Congratulations on your purchase of an Oldsmobile Alero. Please read this information and your
Owner Manual to ensure an outstanding ownership experience. Note that your vehicle may not
include all the features described in this booklet. Place this booklet in your Owner Manual
portfolio for easy reference.
Instrument Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2
Instrument Panel Cluster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3
Delayed Locking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4
Remote Keyless Entry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4
Remote Trunk Release Lockout . . . . . . . . . . . . .5
Programmable Automatic Power Door Locks . .6
Lockout Protection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7
12-Volt Accessory Power Outlets . . . . . . . . . . . .7
Automatic Light Control/
Daytime Running Lamps (DRL) . . . . . . . . . . . . .8
Removing Key from Parked Vehicle . . . . . . . . . .9
Fueling Your Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9
Audio Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9
Setting the Clock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10
Oil Life Monitor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10
Tire Pressure Monitor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10
Installing a Child Seat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11
Rear Door Security Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11
Roadside Assistance Program . . . . . . . . . . . . .12
My GMLink . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12
2
Getting to Know Your 2004 Alero
Outlet
P. Enhanced Traction System Button
Q. Transaxle Shift Lever
R. Parking Brake
S. Cigarette Lighter/Accessory Power
T. Accessory Power Outlet
Instrument Panel
Thumbwheel
I. Instrument Panel Brightness
J. Turn Signal/Multifunction Lever
K. Hood Release Handle
L. Cruise Control Switches
M.Tilt Wheel Lever
A. Instrument Panel Fuse Blocks
B. Air Outlets
C. Instrument Panel Cluster
D. Hazard Warning Flashers Button
E. Audio System
F. Climate Control System
See Section 3 of your Owner Manual.
N. Ignition Switch
O. Windshield Wiper/Washer Lever
G. Side Window Defogger Vent
H. Fog Lamp Button (if equipped)
3
D
C
IMPORTANT: The instrument panel
cluster is designed to let you know
about many important aspects of
your vehicle’s operation. It is impor-
tant to read your Owner Manual and
become familiar with the information
being relayed to you by the lights,
gauges and indicators, and what
action can be taken to ensure safety
and to prevent damage.
B
A
Instrument Panel Cluster
Gauge
Your vehicle’s instrument panel is
equipped with this cluster or one
very similar to it. The instrument
panel cluster includes these key
features:
A. Engine Coolant Temperature
B. Tachometer
C. Speedometer
See Section 3 of your Owner Manual.
D. Fuel Gauge
4
Getting to Know Your 2004 Alero
Delayed Locking
With Delayed Locking, when your keys
are removed from the ignition and a
door is opened, a chime will sound three
times after you press the Power Door
Lock switch. The chime indicates that
the doors will not lock until after all the
doors have been closed for seven
seconds.
You may cancel this feature through the
following ways:
• Press the door Unlock switch
(to unlock).
• Override it by pressing the door Lock
switch again or the Lock button on
the optional Remote Keyless Entry
transmitter to immediately lock the
doors.
Delayed Locking allows you to get back
into the vehicle to grab a package or a
small child without having to activate the
door Lock switch again.
See Section 2 of your Owner Manual.
Remote Keyless Entry
The Remote
Keyless Entry
transmitter can be
used to lock or
unlock your vehicle, open the
trunk or activate
the alarm.
When you press
the Unlock or
Trunk release
button, the vehicle’s interior
lamps will illuminate. In addition, both audible and visual
feedback is provided when operating the
transmitter buttons while performing the
following functions:
1. Lock button: Park lamps flash twice
and horn chirps (if all doors are
closed).
2. Unlock button: Park lamps flash
twice on first button press as driver’s
door unlocks. Remaining doors
unlock on second press of button.
3. Trunk button: No park lamps flash
and no horn chirps as trunk is
released.
4. Alarm button: This feature allows
you to draw attention to your vehicle
when personal safety is in question.
Park lamps and headlamps will flash
followed by horn activation. You can
disable this feature by pressing the
Alarm button a second time or by
turning your ignition to ON. After one
minute, this feature will automatically
turn off.
5
The horn chirp feature for both the
Delayed Locking and Remote Keyless
Entry is turned “on” at the factory. To
disable horn chirp for both of these features, simply follow the Horn Chirp —
How to Program procedure below:
Horn Chirp — How to Program
Close the doors, turn the ignition to the
ON position. Keep all doors closed
throughout this procedure.
1. Press and hold down either Power
Door Lock switch in the UNLOCK
position for 10 seconds.
2. When the horn chirps, you can
release the switch. The horn chirp
feature has been disabled and will
remain in this mode unless changed
back (this does not affect the horn
activation with the Alarm button of the
Remote Keyless Entry). Re-enabling
the horn chirp feature can be done by
repeating the above procedure.
RKE Battery Replacement
Under normal use, the battery in your
Remote Keyless Entry transmitter
should last about two years. You can tell
the battery is weak if the transmitter
won’t work at the normal range in any
location. If you have to get close to your
vehicle before the transmitter works, it’s
probably time to change the battery.
Remote Trunk Release Lockout
Your vehicle is equipped with a Remote
Trunk Release Lockout feature. When
the lockout is on, the remote trunk
release button on the driver’s door (or
on the Remote Keyless Entry transmitter, if equipped) will not release the trunk
lid. However, the trunk lid can still be
opened with the key.
The lockout mechanism is mounted to
the trunk lid latch on the inside of the
trunk lid. To turn the lockout off, slide the
switch all the way to the right (OFF). To
turn the lockout on, slide the switch all
the way to the left (ON).
See Section 2 of your Owner Manual.
Note: When replacing the battery, use
one three-volt CR2032 or equivalent
battery. Use care not to touch any of the
transmitter circuitry. Static from your
body transferred to these surfaces may
damage the transmitter.
See Section 2 of your Owner Manual.
6
Getting to Know Your 2004 Alero
Programmable Automatic Power
Door Locks
Alero’s Power Door Locks can be programmed to fit your needs. First, close
all the doors and make sure the ignition
is in the ON position and your foot is on
the brake pedal. When you move the
gearshift out of Park, all the doors will
automatically lock. When the gearshift is
returned to Park and the ignition is
turned to OFF, all doors will automatically UNLOCK.
If someone needs to get in or out while
you’re in Park, use the manual or Power
Door Lock switch. When a door has
been opened and closed again, it will
lock automatically when the car has
reached 5 mph. Programmable
Automatic Power Door Locks can be set
to any of the following modes:
Mode 1 (Factory Setting): All doors
automatically lock when shifted out of
Park. All doors automatically unlock
when shifted into Park and the ignition is
turned to OFF.
Mode 2: All doors automatically lock
when shifted out of Park. Driver door
only unlocks when shifted into Park and
the ignition is turned to OFF.
Mode 3: All doors automatically lock
when shifted out of Park. Doors do not
lock when shifted into Park and the ignition is turned to OFF (Remote Keyless
Entry only).
Mode 4: The doors do not lock or
unlock automatically.
How to Program Automatic Power
Door Locks
To change modes (settings), simply:
1. Close the doors and turn the ignition
to the ON position. Keep all doors
closed throughout this procedure.
2. Press and hold down either Power
Door Lock switch in the LOCK position for 10 seconds.
3. When the chime sounds, you can
release the switch. The Programmable Door Lock feature has been
advanced to the next setting and will
remain in this mode unless changed
again. The number of chime sounds
indicates which mode you are in (for
example, three chimes sound for
Mode 3).
The modes occur in the following order:
1. Factory Setting; 2. If equipped with
Remote Keyless Entry; 3 and 4.
Functions will operate as defined above
in each mode.
See Section 2 of your Owner Manual.
7
Lockout Protection
Your vehicle’s Lockout Protection feature
reduces the chances of locking the car
with the keys in the ignition. Whenever
any door is open and the Power Door
Lock switch is pressed to LOCK with the
key in the ignition, the doors WILL NOT
LOCK. If the driver’s door is open and
the ignition is OFF, the chime will sound,
reminding you that the key is in the ignition. Notice, in this situation, the
absence of the three chimes associated
with the Delayed Locking. To intentionally lock the keys in the car:
• Depress and hold either Power Door
Lock switch in the LOCK position for
three seconds, or
• Depress the LOCK button on the
Remote Keyless Entry transmitter.
See Section 2 of your Owner Manual.
12-Volt Accessory Power
Outlets
Two auxiliary outlets provide electrical
power for accessories operating on 15
amps or less (cellular phones, etc.).
These outlets are located ahead of the
shift lever behind a black-hinged plug,
and on the passenger side of the console. To operate the passenger side outlet, gently press the front portion until
the back pivots into the vehicle. When
not in use, pivot the outlet back into the
console.
See Section 3 of your Owner Manual.
8
Getting to Know Your 2004 Alero
Automatic Light Control/
Daytime Running Lamps (DRL)
Your Alero is equipped with Automatic
Light Control (ALC) for night driving and
Daytime Running Lamps (DRL) for daytime driving. The ALC activates full exterior lighting — including headlamps and
instrument panel lighting — the same as
activating the headlamp switch located
on the left stalk of the steering column.
The DRL system activates your headlamps at reduced intensity when the
ignition is ON, the headlamps switch is
OFF, the shifter is not in Park and the
park brake is released. When it’s dark
enough outside, the DRL will turn off
and the vehicle’s full intensity headlamps and parking lamps will activate.
When it’s bright enough outside, the full
intensity headlamps and parking lamps
will go off and the reduced intensity
headlamps (DRL) will come on.
Note: The Automatic Light Control
system may temporarily switch your
vehicle’s headlamps and interior lights
— including the radio display — to the
nighttime mode when you pass through
a darker ambient condition, such as
under a bridge or through a tunnel. This
should last no longer than 45 seconds.
Delayed Headlamps Off
Your vehicle’s Delayed Headlamp Off
feature provides illumination when exiting your Alero. When you turn the ignition to OFF (while in the Automatic Light
Control mode), the headlamps will
remain on as courtesy lighting for 20
seconds. The headlamps will turn off
automatically after 20 seconds with no
further action on your part.
Overriding the Systems
If you prefer not to use Automatic Light
Control, the DRL or Delayed Headlamps
Off feature, you can temporarily override the systems by following these
procedures:
• Automatic Light Control (ALC):
Under nighttime lighting conditions,
activate the parking brake by pulling
the hand lever before turning the ignition ON. Notice that activating the
parking brake while in ALC will not
override this feature.
• Daytime Running Lamps (DRL):
Under daytime lighting conditions,
place the shifter in Park or activate
the park brake as described above.
Note that the DRL will activate
with the park brake applied and the
vehicle speed above 3 mph.
• Delayed Headlamps Off: With the
headlamps ON after the ignition is
OFF, rotate the headlamp stalk switch
from OFF to PARKLAMPS to OFF to
immediately turn off the headlamps.
See Section 3 of your Owner Manual.
9
Removing Key from Parked
Vehicle (Manual Trans. Only)
Before getting out of your vehicle, shift
into reverse by lifting the shifter ring,
and apply the parking brake. Reverse
gear is the safest gear setting for manual transmission-equipped vehicles. Once
the transmission is in reverse, the ignition can be turned to OFF and the key
can be removed.
Note: Shift into reverse only after your
vehicle is stopped. Shifting into reverse
while your vehicle is moving could damage your transmission.
See Section 2 of your Owner Manual.
Fueling Your Vehicle
Never fuel your vehicle while the engine
is running, and make sure to reinstall
the fuel cap securely when finished (turn
it until it clicks). Either of these situations
would allow fuel to evaporate into the
atmosphere and cause the SERVICE
ENGINE SOON lamp to illuminate.
See Section 6 of your Owner Manual.
Audio Systems
• AM/FM Stereo with Compact Disc
Player
• AM/FM Stereo with Cassette Tape
and Compact Disc Player
• 8-Speaker Premium Sound System;
available with CD/Cassette Radio
Setting the Stations
The six numbered pushbuttons on your
radio return you to your favorite stations.
You can set up to 18 stations (six AM,
six FM, and six FM2) by performing the
following steps:
•Turn on the radio.
• Press BAND to select AM or FM.
•Tune in the desired station.
• Press AUTO EQ to select the equalization best suited for the station.
• Press and hold one of the numbered
buttons until you hear a beep.
Whenever you press that numbered
button, the station you set will return
and the equalization you selected will
also automatically be selected for that
station.
• Repeat the steps for each
pushbutton.
Speed-Compensated Volume
Your radio is equipped with a SpeedCompensated Volume (SCV) feature
that adjusts the radio volume automatically to compensate for road and wind
noise as you drive.
See Section 3 of your Owner Manual.
10
Getting to Know Your 2004 Alero
Setting the Clock
To set the time on the clock-mounted
radio, follow these instructions:
• Press and hold the HR or MIN button
for two seconds.
• Press the HR button until the correct
hour appears. AM will appear on the
display (on vehicles with RDS radios).
• Press and hold the MIN button until
the correct minute appears.
To set the clock to the time of an FM
station broadcasting Radio Data System
(RDS) information:
• Press and hold HR and MIN at the
same time for two seconds until
UPDATED and the clock symbol
appear on the display.
• If the time is not available from the
station, NO UPDATE will appear on
the display instead.
Note: The clock may be set with the
ignition on or off.
See Section 3 of your Owner Manual.
of oil life remains before it needs to be
changed. When the calculated oil life
remaining reaches a certain level, a
chime will activate as well as a
“CHANGE OIL” warning light in the
instrument panel, alerting you to schedule an oil change.
Resetting the Change Oil Light
Whenever you have your oil changed,
the CHANGE OIL LIGHT needs to be
reset so it can calculate when the next
oil change is required. If you change the
oil prior to the illumination of the
CHANGE OIL light, reset the system.
To reset the CHANGE OIL LIGHT:
1. With the engine off, turn the ignition
key to ON.
2. Fully press and release the accelerator pedal slowly three times within
five seconds.
The reset is complete when you hear
the chimes and the CHANGE OIL light
goes out. However, if the light stays on
and no chime is heard, repeat the reset
procedure.
See Section 5 of your Owner Manual.
Oil Life Monitor
Your Alero is equipped with an Oil Life
Monitor that evaluates how the car is
driven and calculates what percentage
Tire Pressure Monitor
(if equipped)
The Tire Pressure Monitor alerts you to
a potential tire pressure problem before
it may disable your driving (e.g., slow
leak due to a nail in the tire).
When a difference in pressure greater
than 12 psi is detected between the
tires, a “Low Tire Pressure” warning light
in the instrument panel along with a
chime will activate, alerting you to check
your tire pressure.
11
To minimize false low tire pressure
warning lights, you or your service representative should always reset the Tire
Pressure Monitor after the following
events:
• All tire service, including: tire rotation,
tire change, or any tire repair.
• Any electrical service that requires
the battery to be disconnected.
Resetting the Tire Pressure Monitor
The Tire Pressure Monitor RESET
switch is located in the fuse box on the
left side of the instrument panel.
To reset the system:
1. Depress the red RESET switch briefly
and release. The CHANGE OIL warning light should be flashing.
2. Depress the RESET switch again
briefly and release. The CHANGE
OIL warning light should be OFF, and
the LOW TIRE PRESSURE warning
light should be flashing.
3. Depress and hold the RESET switch
again until the chime sounds.
Release the switch when you hear
the chime. The LOW PRESSURE
light will stop flashing and remain ON
while five chime sounds elapse.
When the chime sounds stop, the warning light will turn off and the reset procedure is complete.
See Section 5 of your Owner Manual.
Installing a Child Seat
Rear Door Security Locks
Alero Sedan models include rear door
security locks that help prevent passengers from opening the rear doors from
the inside. The security lock switch is
located on the inside of the rear door.
To activate the locking feature:
• Move the switch up.
• Close the door.
• Follow the same procedure for the
other rear door.
To deactivate the locking feature:
• Unlock the door from the inside and
open it from the outside.
• Move the security lock switch down.
• Follow the same procedure for the
other rear door.
The rear doors will now work manually.
See Section 2 of your Owner Manual.
For detailed instructions on child seats/
restraints, see Section 1 of your Owner
Manual.
12
Getting to Know Your 2004 Alero
Roadside Assistance Program
1-800-442-OLDS (6537)
(TTY) users, call: 1-888-889-2438
As the proud owner of a 2004
Oldsmobile vehicle, you are automatically enrolled in the Oldsmobile Roadside
Assistance program.
Oldsmobile’s Roadside Assistance tollfree number is staffed by a team of advisors, who are available 24 hours a day,
365 days a year.
We will provide the following services
during the Bumper-to-Bumper warranty
period, at no expense to you.
• Fuel delivery
• Lockout service (identification
required)
•Tow to nearest dealership for
warranty service
• Flat tire change
• Jump starts
• Minor repairs to disabled vehicles
• Assistance when vehicle is mired in
sand, mud or snow
•Trip routing
•Trip interruption expense benefits
• Dealership locator service
In many instances, mechanical failures
are covered under Oldsmobile’s comprehensive warranty. However, when other
services are utilized, our advisors will
explain any payment obligations you
might incur.
For prompt and efficient assistance
when calling, please provide the following information to the advisor:
• Location of the vehicle
•Telephone number or your location
•Vehicle model, year and color
•Vehicle mileage
•Vehicle Identification Number (VIN)
•Vehicle license plate number
Oldsmobile reserves the right to limit
services or reimbursement to an owner
or driver when, in Oldsmobile’s judgment, the claims become excessive in
frequency or type of occurrence.
My GMLink
The Oldsmobile Owner Center at My
GMLink is a complimentary service for
Oldsmobile Owners, a one-stop resource
to enhance your Oldsmobile ownership
experience. Exclusive member benefits
include online service reminders, vehicle
maintenance tips, online owner manual,
special privileges and more. Sign up
today at www.mygmlink.com
Certain restrictions, precautions and safety procedures apply to your vehicle. Please read your Owner
Manual for complete instructions. All information contained herein is based on information available
at the time of printing and is subject to change without notice. Copyright 2003 by GM Corp.
All rights reserved.
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