Pontiac 1996 Firebird User manual

1996

v The1996’PontiacFirebirdOwner’s Manual
Seats and RestraintSystems ............................................................. 1-1
This sectiontells you how to use your seats and safety belts properly.It also explains the “SRS” system.
This sectionexplainshow to start and operate your Pontiac.
This sectiontells you how to adjustthe ventilation and comfortcontrolsand how tooperate your
audio system.
FeaturesandControls .................................................................. 2-1
Comfort Controls and Audio Systems .....................................................
3-1
.... YourDrivingandtheRoad .............................................................. 4-1
..... Here you’ll find helpful informationand tips about the road and how to drive under different conditions.
ProblemsontheRoad .................................................................. 5-1
This section tells you what to doif you havea problem whiledriving, such asa flat tire or
overheated engine, etc.
Here the manual tells you how to keep your Pontiacrunning properly and looking good.
.
This section tells you when toperform vehicle maintenance and whatfluids and lubricantsto use.
This section tells you howto contact Pontiac for assistanceand h’ow toget service and owner publications.
It also gives you informationon “Reporting SafetyDefects” on page 8-9.
Here’s an alphabeticallisting of almost every subject in this manual.You can use it to quickly find
something you want to read.
Service and Appearance Care .............................................................. 6-1
Maintenanceschedule ................................................................... 7-1
CustomerAssistanceInformation ........................................................ 8-1
Index ................................................................................ 9-1
i

I
-’
I PONTIAC ,
d
GENERAL MOTORS, GM, the GM Emblem,
PONTIAC, the PONTIAC Emblem and the name
FIREBIRD areregistered trademarks ofGeneral
Motors Corporation.
This manual includesthe latest information at the timeit
‘was printed. We reserve the right to make changes in the
product
after that time without further notice. For
vehicles first sold in Canada, substitutethe name
“General
Motors of Canada Limited”for Pontiac
Division wheneverit appears in this manual.
Please keep this manualin your Pontiac,
so itwill be
there if youever need itwhen you’re on the road. If you
sell the vehicle, please leave
this manual in it so the new
owner can
use it.
Litho in
U.S.A.
Part No. 10275781 B First Edition
WE SUPPORT
VOLUNTARY TECHNICIAN
CERTIFICATIONTHROUGH
Natlonal Institute for
AUTOMOTIVE
SERVICE
EXCELLENCE
We support voluntary
technician certification.
For Canadian Owners Who Prefer a
French Language Manual:
Aux proprictaires canadiens: Vous pouvez vous
procurer un exemplaire de ceguide en fraqais
chez
votre concessionaire ou au:
DGN Marketing Services Ltd.
1500 Bonhill Rd.
Mississauga, Ontario
L5T 1C7
@CopyrightGeneralMotors Corporation 1995
4ll Rights Reserved
ii

How to Use This Manual
Many people read their owner’s manual from beginning
to end when theyfirst receive their new vehicle. If you
do this, it will help you learn about the features and
controlsfor your vehicle. In this manual, you’ll find
that pictures and words worktogether to explain
things quickly.
Index
A good place to look for what you need is the Index in
the back of the manual. It’s an alphabetical list
of all
that’s in themanual, and the page number where you’ll
find it.
Safety Warnings and Symbols
You will find a number of safety cautions in this book.
We use
a box and the word CAUTION to tell you
about things that could hurt you
if you were to ignore
the warning.
1 CAUTITN:
These mean there is something that could hart
you or other people.
In the caution area, we tell you what the hazardis. Then
we tell you what to
do to help avoid or reduce the
hazard. Please read these cautions. If you don’t, youor
others could be hurt.
You will also find a circle
with
a slash throughit in
this book. This safety
symbol means “Don’t,”
“Don’t do this,” or “Don’t
let this happen.”

Veh
Also,
.icle Damage Warnings
in this book you will find these notices:
I NOTICE:
I
These mean there is something that could
damage your vehicle. I
I I
I
In the notice area, we tell you about something that can
damage your vehicle. Many times,
this damage would
not be covered by your warranty, and it.couldbe costly.
But the notice will tell you what to do to helpavoid the
damage.
When you read other manuals, you might
see
CAUTION and NOTICE warnings in different colors
or in different words.
You'll also seewarning labels onyour vehicle.
They use
the same words,
CAUTION or NOTICE.
iV

I
Vehicle Symbols
These are some of thesymbols you mayfind on your vehicle.
For example,
these symbols
are used on an
originalbattery:
POSSIBLE A
CAUTION
INJURY
PROTECT
EYESBY
SHlELDlNG
CAUSTIC
ACID COULD
BATTERY
CAUSE
BURNS
AVOID
SPARKS OR
FLAMES
SPARK OR ,\I/,
COULD
FLAME
EXPLODE
BAllERY
These symbols
are important
for you and
your passengers
whenever your
vehicle
is
driven:
n
FASTEN
SEAT
BELTS
POWER 1
WINDOW
a?
AIR BAG p\
These symbols
have to
do with
your lights:
PARKING pf
LAMPS
FOGLAMPS $0
These symbols
are on some
of
your controls:
WINDSHIELD
WIPER
WINDSHIELD
DEFROSTER
WINDOW
DEFOGGER
These symbols
are used on
warning and
indicatorlights:
ENGINE Fd
COOLANT
TEMP -
CHARGING I-1
BATTERY
SYSTEM
BRAKE (0)
COOLANT a
ENGINEOIL e,
PRESSURE
ANTI-LOCK (e)
BRAKES
Here are some
other symbols
you may see:
FUSE
LIGHTER m
HORN )cr
SPEAKER
b
FUEL p3
J
V

NOTES

Section 1
Seats and Restraint Systems
I
Here you’ll find information about theseats in your
Pontiac and howto use your safety belts properly.
You
can also learn about some things you should not do with
air bags and safety belts.
Seats and Seat Controls
This section tells you aboutthe seats -- how toadjust
them
and also about recliningfront seatbacks, seatback
latches and thefolding rear seatback.
Manual Front Seat
A CAUTION:
I
You can lose control of the vehicle if‘ you try to
adjust a manual driver’s seat
while the vehicleis
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 passenger’sfront seat to
unlock
it.
Slide
the seatto where you want it. Then release the
lever and tryto
move the seat with your body to make
sure the seat is locked into place. Be sure the lever
returns toits original position after moving the seat.
1-1

4-Way Manual Seat 6-Way Power Seat (Option)
There are two levers at the front of the seat, The left
lever adjusts the seatforward and back. The right lever
adjusts
the angle sfthe front of the seat.
To adjust theseats forward and rearward,lift the lever
under the left front
of the seat. Slidethe seat to where
you wantit. Then release the lever and
try to move the
seat with
your body tomake sure the seat is locked
into place.
To raise or lower theentire seat, lift the lever under the
right front ofthe seat and lean forward or backward.
The driver’s seathas
three controls on the left side.
The front control makes thefront
of the seat go up
and down.,
The back control makes theback
of the seat go up
and down.
The center control
makes the whole seat go up and down
or forward and backward.
1-2

FullyArticulating Spori Seat(Option) The switch pads onthe‘outerside of the seats “inflate”
and “deflate” parts
of your seatback.
If your Pontiac has these seats, the driver’s seathas the
four-waymanual seat adjuster.See
“4-Way Manual The two buttons that have “dots” inflate and deflate the
Seat” earlierin this part. The passenger seat has the outer parts of the seatback. To inflate, press the raised
two-way manual seat adjuster. See “ManualFront Seat” button.
TO deflate, Press the hdented button.
earlierin this part. Thetwo buttons without dots inflate and deflate
the lumbar (lower part of the seatback) support.
inflate, press the raised button. To deflate, press
indented
button.
To
the

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 on the lever and the seat will go to
its original upright position.
If you have fully articulating sport seats, your recliner
lever looks like this.
1-4

But don’t have a seatback reclined if your vehicle is moving.
1 A CAUTION:
Sittingin a reclinedposition whenyour vehicle is
in motioncan be dangerous.Even if you buckle
up,
your safety belts can’tdo their job when
you’re reclinedlike this.
The shoulder belt can’t
do its job. Ina crash you
could
go into it, receiving neckor other injuries.
The lapbelt can’t doitsjob either.
In a crash the
belt could
go up overyour abdomen.Thebelt
forces would bethere, not atyour pelvic bones.
This could causeserious internal injuries.
For properprotection whenthe vehicle
is in
motion, havethe seatback upright. Then sitwell
back
in the seatand wear your safety belt properly.
Head Restraints
Slidethe head restraint up or down so that the top of
the restraint isclosest to the top of your ears. This
position reduces thechance of a neck injury in acrash.
On some models, thehead restraints tilt forward
and
rearward also.
1-5

Front Seatback Latches
Folding Rear Seatback
The front seatback
folds
forward to let
people get
into the
back seat. TQ fold a
seatback forward,
lift the latch located
on the lower backside
of the seatback.
Then the seatback
will fold forward.
When you return the seatback to its original position,
make sure the seatback is locked.
The latch must be
down for the seat to work properly.
/I\ CAUTION: I
I€ the seatback isn’t locked, it codd 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. .
The rear seatback in your Pontiac folds down to provide
more storage space.
To fold the seatback down:
1. Pull forward on both levers.
2. Fold the seatback down.
To raise the seatback:
1. Pull it up to the locked, upright position.
2. Be sure both latches hold the seatback in place. Have
them fixed if they don’t.
1-6

SafetyBelts: They’re for Everyone
This part of the manual tells you how to use safetybelts
properly.
It also tells you some things you should not do
with safetybelts.
And it explains the Supplemental Inflatable Restraint
(SIR), or air bag system.
Don’t letanyoneride wherehe or shecan’t wear
a safety beltproperly.
If you arein a crash and
you’re not wearinga safety belt,your injuries
can be much worse.You can
hit thingsinside the
vehicle
or be ejectedfrom it. You can be seriously
injured orkilled. In the same crash, you might
not be if yon arebuckledup. Always fasten your
satety belt,andcheck
that your passengers’ belts
arefastenedproperly too.
Your vehicle has a light
that comes on as a reminder
to buckle
up. (See “Safety
Belt Reminder Light” in
the Index.)
In most states and Canadian provinces,
the law says to
wear safety belts. Here’s why: They work.
You never know 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 crashes are. mild, and some crashes can be so
seriousthat evenbuckled up a person wouldn’t survive.
But most crashes
are in between. In many of them,
people who buckle up can surviveand sometimes walk
away. Withoutbelts they could have been badly hurt
or killed.
After more than
25 years of safety belts in vehicles,
the facts
are clear. In most crashes buckling up does
matter
... a lot!

Why Safety Belts Work
When you ride in or on anythmg, you go as fast as it goes.
.....
rake the simplest vehicle. Suppose it’s just a seat on wheels.
1-8

Get it up to speed. Then stop the vehicle. The rider
doesn’t stop. The person keeps going until stopped
by something.
In
a real vehicle,it could be thewindshield .. .
1-9

or the instrumentpanel ...
or the safety belts!
With safetybelts,
you slow down as the vehicle does.
You get more time to stop. You stop over more distance,
and your strongestbones take the forces. That's why
safety belts make such good sense.
1-10 -

Here Are Questions Many People Ask
About Safety Belts -- and the Answers
&.’ Won’t I be trapped in the vehicle after an . ., . ~ . .
accident if I’m wearing a safety belt?
--:+..: 7, ‘
-. ’ .; ,
:..-
. . _.
.I . .
. ..
I .., .
A: You could be -- whether you’re wearing a safety
belt or ‘not.But you can unbuckle a safety belt,
even if you’re upside down. And your chance of
being consciousduring and after an accident,
so
you can unbuckle and get out, is much greaterif
you
are belted.
&: If my vehicle has air bags,why should I have to
wear safety belts?
A: Air bags are in manyvehicles 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 air bag ,
system ever offered for salehas required the use of
safety belts. Even if you’re in a vehicle that hasair
bags, you stillhave to buckle up to get the most
protection. That’strue not only in frontal collisions,
but especially in side and other collisions.
Q.’ If I’m 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’re in an
accident
-- even one that isn’t your fault -- you and
your passengers can be hurt. Being a good driver
doesn’tprotect 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).
Safetybelts are for everyone.
1-11

How to Wear Safety Belts Properly
Adults
This part is only forpeople of adult size.
Be aware that there
are special things to know about
safety belts add children. And there areMerent rules for
smaller chldren and babies.
If a child wilI be riding in
your Pontiac, see the part of this manual called
“Children.” Follow those rules for everyone’s protection.
First, you’ll want to
know which restraint systemsyour
vehiclehas.
We’ll start with the driver position.
Driver Position
Thispart describes the driver’srestraint system.
Lap-Shoulder Belt
The driver has a lap-shoulder belt. Here’s how to wear
it properly.
1. Close and lock the door.
2. Adjust the seat (to see how, see “Seats” in the Index)
so you can sit up straight.
3. Pick-up the latch plate and pull the belt across you.
Don’t let it gettwisted.
On convertible models, the shoulder belt may lock if
you pull the belt across you veryquickly. If this
happens, let the belt go back slightly to unlock it.
Then pull the belt across you more slowly.
4. Push the latch plate into the buckle until it clicks.

If the belt stopsbefore it reaches the buckle,tilt the latch
plate andkeep pulling until youcan buckle the belt.
Pull up on thelatch plate tomake sure it issecure.
If the
belt isn’t longenough, see “Safety Belt Extender” atthe
end
of this section.
Make sure the release button on the buckleis positioned
so you would be able to unbuckle the safety belt quickly
if you ever had to.
5. To make the lappart tight, pull down on the buckle
end
of the belt as you pull up on the shoulderbelt.
1-13