Pontiac Sunbird User manual

1993
PONTIAC
Sunbird
OWNER'S MANUAL

v
~7 Pontiac Sunbird
V
1993 Owner’s Manual
Table of Contents
Printed in USA
Part 1 Seats & SafetyBelts . .. . . . . . . . .. . . . . s
Part 2 Features & Controls ............... .45
c
Part 3 ComfortControls & AudioSystems . . 103 r
Part 4 Your Driving and the Road .......... .I17
Part 5 Problemson the Road... . . .. .. . . . .157
Pert e Service tk AppearanceCare . . .. ... . 18s I
I
Part 7 MaintenanceSchedule .. . . . .. . . . . 253
e
Part 8 CustomerAssistanceInformation .. . 275
Parts Index as
Service Station Information . . .. Last Page
Includes “Reporting Safety Defects” on page 280
e
10202156 A
FirstEdition

Important Notes About this Manual
Please keep this manual in your Pontiac, 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.
This manual includes the latest informationat the timeit was printed. We reserve the right to makechanges in the
product after that time without furthernotice.
Note to Canadian Owners
For vehicles first sold in Canada, substitute the name “General Motors of Canada Limited” for Pontiac Division
whenever it appears in this manual.
For Canadian Owners Who Prefer a French Language Manual
Am proprietaires canadiens: Vous pouvez vousprocurer un exemplaire de ce guide en francais chez votre
concessionaire
ou au DGN Marketing Services Ltd., 1500 Bonhill Road, Mississauga, Ontario L5T 1C7.
Published by Pontiac Division
General Motors Corporation
The word Pontiac, the Pontiac emblem and the
name Sunbird are registered trademarks of General
Motors Corporation.
The word Delco is a registered trademark of the
General Motors Corporation.
0 Copyright 1992 General Motors Corporation, Pontiac Division. All rights reserved.

How to Use this Manual
Using bur 1993 Pontiac Owner’s
Manual
Many people read their owner’s manual
from beginningto end when they first
receive their new vehicle. This 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.
There are nine parts with color-tabbed
pages in this manual. Each part begins
with a brief listof contents,
so you can
usually tell at a glance if that part
contains the informationyou want.
You can bend the manual slightly to
reveal the color tabs that help you find a
part.
Part 1: Seats and Safety Belts
This part tells you how to use your seats
and safety belts properly.
Part 2: Features & Controls
This part explains how to start and
operate your Pontiac.
Part 3: Comfort Controls & Audio
Systems
This part tells you how to adjust the
ventilation and comfort controls and
how to operate your audio system.
Part 4: Your Driving and the Road
Here you’ll find helpful information and
tips about
the road and how todrive
under different conditions.
Part 5: Problems on the Road
This part tellsyou what to do if you
have a problem whiledriving,
such as a
flat tireor engine overheating.
Part 6: Service & Appearance Care
Here the manual tells you how to keep
your Pontiac running properly and
looking good.
Part 7: Maintenance Schedule
This part tells you when to perform
vehicle maintenance and what fluids and
lubricants to use.
Part 8: Customer Assistance
Information
This part tellsyou how to contact
Pontiac for assistance and how to get
service publications. It also gives you
information on
Reporting Safey Dejects.
Part 9: Index
Here’s an alphabetical listingof almost
every subject in this manual. You can
use it to quickly find something you
want to read.
Service Station Information
This is a quick referenceof service
information.
You can find it on the last
page of this manual.
3
l-
.I.

How to Use this Manual
Safely Warnings and Symbols
You will find a numberof safety
cautions in this book.We use yellow
and
the word CAUTION to tell you
about
things that could hurtyou if you
were to ignorethe warning.
I Don’t
Don’t
do this
bAU 1 lU1V
These mean thereis something I
- L that could hurtyou or other
people.
In the yellow caution area, we tellyou
what the hazard is. Then we tellyou
what
to doto helpavoid or reduce the
hazard. Please read these cautions.
If
you don’t, you or others could behurt.
m..
4
Vehicle Damage Warnings
You will also find a red circle with a Also, in
this book you will find these
slash throughit in this book. This safety blue notices:
symbol means:
I NOTICE I
Don’t letthishappen
8
These mean there is something that
could damage your vehicle.
In the blue 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. In this manual, we’ve
used the familiar words and colors that
Pontiac has used
for years.
You’ll also see warning labels on your
vehicle. They use the same colors, and
the words CAUTION or NOTICE.

Vehicle Symbols
These are someof the symbols you will These symbolsare important for
you
find on your vehicle. For example, these and your passengers whenever your
symbols are used on an original battery: vehicle
is driven:
Caution Possible Injury
Protect Eyes by Shielding
Caustic Battery Acid
Could Cause Burns
Avoid Sparks or Flames
Spark or Flame Could
Explode Battery
A
Fasten Safety Belts
@
Door LocWUnlock
These symbolshave to do with your
lights:
4
Master Lighting Switch
Turn Signal Direction
Hazard Warning Flashers
Headlight High Beam
Parking Lights
Fog Lights
‘I
pf
$0
5
...

How to Use this Manual
Vehicle Symbols (CONTJ
These symbols are on some of your
controls:
Windshield Wipers
Windshield Washer
Windshield Defroster
Rear Window Defogger
Ventilating Fan
Power Window
These symbols are used on warning and Here are some other symbols you may
indicator lights:
rc
.chcccI
Engine Coolant
Temperature
Battery Charging
System
Fuel
Engine Oil Pressure
Brake
Anti-Lock Brakes
see:
Fuse
Trunk Release
Lighter
Horn
Speaker
Hood Release
mm.
6

7 ...

Here YOU’II 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 safety belts .
Part 1
L
Seats & Safety 6elts
Seats and Seat Controls ............................................. 10
SafetyBelts ...................................................... 13
How toWear Safety Belts Properly .................................... 18
Driver Position
.................................................... 19
Safety BeltUse During Pregnancy .................................... 23
Right Front Passenger Position
....................................... 23
Rear Seat Passengers
............................................... 24
Rear Safety Belt Comfort Guides ..................................... 26
Children ......................................................... 29
Smaller Children and Babies ......................................... 30
Child Restraints
................................................... 31
LargerChildren
................................................... 38
SafetyBeltExtender
............................................... 40
Replacing Safety Belts After a Crash ................................... 41
CenterPassengerPosition ....... ................................ 28

Seats & Safety Belts
Seats and Seat Controls
This section tells you about the seats-
how to adjust them-and also about
reclining seatbacks and head restraints.
10
Manual Front Seat
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 under the front seat to
unlock it. Slide the seatto where
you
want it. Then release the lever and try to
move the seat with your body, to make
surethe seat is locked into place.
Reclining Front Seatback
To adjust the seatback, lift the lever on
the outer sideof 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.
Don’t have a seatback reclined,
however,
if your vehicle is moving.

II 1
Sitting in a reclined position when your vehicle is in motion can be
dangerous. Evenif you buckle up,
your safety belts can’t do theirjob
wnen you’re reclined
like this.
The shoulder beltcan’t do
its job because it won’t 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 can’t do its job either. In a crash the belt could go up over your
abdomen. The belt forces wouldbe 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 seatand wear your safety belt properly.
Head Restraints
Head restraints are fixed on some
vehicles and adjustable onothers. Slide
an adjustable head restraint upor down
so that the topof the restraintis closest
to the topof your ears.
This position reduces the chanceof
a
neck injury in a crash.
On some models, the head restraints tilt
forward and rearward also.
11

Seats tS Safety 6elts
Front Seatback Latches
(2-DOOR MODELS)
In 2-door Pontiacs, the front seatback
folds forward to let people get intothe
back seat. Your seatback
will move back
and forth freely, unless
you come to a
sudden stop. Then it will lock in place.
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 asyou lift
this latch. Then the seatback will fold
forward. The latch must be down
for the
seat to work properly.
12
Easy-Entry Seat DOOR MODELS)
The right front seatof your vehicle
makes it easy to get in and outof the
rear seat.
When you push down on the rear latch
and tilt the right front seatback fully
forward, the whole seat will slide
forward.
After someone gets into the rear seat
area, move the right front seatback to
its original position. Thenmove the
seat rearward untilit locks.
To get out, again tilt the seatback fully
forward,
I CAUTION I
* Ifaneasy-entryrightfront
1 seatisn’tlocked,itcanmove.
llA a sudden stop or crash, the
person sitting there could be
injured.
After you’ve used it, be
sure
to push rearward on an easy-
entry seat to be sure it is locked.

Split hld-Down Rear Seat
(OPTION)
To Open:
Pull forward on the seat tab.
To Close:
Push the seatback up to its original
position.
Push seatback solidly up against the
back plate to ensure inertial latch will
hook.
Safety Belts:
Tlzey’re For Everyone
This part of the manual tellsyou how to
use safety belts properly. It also tells you
some things you should not do with
safety belts.
A
Don’t let anyone ride where
they can’t wear a s&ty belt
properly. If you are in a crash and
you’re not wearinga safkty belt,
your injuries can bemuch worse.
You can hit things inside the
vehicle or be ejected hm 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
htened properly too.
I
I‘
13

...
Seats & Safety 6elts
I Safety Belts:
They're For Everyone (Cont.)
This figure lights up whenyou turn the
key to
Run or Start when your safety
belt isn't buckled, and you'llhear a
chime, too. It's the reminder to buckle
up. In many states and Canadian
provinces, the law says to wear safety
belts. Here's why:
They work.
14
You never know if you'llbe in a crash.
If you dohave a crash,you don't know
if it will be a bad one.
A few crashes are very mild. In them,
you won't get hurt even if you're not
buckled up. And some crashes can be
so
serious, like being hitby a train, that
even buckled up a person wouldn't
survive. But most crashesare in
between. Inmany
of them, people who
buckle up can survive and sometimes
walk away. Without belts they could be
badly hurt or lulled.
After
25 years of safety belts in vehicles,
the facts are clear. In most crashes
buckling up doesmatter...a lot!

Why Safety Be/ts Work
When you ride in or on anything,you
go as fast as it goes.
1 . For example, if the bike is going
10 mph (16 km/h), so is the child.
.. . .
2. When the bike hits the block, it
stops. But the child keeps going!
3. Take the simplest "car." Suppose
it's just
a seat on wheels.
75
...

Seats & Safety 6elts
Why Safety Belts Work (CONV
4. Put someone on it.
5. Get it up to speed.Then stop the
“car.” The rider doesn’t stop.
m
L
7. or the instrumentpanel. . .
%.
x20
1 8. or the safety belts!
x2010 ,I
6. The person keeps going until
stopped by something. In a real
vehicle,
it could be the
windshield..
.
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.
..a
16

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 wearinga
safety belt?
wearing a safety beltor not. But you
can easily 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.
A: You could be-whether you’re
Q: Why don’t they just put in air
bags
so people won’t have to wear
safety belts?
Inflatable Restraint systems,are in
some vehicles today and willbe in
more
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 forsalehas
required the useof safety belts. Even
if you’re ina vehiclethat has “air
bags,”
you still have to buckleup to
get the most protection. That’strue
not only in frontal collisions, but
especially in side andother
collisions.
A: ‘Airbags,’’ or Supplemental
Q: If I’m a good driver,and I never
drive far from home,
why should I
wear safety belts?
if you’re in an accident-even one
that isn’t your fault-you and your
passengers can behurt.
Being a goo0
driver doesn’t protect you from
things beyond your control, such as
bad drivers.
Most accidents occurwithin
25
miles (40 km) of home. And the
greatest numberof serious injuries
and deathsoccur atspeeds
of less
than
40 mph (65 km/h).
Safety belts are for everyone.
A: You may be an excellentdriver, but

Seats & Safety 6elts
Saety Belt Warning Light
When the key is turned to Run or Start,
a chime will come on for about eight
secondsto remind peopleto fasten their
safety belts, unless the driver’s safety
belt
is buckled.
The safety belt light willalso come on
and stay on for abouta minute. If the
driver’s belt is buckled, neither the
chime nor the light will come on.
A If your safety belt light ever
1 comeson or stays onafterthe
front doors are closed and the
driver’s beltis buckled, have your
vehicle fixed.
If you don’t, you might not have
the protectionyou’d need in a
crash.
-1
Properly-Adults
This section is only for people of adult
size.
I CAUTIUN
I
There are special things to
know about safety belts and
children. And there are different
rules for babies and smaller
I children. If a child will be riding
in your Pontiac, see the I&
under Children and Safe@ Beh.
Eollow those rules for everyone’s
I
First, you’ll want to know which
restraint systems your vehicle has.
We’ll
start with the driver position.
.I.
18

%hides First Sold in Canada
Was your Pontiac firstsold, when new,
in Canada? (If it was, a sticker on the
driver’s door will say “conforms to all
applicable Canada motor vehicle.
, . ”
etc.) If SO, then the restof Rrt 1 does
not applyto your vehicle.
To learn how to use your safety belts,
please read the
Owner’s Manual
Safety Belt Supplement.
It comes with
every
new Pontiac first sold in Canada.
Driver Position
This section describes the driver’s
restraint system.
Automa& Lap-ShouMer Belt
This safety beltis called “automatic”
because you
don’t have tobuckle up
when you get into your vehicle.
IS