Pontiac Firebird 1997 Owner's manual

Category
Cars
Type
Owner's manual

This manual is also suitable for

The
1997
Pontiac Firebird Owner’s Manual
1-1
2-1
3-1
4-1
5-1
6-1
7-1
8-1
Seats and Restraint Systems
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.
Comfort Controls and Audio Systems
This section tells you how to adjust the ventilation and comfort controls and how to operate your audio system.
Your Driving and the Road
Here you’ll find helpful information and tips about the road and how to drive under different conditions.
Problems
on
the
Road
This section tells what to do
if
you have a problem while driving, such as a flat tire or overheated engine, etc.
Service and Appearance Care
Here
the
manual tells you how to keep your Pontiac running properly and looking good.
Maintenance Schedule
This section tells you when to perform vehicle maintenance and what fluids and lubricants to use.
Customer Assistance Information
This section tells you how to contact Pontiac for assistance and how to get service and owner publications.
It also gives you information
on
“Reporting Safety Defects” on page
8-10.
9-1
Index
Here’s an alphabetical listing
of
almost every subject in this manual. You can use it to quickly find
something
you
want to read.
I
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 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
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.
10293226
B
First
Edition
WE
SUPPORT
VOLUNTARY TECHNICIAN
CERTIFICATION
THROUGH
AUTOMOTIVE
National
institute
for
SERVICE
EXCELLENCE
We support voluntary
technician certification.
For Canadian Owners
Who
Prefer
a
French Language Manual:
Aux
propri6taires 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
@Copyright General Motors Corporation
1996
All
Rights
Reserved
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.
Index
A
good place to look for wh,at 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 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 ignor;e
the warning.
I
A
CAUTION:
I
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
In the notice area, we tell
YOU
about something that
lean
damage
your
vehicle. Many times, this damage would
But
the notice will tell
you
what t’o
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.
Also,
in
this
book you
will
find these notices:
not
be covered by your warranty, and it could be
costly.
These mean there is something that
could
damage
your
vehicle.
iv
Vehicle
Symbols
These are
some
of
the
symbols
you
may
find
on
your
vehicle.
For
example,
these symbols
are
used on an
original battery:
POSSIBLE
A
CAUTION
INJURY
PROTECT
EYES BY
SHIELDING
CAUSTIC
ACID COULD
BATTERY
CAUSE
BURNS
AVOID
SPARKS
OR
FLAMES
FLAME
EXPLODE
BATTERY
These symbols
are important
for you and
your passengers
whenever your
vehicle
is
driven:
DOOR LOCK
UNLOCK
FASTEN
SEAT
BELTS
.i)
AIR BAG
p\
These symbols
have to do with
your lamps:
SIGNALS
6
TURN
PARKING
PC
LAMPS
FOG LAMPS
$0
These symbols
are on some
of
your controls:
WINDSHIELD
DEFROSTER
WINDOW
DEFOGGER
VENTILATING
FAN
These symbols
are used on
warning and
indicator lights:
COOLANT
-
TEMP
-
CHARGING
BATTERY
SYSTEM
BRAKE
(0)
COOLANT
a
ENGINE OIL
w,
PRESSURE
ANTI-LOCK
(@)
BRAKES
Here are some
other symbols
you
may
see:
FUSE
LIGHTER
1
HORN
)cT
SPEAKER
b
FUEL
p3
b
NOTES
vi
v
Section
1
Seats and Restraint Systems
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.
1-2
1-7
1-12
1-13
1-13
1-20
1-21
1-21
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)
1-27 Rear Seat Passengers
1-30 Children
1-32 Child Restraints
1-38
Larger Children
1-41 Safety Belt Extender
1-41 Checking Your Restraint Systems
1-41
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 front s’eatbacks, seatback
latches and the folding rear seatback.
M-rual
Front
+at
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 passenger’s front seat
to
unlock it,
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. Be sure the lever
returns
to
its original position after moving
the
seat.
4-Way
Manual
Seat
6-Way
Power
Seat
(If
Equipped)
There
are
two levers at the front of the seat. The left
lever adjusts the seat forward and back. The right lever
adjusts the angle of the front
of
the seat.
To adjust the seats forward and rearward, lift the lever
under
the
left front of the seat. 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.
To
raise or lower the entire seat, lift the lever under the
right front
of
the
seat and lean forward or backward.
The driver’s seat has three controls on the left
side.
A.
The front control makes the front of the seat go
UP
and down.
B.
The center control
makes
the
whole seat
go
up and
down or forward and backward.
C.
The
back control makes the back
of
the seat
go
up
and down.
1-3
Fully
Articulating
Sport
Seat
(If
Equipped)
If
your Pontiac has
these
seats, the driver’s seat has the
four-way manual seat adjuster. See
“4-Way
Manual
Seat” earlier in this
part.
The
passenger seat has the two
way
manual seat adjuster. See “Manual Front Seat”
earlier in this part.
The two buttons without dot inflate
and
deflate the
lumbar (lower back area
of
the seatback) support.
To
inflate, press the raised button.
To
deflate, press
the
indented button.
Reclining
Front
Seatbacks
I
The switch pads
on
the
outer side
of
the seats “inflate”
and “deflate”
parts
of
your seatback.
The two buttons that have
“dots”
inflate and deflate the
side bolster
of
the seatback.
To
inflate, press the raised
button.
To
deflate, press the indented button.
To
adjust the seatback, lift the lever on the outer side
of
the seat. Release the lever to
lock
the
seatback where
you
want
it.
Pull up
on
the lever and the’seat will
go
to
its original upright position.
1-4
If
you
have fully articulating sport seats, your recliner
lever looks like this.
But
don’t have
a
seatback
reclined
if
your
vehicle
is
moving.
I
/r\
CAC
JON:
Sitting in
a
reclined position when
your
vehicle is
in motion can
be
dangerous.
Even
if
you
buckle
CAUTION: (Continued)
1-5
r
-
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.
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.
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.
Then
the
seatback will
fold forward.
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,
If
the
seatback
isnlt
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.
1-6
Folding
Rear Seatback
The rear seatback in your Pontiac folds down to provide
more storage space.
To
fold the seatback down:
1.
Pull forward on both levers.
2.
Fold the seatback down.
To
raise the seatback:
1.
Pull
it up to
the
locked, upright position.
2.
Be sure both latches hold the seatback in place. Have
them fixed if they don’t.
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.
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.
1-7
I
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.
I
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
I
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
25
yt;ars
of
safety belts
in
vehicles,
the facts are clear. In most crashes buckling up does
matter
...
a
lot!
1-8
Why Safety Belts
Work
When
you
ride
in
or
on mydung,
you
go
as
fast
as
it
goes.
Take
the
simplest
vehicle.
Suppose
it’s
just
a
seat
on
wheels.
I
Put
someone
on
it.
1-9
Get it up
to
speed. Then stop the
vehicle.
The
rider
doesn’t stop.
The
person keeps going until stopped
by
something.
In
a
real vehicle, it could
be
the
windshield
...
1-10
or
the
instrument
Dane1
...
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.
1-11
Here
Are
Questions
Many
People
Ask
About
Safety
Belts
--
and
the
Answers
QZ
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.
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 esp’ecially in side and other collisions.
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.
1-12
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
Pontiac, 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.
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 up straight.
3.
4.
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.
Push
the
latch plate into
the
buckle until
it
clicks.
1-13
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Pontiac Firebird 1997 Owner's manual

Category
Cars
Type
Owner's manual
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