Saturn Ion 2003 Owner's Manual

2005 Saturn ION Owner Manual M

Seats and Restraint Systems ...........................	1-1
Front Seats ...............................................	1-2
Rear Seats ...............................................	1-9
Safety Belts .............................................	1-10
Child Restraints .......................................	1-30
Airbag System .........................................	1-49
Restraint System Check ............................	1-59
Features and Controls .....................................	2-1
Keys ........................................................	2-2
Doors and Locks .......................................	2-7
Windows .................................................	2-13
Theft-Deterrent Systems ............................	2-15
Starting and Operating Your Vehicle ...........	2-16
Mirrors ....................................................	2-31
OnStar® System ......................................	2-38
Storage Areas .........................................	2-39
Sunroof ..................................................	2-41
Instrument Panel .............................................	3-1
Instrument Panel Overview ..........................	3-4
Climate Controls ......................................	3-18
Warning Lights, Gages, and Indicators ........	3-25
Message Center .......................................	3-39
Audio System(s) .......................................	3-44

Driving Your Vehicle .......................................	4-1
Your Driving, the Road, and Your Vehicle	..... 4-2
Towing ...................................................	4-34
Service and Appearance Care ..........................	5-1
Service .....................................................	5-3
Fuel .........................................................	5-5
Checking Things Under the Hood ...............	5-10
Headlamp Aiming .....................................	5-46
Bulb Replacement ....................................	5-47
Windshield Wiper Blade Replacement .........	5-55
Tires ......................................................	5-56
Appearance Care .....................................	5-83
Vehicle Identification .................................	5-92
Electrical System ......................................	5-93
Capacities and Specifications ...................	5-100
Maintenance Schedule .....................................	6-1
Maintenance Schedule ................................	6-2
Customer Assistance and Information ..............	7-1
Customer Assistance and Information ...........	7-2
Reporting Safety Defects ............................	7-8
Index .................................................................	1

SATURN, the SATURN Emblem, and the name ION are registered trademarks of Saturn Corporation. GENERAL MOTORS and GM 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.

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.

Litho in U.S.A.

Part No. 05ION C First Edition

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.

© 2005 General Motors Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

ii

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

iv

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

v

NOTES

vi

Section 1 Seats and Restraint Systems

Front Seats ......................................................	1-2
Manual Seats ................................................	1-2
Driver Seat Height Adjuster ..............................	1-3
Manual Lumbar ..............................................	1-3
Reclining Seatbacks ........................................	1-4
Head Restraints .............................................	1-5
Passenger Folding Seatback ............................	1-6
Rear Seats .......................................................	1-9
Split Folding Rear Seat ...................................	1-9
Safety Belts ...................................................	1-10
Safety Belts: They Are for Everyone ................	1-10
Questions and Answers About Safety Belts ......	1-15
How to Wear Safety Belts Properly .................	1-16
Driver Position ..............................................	1-16
Shoulder Belt Height Adjustment (Sedan) .........	1-22
Safety Belt Use During Pregnancy ..................	1-23
Right Front Passenger Position .......................	1-23
Rear Seat Passengers ..................................	1-23
Rear Safety Belt Comfort Guides ....................	1-26
Safety Belt Pretensioners ...............................	1-29
Safety Belt Extender .....................................	1-29
Child Restraints .............................................	1-30
Older Children ..............................................	1-30
Infants and Young Children ............................	1-32
Child Restraint Systems .................................	1-36

Where to Put the Restraint .............................	1-39
Top Strap ....................................................	1-39
Top Strap Anchor Location .............................	1-41
Lower Anchors and Tethers for
Children (LATCH) ......................................	1-42
Securing a Child Restraint Designed for the
LATCH System .........................................	1-43
Securing a Child Restraint in a Rear Seat
Position ...................................................	1-44
Securing a Child Restraint in the Right Front
Seat Position ............................................	1-46
Airbag System ...............................................	1-49
Where Are the Airbags? ................................	1-51
When Should an Airbag Inflate? .....................	1-54
What Makes an Airbag Inflate? .......................	1-55
How Does an Airbag Restrain? .......................	1-56
What Will You See After an Airbag Inflates? .....	1-56
Servicing Your Airbag-Equipped Vehicle ...........	1-58
Adding Equipment to Your Airbag-Equipped
Vehicle ....................................................	1-59
Restraint System Check ..................................	1-59
Checking the Restraint Systems ......................	1-59
Replacing Restraint System Parts After
a Crash ...................................................	1-60

1-1

Front Seats

{CAUTION:

Manual Seats

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.

Your vehicle has manual seats. Lift the bar located under the front of the seat to unlock it. Slide the seat to where you want it and release the bar. Try to move the seat with your body to be sure the seat is locked

in place.

1-2

Driver Seat Height Adjuster

Manual Lumbar

If your vehicle has this feature, the knob is located on the front of the driver seat lower cushion on the inboard side.

Turn the knob clockwise or counterclockwise to increase or decrease the lumbar support.

The driver’s seat height adjuster is located on the outboard side of the seat.

To raise the seat, move the lever upward repeatedly until the seat is at the desired height. To lower the seat, move the lever downward repeatedly until the seat is

at the desired height.

1-3

Reclining Seatbacks

Your vehicle has reclining seatbacks. The lever is located on the outboard side of the seats. Lift the lever to release the seatback. Move the seatback to where you want it and release the lever to lock the seatback in place. Press rearward on the seatback to be sure it is locked into place.

{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.

1-4

Do not have a seatback reclined if your vehicle	Head Restraints
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 cannot do their job when you are reclined like this.

The shoulder belt cannot 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 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.

Press the button on the side of the head restraint to adjust it.

1-5

Adjust your head restraint so that the top of the restraint is closest to the top of your head. This position

reduces the chance of a neck injury in a crash.

Passenger Folding Seatback

Your vehicle may have a passenger seat that folds flat. To fold the seatback, do the following:

{CAUTION:

If you fold the seatback forward to carry longer objects, such as skis, be sure any such cargo is not near an airbag. In a crash, an inflating airbag might force that object toward a person. This could cause severe injury or even death. Secure objects away from the area in which an airbag would inflate. For more information, see

Where Are the Airbags? on page 1-51 and Loading Your Vehicle on page 4-29.

1-6

{CAUTION:

Things you put on this seatback can strike and injure people in a sudden stop or turn, or in a crash. Remove or secure all items before driving.

To fold the seatback flat, do the following:

1.Lift the bar under the seat to unlock it.

2.Slide the seat as far back as it will go and release the bar. Try to move the seat with your body to make sure it is locked into place.

3.Lift the recliner lever, located on the outboard side of the seat, fully and fold the seat forward until the seatback disengages.

1-7

4.Continue to fold the seat forward until it locks in the folded position. Pull up on the seatback to be sure it is locked.

To raise the seatback to an upright position, do the following:

1.Lift the recliner lever, located on the outboard side of the seat, fully and lift the seatback.

2.Push the seatback until it re-engages.

{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.

3.Push and pull on the seatback to make sure it is locked in place.

1-8

Rear Seats

Split Folding Rear Seat

You can fold either side of the rear seatback down for more cargo space.

To lower the rear seatback, follow these steps:

1.Open the trunk and pull one or both of the small handles located in the center of the trunk.

2.Once the handle is pulled, the seatback can be pushed open through the trunk, or pulled open from the inside of the vehicle.

1-9

To raise the rear seatback, lift it up and rearward until you hear a click. Push and pull on the seatback to

be sure it is locked into place.

{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 pull forward on the top of the seatback at the area of the latch to be sure it is locked.

{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.

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 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.

1-10

{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 3-28.

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!

1-11

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 is just a seat on wheels.

1-12

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...

1-13

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.

1-14

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.

1-15

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 1-30 or Infants and Young Children on page 1-32. 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.

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.

1-16

4.Push the latch plate into the buckle until it clicks. If the belt stops before it reaches the buckle, let it go back all the way and start again.

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 1-29.

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.

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.

1-17

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.

1-18

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.

1-19

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.

1-20

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 retailer to fix it.

1-21

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 (Sedan)

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 it up or down, press the square button (A) in the center of the

height adjuster knob and move the height adjuster to the desired position.

After you move the height adjuster to where you want it, try to move it up and down without touching the

square button to make sure it has locked into position.

1-22

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 1-16.

The right front passenger’s safety belt works the same way as the driver’s safety belt — except for one thing. If you ever pull the shoulder portion of the

belt out all the way, you will engage the child restraint locking feature. If this happens, just let the belt go back all the way and start again.

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.

1-23

Lap-Shoulder Belt

All rear seat positions have lap-shoulder belts. Here is how to wear one 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. If your vehicle has a center passenger position, be sure to use the correct buckle when buckling your

lap-shoulder belt. If you find that the latch plate will not go fully into the buckle, see if you are using the buckle for the center passenger position.

Pull up on the latch plate to make sure it is secure.

When the shoulder belt is pulled out all the way, it will lock. If it does, let it go back all the way and start again.

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.

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