User manual PONTIAC SUNFIRE 1996

"_._ The 1996 Pontiac Sunfire Owner's Manual ............................................................. SeatsandRestraint Systems FeaturesandControls 1-1 2-1 This section tells you how to use your seats and safety belts properly. It also explains the "SRS" system. .................................................................. This section explains how to start and operate your Pontiac. Comfort Controls and Audio Systems YourDrivingandtheRoad ProblemsontheRoad ..................................................... 3-1 4-1 5-1 6-1 7-1 This section .tellsyou how to adjust the ventilation and comfort controls and how to operate your audio system. .............................................................. Here you'll find helpful information and tips about the road and how to drive under different conditions. This section tells you what to do if you have a problem while driving, such as a flat tire or overheated engine, etc. .................................................................. ............................................................ Service and Appearance Care Maintenanceschedule Here the manual tells you how to keep your Pontiac running properly and looking good. .................................................................. This section tells you when to perform vehicle maintenance and what fluids and lubricants to use. CustomerAssistanceInformation Index ........................................................ 8-1 9-1 This section tells you h o ~ v contact Pontiac or assistance and how e get service and owner publications. to o It also gives you information on "Reporting Safety Defects" on page 8-9. ................................................................................ Here's an alphabetical listing of almost every subject in this manual. You can use it to quickly find something you want to read. 1 We support voluntary technician certification, GENERAL MOTORS, GM and the GM Emblem, PONTIAC and the PONTIAC Emblem and the name SUNFIRE are registered trademarks of General Motors Corporation. This manual includes the latest information at the time it was printed. We reserve the right to m a k e changes in the product after that time without further notice. For vehicles first sold in Canada, substitute the name "General Motors of Canada Limited" forPontiac Division whenever it appears in this manual. Please keep this manual in your Pontiac, 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 itso the new owner can use it. WE SUPPORT VOLUNTARY TECHNICIAN CERTIFICATIONTHROUGH National Institute for AUTOMOTIVE SERVICE EXCELLENCE ?or Canadian Owners Who Prefer a ?rench Language Manual: Aux propribtaires canadiens: Vous pouvez vous procurer un exemplaire de ce guide en frangais chez votre concessionaire ou au: DGN Marketing Services Ltd. 1500 Bonhill Rd. Mississauga, Ontario L5T 1C7 Litho in U.S.A. P r No. 10273195 B First Edition at @CopyrightGeneral Motors Corporation 1995 All Rights Reserved ii How to Use This Manual Many people read theirowner3 manual from beginning to end when they first receive their new vehicle. If you do this, it will help you learn about the eaturesand controls foryour vehicle. In this manual, you'll find that pictures and words work together to explain things quickly. These mean there is something that could hurt you or other people. Index A good place tolook for what you need is the Index in the back of the manual. It's an alphabetical list of all that's in the manual, and the page number where you'll find it. 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. f i will also find a circle You 1 with a slash through it in 1 this book. This safety Safety Warnings and Symbols You will finda number of safety cautions inthis 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. symbol means "Don't," "Don't do this," or "Don't let this happen." iii Vehicle Damage Warnings Also, in this book you will find these notices: h i NOTICE: i In the notice area, wetell 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 : These mean there is something that could 7iam;rge y w r vekicie, =w . . v3 & You'll also see warning labels on your vehicle. They use the same words, CAUTION or NOTICE. iV Vehicle Symbols These are some of the symbols you may find on your vehicle. For example, these symbols are used on an original battery: CAUTION POSSIBLE INJURY PROTECT EYES BY SHIELDING CAUSTIC BAlTERY ACID COULD CAUSE BURNS A These symbols are important for you and your passengers whenever your vehicle is driven: These symbols have to do with your lights: 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 TURN SIGNALS BATTERY CHARGING SYSTEM WINDSHIELD DEFROSTER DOOR LOCK UNLOCK k -t- FUSE -%J- Fl (@) LIGHTER FASTEN SEAT BELTS HORN BRAKE k3 b V +' COOLANT AVOID SPARKS OR FLAMES SPARK OR FLAME COULD EXPLODE BAITERY DAYTIME e RUNNING * LAMPS - * * -- 0 WINDOW DEFOGGER ENGINE OIL PRESSURE VENTILATING FAN a () @ SPEAKER w, ,111, FUEL FOG LAMPS $0 n3 ANTI-LOCK BRAKES NOTES v Section 1 Seats Restraint and Systems Here you'll find inomation a b u t the seats in your Pontiae and how to use your safety belts properly. You can also learn aboutsome things you should not do with air bags and safety belts. Seats and Seat Controls This section tells you about the seats -- how to adjust them -- and also about reclining seatbacks and head restraints. Manual Front Seats , , CAUTION: ! % . . You can lose controlof the vehicle if you try to adjust a manual driver's seat while the vehicle is moving, The sudden movement codd startle and confuse you, or make you pusha pedal when you don't want to. Adjust the driver's seat when only the vehicle is not moving. Driver's Seat . Move the lever under the driver's seat to unlock it. Slide the seat to whereyou want it. Then release the lever and try to move the seat with your body, to make sure the seat is locked into place. 1-1 Reclining Front Seatbacks I Front Passenger Seat Move the lever under the passenger's seat to unlock it. Slide the seatto 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. Manual Lumbar Support (Option) The manual lumbar support control is located at the front of the driver's seat, toward the right. Turn the knob clockwise or counterclockwise to increase or decrease the amount of support to your lower back. To adjust the seatback, lift the lever onthe outer side of the seat and movethe seatback to where you want it. to Release the lever lock the seatback. Pullup on the lever and the seatwill go to an upright position.- A CAUTION: Sitting in a reclined position when your vehicle is in motion can dangerous. Even if you buckle be up, your safety belts can't do their when job you're reclined like this. do The shoulder belt can't 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, redv&&w &her kMier% The lap belt can'tdo its job either. In a crash the belt could go over your abdomen.The belt up forces wouId be there, notat your pelvic bones. This could c w serious internal injuries, a For proper protection when the vehicle is in motion, have the seatback upright. Then sit well back in the seat and wearyour safety belt properly. But don't have a seatback reclined if your vehicle is moving. 1-3 . Head Restraints Slide the 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. Seatback Latches (2-Door Models) To fold a frontseat forward, lift the seatback latch. When you return thes'eatbackto its original position, the seatback will lock. 1-4 Easy Entry Seat (2-Door Models) t Rear SeatsFording the Rear Seat A CAUTION: If an easy entry right frontseat isn't locked, it can move. In a sudden stop or crash, the person sitting there could be injured. After you've used it, be sure to push rearward on an easy entry seat to be sure itis locked. The right front seat of your vehicle makes it easy to get in and out of the rear seat. Tilt the right front seatback completely forward and the whole seat will slide forward. ( . Move the right front seatback to its original position after W M m gets into the rear seat a?%a.Then mwiie the seat rearward until it locks. T Open the f d d - d ~ w n O seat tab. Seat, PuU forwad the Tilt the seatback completely forward again to get out. To close the seat, push the seatbackup to itsoriginal position. Push the seatback solidly up against the back plate to ensure that the latch will hook. 1-5 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 not do with safety belts. And it explains the Supplemental Restraint System (SRS), or air bag system. Your vehiclehas a light that comes on as a reminder to buckle up. (See "Safety Belt Reminder Light" in the Index.) I A CAUTION: Don't let anyone ride where he she can't wear or If a safety belt properly. you are in a crash and you're not wearing a safety belt, your injuries can be much worse. You can hit things inside the vehicle or be ejectedfrom it. You can be seriously you might injured or killed. In the same crash, not beif you are buckled up. Always fasten your your passengers' belts safety belt, and check that are fastened properly too. In most states Canadian provinces, the law says to and wear safetybelts. Here's why: They work. You never know if you'll be in a crash. If you do have a crash, you don't know if it will be a bad one. A few crashesare mild, and some crashes can beso serious thateven buckled up a person wouldn't survive. But most crashes are in between. In many of them, people whobuckle up can survive and sometimes walk away. Without belts they could have been badly hurt or killed. After morethan 25 years of safety belts invehicles, the facts areclear. In most crashes buckling up does mater ... a let! 1-6 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. 4 1-7 I Get it up to speed. Then stop the vehicle. The rider doesn't stop. The person keepsgoing until stopped by something. In a real vehicle, it could be the windshield ... 1-8 or the instrument panel ... or the safety belts! With safety belts, you slow down as the vehicle does. 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. 1-9 Here Are Questions Many People Ask About Safety Beits -- and the Answers Won't I be trapped in the vehicle after an accident if I'm wearing a safety belt? e: If I'm home, A: a good driver, and I never drive far from why should I wear safety belts? A: You could be -- whether you're wearing a safety belt or not. But you can unbu'cklea safety belt, even if you're upside down. And your chance of so being conscious during and after an accident, you can unbuckle and get out, is much greater if you are belted. If my vehicle has air bags, why should have to I wear safety belts? Air bags are in many vehicles today and will be in most of them in the future. But they are supplemental systems only; so they work with safety belts -- not instead of them. Every air bag system ever offeredfor sale has required the use of safety belts. Even if you're in a vehicle that has air bags, you still have to buckle up to get the most protection. That's true not only in frontal collisions, but especially in side and other collisions. 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 behurt. 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 speedsof less than 40 mph (65 hh). Safety belts are for everyone. Q: 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. If a child willriding in be your Pontiac, see the of this manual called part "Children." Follow those rules everyone's protection. for First, you'll want to know which restraint systems your vehicle has. We'll start withthe driver position. Driver Position This part describes the driver's restraint system. Lap-Shoulder Belt The driver has a 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" in the Index) so you can sit up straight. 1-11 1 3. Pick up the latch plate and pull the belt across you. Don't let it get twisted. If the belt stops before it reaches the buckle, tilt the latch plate and keep pulling until you can buckle the belt. Pull up on the latch plate to make sure it is secure. If the belt isn't long enough,see "Safety Belt Extender" at the end of this section. 4. Push the latch plate into thebuckle until it clicks. Make sure the release brsttm on the buckle I s psitiwed so you would be able to unbuckle thesafety belt quickly if you ever had to. 1-12 ~ I 5. To make the lap part tight, pull down on the buckle end of the belt as you pull up on the shoulder belt. L I I I I I I I I I I 1 The lap part of the belt should be worn low and snug on the hips,just touching the thighs. In a crash, this applies force to the strong pelvic bones. And you'd be less likely to slide under the lap belt. If you slid under it, the belt would apply force at your abdomen. This could cause serious or even fatal injuries. The shoulder the belt should go over the shoulder and across chest. These parts of the body are best able to take belt restraining forces. The safety belt locks if there's a sudden stopor crash. 1-13