-~ How to Use this Manual Many people read their owner's manual beginning from 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. These mean there something that could hurt is for othye. Index A good place to look what you needis the Indexin for back of the manual. It's an alphabetical list what's in of the manual, and the page number where you'll it. find In the caution area, tell you what the hazard is. Then we we tell you what todo to help avoid or reduce the hazard. Please read these cautions. you don't, youor If others could be hurt. You will also finda circle with a slash through in it this book.This safety -1 symbol means"Don't,'' "Don't do this'' or "Don't let this happen." Safety Warnings and Symbols You will find a number safety cautions in this book. of to We use abox and the word CAUTION tell you about things that could hurt you were to ignore if you the warning. iii Vehicle Damage Warnings Also, in this bookyou will find these notices: I i In the notice area, tell you about something that can we Many times, this damage would damage your vehicle. not be coveredbyyourwarranty,and it couldbecostly. 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 orin different words. You'll also see labels warning vehicle. on your the same words, CAUTION or NOTICE. They use NOTICE: I I These mean there something thatcould is damage your vehicle. I l iv Vehicle Symbols These aresome of the symbols youmay find on your vehicle. For example, these symbols are used on an original battery: CAUTION POSSIBLE INJURY PROTECT EYES BY SHIELDING CAUSTIC FASTEN SEAT BELTS BURNS COOLANT DAYTIME * RUNNING ' LAMPS 0 A These symbols are important for you and your passengers whenever your vehicle is driven: These symbols have to do with your lamps: These symbols are on some of your controls: These symbols are used on warning and indicator lights: Here are some other symbols you may see: WIPER 9 COOLANT TEMP BATTERY CHARGING SYSTEM DOOR LOCK UNLOCK TURN SIGNALS @9 PARKING LAMPS pf WINDSHIELD DEFROSTER WINDOW DEFOGGER BRAKE () a I-1 FUSE P LIGHTER HORN ). d 0 a () @ SPEAKER k SPARK OR FLAUE ,\I/, AIR BAG COULD EXPLODE BAllERY e? p \ FOG LAMPS $0 VENTILATING FAN '* '-d ENGINE OIL PRESSURE ANTI-LOCK BRAKES FUEL l a V b NOTES vi Section 1 Seats and Restraint Systems Here you'll find information about seats in your Pontiac and how to use your safety belts properly. also the You can learn about some things you should do with air bags and safety belts. not 1-2 1-8 1-13 1-14 1-14 1-21 1-22 Seats and Seat Controls Safety Belts: They're for Everyone Here Are Questions Many People AskAbout Safety Belts -- and the Answers How to Wear SafetyBeltsProperly Driver Position Safety Use Belt During Pregnancy Right Passenger Front Position 1-22 1-28 1-31 1-34 1-44 1-47 1-47 1-47 Supplemental Restraint System (SRS) Rear Seat Passengers Children Child Restraints Larger Children Safety BeltExtender Checking Your Restraint Systems Replacing RestraintSystem Parts After a Crash 1-1 Seats and Seat Controls This section tells about the seats -- how to adjust you them and also about reclining front seatbacks, seatback latches and the folding rear seatback. I Manual Front Seat I A CAUTION: You can lose control the vehicle if you try to of is adjust a manual driver's seat while the vehicle moving. The sudden movement could startle and confuse you, or make you push a pedal when you Move the lever under the passenger's front seat to don't want to. Adjust the driver's seat only when unlock it. the vehicleis not moving. Slide the seat to where want it. Then release the you lever andtry to move the seat with your body to make sure the seat is locked into place. Be sure the lever returns to its original position after moving the seat. 1-2 4-Way Manual Seat 6-Way Power Seat Equipped) (If There are two levers at front of the seat.The left the lever adjusts the seat forward and back.The right lever adjusts the angle the front of the seat. of To adjust the seats forward and rearward, the lever lift under the left front of the seat. Slide the seat to where you want it. Then release the lever t y to move the seat and r with your body to make sure the seat is locked into place. To raise or lower the entire seat, lift the lever under the right frontof the seat andlean forward or backward. The driver's seat has three controls on left side. the A: The front control makes the front the seatgo up of and down. B: The center control makes the whole seat up and go down or forward and backward. C: The back control makes the rear the seat go up of and down. 1-3 Fully Articulating Sport Seat Equipped) (If The two buttons that have "dots" inflate and deflate the side bolster of the seatback.To inflate, press the raised If your vehicle has these seats, the driver's seat has the button. To deflate, press the indented button. four-way manual seat adjuster. "4-Way Manual See The two buttons without dots inflate and deflate the Seat" earlierin this part. The passenger seat has the area two-way manual seat adjuster. "Manual Front Seat" lumbar (lower back of the seatback)support. To See inflate, press the raised button. deflate, press the To earlier in this part. indented button. - The switch padson the outer side the seats "inflate" of and "deflate" partsof your seatback. 1-4 Reclining Front Seatbacks If you have fully articulating sport seats, your recliner lever lookslike this. To adjust the seatback, the lever on the outer side of lift the seat. Release the lever to lock the seatback where you want it. Pull up on the lever and the seat will go to its original upright position. 1-5 I A CAUTION: But don't have a seatback reclined your vehicle if is moving. Sitting in a reclined position when your vehicle is in motion can dangerous. Even you buckle be if up, your safety belts can't their job when do you're reclined like this. The shoulder belt can't do its job. crash you In a could go into it, receiving neck other injuries. or The lap belt can't its job either. In a crash the do belt couldgo up over your abdomen. The belt forces would be there, not your pelvic bones. at 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 seatand wear your safety belt properly. Head Restraints Slide the head restraint up down so that the top the or of restraint is closest to the top your ears. This position of reduces thechance of a neck injury in a crash. On some models, the head restraints tilt forward and rearward also. When you return the seatback to original position, its make sure the seatback is locked.The latch must be down for the seat to work properly. 'A CAUTION: Front Seatback Latches The front seatback folds forward tolet people get into theback seat. To fold a seatback forward, push the seatback toward the rear as you lift this latch. Then the If the seatback isn't locked, could move it forward ina sudden stop or crash. could That cause injury to the person sitting there. Always press rearward on the seatbackbe to sure it is locked. seatback will fold forward. 1-7 Folding Rear Seatback Safety Belts: They'refor Everyone This part of the manual tells you how to use safetybelts properly. It also tells you some things you should notdo with safety belts. And it explains the Supplemental Restraint System (SRS), or air bag system. A I A CAUTION: Don't let anyone ride where he or she can't wear -1 The rear seatback in your vehicle folds down to provide more storage space. To fold the seatback down: 1. Pull forward on both levers. 2. Fold the seatback down. To raise the seatback: 1. Pull it up to the locked, upright position. 2. Be sure both latches hold the seatback place. Have in them fixedif they don't. a safety belt properly. you are in acrash and If you're not wearing a safety belt, your injuries can be much worse. You can hit things insidethe vehicle or be ejected from it. can be seriously You injured or killed. In the same crash, might you not be if you are buckled up. Always fastenyour safety belt,and check that your passengers' belts are fastened properlytoo. 1-8 IA CAUTION: In most states and Canadian provinces, the law says to wear safety belts. Here's why: They work. It is extremely dangerous to ride a cargo area, in inside or outside of a vehicle. In a collision, people riding in these areas are more likelyto be seriously injured or killed. Do not allow people to ride in any area of your vehiclethat is not equipped with seats and safety belts. Be sure everyone in your vehicle is in a and using a seat safety belt properly. You never know if you'll in a crash. you do have a be If crash, you don't knowif it will be a bad one. A few crashesare mild, and some crashes be so can serious thateven buckled up a person wouldn'tsurvive. But most crashes are between. In many of them, in people whobuckle up can survive and sometimes walk away. Without belts they could have been badly hurt or killed. After morethan 30 years of safety beltsin vehicles, the facts are clear. In most crashes buckling up does matter ... a lot! Your vehicle has a light that comes on as a reminder to buckleup. (See "Safety Belt Reminder Light" in the Index.) Why Safety Belts Work When you ride in or on anything,you go as fast as it goes. Put someone on it. Take the simplest vehicle. Suppose it's just a seat on wheels. 1-10 ~~ Get it up to speed. Then the vehicle.The rider stop doesn't stop. The person keeps going until stopped something. by In a real vehicle, it could the windshield... be 1-11 or the instrument panel. .. or the safety belts! With safety belts, you slow down as the vehicle does. You get more time to stop. stop over more distance, You and your strongest bones take the forces. That's why safety belts make such good sense. 1-12 Here Are Questions Many People Ask About Safety Belts-- and the Answers Won't I be trapped in the vehicle after an accident if I'm wearing a safety belt? @ If I'm a good driver, andnever drive far from I home, why should I wear safety belts? You m ...