GMC 1994 Sonoma User manual

wn e r's
Manual
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INTRODUCTION
1994 GMC Sonoma Owner’s Manual
Welcome
This manual was prepared to acquaint you with the operation and
maintenance of your
1994 GMC Sonomaand to provide importantsafety
information. There is also
a GMC Truck Warranty and Owner Assistance
Information booklet.
In some vehicles, there can be information manuals
from other manufacturers likebody builders or specialequipment
companies. We urge
you to review all these publications carefully. This will
help
you enjoy safeand trouble-free operation of your vehicle.
When itcomes
to service,keep in mind that your GMC Truck dealer knows
your vehicle best and is interested in your complete satisfaction.Your dealer
invites
you to return for all of your service needs both during and after the
warranty period.
Remember, if you have a concern and need help handling
it to your
satisfaction, see theprocedure in the GMCTruck Warranty and Owner
Assistance Information booklet.
Thanks forchoosing a GMCTruck product. We value you as a member of
the GMCTruck family. We want to assure you of our continuinginterest in
your pleasure and satisfactionwith your vehicle.
GMC Truck Division
General Motors Corporation
Pontiac, Michigan
@Copyright
1993 General Motors Corporation, GMCTruck Division.
All Rights Reserved
Second Edition Printed
in U.S.A.
i

Important Notes to Owners and Drivers
. . . .About This Manual:
Please keep this manual in your vehicle so it will be there if you ever need it
when you’re
011 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. For vehicles first
sold in Canada, substitute the name
“General Motors of Canada Limited” for GMC Truck Division whenever it
appears
in this manual.
For Canadian Owners Who Prefer a French Language
Manual:
Aux proprietuires cunacfiens: Vous pouvez vous procurer un exemplairede
ce guide
en francais chez votre concessionaire ou au DGN Marketing
Services Ltd.,
1500 Bonhill Rd., Mississauga, Ontario L5T 1C7.
GMCTRUCK
General Motors, GM and the GM Emblem, GMC and the GMC Emblem,
and
SONOMA are registered trademarks of General Motors Corporation.

Model Reference
This manual covers these models:
REGULAR CAB
CLUB COUPE
/ EXTENDED CAB
...
111

Table of Contents
Introduction - How to Usethis Manual
This section tells you how to use your manual and includes safety
and vehicle damage warnings and symbols.
Section 1 - Seats and Safety Restraints
This section tells you how to use your seats and safety restraints
properly.
Section 2 - Features & Controls
This section explainshow to start and operateyour vehicle.
Section 3 - Comfort Controls & Audio Systems
This section tells you how to adjust the ventilation and comfort
controls and how to operateyour audio system.
Section 4 - Your Driving andthe Road
Here you’ll find helpful information and tips about the road and
how
to drive under different conditions.
Section 5 - Problems onthe Road
This section tells you what to do if you have a problem while
driving, such as a flat tire or engineoverheating.
Section 6 - Service & Appearance Care
Here the manual tells you how tokeep your vehicle running
properly and looking good.
Section 7- Scheduled Maintenance Services
This section tells you when to perform vehicle maintenance and
what fluids and lubricants
to use.
Section 8 - Customer Assistance Information
This section tells you how to contact your GM division for
assistance and how to get service publications.
It also gives you
information on “Reporting Safety Defects” on page
8-4.
Index
Here’s analphabetical listing of almost every subject in this
manual.
You can use it to quickly find something you want to read.

How to Use This Manual
Many people read their owner’s manual from beginning to end when they
first receivetheir
new vehicle. This will help you learn about the features
and controls foryour 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 isthe Index in back of the
manual. It’s analphabeticallist of all that’s
in the manual, and the page
number where
you’ll find it.
SECTIONS 1-6: Each section of this manual begins with a brief list of its
contents,
so you can often find at a glance if a section contains the
information you want.
SECTION 7: This section of the manual covers the maintenance required
for your vehicle.
SECTION 8 CUSTOMER ASSISTANCE: This section includes
important information about reporting safety defects and gives you details
about the “Roadside Assistance”program. You will also find customer
satisfaction phone numbers (including customer satisfaction numbers for the
hearing and speech impaired)
as well as the mediation/arbitration procedure.
We’ve also included ordering information for servicepublications
in this
section.

Safety Warnings and Symbols
You will find a number of safety cautions in this book. We use a box with
gray background and the word CAUTION to tell you about things that could
hurt you if you were to ignorethe warning.
In the gray caution area, we tell you what the hazard is. Then we tell you
what to do tohelp avoid or reduce the hazard. Please read these cautions. If
you don’t, you or others couldbe hurt.
You will also find a circle
with a slash through it in this book. This safety
symbol means “Don’t,’’ “Don’t do this,” or “Don’t let this happen.”

Vehicle Damage Warnings
Also, in this book you will find these notices:
NOTICE:
These mean there is something that could damage your vehicle.
In the notice area, we tell you about something that can damage your
vehicle. Many times, this damagewould not be covered by your warranty,
and
it could becostly. But the noticewill tell you what to do to help avoid
the damage.
When
you read other manuals, you might see CAUTIONand NOTICE
warnings in different colors or
in different words.
You’ll also seewarning labels onyour vehicle. They use yellow for
cautions, blue fornotices and the words CAUTION orNOTICE.
Vehicle Symbols
These are someof the symbols you will find on your vehicle. For example,
these symbols are used on an original battery:
A
Caurlon
Possible Injury
Avoid Sparks
or Flames
8
I I
Protect Eyes
by Shielding
I I
Caustic Battery Acid
Could Cause Burns
I I
Spark or Flame Could
Explode Battery
vii

These symbols are important for you and your passengers whenever your
vehicle
is driven:
I II I
Fasten Safety Door LocMUnlock
Belts
These symbols have to do with your lights:
I
Master Lighting
Switch
pf
6c3
Turn Signal
Direction
Parking Lights Daytime
RunningLights
A
Hazard Warning
Flasher
Fog Lights
Headlight
High Beam

These symbols are on some of your controls:
Windshield Windshield Windshield Off
Washer Defroster Wiper
0
Ventilating Fan
These symbols are used on warning and indicator lights
Engine Coolant
Temperature flaftery Charging
System
1 BRAKE I
Brake
SHIFT
L
Shift Light
p3
Fuel Engine Oil
Pressure

Here are some other symbols you may see:
Fuse Hood Release
t
Lighter
Horn

Seats & Restraint Systems
L
......
.........
Section
Here you’ll find information about the seats in your vehicle and how to use
your safety belts properly
. You can also learn about some things you should
not do with safety belts .
Seats and SeatControls ...................................... 1-2
Head Restraints
.......................................... 1-6
Safety Belts: They’re for Everyone ............................. 1-7
Why Safety Belts Work ................................... 1-8
Questions Many People Ask About Safety Belts ...............
How to Wear Safety BeltsProperly ............................
Adults ...................................................
Driver Position .........................................
Lap-Shoulder Belt ....................................
Safety Belt UseDuring Pregnancy ..........................
Right FrontPassenger Position .............................
Center Passenger Position .................................
LapBelt ............................................
Rear Seat Passenger Positions .............................
Children .................................................
Smaller Children and Babies ..............................
ChildRestraints ........................................
Larger Children .........................................
Safety Belt Extender .......................................
Checking Your Restraint Systems .............................
Replacing Safety Belts After a Crash ..........................
1-11
1-12
1-12
1-13
1-13
1-19
1-19
1-20
1-20
1-21
1-23
1-23
1-25
1-30
1-33
1-33
1-33

Seats and Seat Controls
This section tells you about the seats-how to adjustthem, and fold them up
and down.
Front Seat (Except Easy Entry)
Move the lever under
the front
of the seat to
your left to unlock it.
Slidethe seat to where
you wantit. Then
release the leverand
try to move the seat
with yourbody to
make sure the seat
is
locked into place.
Front Seat (Easy Entry Only)
Move the lever under
the front
of the seat up
to unlock it. Slide the
seat towhere you
, want it. Then release
the lever and try
to
move the seatwith
your body tomake
sure the seatis locked
into place.

Reclining Front Seatbacks
(Bucket Seats
or 60/40 Bench)
?o adjust the seatback,
lift the leveron the
outer side
of the seat.
Release the leverto
lock the seatback
where you want it.
Pull up onthe lever
and the seatwill go to
an upright position.
But don’t have a seatback reclinedif your vehicle ismoving.
1-3

Front Seatback Latches
The frontseatback folds forward to let people get into the back seat or reach
the storage area behind the seat. Your seatback will move back and forth
freely, unless
you come to a sudden stop.Then it will lock inplace.
There’s
one time the seatbackmay not fold without some help from you.
That’s if your vehicle is parked going down a fairly steep hill.
To fold a front
seatback forward,
push the seatback
toward the rear as you
lift this latch. Then the
seatback will fold
forward. The latch
must be down for the
seat to work properly.
1 -4

Easy Entry Seat (Exfended Cab)
The right frontbucket or split-bench seat of your vehicle makes it easy to
get in and out
of the rearvehicle area.
0 When you tilt the right front seatback fully forward, thewhole seat will
slide forward.
0 After someone gets intothe rear seat area, move the right front
seatback to itsoriginal position. Then move the seat rearward
until it
locks.
To get out, again tilt the seatback fully forward.

Jump Seat (Extended Cab Models)
STORED POSITION FOLDED-DOWN POSITION
Your extended cab pickup hasjump seats in the rear area. To fold thejump
seat down, pull down on the handle on the bottom
of the seat until the seat is
in place,then move the seatback to avertical position. To storethe seat, fold
the seatback down
on the cushion,then push the entire seat up until it is
flush with the trim panels.
Don’t let thesafety belts be damaged by the hinges
or the latches. Safety
belts should be foldedand stored between the seat cushion and seatback.
Head Restraints
The head restraints in
this vehicle are not
adjustable.
1-6

Safety Belts: They’re Fer ;:3.:+Jy:.; Everyone
This part of the manual tells you how to usesafety belts properly. It also
tells you some things you should not do with safety belts.
This figure lights up as a reminder to buckle up. (See “Safety Belt Reminder
Light” in the Index.)
In many states and Canadian provinces, the law says to wear safety belts.
Here’s why:
They work.
You never know if you’ll be ina crash. If you do have a crash, you don’t
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 wouldn’t survive. But most crashes are in between. In
many of them, people who buckle up cansurvive and sometimes walk away.
Without belts they could have been badly hurt or killed.
1-7

After more than 25 years of safety belts in vehicles, the facts are clear. In
most crashesbuckling up does matter ... a lot!
Why Safety Belts Work
When you ride in or on anything, you go as fastas it goes.
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