Pontiac 2006 Solstice User manual

Seats and Restraint Systems ........................... 1-1
Front Seats ............................................... 1-2
Safety Belts .............................................. 1-4
Child Restraints ....................................... 1-18
Airbag System ......................................... 1-30
Restraint System Check ............................ 1-43
Features and Controls ..................................... 2-1
Keys ........................................................ 2-2
Doors and Locks ....................................... 2-7
Windows ................................................. 2-11
Theft-Deterrent Systems ............................ 2-13
Starting and Operating Your Vehicle ........... 2-16
Mirrors .................................................... 2-29
OnStar
®
System ...................................... 2-30
Storage Areas ......................................... 2-33
Convertible Top ....................................... 2-33
Instrument Panel ............................................. 3-1
Instrument Panel Overview .......................... 3-4
Climate Controls ...................................... 3-17
Warning Lights, Gages, and Indicators ........ 3-20
Driver Information Center (DIC) .................. 3-36
Audio System(s) ....................................... 3-45
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
Rear Axle ............................................... 5-39
Bulb Replacement .................................... 5-40
Windshield Wiper Blade Replacement ......... 5-43
Tires ...................................................... 5-44
Appearance Care ..................................... 5-69
Vehicle Identification ................................. 5-77
Electrical System ...................................... 5-77
Capacities and Specifications ..................... 5-82
Maintenance Schedule ..................................... 6-1
Maintenance Schedule ................................ 6-2
Customer Assistance and Information .............. 7-1
Customer Assistance and Information ........... 7-2
Reporting Safety Defects ........................... 7-14
Index ................................................................ 1
2006 Pontiac Solstice Owner Manual M

GENERAL MOTORS, GM, the GM Emblem, PONTIAC,
and the PONTIAC Emblem, are registered trademarks,
and the name SOLSTICE is a trademark 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.
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.
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.
Litho in U.S.A.
©
2005 General Motors Corporation All Rights Reserved
Part No. 06SOLSTICE A First Printing
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

Front Seats ......................................................1-2
Manual Seats ................................................1-2
Reclining Seatbacks ........................................1-2
Seatback Latches ...........................................1-4
Safety Belts .....................................................1-4
Safety Belts: They Are for Everyone .................1-4
Questions and Answers About Safety Belts ........1-9
How to Wear Safety Belts Properly .................1-10
Driver Position ..............................................1-10
Safety Belt Use During Pregnancy ..................1-16
Passenger Position .......................................1-17
Safety Belt Pretensioners ...............................1-17
Safety Belt Extender .....................................1-17
Child Restraints .............................................1-18
Older Children ..............................................1-18
Infants and Young Children ............................1-20
Child Restraint Systems .................................1-23
Lower Anchors and Tethers for
Children (LATCH) ......................................1-26
Securing a Child Restraint in the Passenger
Seat Position ............................................1-27
Airbag System ...............................................1-30
Where Are the Airbags? ................................1-32
When Should an Airbag Inflate? .....................1-34
What Makes an Airbag Inflate? .......................1-35
How Does an Airbag Restrain? .......................1-35
What Will You See After an Airbag Inflates? .....1-36
Passenger Sensing System ............................1-37
Servicing Your Airbag-Equipped Vehicle ...........1-41
Adding Equipment to Your Airbag-Equipped
Vehicle ....................................................1-42
Restraint System Check ..................................1-43
Checking the Restraint Systems ......................1-43
Replacing Restraint System Parts After a Crash ...1-43
Section 1 Seats and Restraint Systems
1-1

Front Seats
Manual 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 do not want to. Adjust the driver’s
seat only when the vehicle is not moving.
Lift the lever located under
the front of the seat to
unlock it.
Slide the seat to where you want it and release the
lever. Try to move the seat with your body to be sure
the seat is locked in place.
Make sure nothing is in front of or under the seat to
prevent it from releasing or re-locking after adjustment.
Reclining Seatbacks
To adjust the seatback, turn the knob on the outboard
side of the seatback until the seatback is in the desired
position.
1-2

Do not 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 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.
1-3

Seatback Latches
Your vehicle may have
a latch located on the
outboard side of the
seats near the top of the
seatback that enables
the front seatback(s) to
fold forward.
This allows you access to the map pocket on the rear of
the seatback.
To fold the locked seatback forward, lift the latch and
push the seatback forward.
{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.
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.
1-4

{CAUTION:
Do not let anyone ride where he or she can not
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
passenger’s belt is 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.
Your vehicle has indicators to remind you and your
passenger to buckle your safety belts. See Safety Belt
Reminder Light on page 3-23 and Passenger Safety
Belt Reminder Light on page 3-23.
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!
1-5

Why Safety Belts Work
When you ride in or on anything, you go as fast as
it goes.
Take the simplest vehicle. Suppose it is just a seat on
wheels.
Put someone on it.
1-6

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...
1-7

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.
1-8

Questions and Answers About
Safety Belts
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 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’re in a vehicle that has airbags, 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.
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 passenger 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.
1-9

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 1-18 or Infants and
Young Children on page 1-20. 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.
4. Push the latch plate into the buckle until it clicks.
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 1-17.
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.
1-10

5. To make the lap part tight, 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.
1-11

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.
1-12

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.
1-13

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.
1-14