Saturn 2004 L-Series User manual

Seats and Restraint Systems ........................... 1-1
Front Seats ............................................... 1-3
Rear Seats ............................................... 1-8
Safety Belts ............................................. 1-11
Child Restraints ....................................... 1-35
Air Bag Systems ...................................... 1-62
Restraint System Check ............................ 1-72
Features and Controls ..................................... 2-1
Keys ........................................................ 2-3
Doors and Locks ....................................... 2-9
Windows ................................................. 2-16
Theft-Deterrent Systems ............................ 2-18
Starting and Operating Your Vehicle ........... 2-19
Mirrors .................................................... 2-33
OnStar
®
System ...................................... 2-40
Storage Areas ......................................... 2-41
Sunroof .................................................. 2-45
Instrument Panel ............................................. 3-1
Instrument Panel Overview .......................... 3-2
Climate Controls ...................................... 3-17
Warning Lights, Gages, and Indicators ........ 3-25
Audio System(s) ....................................... 3-41
Driving Your Vehicle ....................................... 4-1
Your Driving, the Road, and Your Vehicle ..... 4-2
Towing ................................................... 4-32
Service and Appearance Care .......................... 5-1
Service ..................................................... 5-3
Fuel ......................................................... 5-5
Checking Things Under the Hood ............... 5-10
Bulb Replacement .................................... 5-46
Windshield Wiper Blade Replacement ......... 5-53
Tires ...................................................... 5-54
Appearance Care ..................................... 5-82
Vehicle Identification ................................. 5-90
Electrical System ...................................... 5-91
Capacities and Specifications ..................... 5-98
Maintenance Schedule ..................................... 6-1
Maintenance Schedule ................................ 6-2
Customer Assistance and Information .............. 7-1
Customer Assistance and Information ........... 7-2
Reporting Safety Defects ............................ 7-9
Index ................................................................ 1
2004 Saturn L-Series Owner Manual M

SATURN and the SATURN Emblem are registered
trademarks of Saturn Corporation. GM and the
GM Emblem 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.
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.
Litho in U.S.A.
Part No. 04LSERIES B FIRST EDITION ©Copyright General Motors Corporation 11/04/03 All Rights Reserved
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 you
do this, 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 look for what you need is the Index in
back of the manual. It is an alphabetical list of what
is in the manual, and the page number where you will
find it.
ii

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.”
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 your
vehicle. Many times, this damage would not be covered
by your vehicle’s 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.
There are also warning labels on your 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 ......................................................1-3
Manual Seats ................................................1-3
Driver Seat Height Adjuster ..............................1-3
Six-Way Power Driver Seat ..............................1-4
Manual Lumbar ..............................................1-4
Heated Seats .................................................1-5
Reclining Seatbacks ........................................1-5
Head Restraints .............................................1-7
Rear Seats .......................................................1-8
Split Folding Rear Seat ...................................1-8
Safety Belts ...................................................1-11
Safety Belts: They Are for Everyone ................1-11
Questions and Answers About Safety Belts ......1-15
How to Wear Safety Belts Properly .................1-16
Driver Position ..............................................1-16
Safety Belt Use During Pregnancy ..................1-24
Right Front Passenger Position .......................1-25
Rear Seat Passengers ..................................1-25
Rear Safety Belt Comfort Guides for Children
and Small Adults .......................................1-33
Safety Belt Extender .....................................1-35
Child Restraints .............................................1-35
Older Children ..............................................1-35
Infants and Young Children ............................1-38
Child Restraint Systems .................................1-42
Where to Put the Restraint .............................1-44
Top Strap ....................................................1-46
Top Strap Anchor Location .............................1-47
Lower Anchorages and Top Tethers for
Children (LATCH System) ...........................1-50
Securing a Child Restraint Designed for the
LATCH System .........................................1-52
Securing a Child Restraint in a Rear Seat
Position (Sedan) ........................................1-52
Securing a Child Restraint in a Rear Outside
Seat Position (Wagon) ...............................1-54
Securing a Child Restraint in a Center Rear
Seat Position (Wagon) ...............................1-56
Securing a Child Restraint in the Right Front
Seat Position ............................................1-58
Air Bag Systems ............................................1-62
Where Are the Air Bags? ...............................1-64
When Should an Air Bag Inflate? ....................1-67
Section 1 Seats and Restraint Systems
1-1

What Makes an Air Bag Inflate? .....................1-68
How Does an Air Bag Restrain? .....................1-68
What Will You See After an Air Bag Inflates? .......1-69
Servicing Your Air Bag-Equipped Vehicle .........1-71
Adding Equipment to Your Air Bag-Equipped
Vehicle ....................................................1-72
Restraint System Check ..................................1-72
Checking Your Restraint Systems ...................1-72
Replacing Restraint System Parts After
a Crash ...................................................1-73
Section 1 Seats and Restraint Systems
1-2

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 bar located under the front of the seat to unlock
it. Slide the seat to where you want it and release
the bar. Try to move the seat with your body to be sure
the seat is locked in place.
Driver Seat Height Adjuster
If your vehicle has this feature, the driver’s seat height
adjuster is located on the outside of the seat.
Pull lever up to raise or lower seat to a comfortable
height.
1-3

Six-Way Power Driver Seat
If your vehicle has this feature, the control is located on
the outboard side of the driver’s seat. To adjust the
seat do any of the following:
•Move the seat forward or rearward by pressing the
center switch forward or rearward.
•Move the entire seat up or down by pressing the
DOWN/UP switch.
•Adjust the seatback by pressing the RECLINE
switch forward or rearward.
See Reclining Seatbacks on page 1-5, later in this
section, for more information.
Manual Lumbar
If your vehicle has this
feature, the knob is
located on the inboard
side of the driver’s
seatback.
Turn the knob forward or rearward to increase or
decrease the lumbar support.
1-4

Heated Seats
If your vehicle has this
feature, the thumbwheel
controls for both driver and
passenger heated seats
are located in the center of
the instrument panel.
Move the thumbwheel to the first circle to warm the seat
to a lower temperature and to the second circle for a
higher temperature. An indicator light tells you that the
heating system is on. This feature will only work
when the ignition is on.
Reclining Seatbacks
To adjust the seatback on a manual seat, lift the lever
on the outer side of the seat and move the seatback
to where you want it. Then release the lever to lock the
seatback in place.
1-5

On a power driver’s seat,
adjust the seatback by
pressing the RECLINE
switch forward or rearward.
But don’t have a seatback reclined if your vehicle is
moving.
1-6

{CAUTION:
Sitting in a reclined position when your vehicle
is in motion can be dangerous. Even if you
buckle up, your safety belts can not do their
job when you are reclined like this.
The shoulder belt can not 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 can not 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.
Head Restraints
Your vehicle has adjustable head restraints on the front
seats. 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 neck
injury in a crash.
The adjustable head restraints tilt forward and
rearward also.
1-7

Rear Seats
Split Folding Rear Seat
Your vehicle is equipped with a split folding rear seat. A
split folding rear seat enables you to carry long cargo
by folding down part or all of the rear seat.
Sedan
On sedans, you can fold
either the driver’s or
passenger’s right side of
the seatback separately or
both sides together. Lift
the lever on the corner of
the seatback.
Make sure the front seat is not reclined. If it is, the rear
seatback won’t fold down all the way.
If your vehicle is equipped with this feature, remove the
rear center lap-shoulder belt latch. Push the release
button up into the slot with a key to remove the
lap-shoulder belt latch.
1-8

{CAUTION:
A safety belt that is improperly routed, not
properly attached, or twisted will not provide
the protection needed in a crash. The person
wearing the belt could be seriously injured.
After raising the rear seatback, always check
to be sure that the safety belts are properly
routed and attached, and are not twisted.
{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.
To raise the seatback up, follow these steps:
1. Raise the seatback up and make sure it latches.
Push and pull the top of the seatback to ensure
that all of the latches are secure.
2. Reconnect the center safety belt latch plate to the
buckle.
Make sure the safety belt label is pointing to the release
button, and that both the safety belt label and release
button are facing the front of the vehicle. Make sure the
belt is not twisted. Push and pull on the latch plate to
ensure the belt is secure.
1-9

Wagon
On wagons, you can fold either the passenger’s side of
the seatback or the entire seatback.
To fold down the
passenger’s side of the
seatback, pull the lever on
the corner of the
seatback. To lower the
entire rear seatback, pull
the lever on the corner
of the driver’s side
seatback.
{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.
When the seatback is put in an upright position, be sure
the latches engage by pushing rearward with your hand
over the latch locations. Then push and pull at the top of
the seatback to ensure that all latches are secure.
1-10

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.
{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 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.
Your vehicle has a light
that comes on as a
reminder to buckle up. See
Safety Belt Reminder
Light on page 3-28.
In most states and in all Canadian provinces, the law
says to wear safety belts. Here’s why: They work.
1-11

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.
1-12

Put someone on it. Get it up to speed. Then stop the vehicle. The rider
doesn’t stop.
1-13

The person keeps going until stopped by something. In
a real vehicle, it could be the windshield... or the instrument panel...
1-14