Chevrolet Optra 2005 Owner's Manual

Seats and Restraint Systems

........................... 1-1

Front Seats

............................................... 1-2

Rear Seats

............................................... 1-7

Safety Belts

.............................................. 1-8

Child Restraints

....................................... 1-25

Airbag System

......................................... 1-48

Restraint System Check

............................ 1-63

Features and Controls

..................................... 2-1

Keys

........................................................ 2-2

Doors and Locks

....................................... 2-8

Windows

................................................. 2-14

Theft-Deterrent Systems

............................ 2-16

Starting and Operating Your Vehicle

........... 2-18

Mirrors

.................................................... 2-33

Storage Areas

......................................... 2-35

Sunroof

.................................................. 2-38

Instrument Panel

............................................. 3-1

Instrument Panel Overview

.......................... 3-4

Climate Controls

...................................... 3-21

Warning Lights, Gages, and Indicators

........ 3-26

Audio System(s)

....................................... 3-42

Driving Your Vehicle

....................................... 4-1

Your Driving, the Road, and Your Vehicle

..... 4-2

Towing

................................................... 4-33

Service and Appearance Care

.......................... 5-1

Service

..................................................... 5-3

Fuel

......................................................... 5-5

Checking Things Under the Hood

............... 5-10

Headlamp Aiming

..................................... 5-37

Bulb Replacement

.................................... 5-38

Windshield Wiper Blade Replacement

......... 5-44

Tires

...................................................... 5-45

Appearance Care

..................................... 5-66

Vehicle Identiﬁcation

................................. 5-75

Electrical System

...................................... 5-75

Capacities and Speciﬁcations

..................... 5-82

Normal Maintenance Replacement Parts

...... 5-83

Maintenance Schedule

..................................... 6-1

Maintenance Schedule

................................ 6-2

Customer Assistance and Information

.............. 7-1

Customer Assistance and Information

........... 7-2

Reporting Safety Defects

........................... 7-10

Index

................................................................ 1

2005 Chevrolet Optra Owner Manual M

GENERAL MOTORS, GM, the GM Emblem, CHEVROLET, and the CHEVROLET Emblem are registered trademarks; and the name OPTRA is a trademark 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 Chevrolet Motor Division whenever it appears in this manual.

Keep this manual in the vehicle, so it will be there if it is needed while you are on the road. If the vehicle is sold, leave this manual in the vehicle.

Canadian Owners

A French language copy of this manual can be obtained from your dealer or from:

Helm, Incorporated P.O. Box 07130 Detroit, MI 48207

How to Use This Manual

Many people read the owner manual from beginning to end when they ﬁrst receive their new vehicle. If this is done, it can help you learn about the features and controls for the vehicle. Pictures and words work together in the owner manual to explain things.

Index

A good place to quickly locate information about the vehicle is the Index in the back of the manual. It is an alphabetical list of what is in the manual and the page number where it can be found.

Litho in U.S.A. Part No. 05OPTRA A First Edition

Safety Warnings and Symbols

There are a number of safety cautions in this book. We use a box and the word CAUTION to tell about things that could hurt you if you were to ignore the warning.

{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 do not, you or others could be hurt.

You will also ﬁnd a circle with a slash through it in this book. This safety symbol means “Do Not,” “Do Not do this” or “Do Not let this happen.”

iii

Vehicle Damage Warnings

Also, in this manual you will ﬁnd these notices:

Notice: These mean there is something that could damage your vehicle.

A notice tells about something that can damage the vehicle. Many times, this damage would not be covered by your vehicle’s warranty, and it could be costly. But the notice will tell 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.

There are also warning labels on the vehicle. They use the same words, CAUTION or NOTICE.

Vehicle Symbols

The vehicle has components and labels that use symbols instead of text. Symbols are shown along with the text describing the operation or information relating to a speciﬁc component, control, message, gage, or indicator.

If you need help ﬁguring out a speciﬁc name of a component, gage, or indicator, reference the following topics:

• Seats and Restraint Systems in Section 1

• Features and Controls in Section 2

• Instrument Panel Overview in Section 3

• Climate Controls in Section 3

• Warning Lights, Gages, and Indicators in Section 3

• Audio System(s) in Section 3

• Engine Compartment Overview in Section 5

These are some examples of symbols that may be found on the vehicle:

✍ NOTES

Front Seats ......................................................1-2

Manual Seats (With Sliding Storage Tray) ..........1-2

Manual Seats (Without Sliding Storage Tray) ......1-3

Driver Seat Tilt Adjuster ..................................1-3

Manual Lumbar ..............................................1-4

Reclining Seatbacks ........................................1-4

Head Restraints .............................................1-6

Rear Seats .......................................................1-7

Rear Seat Operation .......................................1-7

Safety Belts .....................................................1-8

Safety Belts: They Are for Everyone .................1-8

Questions and Answers About Safety Belts ......1-13

How to Wear Safety Belts Properly .................1-13

Driver Position ..............................................1-14

Shoulder Belt Height Adjustment .....................1-20

Safety Belt Use During Pregnancy ..................1-21

Right Front Passenger Position .......................1-21

Rear Seat Passengers ..................................1-21

Center Rear Passenger Position .....................1-24

Safety Belt Pretensioners ...............................1-24

Safety Belt Extender .....................................1-24

Child Restraints .............................................1-25

Older Children ..............................................1-25

Infants and Young Children ............................1-27

Child Restraint Systems .................................1-31

Where to Put the Restraint .............................1-34

Top Strap ....................................................1-35

Top Strap Anchor Location .............................1-36

Lower Anchorages and Top Tethers for

Children (LATCH System) ...........................1-39

Securing a Child Restraint Designed for

the LATCH System ....................................1-41

Securing a Child Restraint in a Rear

Seat Position ............................................1-41

Securing a Child Restraint in the Right

Front Seat Position ....................................1-43

Airbag System ...............................................1-48

Where Are the Airbags? ................................1-51

When Should an Airbag Inﬂate? .....................1-53

What Makes an Airbag Inﬂate? .......................1-55

How Does an Airbag Restrain? .......................1-55

What Will You See After an Airbag Inﬂates? .....1-56

Passenger Sensing System ............................1-58

Servicing Your Airbag-Equipped Vehicle ...........1-62

Adding Equipment to Your Airbag-Equipped

Vehicle ....................................................1-62

Restraint System Check ..................................1-63

Checking Your Restraint Systems ...................1-63

Replacing Restraint System Parts

After a Crash ............................................1-63

Section 1 Seats and Restraint Systems

1-1

Front Seats

Manual Seats (With Sliding Storage Tray)

{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 do not want to. Adjust the driver’s seat only when the vehicle is not moving.

If your vehicle has a sliding storage tray under the front seat, the manual seat lever looks like this.

Pull up and hold the lever located under the front of the seat to unlock it.

Slide the seat to where you want it and release the lever. Then try to move the seat with your body, to make sure the seat is locked into place.

1-2

Manual Seats (Without Sliding Storage Tray)

{CAUTION:

If your vehicle does not have a sliding storage tray under the front seat, the manual seat bar looks like this.

Pull up and hold the bar located under the front of the seat to unlock it.

Slide the seat to where you want it and release the bar. Then try to move the seat with your body, to make sure the seat is locked into place.

Driver Seat Tilt Adjuster

The manual drivers seat tilt adjuster knobs are located on the outboard side of the seat cushion.

Turn the front knob to adjust the tilt of the front portion of the seat cushion. Turn the rear knob to adjust the tilt of the rear portion of the seat cushion.

1-3

Manual Lumbar

Your vehicle may have manually operated lumbar support for the driver’s seat.

To adjust the front seat lumbar support, use the lever located on the outboard side of the seatback.

Push the lever down to adjust the support for the lower part of the seatback. Pull the lever up to return the support to its original position.

Reclining Seatbacks

To adjust the seatback, lift the lever located on the outboard side of the seat and move the seatback to where you want it.

Release the lever and push rearward on the seatback to make sure it is locked.

Pull up on the lever without pushing on the seatback and the seatback will go to an upright position.

1-4

But do not have a seatback reclined if your vehicle is moving.

{CAUTION:

Sitting in a reclined position when your vehicle is in motion can be dangerous. Even if you buckle up, your safety belts can not do their job when you are reclined like this.

The shoulder belt can not do its job because it will not 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 not 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.

1-5

Head Restraints

Adjust your head restraint so that the top of the restraint is closest to the top of your head. This position reduces the chances of a neck injury in a crash.

Pull up the head restraint in order to adjust the position upward.

Push in the release button in order to adjust the position downward.

The rear head restraints may also be adjusted. Push in the release button and move the head restraint to the desired position.

To remove the head restraint, pull the head restraint all the way up. Then push in the release button and lift the head restraint from the guide sleeve.

Replace the head restraint and reset it in the original position before driving.

1-6

Rear Seats

Rear Seat Operation

Your vehicle has rear seatbacks that can be folded down to increase cargo space.

To fold down the seatback, do the following:

1. Push the rear head restraints as far down as possible.

2. Press down on the release button located on top of the rear seatback.

3. Fold the rear seatback forward and down.

{CAUTION:

If the seatback is not locked, it could move forward in a sudden stop or crash. That could cause injury to the person sitting there. Always press rearward on the seatback to be sure it is locked.

1-7

{CAUTION:

A safety belt that is improperly routed, not properly attached, or twisted will not provide the protection needed in a crash. The person wearing the belt could be seriously injured. After raising the rear seatback, always check to be sure that the safety belts are properly routed and attached, and are not twisted.

To return the seatback to the upright position, do the following:

1. Lift up the seatback and push it to its original position. Ensure that the safety belts are not twisted or caught under the seatback.

2. Push rearward ﬁrmly on the top of the seatback until it latches securely in the fully upright position.

Safety Belts

Safety Belts: They Are 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.

{CAUTION:

Do not let anyone ride where he or she can not wear a safety belt properly. If you are in a crash and you are not wearing a safety belt, your injuries can be much worse. You can hit things inside the vehicle or be ejected from it. You can be seriously injured or killed. In the same crash, you might not be, if you are buckled up. Always fasten your safety belt, and check that your passengers’ belts are fastened properly too.

1-8

{CAUTION:

It is extremely dangerous to ride in a cargo area, inside or outside of a vehicle. In a collision, people riding in these areas are more likely to be seriously injured or killed. Do not allow people to ride in any area of your vehicle that is not equipped with seats and safety belts. Be sure everyone in your vehicle is in a seat and using a safety belt properly.

Your vehicle has a light that comes on as a reminder to buckle up. See

Safety Belt Reminder Light on page 3-29.

In most states and in all Canadian provinces, the law says to wear safety belts. Here is why: They work.

You never know if you will be in a crash. If you do have a crash, you do not 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 would not survive. But most crashes are in between. In many of them, people who buckle up can survive and sometimes walk away. Without belts they could have been badly hurt or killed.

After more than 30 years of safety belts in vehicles, the facts are clear. In most crashes buckling up does matter...a lot!

1-9

Why Safety Belts Work

When you ride in or on anything, you go as fast as it goes.

Take the simplest vehicle. Suppose it is just a seat on wheels.

Put someone on it.

1-10

Get it up to speed. Then stop the vehicle. The rider does not stop.

The person keeps going until stopped by something. In a real vehicle, it could be the windshield...

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. You stop over more distance, and your strongest bones take the forces. That is why safety belts make such good sense.

1-12

Questions and Answers About Safety Belts

Q: Will I be trapped in the vehicle after an accident

if I am wearing a safety belt?

A: You could be — whether you are wearing a safety

belt or not. But you can unbuckle a safety belt, even if you are upside down. And your chance of being conscious during and after an accident, so you can unbuckle and get out, is much greater if you are belted.

Q: If my vehicle has airbags, why should I have to

wear safety belts?

A: Airbags 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 airbag system ever offered for sale has required the use of safety belts. Even if you are in a vehicle that has airbags, you still have to buckle up to get the most protection. That is true not only in frontal collisions, but especially in side and other collisions.

Q: If I am a 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 are in an

accident — even one that is not your fault — you and your passengers can be hurt. Being a good driver does not protect you from things beyond your control, such as bad drivers.

Most accidents occur within 25 miles (40 km) of home. And the greatest number of serious injuries and deaths occur at speeds of less than 40 mph (65 km/h).

Safety belts are for everyone.

How to Wear Safety Belts Properly

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 will be riding in your vehicle, see Older Children on page 1-25 or Infants and Young Children on page 1-27. Follow those rules for everyone’s protection.

First, you will want to know which restraint systems your vehicle has.

We will start with the driver position.

1-13

Driver Position

Lap-Shoulder Belt

The driver has a lap-shoulder belt. Here is how to wear it properly.

1. Close and lock the door.

2. Adjust the seat so you can sit up straight. To see how, see “Seats” in the Index.

3. Pick up the latch plate and pull the belt across you. Do not let it get twisted.

The shoulder belt may lock if you pull the belt across you very quickly. If this happens, let 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. Pull up on the latch plate to make sure it is secure.

If the belt is not long enough, see Safety Belt Extender on page 1-24.

Make sure the release button on the buckle is positioned so you would be able to unbuckle the safety belt quickly if you ever had to.

5. To make the lap part tight, pull down on the buckle end of the belt as you pull up on the shoulder belt.

1-14

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 would 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 belt should go over the shoulder and across the chest. These parts of the body are best able to take belt restraining forces.

The safety belt locks if there is a sudden stop or crash, or if you pull the belt very quickly out of the retractor.

1-15

Q: What is wrong with this?

A: The shoulder belt is too loose. It will not give nearly

as much protection this way.

{CAUTION:

You can be seriously hurt if your shoulder belt is too loose. In a crash, you would move forward too much, which could increase injury. The shoulder belt should ﬁt against your body.

1-16

Q: What is wrong with this?

A: The belt is buckled in the wrong place.

{CAUTION:

You can be seriously injured if your belt is buckled in the wrong place like this. In a crash, the belt would go up over your abdomen. The belt forces would be there, not at the pelvic bones. This could cause serious internal injuries. Always buckle your belt into the buckle nearest you.

1-17

Q: What is wrong with this?

A: The shoulder belt is worn under the arm. It should

be worn over the shoulder at all times.

{CAUTION:

You can be seriously injured if you wear the shoulder belt under your arm. In a crash, your body would move too far forward, which would increase the chance of head and neck injury. Also, the belt would apply too much force to the ribs, which are not as strong as shoulder bones. You could also severely injure internal organs like your liver or spleen.

1-18

Q: What is wrong with this?

A: The belt is twisted across the body.

{CAUTION:

You can be seriously injured by a twisted belt. In a crash, you would not have the full width of the belt to spread impact forces. If a belt is twisted, make it straight so it can work properly, or ask your dealer to ﬁx it.

1-19

To unlatch the belt, just push the button on the buckle. The belt should go back out of the way.

Before you close the door, be sure the belt is out of the way. If you slam the door on it, you can damage both the belt and your vehicle.

Shoulder Belt Height Adjustment

Before you begin to drive, move the shoulder belt height adjuster to the height that is right for you. Adjust the height so that the shoulder portion of the belt is centered on your shoulder. The belt should be away from your face and neck, but not falling off your shoulder.

To move the shoulder belt height adjuster down, press the release button and move the height adjuster to the desired position. After you move the height adjuster to where you want it, try to move it down without pressing the release button to make sure it has locked into position.

1-20

Safety Belt Use During Pregnancy

Safety belts work for everyone, including pregnant women. Like all occupants, they are more likely to be seriously injured if they do not wear safety belts.

A pregnant woman should wear a lap-shoulder belt, and the lap portion should be worn as low as possible, below the rounding, throughout the pregnancy.

The best way to protect the fetus is to protect the mother. When a safety belt is worn properly, it is more likely that the fetus will not be hurt in a crash. For pregnant women, as for anyone, the key to making safety belts effective is wearing them properly.

Right Front Passenger Position

To learn how to wear the right front passenger’s safety belt properly see, Driver Position on page 1-14.

The right front passenger’s safety belt works the same way as the driver’s safety belt.

Rear Seat Passengers

It is very important for rear seat passengers to buckle up! Accident statistics show that unbelted people in the rear seat are hurt more often in crashes than those who are wearing safety belts.

Rear passengers who are not safety belted can be thrown out of the vehicle in a crash. And they can strike others in the vehicle who are wearing safety belts.

1-21

Lap-Shoulder Belt

All rear seating positions have lap-shoulder belts. Here is how to wear a lap-shoulder belt properly.

1. Pick up the latch plate and pull the belt across you. Do not let it get twisted.

The shoulder belt may lock if you pull the belt across you very quickly. If this happens, let the belt go back slightly to unlock it. Then pull the belt across you more slowly.

2. Push the latch plate into the buckle until it clicks. Be sure you are using the correct buckle and that the latch plate clicks when inserted into the buckle.

Pull up on the latch plate to make sure it is secure. If the belt is not long enough, see Safety Belt Extender on page 1-24.

Make sure the release button on the buckle is positioned so you would be able to unbuckle the safety belt quickly if you ever had to.

3. To make the lap part tight, pull down on the buckle end of the belt as you pull up on the shoulder part.

1-22

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 would 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 belt should go over the shoulder and across the chest. These parts of the body are best able to take belt restraining forces.

The safety belt locks if there is a sudden stop or a crash, or if you pull the belt very quickly out of the retractor.

{CAUTION:

You can be seriously hurt if your shoulder belt is too loose. In a crash, you would move forward too much, which could increase injury. The shoulder belt should ﬁt against your body.

To unlatch the belt, just push the button on the buckle.

1-23

Center Rear Passenger Position

Your vehicle has a removable safety belt in the center rear seating position. To install the center rear safety belt, use the following instructions.

1. Pull the center rear safety belt from the retractor.

2. Push the latch plate at the end of the safety belt strap into the buckle with the black release button until the mechanism clicks. Make sure the strap is not twisted. The sliding latch plate will face the front of the vehicle.

To learn how to use the safety belt once it is installed, see “Lap-Shoulder Belt” under Rear Seat Passengers on page 1-21. The installed safety belt works the same way as the safety belt in the rear outside seat positions.

Safety Belt Pretensioners

Your vehicle has safety belt pretensioners for the driver and right front passenger. They help the safety belts reduce a person’s forward movement in a moderate to severe crash in which the front of the vehicle hits something.

Pretensioners work only once. If they activate in a crash, you will need to get new ones, and probably other new parts for your safety belt system. See Replacing Restraint System Parts After a Crash on page 1-63.

Safety Belt Extender

If the vehicle’s safety belt will fasten around you, you should use it.

But if a safety belt is not long enough, your dealer will order you an extender. It is free. When you go in to order it, take the heaviest coat you will wear, so the extender will be long enough for you. To help avoid personal injury, do not let someone else use it, and use it only for the seat it is made to ﬁt. The extender has been designed for adults. Never use it for securing child seats. To wear it, just attach it to the regular safety belt. For more information, see the instruction sheet that comes with the extender.

1-24

+ 306 hidden pages

Chevrolet Optra 2005 Owner's Manual

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual