I ss4 SUNEIRD OWNER'S MANUAL Pontiac Sunbird lntr0ductiot-1 Part Part Part IS94 Owner's Manual Table of Contents How to Use this ~ a n u a l .............................. Seats & Restraint Systems ......................... Features & Controls.................................... Comfort Controls & Audio Systems Your Driving and the Road 3 1 9 39 2 3 4 Part ~ ........ 89 ~ 101 ~ ~ 121 Part Part Part Part Part 5 Problems on the Road ........................... 6 Service & Appearance Care .................. 147 7 8 9 Maintenance Schedule .......................... Includes "Reporting Safety Defects" on page 222 197 Customer Assistance Information ............ 219 Index ....................................................... 231 Service Station Information .......... Last Page Printed in USA 10234006 A First Edition .. Important Notes About this Manual Please keepthis manual in your Pontiac, so it will be there if you ever needit when you'reon the road. If you sell the vehicle, please leavethis manual in it so the new ownercan use it. This manual includesthe latestinformation at the time it was printed. We reserve the rightto make changesin the product after that time without further notice. Note to Canadian Owners For vehiclesfirst sold in Canada, substitute thename "General Motors of Canada Limited" for Pontiac Division whenever itappears in this manual. For Canadian Owners Who Prefer a French Language M n a : aul Aux proprietaires canadiens:Vous pouvez vous procurerun exemplaire de ce guide en francais chez votre Ltd., 1500 Bonhill Rd., Mississauga, OntarioL5T 1C7. concessionaire ou au DGN Marketing Services Published by Pontiac Division General Motors Corporation General Motors, GM and the GM emblem, the worG Pontiac, the Pontiac emblem and the name Sunbird are registered trademarksof General Motors Corporation. The word Delco is a registered trademarkof General Motors Corporation. 0 Copyright 1993 General Motors Corporation, Pontiac Division. All rights reserved. How to Use this Manual Part 1: Seats & Restraint Systems This part tells you how to use your seats and safety belts properly. Many people read their owner's manual from beginningto end when Part 2 Features & Controls : they first receive their new vehicle.This This part explains how to start and will help youlearn about the operate your Pontiac. features andcontrols for your vehicle. Part 3: Comfort Controls & Audio In this manual, you'll find that Systems pictures and words work together This part tells you howto adjust the to explain things quickly. There are nine parts with thumb-tabbed ventilation and comfort controls and how to operate your audio system. pages in this manual. Part 4: Your Driving and the Road Each part begins a brief list of with contents, so you can usually tellat a Here you'll find helpful information and glance if that part contains the tips about the road and how to drive information youwant. under different conditions. You can bendthe manual slightlyto Part 5: Problems on the Road reveal the tabs that help you find a part. This part tells youwhat to do if you have a problem while driving, such as a flat tire or engine overheating. Part 6: Service & Appearance Care Here the manual tells you how keep to your Pontiac running properly and looking good. Using Your 1994 Pontiac Owner's Manual Part 7: Maintenance Schedule This part tells youwhen to perform vehicle maintenance and what fluids and lubricants to use. Part 8: Customer Assistance Information This part includes important information about reporting safety defects and gives you details about the "RoadsideAssistance" program. You will also find customer satisfaction phone numbers (including customer satisfaction numbers for the hearing and speech impaired) as well as the mediation/ arbitration procedure. We've also included ordering information for service publications in this part. Part 9: Index Here's an alphabetical listing of almost every subject in this manual. You can use it to quickly findsomething you want to read. Service Station Information This is a quick reference of service information. You can find it on the last page of this manual. c How t o Use this Manual Safety Warnings andSymbols You will find a number of safety cautions in this book. We use a box with gray backgroundand the word CAUTION to tell youabout things that could hurt you if you wereto ignore the warning. You will also find a circle witha slash through it in thisbook. This safety svmbol means: Y Vehicle Damage Warnings Also, in this book you will find these notices: Don't Don't do this Don't /et this happen NOTICE: These meanthere 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 your warranty, and by it wl il could be costly. But the notice tell you what to do to help avoid the damage. When you readother manuals,you might see CAUTIONand NOTICE warnings in different colors or in different words. ~ 0 ~also1see warning labels on your ~1 vehicle. They use yellow for cautions, blue for notices and words the CAUTION or NOTICE. In thegray caution area, we tell you what the hazard is. Then we tell you what to do to help avoidor reduce the hazard. Please readthese cautions. If you don't, you or others could be hurt. I I 4 Vehicle Symbols These are some the symbols youwill of find on your vehicle. 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 a Flame Could Explode Battery These symbolsare important for you and your passengers whenever your vehicle is driven: These symbols have do with your to lights: A Fasten Safety Belts Master Lighting Switch Turn Signal Direction Q 0 Door LocklUnlock Hazard Warning Flashers Headlight HighBeam Parking Lights Fog Lights How t o Use this Manual These symbols are on some of your controls: Windshield Wipers Windshield Washer Windshield Defroster w These symbols are used on warning and indicator lights: Engine Coolant Temperature Battery Charging System Fuel Engine Oil Pressure Brake Anti-Lock Brakes Here are some other symbols you may see: Fuse Trunk Release Lighter Horn Speaker Hood Release a w 3f !r Rear Window Defogge Ventilating Fan Power Window Qj-J Notes U 7 8 8 8 Notes I 8 Part 1 Seats & Restraint Systems H e r e you'll find information a b u t the seats in your Fontiac how to and use your safety belts properly.You can also learn about some things you should not with safety belts do . Seats and Seat Controls ............................................................................................10 Safety Belts................................................................................................................ 12 How to Wear Safety Belts Properly .......................................................................... 17 18 Driver Position .......................................................................................................... Safety Belt UseDuring Pregnancy ........................................................................... 22 Right Front Passenger Position ................................................................................ 22 Rear Seat Passengers ................................................................................................ 23 Rear Safety BeltComfort Guides ............................................................................. 25 Center PassengerPosition ........................................................................................ 27 28 Children ..................................................................................................................... Smaller Childrenand Babies .................................................................................... 28 Child Restraints ......................................................................................................... 29 Larger Children......................................................................................................... 36 Safety Belt Extender .................................................................................................. 38 Replacing Safety Belts After Crash ........................................................................ a 38 Seats & Restraint Systems Seats and SeatControh This section tells your about the seatshow toadjust them-and also about reclining seatbacksand head restraints. Manual Front Seat Reclining Front Seatback To adjust the seatback, liftthe lever on the outer side of the seat and move the seatback to where you want it. Release the lever to lock the seatback. Pull up on the lever and the seat will goto an upright position. Don't have a seatback reclined, f however, i your vehicle is moving. Move the lever under the front seat to unlock it. 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 is locked into place. I 10 Head Restraints Head restraints are fixed on some vehicles and adjustable on others. Slide an adjustable head restraint up or down so that the top of the restraint is closest to the top your ears. of This position reducesthe chance of a neck injury ina crash. On some models,the head restraints tilt forward and rearward also. 11 Seats Restraint Systems Easy-Entry Seat (2-DOOR MODELS) Front Seatback Latches (2-DOOR MODELS) In 2-door Pontiacs,the front seatback folds forwardto let people get into the back seat. Your seatback will move back and forth freely, unless you come to a sudden stop. Then it will lockin place. There's one time the seatback may not fold without some help from you. That's if your vehicle is parked facing down a fairly steep hill. To fold afront seatback forward, push the seatback toward the rear as you lift this latch. Then the seatback will fold forward. The latch must be down for the seat to work properly. The right front seat of your vehicle makes it easy to get in and out of the rear seat. When you push down on therear latch and tilt the right front seatback fully forward,the whole seat will slide forward. After someone gets into the rear seat area, move the right front seatback to its original position. Then move the seat rearward until it locks. To get out, again tilt the seatback fully forward. Split Fold-Down Rear Seat (OPTION) To Open: Pull forward the seat tab. on To Close: Push the seatback up to original its position. Push seatback solidly up against the back plateto ensure inertid latch will hook. I Safety Bebs: Ilzey'be For Everyone This partof the manual tellsyou how to use safety belts properly. also tells It you you some things should not do with safety belts. I2 r I This figure lights asa reminderto up buckle up. (See Safety Belt Warning Light in the Index.) In many states and Canadian provinces, the law saysto wear safety belts. Here's why: They work. You never know if you'll bein a crash. If you do have acrash, you don't know if it will be a bad one. A few crashes are mild, and some crashes can be so serious that even buckled up a person wouldn't survive. But most crashes are in between. In many of them, people who buckle up can survive and sometimes walls: away. Without belts they could have been badly hurt orlulled. After more than 25 years of safety belts in vehicles, the facts are clear. In most crashes buckling up does matter ... a lot! Seats & Restraint Systems Why Safety Belts Work When you ride in or on anything, you go as fast as it goes. 1. For example, if the bikeis going 10 mph (16 km/h), so is the child. 2. When the bike hits the block, it 3. Take the simplest vehicle. Suppose stops. But the child keeps going! it's just a seat on wheels. 14 4. Put someone on it. 5. Get it upto speed.Then stop the 6. The person keeps going until k vehicle. The rider doesn't stop. stopped by something. In a real vehicle, it could be the windshield... _. . Seats & Restraint Systems HereAre Questions Many People Ask About Safety Belts -and the Answers Q: Won't I be trapped in vehicle the 7. or the instrument panel ... 8. or the safety belts! With safety belts, you slow down the as vehicle does. You get more time to stop. You stop over more distance, and your strongest bones take theforces. That's why safetybelts make such good sense. after an accident if I'm wearing a safety belt? A: You could be -whether you're wearing a safety belt or But you not. can easily unbuckle a safety belt, even if you're upside down. And your chanceof being conscious during and after accident, so you an can unbuckle. and out, is much get greater if you are belted. Q: Why don't they put in air bags just so people won't have wear safety to belts? A: Air bags are in some vehicles today and will be in more them inthe of future. But they are supplemental systems only- so they workwith safety belts,not instead of them. Every air bag system ever offered for sale has required the use of safety belts. Even if you're in a vehiclethat has air bags, still haveto buckle you up to get the most protection. That's I 16 true not onlyin frontal collisions, but especially in side and other collisions. Q: If I'ma good driver, and I never drive far from home, why should I wear safety belts? A You may be an excellent driver,but if you're in an accident - even one that isn't your fault you and your passengers can be hurt. Being a good driver doesn't protect you from things beyond your control, such as bad drivers. Most accidents occur within 25 miles (40 km) of home. And the greatest numberof serious injuries and deaths occur at speeds of less than 40 mph (65 km/h). Safety beltsare for everyone. !Safety BeltWarning Light When the key is turned to Run or Start, a chime will come for about eight on seconds to remind people to fasten their safety belts, unless the driver's safety belt is already buckled. The safety belt light willalso come on and stay on for 20 seconds, then it will flash for an additional 55 seconds. If the driver's belt is already buckled, neither the chime nor thelight will comeon. 4 How To Wear Safety Belts Properly Adults This section is only for people of adult size. Be aware that there are special things to know about safety belts and children. And there aredifferent rules for smaller children and babies. If a child willbe riding in your Pontiac, see the section after this one,called Children. Follow those rules for everyone's protection. Seats & Restraint Systems First, you'll want to laow which restraint systems your vehicle has. We'll start with the driver position. `vehicles First In Sold Ci2nada Was your Pontiac first sold, when new, in Canada? (If it was, a sticker on the driver's door will say "conforms all to applicable Canada motor vehicle.. ." etc.) If so, then therest of Part 1does not apply to your vehicle. To learn how to use your safety belts, please readthe h e r ' s Manual Safety Belt Supplement.It comes with every new Pontiac first sold Canada. in Driver Position rhis section describes the driver's :estraint system. Automatic Lap-Shoulder Belf This safety belt is called "automatic" up because you don't have to buckle when you get into your vehicle. And you don't have unbuclde when to you get out. Just get into your vehicle. Then close and lock the door. Adjust seat (to the see how, see Seats in the Index) so you can sit up straight. The lap belt should be worn as low on ;he hips as possible. In a crash, this ipplies forceto the strong pelvic bones. I d you'd be less likely slide under to ;he lap belt. If you slidunder it, the belt would apply forceat your abdomen. rhis could cause serious or even fatal njuries. The shoulder belt should go lver the shoulder and across the chest. rhese parts of the body are best able to lake belt restraining forces. The safety belt locks there's a sudden if stop or a crash. It's possible that an automatic belt from fully opening a could keep you door. That canhappen if the door was slammed shut very hard. Justclose the door all the way, then slowly open it.If that doesn't fix it, then your Pontiac needs service. We hope you'll alwayskeep your automatic belt buckled. However, you may need to unbuckle it in an emergency. . , .I' - r