Geo PRIZM 1993 User manual

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Prizrn
Introduction
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
Part 7
Part 8
Part 9
1993 Owner’s Manual
Table of Contents
Welcome to Geo
HOW to Use This Manual . . . . m 41
Seats & Safety Belts.. .............. 11 I
Features & Controls ................ 47 I
ComfortControls & Audio Systems . . .99 1
Your DrivingandtheRoad. ......... 127 I
Problems on theRoad ............. 181 I
Service & AppearanceCare ......... 211 1
Maintenance Schedule ............. 267 I
CustomerAssistanceInformation .... 293 I
Including “ReportingSafetyDefects” onpage 298.
Index ........................... 31 1
Service Station Information . . . Last Page
Printed in U.S.A.

Please keep this manual in your Geo, so it will be there if you ever need it when you’re on the road. If you sell
the vehicle, please leave this manual in it so the new owner can use it.
This manual includes the latest information at the time it was printed. We reserve the right to make changes in
the product after that time without further notice.
Published by Chevrolet/Geo
General Motors Corporation General Motors, GM
and the GM emblem,
Chevrolet and the Chevrolet emblem, Geo and the
Geo emblem, are registered trademarks of General
Motors Corporation.
@ Copyright 1992 General Motors Corporation, Chevrolet/Geo. All rights reserved.

Welcome to Geo
World-class vehicles for the world-wise vehicle buyer. Feature by feature, every Geo shows that quality, value and
technology can exist hand-in-hand with affordability. And Geo adds something special to vehicle ownership
- fun.
There’s a Geo out there for everyone. It could be the economical Geo Metro or the sporty Geo Storm. Maybe the
five-passengerGeo flagship, Prizm, or the adventurous off-roader, Geo Tracker.
No matter what Geo you drive, you’ll find designed-in comfort and owner enjoyment in detail after careful detail.
Geo’s are savvy vehicles that answer the needs of the road and
- with Tracker - even the off-road.
Sold and serviced by thousands
of Chevrolet/Geo dealers, Geo is earning its stripes as a serious contender in today’s
value-conscious marketplace. We
know your ownership experience will be a rewarding one.
Welcome to the world of Geo.
Jim Perkins
General Manager

How to Use This Manual
I How to Use I;his
Manual
Many people read their owner’s manual
from beginning
to end when they first
receivetheir new vehicle. This willhelp
you learn about the features and controls
for your vehicle. In this manual, you’ll
find that pictures and words work
together to explain things quickly.
Index: A good place to look for what
you need is the Index in back of the
manual. It’s an alphabetical list
of all
that’s in themanual,and thepage
number where you’llfind
it.
Parts 1-8: Each part of this manual
begins with a brief list of its contents,
so
you can often find at a glance if a part
contains the information you want.
How to Use This Manual
This part tells you how to use your
manualandincludesSafety andVehicle
Damage Warnings and Symbols.
Part 1: Seats & SafetyBelts
This part tells you how to use your seats
andsafetybelts properly.
Part 2: Features & Controls
This part explains how to start and
operate your Geo.
Part 3: ComfortControls & Audio
Systems
This part tells you how to adjust the
ventilation and comfort controls and
how
to operate your sound system.
Part 4: Your Driving and the Road
Here you’ll find helpful information and
tips about the road and how
to drive
under different conditions.

CAUTION
Part 5: Problems on the Road
This part tells you what to do if you
have a problem while driving, such as a
flat tire or engine overheating.
Part 6: Service & Appearance Care
Here the manual tells you how to keep
your Geo running properly and looking
good.
Part 7: Maintenance Schedule
This part tells you when to perform
vehicle maintenance and what fluids and
lubricants to use.
Part 8: Customer Assistance
Information
This part includes important information
about reporting safety defects and gives
you details about the “Roadside
Assistance” program. Youwillalsofind
customer satisfaction phone numbers
(including customer satisfaction numbers
for the hearing and speech impaired) as
well as the mediatiodarbitration
procedure. We’ve also included ordering
information for service publications in
this part.
Service Station Information
This is a quick reference of service
information.
You canfinditonthe last
page of this manual.
A
Thesemean there is something
that could
hurt you orother
people.
Safety Warnings and Symbols
You will find a number of safety
cautions
in this book. We use yellow
and the word CAUTION to tell you
about things that could
hurt you if you
were to ignore the warning.
In the yellow caution area, we tell you
what the hazard is. Then we tell you
what to do to help avoid or reduce the
hazard. Please read these cautions. If
you don’t,
you or others could be hurt.
5...

How to Use This Manual
You will also find a red circle with a
slashthroughit
in this book.Thissafety
symbolmeans “Don’t,” “Don’t do
this,” or “Don’t let this happen.”
These mean there is something that
could damage your vehicle.
Vehic/e DamageWarnings
41~0, in this bookyou will findthese
blue notices:
n theblue notice area, wetellyou
,bout something
that can damage your
,chicle. Many times,thisdamagewould
lotbecoveredbyyour warranty, and
it
:oddbe costly. But thenotice will tell
‘ou what to do to help avoid the
lamage.
When you read other manuals, you
might see CAUTION and NOTICE
warnings in different colors or in
different words. In this manual, we’ve
used
the familiar words and colors that
Geo has used for years.
You’ll also see warning labels
on your
vehicle.Theyusethesamecolors,and
thewords
CAUTION or NOTICE.

Vehicle Qmbols
These are some of the symbols you will
find on your vehicle. For example, these
symbolsareused on anoriginalbattery:
Caution Possible Injury
Protect Eyes by Shielding
Caustic Battery Acid
Could CauseBurns
Avoid Sparks or Flames
Sparks or Flame Could
Explode Battery
Thesesymbolsareimportant for you
and your passengers whenever your
vehicle
is driven:
Fasten Safety Belts
These symbols have to do withyour
lights:
Master Lighting Switch
Turn Signal Direction
Hazard Warning Flasher
Headlight High Beam
Brightness Control
A
7.m.

How to Use This Manual
'These symbols are on some of your
controls:
Windshield Wiper and
Washer
Windshield Washer
Windshield Defroster
Rear Window Defogger
w
Ventilating Fan

These symbols areused on warningand
, indicator lights:
Engine Coolant
Temperature
Battery Charging
System
Fuel
Engine Oil Pressure
Malfunction Indicator
(Check Engine
Electrical System)
Here are someothersymbolsyou may
see:
Fuse
Lighter
Trunk Release
t
m
Hood Release
Door Ajar
Speaker
g...

Notes
===lo

Part 1
Here you^ findinformation
about the seats inyour
Geo and
how to use your safety belts
properly
. You can also learn
about some things you should
not do with safety belts .
Seats & Safety Belts
SeatsandSeatControls .................... ........................ 12
Safety Belts: They're for Everyone ....................................... 15
Why Safety Belts Work ................................................ 16
Here are Questions Many People Ask about
Safety Belts
- and the Answers ....................................... 19
Safety Belt Reminder Light ............................................. 20
How to Wear Safety Belts Properly ...................................... 20
Children ............................................................ -34
Child Restraints ....................................................... 35
Larger Children ....................................................... 42
Safety Belt Extender ................................................... 44
Checking Your Restraint Systems ........................................ 44
ReplacingSafetyBeltsafter a Crash .......... ..................... 45

rn Seats and Seat Controls
This section tells you about the seats -
how to adjust them, and also about
reclining front seatbacks, head restraints
and rear folding seatbacks.
Seats & Safety Belts
,""
Manual Front Seat
CA UTlON
A
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 don't want to.
Adjust the driver's seat
only when
the vehicle is not moving.
Move
the lever under the front seat to
unlock it. Slide the seat
to where you
want it. Then release the lever and try
to move the seat with your body, to
make sure the seat is locked into place.

Reclining Front Seatbacks
To adjust the seatback, lift the lever on
the outer side
of the seat. Release the
lever to lock the seatback where
you
want it.Pull up onthe leverandtheseat
will go toits original upright position.
But don’t have a seatback reclined if
your vehicle is moving.
A
Sitting in a reclined position when your vehicle is in motion can be
dangerous. Even if you buckle up, your safety belts can’t do their job
when you’re reclined like this.
The shoulder belt can’t
do its job because it won’t be against your body.
Instead, it will be in front of
you. In a crash you could go into it, receiving
neck or other injuries.
The lap belt can’t 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.
I

Seats & Safety Belts
Head Restraints
Slide the head restraint up or down so
that the top of the restraint is closest to
the top of your ears. This position
reduces the chance
of a neck injury in a
crash.
Pull up to raise the restraint.
To lower
it, push the release button and push
down.
Rear Folding Seatback
You can fold either side of the seatback
down in your Geo for more cargo space.
To fold either seatback down:
1. Push the button on the side of the
seatback while you pull down
on the
seatback.
I
2. Fold the seatback down.
To raise the seatback:
1. Pull the seatback up and push it back
to lock
it into place.
2. Be sure sides of the seatback are
latched. Push and pull the top of the
seatback to be sure
it is locked in
position.

Safety Belts: mey’re for
Everyone
This part of the manual tells you how to
use safety belts properly. It also tells
you some things you should not do with
safety belts.
And it explains the Supplemental
Restraint System, or “air bag” system.
Don’t let anyom ride where
they can’t wear a safety belt
properly.
If you are in a crash and
you’re not wearing a safety belt,
your injuries
can be much worse.
You can hit things inside the
vehicle or be 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.
This figure lights up when you turn the
key to
ON or START when your safety
belt isn’t buckled, and
you’ll hear a
buzzer, too.
It’s the reminder to buckle
UP-
In many states and Canadian provinces,
the law says
to wear safety belts. Here’s
why: They work.
15-

Seats & Safety Belts
b
Youneverknow if you’ll be in a crash.
If you do have a crash, you don’t know
if it will be a bad one.
A few crashesareverymild.In them,
youwon’tget hurt even if you’re not
buckledup.Andsome crashescan be
so
serious, like being hit by a train, that
evenbuckledup a person wouldn’t
survive.
But most crashes are in
between. In manyof them, people who
buckle
up can survive andsometimes
walk away. Without belts they could be
badly
hurt or killed.
After
25 years of safety belts in
vehicles,thefacts are clear. In most
crashesbuckling
up doesmatter . . . a
lot!
9 9 9 18
rn Why Safety Belts Work
When you ride in or on anything, you
go as fast as it goes.
For example,
if the bike is going
10 mph (16 km/h), so is the child.
Whenthebikehitstheblock,
it stops.
But the child keeps going!

Takethesimplest “car.” Suppose it’s
just a seat on wheels.
Put someone on it.
Get it up to speed. Then stop the “car. 97
Theriderdoesn’t stop.

Seats & Safety
. .., . . .
Belts
The person keeps going until stopped by
something.
In a real vehicle,
it could be the
windshield
, . .
or theinstrumentpanel . . .
I
or the safety belts!
Withsafety belts, youslowdownasthe
vehicle does.
You get more time to stop.
You stop over more distance, and your
strongest bones take the forces. That’s
why safetybeltsmakesuchgood sense.