Pontiac BONNEVILLE 1997 User manual

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7 The 1997PontiacBonneville Owner’s Manual
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Seatsand RestraintSystems
This section tells you how to use your seats and safety belts properly. It also explains the “SRS’’ system.
Features and Controls
This section explains how to start and operate your Pontiac.
ComfortControlsand AudioSystems
This section tells you how to adjust theventilation and comfort controls and howto operate your audio system.
Your Driving and the Road
Here you’ll find helpful information and tipsabout the road and howto drive under different conditions.
Problemson the Road
This section tells what to do if you have a problem while driving, such as a flat tire or overheated engine, etc.
Serviceand Appearance Care
Here the manual tells you how to keep your Pontiac running properly and looking good.
7-1 MaintenanceSchedule
This section tells you when to perform vehicle maintenance and what fluids and lubricants to use.
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9-1
Customer Assistance Information
This section tells you howto contact Pontiac for assistance and how to getservice and owner publications.
It also gives you information on “Reporting Safety Defects” on page
8-8.
Index
Here’s an alphabeticallisting of almost every subject in this manual. You can use it to quickly find
something you wantto read.
i

GENERAL MOTORS, GM,the GM Emblem,
PONTIAC, the PONTIACEmblem and the name
BONNEVILLEare 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 in the
product 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 Pontiac, so it will be
there if youever 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.
Litho in U.S.A.
Part No. 10273370 B First Edition
WE SUPPORT
VOLUNTARY TECHNICIAN
CERTIFICATION THROUGH
NationalInstitule for
AUTOMOTIVE
SERVICE
EXCELLENCE
We support voluntary
technician certification.
For Canadian Owners Who Prefer a
French Language Manual:
Aux propriktaires canadiens:Vous pouvez vous
procurer un exemplaire de ce guide en franGais chez
votre concessionaire
ou au:
DGN Marketing Services Ltd.
1500 Bonhill Rd.
Mississauga, Ontario
L5T 1C7
@CopyrightGeneral Motors Corporation 1996
All Rights Reserved

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
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
the back of the manual. It’s an alphabetical list of all
that’s in the manual, and the page number where you’ll
find it.
Safety Warnings andSymbols
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.
I h!i, CAUTION:
i
r
hese mean there issomethingthat couldhurt
you or otherpeople.
In the caution area, we tell you what the hazard is. Then
we tell youwhat 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.”
iii

Vehicle Damage Warnings
Also, in this book youwill find these notices:
I 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 becovered by your warranty, and it could be costly.
But the notice will tell you what to do tohelp avoid
the damage.
When you read other manuals, you might see CAUTION
and NOTICE warnings
in different colors orin
different words.
You’ll also see warning labels
on your vehicle. They use
the same words, CAUTION or NOTICE.
iv

L
Vehicle Symbols
These are some of the symbols you may find on your vehicle.
For example,
these symbols
are used onan
original battery:
POSSIBLE A
CAUTION
INJURY
PROTECT
EYES BY
SHIELDING
CAUSTIC
ACID COULD
BATTERY
CAUSE
BURNS
AVOID
SPARKS
OR
FLAMES
SPARK
OR ,111,
COULD
FLAME
EXPLODE
BATTERY
These symbols
are important
for you and
your passengers
whenever your
vehicle
is
driven:'
DOOR LOCK
UNLOCK
FASTEN
SEAT
BELTS
These symbols
have to
do with
your lamps:
SIGNALS e
TURN
FOG LAMPS # 0
These symbols
are on some
of
your controls:
WINDSHIELD
WIPER
WINDSHIELD
DEFROSTER
WINDOW
DEFOGGER
VENTILATING
(
FAN
These symbols
are used on
warning and
indicator lights:
COOLANT -
TEMP -
CHARGING I-1
BAllERY
SYSTEM
BRAKE
(a)
COOLANT
a
ENGINEOIL
PRESSURE
-4
ANTI-LOCK (@)
BRAKES
Here are some
other symbols
you may see:
FUSE
t
LIGHTER a
HORN )tr
SPEAKER
b
FUEL p3
V

fi NOTES
vi

v Section 1 SeatsandRestraintSystems
Here you’ll find information about the seats in your Pontiac 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.
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Seats and Seat Controls
Safety Belts: They’re for Everyone
Here Are Questions Many People Ask About
Safety Belts
-- and the Answers
How to Wear Safety Belts Properly
Driver Position
Safety Belt Use During Pregnancy
Right Front Passenger Position
Supplemental Restraint System (SRS)
Center Passenger Position
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Rear Seat Passengers
Rear Safety Belt Comfort Guides for
Children and Small Adults
Children
Child Restraints
Larger Children
Safety Belt Extender
Checking Your Restraint Systems
Replacing Restraint System Parts After
a Crash

Seats and Seat Controls
This section tells you about the seats -- how to adjust
them
-- and also about reclining seatbacks and
head restraints.
Manual Front Seat
CAUTION:
-
You can lose control of the vehicle if you try to
adjust
a manual driver’s seat while thevehicle is
moving. The sudden movement could startle and
confuse you, or makeyou push
a pedal whenyou
don’t wantto. Adjust the driver’s seat only when
the vehicle is not moving.
Pull up on the control bar under the front
of the seat to
unlock it. Slide the seat to where you want
it. Then
release the bar and try to move the seat with your body,
to make sure the seat is locked into place.
Power Seat(Option)
To adjust the power seats on
some models:
Front Control
(A): Raise the front of the seat by
holding the switch
up. Lower the front of the seat by
holding the switch down.
Center Control
(B): Move the seat forward by pressing
the control forward, or backward by pressing the
control backward.
Move the seat higher by holding the control up. Lower
the seat by holding the control down.
Rear Control(C): Raise the rear
of the seat by holding
the switch up. Lower the rear of the seat by holding the
switch down.
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Power Lumbar Controls (Option)
d Reshapes the lower back area of the seat.
mb Reshapes the middle back area of the seat.
Reshapes the upper back
area of the seat.
I
Adjustable Support Seat (Option)
On some models, you'll
find the controls
on the
center console. Slidethe
selector switch to
L or R to
choose the frontseat you
want to adjust.
* &!- Adjusts the seat forward or back.
iJ Adjusts the seat up or down.
&* Adjusts the seatback to an upright or
reclined position.
i$ Adjusts the position of the seatback sidebolsters.
'd Tilts the rear of the seat up or down.
Tilts the front
of the seat up or down.
Reclining Front Seatbacks
To adjust the seatback, lift the lever on the outer side of
the seat and move the seatback to where you want it.
Release the lever to lock the seatback. Pull up on
the
lever and the seat will go to an upright position.
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But don’t have a seatback reclined if your vehicle
is moving,
I
Sitting in a reclined position whenyour vehicle is
in motion can be dangerous. Evenif you buckle
up, your safety belts can’t do their job when
you’re reclined like this.
The shoulderbelt can’t do itsjob because it
won’t be against yourbody. Instead, itwill be in
front
of you. In a crash you could go into it,
receiving neckor other injuries.
The lap belt can’t do its jobeither. In
a crash the
belt could goup over your abdomen. The belt
forces would be there, not
at your pelvic bones.
This could cause serious internal injuries.
For proper protectionwhen the vehicle isin
motion, have the seatback upright. Then sitwell
back in the seatand wear yoursafety belt properly.
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.
On some models, the head restraints tilt forward and
rearward also.
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SafetyBelts: They’re for Everyone
This part of the manual tells you how touse 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.
A CAUTION:
r
Don’t let anyone ride where he or shecan’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 thingsinside the
vehicle or be ejected fromit.
You can beseriously
injured orkilled. In the same crash,you might
not beif you arebuckled up, Always fasten your
safety belt,and check that your passengers’ belts
arefastened properly too.
‘ A CAUTION:
Itis extremely dangerous to ride in a cargo area,
inside or outside of
a vehicle. In a collision,
people ridingin these areas are morelikely to be
seriously injured orkilled.
Do not allow people to
ride in any areaof your vehicle that
is not
equipped with seats and safetybelts. Be sure
everyone in your vehicle
is in a seat and using a
safety belt properly.
1-5

FASTEN
BELTS
Your vehicle has a light
that comes on as areminder
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 ofthem,
people who buckle up can survive and sometimes walk
away. Without belts theycould have been badly hurt
or killed,
After more than
25 years of safetybelts in vehicles,
the facts are clear. In most crashes buckling up does
matter
... a lot!
Why SafetyBelts Work
When you ride in or on anything, you go as fast as
it goes.
Take the simplest vehicle. Suppose it’sjust a seat
on wheels.
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Put someone on it.
..
Get it up to speed. Then stopthe vehicle. The rider
doesn't stop.
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The person keeps going until stopped by something.
In a real vehicle, it could be the windshield ...
or the instrument panel ...
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or the safety belts!
With safety belts, you slow down as the vehicle does.
You get more time tostop. You stop over more distance,
and your strongest bones take the forces. That’s why
safety belts
make such good sense.
Here AreQuestionsMany People Ask
About SafetyBelts
-- and the Answers
Won’t I be trapped in the vehicleafter an
accident if I’m wearing asafetybelt?
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.
e.’ If my vehicle hasair 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 salehas required the use of
safety belts. Even
if you’re in a vehicle that has air
bags, you stillhave to buckle up to get the most
protection. That’s true not only
in frontalcollisions,
but especially in side and other collisions.
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&: If I’m a good driver,and I never drive far from
A: You may be anexcellent driver, but if you’re in an
home, why should I wear safety belts?
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 SafetyBeltsProperly
Adults
This part is only for people of adult size.
Be aware that there are special thingsto know about safety
belts
and children. And there are different rules for smaller
children and babies. Ifa child will be ridingin
your
Pontiac, see the partof 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.
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 (to see how, see “Seats” in the Index)
so you can sit upstraight.
1-10

3. Pick up the latch plate and pull the belt across you.
4. Push the latch plate into the buckle until it clicks.
Don't let it get twisted.
Pull up
on the latch plate to make sure it is secure. If
the belt isn't long enough, see "Safety Belt
Extender" at the end of this section.
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.
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'd be less
likely to slide under the lap belt. If you slidunder 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's a sudden stop or crash.
1-11

Shoulder Belt Height Adjuster
Before you begin to drive, move the shoulder belt
adjusterto the height that
is right for you.
To move it down, squeeze the release handle and move
the height adjuster to the desired position. You can move
the adjuster up just by pushing up on the bottom of the
release handle. After you move the adjuster to where
you want it, try to move it down without squeezing the
release handle to make sure it has locked into position.
Adjust the height
so that the shoulder portion of the
belt is centered on your shoulder.The belt should be
away from your face and neck, but not falling off
your shoulder.
1-12

What’s wrong with this?
A: The shoulder belt is too loose. It won’t give nearly
as much protection this way.
A CAUTION:
You can be seriously hurt if yourshoulderbelt is
tooloose. In
a crash, you would moveforward
too much,which couldincreaseinjury. The
shoulder beltshouldfit againstyour body.
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