Pontiac 2002 Firebird User manual

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2002 Pontiac Firebird
Owner’s Manual
Litho in U.S.A. E Copyright General Motors Corporation 2001
Part Number 10312871 A First Edition All Rights Reserved

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GENERAL MOTORS, GM, the GM Emblem,
PONTIAC, the PONTIAC Emblem and the name
FIREBIRD 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.
Please keep this manual in your vehicle, 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.
We support voluntary
technician certification.
For Canadian Owners Who Prefer a
French Language Manual:
Aux propriétaires canadiens: Vous pouvez vous
procurer un exemplaire de ce guide en français chez
votre concessionaire ou au:
Helm, Incorporated
P.O. Box 07130
Detroit, MI 48207

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How to Use this Manual
Many people read their owner’s manual from beginning
to end when they first receive their new vehicle. If you
do this, it will help 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.
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.
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 don’t,
you or others could be 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.”

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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 damage would
not be covered by your warranty, and it could be costly.
But the notice will tell you 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.
You’ll also see warning labels on your vehicle.
They use the same words, CAUTION or NOTICE.
Vehicle Symbols
Your vehicle may be equipped with components and
labels that use symbols instead of text. Symbols,
used on your vehicle, 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 in the Index:
D “Engine Compartment Overview”
D “Instrument Panel”
D “Comfort Controls”
D “Audio Systems”
Also see “Warning Lights and Gages” in the Index.
Here are some examples of symbols you may find on
your vehicle:

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1- 1-1
Section 1 Seats and Restraint Systems
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 air bags and safety belts.
1-2 Seats and Seat Controls
1-8 Safety Belts: They’re for Everyone
1-12 Here Are Questions Many People Ask About
Safety Belts -- and the Answers
1-13 How to Wear Safety Belts Properly
1-14 Driver Position
1-20 Safety Belt Use During Pregnancy
1-21 Right Front Passenger Position
1-22 Supplemental Restraint System (SRS)
1-28 Rear Seat Passengers
1-32 Children
1-36 Restraint Systems for Children
1-47 Older Children
1-50 Safety Belt Extender
1-50 Checking Your Restraint Systems
1-50 Replacing Restraint System Parts After
a Crash

1-2
Seats and Seat Controls
This section tells you about the seats -- how to adjust
them and also about reclining front seatbacks, seatback
latches and the folding rear seatback.
Manual Front Seats
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
don’t want to. Adjust the driver’s seat only when
the vehicle is not moving.
Move the lever located under the front seat to unlock it.
Slide the seat to where you want it and release the lever.
Then try to move the seat with your body to make sure
the seat is locked into place. Be sure the lever returns to
its original position after moving the seat.

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Four-Way Manual Seats
There are two levers located on the front of the seat.
The left lever adjusts the seat forward and rearward.
The right lever adjusts the angle of the seat cushion.
To adjust the seats forward and rearward, lift the lever on
the left. 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.
Lift the lever on the right and lean forward or backward
to adjust the angle of the seat cushion. Release the lever
to lock the seat into place.
Six-Way Power Seat (If Equipped)
If your vehicle has this option, the driver’s seat has
three power seat controls located on the outboard side.
A: Moving the front control up or down raises or lowers
the front of the seat cushion.
B: Moving the center control up or down raises or
lowers the whole seat. Moving it toward the front
or rear of the vehicle moves the whole seat toward
the front or rear of the vehicle.
C: Moving the third control up or down moves the
seatback up or down.

1-4
In addition to the power seat
control, there are two other
switches located on the
outboard side of the seat
that help you change the
shape of your seat.
The front switch adjusts lumbar support for the lower
back. Push the switch down to inflate and up to deflate.
The rear switch adjusts the side bolster which gives
lateral support. Push the switch down to inflate and
up to deflate.
Reclining Front Seatbacks
To adjust the seatback, lift the lever on the outboard
side of the seat. Release the lever to lock the seatback
where you want it. Pull up on the lever without pushing
on the seatback and the seatback will move to its
upright position.

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But don’t have a seatback reclined if your vehicle
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 can’t do their job when
you’re reclined like this.
The shoulder belt can’t do its job. 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.

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Head Restraints
Head restraints are fixed on some models and adjustable
on others. Slide an adjustable head restraint up or down
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.
Front Seatback Latches
The front seatbacks fold forward to let people get into
the back seat.
To fold a seatback forward,
lift the latch located on
the lower backside of
the seatback.

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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.
CAUTION:
If the seatback isn’t 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.
Folding Rear Seatback
The rear seatback in your vehicle folds down to provide
more storage space.
To fold the seatback down do the following:
1. Pull forward on both levers.
2. Fold the seatback down.
To raise the seatback do the following:
1. Lift the seatback to its locked, upright position.
2. Be sure both latches hold the seatback in place. Push
and pull on the seatback to make sure it is locked.

1-8
Safety Belts: They’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 (SRS),
or air bag system.
CAUTION:
Don’t let anyone ride where he or she 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.
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.

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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
serious that even buckled up a person wouldn’t 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!
Why Safety Belts Work
When you ride in or on anything, you go as fast as
it goes.
Take the simplest vehicle. Suppose it’s just a seat
on wheels.

1-10
Put someone on it. Get it up to speed. Then stop the vehicle. The rider
doesn’t stop.

1-11
The person keeps going until stopped by something.
In a real vehicle, it could be the windshield ...
or the instrument panel ...

1-12
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’s why
safety belts make such good sense.
Here Are Questions Many People Ask
About Safety Belts -- and the Answers
Q: Won’t I be trapped in the vehicle after an
accident if I’m wearing a safety belt?
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 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 air bags, why should I have
to wear safety belts?
A: Air bags 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 air bag
system ever offered for sale has required the use
of safety belts. Even if you’re in a vehicle that has
air bags, you still have to buckle up to get the most
protection. That’s true not only in frontal collisions,
but especially in side and other collisions.

1-13
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’t 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.
How to Wear Safety Belts Properly
Adults
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 the part of this manual called
“Children.” Follow those rules for everyone’s protection.
First, you’ll want to know which restraint systems your
vehicle has.
We’ll start with the driver position.

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Driver Position
This part describes the driver’s restraint 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 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.
Don’t let it get twisted.
On convertible models, 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.