Pontiac SOLSTICE 2008 Owner Manual

2008 Pontiac Solstice Owner Manual M

Seats and Restraint Systems

Front Seats Safety Belts Child Restraints Airbag System Restraint System Check

Features and Controls

Keys Doors and Locks Windows Theft-Deterrent Systems Starting and Operating Your Vehicle Mirrors

OnStar Storage Areas Convertible Top

Instrument Panel

Instrument Panel Overview Climate Controls Warning Lights, Gages, and Indicators Driver Information Center (DIC) Audio System(s)

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

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

....................................... 1-22

......................................... 1-36

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

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

................................................. 2-10

.................................................... 2-31

System

...................................... 2-32

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

....................................... 2-36

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

...................................... 3-17

....................................... 3-49

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

............................ 1-50

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

............................ 2-13

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

........... 2-17

........ 3-20

.................. 3-37

Driving Your Vehicle

Your Driving, the Road, and Your Vehicle Towing

Service and Appearance Care

Service Fuel Checking Things Under the Hood Rear Axle Headlamp Aiming Bulb Replacement Windshield Wiper Blade Replacement Tires Appearance Care Vehicle Identiﬁcation Electrical System Capacities and Speciﬁcations

Maintenance Schedule

Customer Assistance Information

Customer Assistance and Information Reporting Safety Defects Vehicle Data Recording and Privacy

Index

................................................... 4-29

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

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

...................................................... 5-51

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

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

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

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

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

..................................... 5-46

.................................... 5-46

..................................... 5-85

................................. 5-94

...................................... 5-95

................... 5-101

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

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

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

........................... 7-15

..... 4-2

......... 5-50

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

........... 7-17

GENERAL MOTORS, GM, the GM Emblem, PONTIAC, the PONTIAC Emblem, and the name SOLSTICE are registered trademarks 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 Pontiac Division whenever it appears in this manual.

This manual describes features that may be available in this model, but your vehicle may not have all of them. For example, more than one entertainment system may be offered or your vehicle may have been ordered without a front passenger or rear seats.

Keep this manual in the vehicle for quick reference.

Canadian Owners

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

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

1-800-551-4123 www.helminc.com

Propriétaires Canadiens

On peut obtenir un exemplaire de ce guide en français auprès de concessionnaire ou à l’adresse suivante:

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

1-800-551-4123 www.helminc.com

Litho in U.S.A. Part No. 15859546 A First Printing

Using this Manual

Many people read the owner manual from beginning to end when they ﬁrst receive their new vehicle to learn about the vehicle’s features and controls. Pictures and words work together to explain things.

{CAUTION:

These mean there is something that could hurt you or other people.

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.

Safety Warnings and Symbols

There are a number of safety cautions in this book. A box with the word CAUTION is used to tell about things that could hurt you or others if you were to ignore the warning.

We tell you what the hazard is and what to do to help avoid or reduce the hazard. Please read these cautions. If you do not, you or others could be hurt.

A circle with a slash through it is a safety symbol which means “Do Not,” “Do Not do this” or “Do Not let this happen.”

iii

Vehicle Damage Warnings

Vehicle Symbols

You will also ﬁnd notices in this manual.

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. The notice tells 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 which use the same words, CAUTION or NOTICE.

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.

Section 1 Seats and Restraint Systems

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

Manual Seats ................................................1-2

Seat Height Adjuster .......................................1-2

Reclining Seatbacks ........................................1-3

Seatback Latches ...........................................1-5

Safety Belts .....................................................1-6

Safety Belts: They Are for Everyone .................1-6

How to Wear Safety Belts Properly .................1-11

Lap-Shoulder Belt .........................................1-18

Safety Belt Use During Pregnancy ..................1-20

Safety Belt Extender .....................................1-21

Child Restraints .............................................1-22

Older Children ..............................................1-22

Infants and Young Children ............................1-25

Child Restraint Systems .................................1-29

Lower Anchors and Tethers for

Children (LATCH) ......................................1-31

Securing a Child Restraint in the

Right Front Seat Position ............................1-32

Airbag System ...............................................1-36

Where Are the Airbags? ................................1-38

When Should an Airbag Inﬂate? .....................1-40

What Makes an Airbag Inﬂate? .......................1-41

How Does an Airbag Restrain? .......................1-41

What Will You See After an Airbag Inﬂates? .....1-42

Passenger Sensing System ............................1-43

Servicing Your Airbag-Equipped Vehicle ...........1-48

Adding Equipment to Your Airbag-Equipped

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

Restraint System Check ..................................1-50

Checking the Restraint Systems ......................1-50

Replacing Restraint System Parts

After a Crash ............................................1-51

1-1

Front Seats

Manual Seats

Slide the seat to where you want it and release the lever. Try to move the seat with your body to be sure the seat is locked in place.

Seat Height Adjuster

{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.

Lift the lever located under the front of the seat to unlock it.

1-2

Your vehicle may have a power driver’s seat height adjuster.

The switch is located on the front of the driver’s seat on the outboard side. To use the adjuster, ﬁrst move the seat to where you want it. See Manual Seats on page 1-2. To raise or lower the seat, hold the switch up or down.

Reclining Seatbacks

{CAUTION:

To adjust the seatback, turn the knob on the outboard side of the seatback until the seatback is in the desired position.

1-3

{CAUTION:

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

The shoulder belt cannot do its job. In a crash, you could go into it, receiving neck or other injuries.

The lap belt cannot 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.

Do not have a seatback reclined if your vehicle is moving.

1-4

Seatback Latches

The seats have a latch located on the outboard side near the top of the seatback that enables the front seatback(s) to fold forward.

This allows access to the map pocket on the rear of the seatback.

To fold the seatback forward, lift the latch and push the seatback forward.

{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 push and pull on the seatback to be sure it is locked.

1-5

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 cannot 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 harder or be ejected from it and 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 passenger(s) are restrained properly too.

{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 indicators as a reminder to buckle your safety belts. See Safety Belt Reminders on page 3-23.

In most states and in all Canadian provinces, the law requires wearing safety belts. Here is why:

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 serious one.

A few crashes are mild, and some crashes can be so serious that even buckled up, a person would not survive. But mostcrashesarein 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 40 years of safety belts in vehicles, the facts are clear. In most crashes buckling up does matter... a lot!

1-6

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.

1-7

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

1-8

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

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.

1-9

Questions and Answers About Safety Belts

Q: Will I be trapped in the vehicle after a crash if

I am wearing a safety belt?

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

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

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

to wear safety belts?

A: Airbags are supplemental systems only; so they

work with safety belts — not instead of them. Whether or not an airbag is provided, all occupants 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 a

crash — even one that is not your fault — you and your passenger(s) 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.

1-10

How to Wear Safety Belts Properly

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 are different rules for smaller children and babies. If a child will be riding in your vehicle, see Older Children on page 1-22 or Infants and Young Children on page 1-25. Follow those rules for everyone’s protection.

It is very important for all occupants to buckle up. Statistics show that unbelted people are hurt more often in crashes than those who are wearing safety belts.

Occupants who are not buckled up can be thrown out of the vehicle in a crash. And they can strike others in the vehicle who are wearing safety belts.

First, before you or your passenger(s) wear a safety belt, there is important information you should know.

Sit up straight and always keep your feet on the ﬂoor in front of you. 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 on 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 shoulder belt locks if there is a sudden stop or crash.

1-11

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 snugly against your body.

1-12

Q: What is wrong with this?

A: The lap belt is too loose. It will not give as much

protection this way.

{CAUTION:

You can be seriously hurt if your lap belt is too loose. In a crash, you could slide under the lap belt and apply force on your abdomen. This could cause serious or even fatal injuries. The lap belt should be worn low and snug on the hips, just touching the thighs.

1-13

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 on the pelvic bones. This could cause serious internal injuries. Always buckle your belt into the buckle nearest you.

1-14

Q: What is wrong with this?

A: The belt is over an armrest.

{CAUTION:

You can be seriously injured if your belt goes over an armrest like this. The belt would be much too high. In a crash, you can slide under the belt. The belt force would then be applied on the abdomen, not on the pelvic bones, and that could cause serious or fatal injuries. Be sure the belt goes under the armrests.

1-15

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. The shoulder belt should go over the shoulder and across the chest.

1-16

Q: What is wrong with this?

A: The belt is behind the body.

{CAUTION:

You can be seriously injured by not wearing the lap-shoulder belt properly. In a crash, you would not be restrained by the shoulder belt. Your body could move too far forward increasing the chance of head and neck injury. You might also slide under the lap belt. The belt force would then be applied right on the abdomen. That could cause serious or fatal injuries. The shoulder belt should go over the shoulder and across the chest.

1-17

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/retailer to ﬁx it.

Lap-Shoulder Belt

All seating positions in your vehicle have a lap-shoulder belt.

Here is how to wear a lap-shoulder belt properly.

1. Adjust the seat, if the seat is adjustable, so you can sit up straight. To see how, see “Seats” in the Index.

2. Pick up the latch plate and pull the belt across you. Do not let it get twisted. The lap-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. If you ever pull the shoulder portion of a passenger belt out all the way, you may engage the child restraint locking feature. If this happens, just let the belt go back all the way and start again.

1-18

3. 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 1-21.

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

4. To make the lap part tight, pull up on the shoulder belt.

It may be necessary to pull stitching on the safety belt through the latch plate to fully tighten the lap belt on smaller occupants.

1-19

Safety Belt Pretensioners

Your vehicle has safety belt pretensioners for front outboard occupants. Although you cannot see them, they are part of the safety belt assembly. They can help tighten the safety belts during the early stages of a moderate to severe frontal or near frontal crash if the threshold conditions for pretensioner activation are met.

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 1-51.

Safety Belt Use During Pregnancy

To unlatch the belt, push the button on the buckle. The belt should go back out of the way. When the safety belt is not in use, slide the latch plate up the safety belt webbing. The latch plate should rest on the stitching on the safety belt, near the guide loop.

Before you close a 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.

1-20

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.

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/retailer will order you an extender. 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, attach it to the regular safety belt. For more information, see the instruction sheet that comes with the extender.

1-21

Child Restraints

Older Children

Older children who have outgrown booster seats should wear the vehicle’s safety belts.

The manufacturer’s instructions that come with the booster seat, state the weight and height limitations for that booster. Use a booster seat with a lap-shoulder belt until the child passes the below ﬁt test:

• Sit all the way back on the seat. Do the knees bend

at the seat edge? If yes, continue. If no, return to the booster seat.

• Buckle the lap-shoulder belt. Does the shoulder belt

rest on the shoulder? If yes, continue. If no, then return to the booster seat.

• Does the lap belt ﬁt low and snug on the hips,

touching the thighs? If yes, continue. If no, return to the booster seat.

• Can proper safety belt ﬁt be maintained for the

length of the trip? If yes, continue. If no, return to the booster seat.

1-22

Q: What is the proper way to wear safety belts? A: An older child should wear a lap-shoulder belt and

get the additional restraint a shoulder belt can provide. The shoulder belt should not cross the face or neck. The lap belt should ﬁt snugly below the hips, just touching the top of the thighs. This applies belt force to the child’s pelvic bones in a crash. It should never be worn over the abdomen, which could cause severe or even fatal internal injuries in a crash.

According to accident statistics, children and infants are safer when properly restrained in rear seating positions than in the front seating positions.

In a crash, children who are not buckled up can strike other people who are buckled up, or can be thrown out of the vehicle. Older children need to use safety belts properly.

{CAUTION:

Never do this. Here two children are wearing the same belt.

The belt cannot properly spread the impact forces. In a crash, the two children can be crushed together and seriously injured. A belt must be used by only one person at a time.

1-23

{CAUTION:

Never do this. Here a child is sitting in a seat that has a

lap-shoulder belt, but the shoulder part is behind the child. In a crash, the child would not be restrained by the shoulder belt. The child might slide under the lap belt. The belt force would then be applied right on the abdomen. That could cause serious or fatal injuries. The child could also move too far forward increasing the chance of head and neck injury. The shoulder belt should go over the shoulder and across the chest.

1-24

Infants and Young Children

Everyone in a vehicle needs protection! This includes infants and all other children. Neither the distance traveled nor the age and size of the traveler changes the need, for everyone, to use safety restraints. In fact, the law in every state in the United States and in every Canadian province says children up to some age must be restrained while in a vehicle.

{CAUTION:

Children can be seriously injured or strangled if a shoulder belt is wrapped around their neck and the safety belt continues to tighten. Never leave children unattended in a vehicle and never allow children to play with the safety belts.

Every time infants and young children ride in vehicles, they should have the protection provided by appropriate restraints. Children who are not restrained properly can strike other people, or can be thrown out of the vehicle. In addition, young children should not use the vehicle’s adult safety belts alone; they need to use a child restraint.

1-25

{CAUTION:

People should never hold an infant in their arms while riding in a vehicle. An infant does not weigh much — until a crash. During a crash an infant will become so heavy it is not possible to hold it. For example, in a crash at only 25 mph (40 km/h), a 12 lb (5.5 kg) infant will suddenly become a 240 lb (110 kg) force on a person’s arms. An infant should be secured in an appropriate restraint.

1-26

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