2002 Chevrolet Impala Owners Manual

Dual ComforTempt Climate Controls Air Conditioning Heating Ventilation Defogging and Defrosting Rear Window Defogger Ventilation System Audio Systems Setting the Clock AM-FM Stereo with Cassette Tape Player with Radio Data System (RDS) and Automatic Tone Control AM-FM Stereo with Compact Disc Player with Radio Data System (RDS) and Automatic Tone Control (If Equipped)

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AM-FM Stereo with Cassette Tape and Compact Disc Player with Radio Data System (RDS) and Automatic Tone Control (If Equipped) Theft-Deterrent Feature Audio Steering Wheel Controls (If Equipped) Understanding Radio Reception Tips About Your Audio System Care of Your Cassette Tape Player Care of Your Compact Discs Care of Your Compact Disc Player Backglass Antenna Vehicle Customization Settings Chime Level Adjustment

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Comfort Controls Dual ComforTempt Climate Controls

With this system, you can control the heating, cooling and ventilation in your vehicle. The system works best if you keep your windows closed while using it. Fan Knob The knob on the left side of the climate control panel regulates the fan speed. To turn the fan off, turn the knob to OFF. If the airflow seems very low when the fan is adjusted to the highest setting regardless of the mode setting, your passenger compartment air filter (if equipped) may need to be replaced. See “Maintenance Schedule” and “Passenger Compartment Air Filter” in the Index. 3-2

Driver’s Temperature Lever The lever on the left adjusts the air temperature on the driver’s side independent of the temperature set by the passenger. Slide the lever upward to raise the temperature. Slide the lever downward to lower the temperature.

Passenger’s Temperature Lever The lever on the right adjusts the air temperature on the passenger’s side independent of the temperature set by the driver. Slide the lever upward to raise the temperature. Slide the lever downward to lower the temperature.

Mode Knob The knob on the right side of the control panel has several settings to control the direction of airflow:

(Vent): This setting directs air through the

instrument panel outlets.

(Bi-level): This setting directs air two ways.

Half of the air is directed through the instrument panel outlets. Most of the remaining air is directed through the floor vents and a small amount to the windshield defroster and side window outlets.

(Floor): This setting sends most of the air through

the floor ducts. The remaining air comes out of the defroster and side window outlets. The recirculation button cannot be selected in this mode.

(Defogger): This setting sends half of the air to the floor ducts and half to the defroster and side window outlets. The air conditioning compressor will run automatically in this setting unless the outside temperature is below 40_F (4_C). The air inlet will also be automatically set to outside air. The recirculation button cannot be selected in this mode.

(Defroster): This setting directs most of the air

through the defroster and side window vents. Some of the air also goes to the floor ducts. The air conditioning compressor will run automatically in this setting unless the outside temperature is below 40_F (4_C). The air inlet will also be automatically set to outside air. The recirculation button cannot be selected in this mode.

Mode Buttons

(Outside Air): Press this button to force the

system to use outside air. This button is usable in all of the mode settings. An indicator on the button will light up when this button is selected.

(Recirculation): Press this button to limit the amount of outside air entering your vehicle. This is helpful when you are trying to limit odors entering your vehicle. This button can be used in the vent and bi-level modes. An indictor on the button will light up when this button is selected. The system will default back to the outside air setting, so you will have to reselect this setting every time you restart your vehicle. While in the recirculation mode the system may cause fogging of the windows when the weather is cold and damp. To clear the fog, select either the defogger or defroster mode and increase the fan speed. To avoid refogging of the windows, use the outside air setting.

A/C (Air Conditioning): Press this button to turn

the air conditioning on and off. The system will cool and dehumidify the air inside the vehicle when the A/C light and the fan are on.

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Air Conditioning On very hot days, open the windows long enough to let hot, inside air escape. This reduces the time for the vehicle to cool down. Then keep your windows closed for the air conditioner to work its best. For quick cool down on very hot days select a fan setting, turn the mode knob on the control panel to vent; press the A/C and the recirculation buttons and move the temperature controls all the way into the blue area. If this setting is used for long periods of time, the air in your vehicle may become too dry. For normal cooling on hot days, turn the mode knob on the control panel to vent; press the A/C and the outside air buttons and move the temperature control all the way into the blue area. The system will bring in outside air and cool and dehumidify it. On cool, but sunny days, the sun may warm your upper body, but your lower body may not be warm enough. To remedy this you can select a fan setting, turn the mode knob on the control panel to the bi-level mode, press the A/C button, and move the temperature control to a comfortable setting.

Heating On cold days, select a fan setting, turn the mode knob on the control panel to floor, press the outside air button on and move the temperature control all the way in the red area. The system will bring in outside air, heat it and send it to the floor ducts. Ventilation For mild outside temperatures when little heating or cooling is needed, select a fan setting and turn the mode knob on the control panel to vent. Press the outside air button and move the temperature controls to a comfortable setting. Your vehicle also has the flow-through ventilation system described later in this section. Defogging and Defrosting Your system has two settings for clearing the front and side windows. To defrost the windows quickly, use defroster with the temperature controls all the way in the red area. To warm passengers while keeping the windows clear, use defogger. For more information, see “Recirculation” in the Index.

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Rear Window Defogger

Press the button marked REAR to turn the defogger on. An indicator in the button will light.

When turned on, the rear window defogger uses a warming grid to remove fog from the rear window. If your vehicle has the optional heated outside mirrors, they will heat to clear the surface of the mirrors.

The rear window defogger and the outside rearview mirrors will automatically turn off after about 15 minutes. If you turn them on again, the defogger and the outside rearview mirrors will only stay on for about seven and one half minutes before turning off again. You can also turn them off by turning the ignition off or by pressing the button again. Do not attach anything like a temporary vehicle license or decal across the defogger grid.

NOTICE:

Don’t use a razor blade or something else sharp on the inside of the rear window. If you do, you could cut or damage the warming grid, and the repairs wouldn’t be covered by your warranty. Don’t put decals there because you might have to scrape them off.

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Ventilation Tips D Keep the hood and front air inlet free of ice, snow or

any other obstruction (such as leaves). The heater and defroster will work far better, reducing the chance of fogging the inside of your windows.

D When you enter a vehicle in cold weather, adjust the mode knob to floor and the fan to the highest speed for a few seconds before driving off. This helps clear the intake ducts of snow and moisture and reduces the chance of fogging the inside of your windows.

D Keep the air path under the front seats clear of objects. This helps air to circulate throughout your vehicle.

Ventilation System

Change the direction of the airflow by adjusting the vents.

Your vehicle’s flow-through ventilation system supplies outside air into the vehicle when it is moving. Outside air will also enter the vehicle when the air conditioning compressor is running and the outside air button is pressed If the airflow seems very low when the fan is adjusted to the highest setting, regardless of the mode setting, your passenger compartment air filter (if equipped) may need to be replaced. See “Maintenance Schedule” and “Passenger Compartment Air Filter” in the Index.

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Audio Systems Your audio system has been designed to operate easily and give years of listening pleasure. You will get the most enjoyment out of it if you acquaint yourself with it first. Find out what your audio system can do and how to operate all of its controls to be sure you’re getting the most out of the advanced engineering that went into it. Your vehicle has a feature called Retained Accessory Power (RAP). With RAP, you can play your audio system even after the ignition is turned off. See “Retained Accessory Power” in the Index. Setting the Clock Press and hold the HR or MN buttons, located below the TUNE knob, for two seconds. Then press and hold HR until the correct hour appears. AM or PM will appear on the display. Press and hold MN until the correct minute appears. The clock may be set with the ignition on or off. The clock symbol will appear on the display in time-set mode. To set the clock to the time of an FM station broadcasting Radio Data System (RDS) information, press and hold HR and MN at the same time for two seconds until UPDATED and the clock symbol appear on the display. If the time is not available from the station, NO UPDAT will appear on the display instead.

AM-FM Stereo with Cassette Tape Player with Radio Data System (RDS) and Automatic Tone Control

Playing the Radio PWR (Power): Press this knob to turn the system on and off. VOL (Volume): Turn the knob clockwise to increase volume. Turn it counterclockwise to decrease volume.

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AUTO VOL (Automatic Volume): With automatic volume, your audio system adjusts automatically to make up for road and wind noise as you drive. Set the volume at the desired level. Press this button to select LOW, MEDIUM or HIGH. AVOL will appear on the display. The volume level should always sound the same to you as you drive. Each higher volume setting allows for more volume compensation at faster vehicle speeds. Then as you drive, automatic volume increases the volume as necessary to overcome noise at any speed. NONE will appear on the display if the radio cannot determine the vehicle speed. If you don’t want to use automatic volume, select OFF. DISP (Display): Pressing this knob will display the station being played or it will display the clock. Clock display is available with the ignition turned off.

Finding a Station BAND: Press this button to switch between AM, FM1 and FM2. The display will show your selection. TUNE: Turn this knob to choose radio stations. A SEEK ": Press the right arrow to seek to the next or previous station and stay there. The radio will seek to stations with a strong signal only. The sound will mute while seeking. A PSCAN " (Preset Scan): Press and hold one of the arrows for more than two seconds and the radio will produce one beep. The radio will scan to the first preset station stored on your pushbuttons, play for a few seconds, then go on to the next preset station. Press one of the arrows or one of the pushbuttons again to stop scanning. SCAN will be displayed whenever the tuner is in the preset scan mode. The channel number (P1 through P6) will appear with the frequency. In FM mode, this function will scan through the current band such as FM1 or FM2. The radio will scan preset stations with a strong signal only. The sound will mute while scanning.

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Setting Preset Stations The six numbered pushbuttons let you return to your favorite stations. You can set up to 18 stations (six AM, six FM1 and six FM2) by performing the following steps: 1. Turn the radio on. 2. Press BAND to select AM, FM1 or FM2. 3. Tune in the desired station. 4. Press AUTO TONE to choose the bass and treble

equalization that best suits the type of station you are listening to.

5. Press and hold one of the six numbered pushbuttons.

The radio will produce one beep. Whenever you press that numbered pushbutton, the station you set will return and the bass and treble equalization that you selected will also be automatically selected for that pushbutton.

6. Repeat the steps for each pushbutton.

Setting the Tone (Bass/Treble) AUDIO: Push and release the AUDIO knob until BASS or TREB appears on the display. Then turn the knob clockwise or counterclockwise to increase or decrease. The display will show the bass or treble level. If a station is weak or noisy, you may want to decrease the treble. To adjust bass and treble to the middle position, push and hold the AUDIO knob. The radio will produce one beep and adjust the display level to the middle position. To adjust all tone and speaker controls to the middle position, push and hold the AUDIO knob when no tone or speaker control is displayed. The radio will produce one beep and display ALL. The bass and treble will be adjusted to the middle position. AUTO TONE: This feature allows you to choose bass and treble equalization settings designed for country/western, jazz, talk, pop, rock and classical stations. Each time you press the AUTO TONE button, this feature will switch to one of these program types. To return the bass and treble to the manual mode, push and release the AUDIO knob until the display goes blank.

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Adjusting the Speakers (Balance/Fade) AUDIO: To adjust the balance between the right and left speakers, push and release the AUDIO knob until BAL appears on the display. Turn the knob clockwise to move the sound to the right speakers and counterclockwise to move the sound to the left speakers. To adjust the fade between the front and rear speakers, push and release the AUDIO knob until FADE appears on the display. Turn the knob clockwise to move the sound to the front speakers and counterclockwise to move the sound to the rear speakers. To adjust the balance and fade to the middle position, push the AUDIO knob, then push it again and hold it until you hear one beep. The balance and fade will be adjusted to the middle position and the display will show the speaker balance. To adjust all tone and speaker controls to the middle position, push and hold the AUDIO knob when no tone or speaker control is displayed. The radio will produce one beep and display ALL with the level display in the middle position.

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Using RDS Mode Your audio system is equipped with a Radio Data System (RDS). RDS is a system that receives data along with the audio of the FM station you are currently tuned to. RDS displays program information and can control your radio. With RDS, the radio can do the following: D Seek only to stations with the types of programs

you want to listen to,

D seek to stations with traffic announcements, D receive announcements concerning local and

national emergencies, and

D receive and display messages from radio stations. RDS features are only available on FM stations that broadcast RDS information. The RDS features on your radio rely on receiving specific RDS information from these stations. These features will only work when the RDS information is available. In rare cases, a radio station may broadcast incorrect information that will cause the radio features to work improperly. If this happens, contact the radio station. When you are tuned to an RDS station, the station name will appear on the display, instead of the frequency. Most RDS stations provide their station name, the time of day and a Program Type (PTY) for their current programming. Some stations also provide the name of the current program.

Finding RDS Stations To find an RDS station perform the following steps: 1. Push the SEEK TYPE button or turn the P-TYPE

LIST knob to display the program type list.

2. Turn the knob either clockwise or counterclockwise

to select a program type. The list is alphabetical. If you select ANY TYPE your radio will seek to the first PTY available.

3. Push the SEEK TYPE button to activate search. DISP (Display): Press this knob to change what appears on the display while using RDS. Pressing this knob will also display an RDS station frequency or program type when the radio is on. The display options are station name, station frequency, PTY and the name of the program (if available). Pressing and holding this knob will activate the RDS default display.

Finding a PTY Preset Stations P-TYPE LIST (Program Type): Turn this knob clockwise or counterclockwise to select the Program Type (PTY) you want to listen to. TYPE and a PTY will appear on the display. Press the SEEK TYPE button and the radio will seek to the first RDS broadcaster of the selected program type. If the radio cannot find the desired program type, NONE will appear on the display and the radio will return to the last station you were listening to. BAND (Alternate Frequency): Alternate frequency allows the radio to switch to a stronger station with the same program type. Press and hold BAND for two seconds to turn alternate frequency on. AF ON will appear on the display. The radio may switch to stronger stations. Press and hold BAND again for two seconds to turn alternate frequency off. AF OFF will appear on the display. The radio will not switch to other stations. When you turn the ignition off and then on again, the alternate frequency feature will automatically be turned on. SEEK TYPE: Press this button to go to a station with the last selected PTY; TYPE and the last selected PTY will appear on the display, if it is not already showing. Press SEEK TYPE a second time to seek. If a station with the selected PTY is not found, the radio will return to the original station and display NONE.

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RDS Messages ALERT!: Alert warns of national or local emergencies. You will not be able to turn off alert announcements. ALERT! appears on the display when an alert announcement plays. When an alert announcement comes on the current radio station, you will hear it, even if the volume is muted or a cassette tape is playing. If the cassette tape player is playing, play will stop for the announcement and resume when the announcement is finished. This function will only work during actual emergency broadcasts, and will not work during tests of the emergency broadcast system. This feature is not supported by all RDS stations. INFO (Information): If the current station has a message, the information symbol will appear on the display. These text messages are from the RDS broadcaster to the listening public and may be general information such as artist and song title, call in phone numbers, etc. Press this button to see the message. If the whole message does not appear on the display, parts of the message will appear every three seconds until the message is completed. To scroll through the message at your own speed, press the INFO button again for less than one second.

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A new group of words will appear on the display. Once the complete message has been displayed, the information symbol will disappear from the display until another new message is received. The old message can be displayed by pressing the INFO button until a new message is received or a different station is tuned to. When a message is not available from an FM station, NO INFO will be displayed. TRAF (Traffic): Press this button to receive traffic announcements. If the current station does not broadcast traffic announcements, the radio will seek to a station that does. The traffic symbol will flash on the display. When the radio finds a station that broadcasts traffic announcements, it will stop. If no station is found, NO TRAF will appear on the display. Your radio can be programmed to interrupt the playback of a cassette tape or FM radio by enabling the traffic interrupt feature. Press the TRAF button once to seek to an RDS station that supports the traffic interrupt feature if the current station does not. The traffic symbol will flash on the display when seeking for a station that supports traffic interrupt. When the traffic interrupt feature is on, the traffic symbol will appear on the display.

When a traffic announcement comes on the current radio station, you will hear it, even if the volume is muted or a cassette tape is playing. The traffic symbol and TRAFFIC will appear on the display while the traffic announcement plays. If the cassette tape player was being used, the tape will stay in the player and resume play at the point where it stopped.

Radio Messages CAL ERR (Calibration Error): This message is displayed when the radio has not been calibrated properly for the vehicle. You must return to the dealership for service. LOCKED: This message is displayed when the THEFTLOCKR system has locked up. You must return to the dealership for service.

Playing a Cassette Tape Your tape player is built to work best with tapes that are up to 30 to 45 minutes long on each side. Tapes longer than that are so thin they may not work well in this player. The longer side with the tape visible should face to the right. If the ignition is on and the radio is off, the tape can be inserted and will begin playing. A tape symbol is shown on the display whenever a tape is inserted. If you hear nothing but a garbled sound, the tape may not be in squarely. Press EJT to remove the tape and start over. If you want to insert a tape when the ignition is off, first press EJT or DISP. While the tape is playing, use VOL, TUNE, SEEK and PSCAN controls just as you do for the radio. The radio will display TAPE and an arrow showing which side of the tape is playing. If an error appears on the display, see “Cassette Tape Messages” later in this section.

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1 PREV (Previous): Press this pushbutton to go to the previous selection on the tape if the selection has been playing for less than three seconds. If this pushbutton is pressed and the current selection has been playing for more than 13 seconds, it will go to the beginning of the current selection. If this pushbutton is pressed and the current selection has been playing from 3 to 13 seconds, it will go to the beginning of the previous selection or the beginning of the current selection, depending upon the position on the tape. SEEK and a -1 will appear on the display while the cassette player is in the previous mode. If this pushbutton is pressed additional times or held, the radio will go to the displayed number of previous selections up to 9. SEEK and a negative number will appear on the display. Your tape must have at least three seconds of silence between each selection for previous to work. The sound will mute while seeking. 2 NEXT: Press this pushbutton to go to the next selection on the tape. If you press this pushbutton more than once, the player will continue moving forward through the tape. SEEK and a positive number will appear on the display. Your tape must have at least three seconds of silence between each selection for next to work. To forward through each selection press the right SEEK arrow. The sound will mute while seeking.

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3 REV (Reverse): Press this pushbutton to reverse the tape rapidly. Press it again to return to playing speed. The radio will play the last selected station while the tape reverses. The station frequency and REV will appear on the display. You may select stations during reverse operation by using TUNE and the SEEK arrows. 4 FWD (Forward): Press this pushbutton to advance quickly to another part of the tape. Press the pushbutton again to return to playing speed. The radio will play the last selected station while the tape advances. The station frequency and FWD will appear on the display. You may select stations during forward operation by using TUNE and the SEEK arrows. 5 SIDE: Press this pushbutton to play the other side of the tape. 6 D (Dolby): Press this pushbutton to reduce background noise. The double-D symbol will appear on the display. Dolby Noise Reduction is manufactured under a license from Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation. Dolby and the double-D symbol are trademarks of Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation.

A SEEK ": If the right or left arrow is held or pressed more than once, the player will continue moving forward or backward through the tape. SEEK and a positive or negative number will appear on the display. BAND: Press this button to listen to the radio when a tape is playing. The tape will stop but remain in the player. TAPE AUX (Auxiliary): Press this button to play a cassette tape when listening to the radio. The inactive tape will remain safely inside the radio for future listening.

EJT (Eject): Press this button to stop a tape when it is playing or to eject a tape when it is not playing. Eject may be activated with the radio off. Cassette tapes may be loaded with the radio off if this button is pressed first.

Cassette Tape Messages CHK TAPE (Check Tape): If this message appears on the radio display, the tape won’t play because of one of the following errors. D The tape is tight and the player can’t turn the tape

hubs. Remove the tape. Hold the tape with the open end down and try to turn the right hub counterclockwise with a pencil. Turn the tape over and repeat. If the hubs do not turn easily, your tape may be damaged and should not be used in the player. Try a new tape to make sure your player is working properly.

D The tape is broken. Try a new tape. D The tape is wrapped around the tape head.

Attempt to get the cassette out. Try a new tape.

CLEAN: If this message appears on the display, the cassette tape player needs to be cleaned. It will still play tapes, but you should clean it as soon as possible to prevent damage to the tapes and player. See “Care of Your Cassette Tape Player” in the Index. If any error occurs repeatedly or if an error can’t be corrected, contact your dealer.

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CD Adapter Kits It is possible to use a portable CD player adapter kit with your cassette tape player after activating the bypass feature on your tape player. To activate the bypass feature, use the following steps: 1. Turn the radio off. 2. Press and hold the TAPE AUX button for five

seconds. READY will appear on the display for five seconds, indicating the feature is active.

3. Insert the adapter into the cassette slot. It will

power up the radio and begin playing.

This override routine will remain active until EJT is pressed.

AM-FM Stereo with Compact Disc Player with Radio Data System (RDS) and Automatic Tone Control (If Equipped)

Playing the Radio PWR (Power): Press this knob to turn the system on and off. A VOL " (Volume): Turn the knob clockwise to increase volume. Turn it counterclockwise to decrease volume.

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AUTO VOL (Automatic Volume): With automatic volume, your audio system adjusts automatically to make up for road and wind noise as you drive. Set the volume at the desired level. Press this button to select LOW, MEDIUM or HIGH. AVOL will appear on the display. The volume level should always sound the same to you as you drive. Each higher volume setting allows for more volume compensation at faster vehicle speeds. Then as you drive, automatic volume increases the volume as necessary to overcome noise at any speed. NONE will appear on the display if the radio cannot determine the vehicle speed. If you don’t want to use automatic volume, select OFF. DISP (Display): Press this knob when the ignition is off to display the clock.

Finding a Station BAND: Press this button to switch between AM, FM1 and FM2. The display shows your selection. A TUNE ": Turn this knob to choose radio stations. A SEEK ": Press the right or left arrow to seek to the next or previous station and stay there. The radio will seek to stations with a strong signal only. The sound will mute while seeking. A PSCAN " (Preset Scan): Press and hold one of the arrows for more than two seconds and the radio will produce one beep. The radio will scan to the first preset station stored on your pushbuttons, play for a few seconds and flash the station frequency, then go on to the next preset station. Press one of the arrows or one of the pushbuttons again to stop scanning. SCAN will be displayed whenever the tuner is in the preset scan mode. The channel number (P1 through P6) will appear with the frequency. In FM mode, this function will scan through the current band such as FM1 or FM2. The radio will scan preset stations with a strong signal only. The sound will mute while scanning.

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Setting Preset Stations The six numbered pushbuttons let you return to your favorite stations. You can set up to 18 stations (six AM, six FM1 and six FM2) by performing the following steps: 1. Turn the radio on. 2. Press BAND to select AM, FM1 or FM2. 3. Tune in the desired station. 4. Press AUTO TONE to choose the bass and treble

equalization that best suits the type of station you are listening to.

5. Press and hold one of the six numbered pushbuttons.

The radio will produce one beep. Whenever you press that numbered pushbutton, the station you set will return and the bass and treble equalization that you selected will also be automatically selected for that pushbutton.

6. Repeat the steps for each pushbutton.

Setting the Tone (Bass/Treble) AUDIO: Push and release the AUDIO knob until BASS or TREB appears on the display. Turn the knob clockwise or counterclockwise to increase or decrease. The display will show the bass or treble level. If a station is weak or noisy, you may want to decrease the treble. To adjust bass and treble to the middle position, push and hold the AUDIO knob. The radio will produce one beep and adjust the display level to the middle position. To adjust all tone and speaker controls to the middle position, push and hold the AUDIO knob when no tone or speaker control is displayed. You will hear one beep and the radio will display ALL. The bass and treble will be adjusted to the middle position. AUTO TONE: This feature allows you to choose preset bass and treble equalization settings designed for country/western, jazz, talk, pop, rock and classical stations. Each time you press the AUTO TONE button, this feature will switch to one of these program types. To return the bass and treble to the manual mode, push and release the AUDIO knob until the display goes blank.

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Adjusting the Speakers (Balance/Fade) AUDIO: To adjust the balance between the right and left speakers, push and release the AUDIO knob until BAL appears on the display. Turn the knob clockwise to move the sound to the right speakers and counterclockwise to move the sound to the left speakers. To adjust the fade, push and release the AUDIO knob until FADE appears on the display. Turn the knob clockwise to move the sound to the front speakers and counterclockwise to move the sound to the rear speakers. To adjust the balance and fade to the middle position, push the AUDIO knob, then push it again and hold it until you hear one beep. The balance and fade will be adjusted to the middle position and the display will show the speaker balance. To adjust all tone and speaker controls to the middle position, push and hold the AUDIO knob when no tone or speaker control is displayed. The radio will produce one beep and display ALL with the level display in the middle position.

Using RDS Your audio system is equipped with a Radio Data System (RDS). RDS is a system that receives data along with the audio of the FM station you are currently tuned to. You can use RDS to display program information and to control your radio. With RDS your radio can do the following: D Seek only to stations with the types of programs

you want to listen to,

D seek to stations with traffic announcements, D receive announcements concerning local and

national emergencies, and

D receive and display messages from radio stations. RDS features are only available on FM stations which broadcast RDS information. The RDS features of your radio rely on receiving specific RDS information from these stations. These features will only work when the RDS information is available. In rare cases, a radio station may broadcast incorrect information that will cause the radio features to work improperly. If this happens, contact the radio station.

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Finding a PTY Preset Station P-TYPE LIST (Program Type): Turn this knob clockwise or counterclockwise to select the Program Type (PTY) you want to listen to. TYPE and a PTY will appear on the display. Press the SEEK TYPE button and the radio will seek to the first RDS broadcaster of the selected program type. If the radio cannot find the desired program type, NONE will appear on the display and the radio will return to the last station you were listening to. BAND (Alternate Frequency): Alternate frequency allows the radio to switch to a stronger station with the same program type. Press and hold BAND for two seconds to turn alternate frequency on. AF ON will appear on the display. The radio may switch to stronger stations. Press and hold BAND again for two seconds to turn alternate frequency off. AF OFF will appear on the display. The radio will not switch to other stations. When you turn the ignition off and then on again, the alternate frequency feature will automatically be turned on.

When you are tuned to an RDS station, the station name will appear on the display, instead of the frequency. Most RDS stations provide their station name, the time of day and a Program Type (PTY) for their current programming. Some stations also provide the name of the current program.

Finding RDS Stations To find RDS stations, perform the following steps: 1. Press the SEEK TYPE button or turn the P-TYPE

LIST knob to display the program type list.

2. Turn the knob either clockwise or counterclockwise

to select a program type. The list is alphabetical. If you select ANY TYPE your radio will seek to the first PTY available.

3. Press the SEEK TYPE button to activate search. DISP (Display): Press this knob to change what appears on the display while using RDS. Pressing this knob will also display an RDS station frequency or program type when the radio is on. The display options are station name, station frequency, PTY and the name of the program (if available). Pressing and holding this knob will activate the RDS default display.

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SEEK TYPE: Press this button to go to a station with the last selected PTY; TYPE and the last selected PTY will appear on the display, if it is not already showing. Press TYPE a second time to seek. If a station with the selected PTY is not found, the radio will return to the original station and display NONE.

RDS Messages ALERT!: Alert warns of national or local emergencies. You will not be able to turn off alert announcements. ALERT! appears on the display when an alert announcement plays. When an alert announcement comes on the current radio station, you will hear it, even if the volume is muted or a compact disc is playing. If the compact disc player is playing, play will stop for the announcement and resume when the announcement is finished. This function will only work during actual emergency broadcasts, and will not work during tests of the emergency broadcast system. This feature is not supported by all RDS stations.

INFO (Information): If the current station has a message, the information symbol will appear on the display. These text messages are from the RDS broadcaster to the listening public and may be general information such as artist and song title, call in phone numbers, etc. Press this button to see the message. If the whole message does not appear on the display, parts of the message will appear every three seconds until the message is completed. To scroll through the message at your own speed, press the INFO button again for less than one second. A new group of words will appear on the display. Once the complete message has been displayed, the information symbol will disappear from the display until another new message is received. The old message can be displayed by pressing the INFO button until a new message is received or a different station is tuned to. When a message is not available from an FM station, NO INFO will be displayed.

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TRAF (Traffic): Press this button to receive traffic announcements. If the current station does not broadcast traffic announcements, the radio will seek to a station that does. The traffic symbol will flash on the display. When the radio finds a station that broadcasts traffic announcements, it will stop. If no station is found, NO TRAF will appear on the display. Your radio can be programmed to interrupt the playback of a CD or FM station by enabling the traffic interrupt feature. Press the TRAF button once to seek to an RDS station that supports the traffic interrupt feature if the current station does not. The traffic symbol will flash on the display when seeking for a station that supports traffic interrupt. When the traffic interrupt feature is on, TRAF will appear on the display. When a traffic announcement comes on the current radio station, you will hear it, even if the volume is muted or a compact disc is playing. The traffic symbol and TRAFFIC will appear on the display while the traffic announcement plays. If the compact disc player was being used, the compact disc will stay in the player and resume play at the point where it stopped.

Radio Messages CAL ERR (Calibration Error): This message is displayed when the radio has not been calibrated properly for the vehicle. You must return to the dealership for service. LOCKED: This message is displayed when the THEFTLOCKR system has locked up. You must return to the dealership for service. If any error occurs repeatedly or if an error can’t be corrected, contact your dealer.

Playing a Compact Disc Insert a disc partway into the slot, label side up. The player will pull it in and the disc should begin playing. The display will show the CD symbol. If you want to insert a compact disc with the ignition off, first press DISP or EJT. If an error appears on the display, see “Compact Disc Messages” later in this section.

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1 PREV (Previous): Press this pushbutton to go to the previous track if the current track has been playing for less than eight seconds. If this pushbutton is pressed and the current track has been playing for more than eight seconds, it will go to the beginning of the current track. TRACK and the track number will appear on the display. If you hold this pushbutton or press it more than once, the player will continue moving back through the disc. The sound will mute while seeking. 2 NEXT: Press this pushbutton to go to the next track. TRACK and the track number will appear on the display. If you hold this pushbutton or press it more than once, the player will continue moving forward through the disc. The sound will mute while seeking. 3 REV (Reverse): Press and hold this pushbutton to reverse quickly within a track. Press and hold this pushbutton for less than two seconds to reverse at six times the normal playing speed. Press and hold it for more than two seconds to reverse at 17 times the normal playing speed. Release it to play the track. The display will show ET and the elapsed time.

4 FWD (Forward): Press and hold this pushbutton to advance quickly within a track. Press and hold this pushbutton for less than two seconds to advance at six times the normal playing speed. Press and hold it for more than two seconds to advance at 17 times the normal playing speed. Release it to play the track. The display will show ET and the elapsed time. 6 RDM (Random): Press this pushbutton to hear the tracks in random, rather than sequential, order. RDM ON will appear on the display. RDM T and the track number will appear on the display when each track starts to play. Press RDM again to turn off random play. RDM OFF will appear on the display. A SEEK ": Press the left arrow to go to the start of the current or previous track. Press the right arrow to go to the start of the next track. If either of the arrows is held or pressed more then once, the player will continue moving backward or forward through the CD.

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DISP (Display): Press this knob to see how long the current track has been playing. ET and the elapsed time will appear on the display. To change what is normally shown on the display (track or elapsed time), press the knob until you see the display you want, then hold the knob for two seconds. The radio will produce one beep. BAND: Press this button to listen to the radio when a CD is playing. The CD will stop but remain in the player. CD AUX (Auxiliary): Press this button to play a CD when listening to the radio. The inactive CD will remain safely inside the radio for future listening.

EJT (Eject): Press this button to stop a CD when

it is playing or to eject a CD when it is not playing. Eject may be activated with either the ignition or radio off. CDs may be loaded with the radio and ignition off if this button is pressed first.

Compact Disc Messages If the disc comes out, it could be for one of the following reasons: D If you’re driving on a very rough road. When the

road becomes smooth the disc should play.

D If it’s very hot. When the temperature returns to

normal, the disc should play.

D The disc is upside down. D It is dirty, scratched or wet. D The air is very humid. (If so, wait about an hour

and try again.)

D If the CD is not playing correctly, for any other

reason, try a known good CD.

If any error occurs repeatedly or if an error can’t be corrected, contact your dealer.

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AM-FM Stereo with Cassette Tape and Compact Disc Player with Radio Data System (RDS) and Automatic Tone Control (If Equipped)

Playing the Radio PWR (Power): Press this knob to turn the system on and off. A VOL " (Volume): Turn the knob clockwise to increase volume. Turn it counterclockwise to decrease volume.

AUTO VOL (Automatic Volume): With automatic volume, your audio system adjusts automatically to make up for road and wind noise as you drive. Set the volume at the desired level. Press this button to select LOW, MEDIUM or HIGH. AVOL will appear on the display. The volume level should always sound the same to you as you drive. Each higher volume setting allows for more volume compensation at faster vehicle speeds. Then as you drive, automatic volume increases the volume as necessary to overcome noise at any speed. NONE will appear on the display if the radio cannot determine the vehicle speed. If you don’t want to use automatic volume, select OFF. DISP (Display): Pressing this knob will display the clock. Clock display is available with the ignition turned on or off. Press this knob to display an RDS station frequency or program type when the radio is on.

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Finding a Station BAND: Press this button to switch between AM, FM1 and FM2. The display will show your selection. A TUNE ": Turn this knob to choose radio stations. A SEEK ": Press the right or left arrow to seek to the next or previous station and stay there. The radio will seek to stations with a strong signal only. The sound will mute while seeking. A PSCAN " (Preset Scan): Press and hold one of the arrows for more than two seconds. The radio will produce one beep. The radio will scan through each of the preset stations stored on your pushbuttons, play for a few seconds, then go on to the next preset station. Press one of the arrows or one of the pushbuttons again to stop scanning. SCAN will be displayed whenever the tuner is in the preset scan mode. The channel number (P1 through P6) will appear with the frequency. In FM mode, this function will scan through the current band such as FM1 or FM2. The radio will scan preset stations with a strong signal only. The sound will mute while scanning.

Setting Preset Stations The six numbered pushbuttons let you return to your favorite stations. You can set up to 18 stations (six AM, six FM1 and six FM2) by performing the following steps: 1. Turn the radio on. 2. Press BAND to select AM, FM1 or FM2. 3. Tune in the desired station. 4. Press AUTO TONE to choose the bass and treble equalization that best suits the type of station you are listening to.

5. Press and hold one of the six numbered pushbuttons.

The radio will produce one beep. Whenever you press that numbered pushbutton, the station you set will return and the bass and treble equalization that you selected will also be automatically selected for that pushbutton.

6. Repeat the steps for each pushbutton.

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Setting the Tone (Bass/Treble) AUDIO: Push and release the AUDIO knob until BASS or TREB appears on the display. Turn the knob clockwise or counterclockwise to increase or decrease. The display will show the bass or treble level. If a station is weak or noisy, you may want to decrease the treble. To adjust bass and treble to the middle position, push and hold the AUDIO knob. The radio will produce one beep and adjust the display level to the middle position. To adjust all tone and speaker controls to the middle position, push and hold the AUDIO knob when no tone or speaker control is displayed. The radio will produce one beep and display ALL with the level display in the middle position. AUTO TONE (Automatic): This feature allows you to choose bass and treble equalization settings designed for country/western, jazz, talk, pop, rock and classical stations. Each time you press the AUTO TONE button, this feature will change to one of the preset equalization settings previously listed. To return the bass and treble to the manual mode, push and release the AUDIO knob until MANUAL is displayed.

Adjusting the Speakers (Balance/Fade) AUDIO: To adjust the balance between the right and left speakers, push and release the AUDIO knob until BAL appears on the display. Turn the knob clockwise to move the sound to the right speakers and counterclockwise to move the sound to the left speakers. To adjust the fade between the front and rear speakers, push and release the AUDIO knob until FADE appears on the display. Turn the knob clockwise to move the sound to the front speakers and counterclockwise to move the sound to the rear speakers. The middle position balances the sound between the speakers. To adjust the balance and fade to the middle position, push the AUDIO knob then push it again and hold it until you hear one beep. The balance and fade will be adjusted to the middle position and the display will show the speaker balance. To adjust all tone and speaker controls to the middle position, push and hold the AUDIO knob when no tone or speaker control is displayed. The radio will produce one beep and display ALL with the level display in the middle position.

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When you are tuned to an RDS station, the station name will appear on the display, instead of the frequency. Most RDS stations provide their station name, the time of day and a Program Type (PTY) for their current programming. Some stations also provide the name of the current program.

Finding RDS Stations To find RDS stations perform the following steps: 1. Push the SEEK TYPE button or turn the P-TYPE

LIST knob to display the program type list.

2. Turn the P-TYPE LIST knob either clockwise or

counterclockwise to select a program type. The list is alphabetical. If you select ANY TYPE your radio will seek to the first PTY available.

3. Push the SEEK TYPE button to activate search.

Using RDS Your audio system is equipped with a Radio Data System (RDS). RDS is a system that receives data along with the audio of the FM station you are currently tuned to. You can use RDS to display program information and to control your radio. With RDS, the radio can do the following: D Seek only to stations with the types of programs

you want to listen to,

D seek to stations with traffic announcements, D receive announcements concerning local and

national emergencies, and

D receive and display messages from radio stations. RDS features are only available on FM stations that broadcast RDS information. The RDS features of your radio rely on receiving specific RDS information from these stations. These features will only work when the RDS information is available. In rare cases, a radio station may broadcast incorrect information that will cause the radio features to work improperly. If this happens, contact the radio station.

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A VOL " (Volume): Turn this knob clockwise to increase volume when RDS interrupts regular play. Turn it counterclockwise to decrease volume. DISP (Display): Press this knob to change what appears on the display while using RDS. Pressing this knob will also display an RDS station frequency or program type when the radio is on. The display options are station name, station frequency, PTY and the name of the program (if available). Pressing and holding this knob will activate the RDS default display.

Finding a PTY Station P-TYPE LIST (Program Type): Turn this knob clockwise or counterclockwise to select the Program Type (PTY) you want to listen to. TYPE and a PTY will appear on the display. Press the SEEK TYPE button and the radio will seek to the first RDS broadcaster of the selected program type. If the radio cannot find the desired program type, NONE will appear on the display and the radio will return to the last station you were listening to.

BAND (Alternate Frequency): Alternate frequency allows the radio to switch to a stronger station with the same program type. Press and hold BAND for two seconds to turn alternate frequency on. AF ON will appear on the display. The radio may switch to stronger stations. Press and hold BAND again for two seconds to turn alternate frequency off. AF OFF will appear on the display. The radio will not switch to other stations. When you turn the ignition off and then on again, the alternate frequency feature will automatically be turned on. SEEK TYPE: Press this button to go to a station with the last selected PTY; TYPE and the last selected PTY will appear on the display, if it is not already showing. Press SEEK TYPE a second time to seek. If a station with the selected PTY is not found, the radio will return to the original station and display NONE.

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RDS Messages ALERT!: Alert warns of national or local emergencies. You will not be able to turn off alert announcements. ALERT! appears on the display when an alert announcement plays. When an alert announcement comes on the current radio station, you will hear it, even if the volume is muted or a cassette tape or compact disc is playing. If the cassette tape or compact disc player is playing, play will stop for the announcement and resume when the announcement is finished. This function will only work during actual emergency broadcasts, and will not work during tests of the emergency broadcast system. This feature is not supported by all RDS stations. INFO (Information): If the current station has a message, the information symbol will appear on the display. These text messages are from the RDS broadcaster to the listening public and may be general information such as artist and song title, call in phone numbers, etc. Press this button to see the message. If the whole message does not appear on the display, parts of the message will appear every three seconds until the message is completed. To scroll through the message at your own speed, press the INFO button again for less than one second.

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A new group of words will appear on the display. Once the complete message has been displayed, the information symbol will disappear from the display until another new message is received. The old message can be displayed by pressing the INFO button until a new message is received or a different station is tuned to. When a message is not available from an FM station, NO INFO will be displayed. TRAF (Traffic): Press this button to receive traffic announcements. If the current station does not broadcast traffic announcements, the radio will seek to a station that does. The traffic symbol will flash on the display. When the radio finds a station that broadcasts traffic announcements, it will stop. If no station is found, NO TRAF will appear on the display. Your radio can be programmed to interrupt the playback of a cassette tape, CD or FM radio by enabling the traffic interrupt feature. Press the TRAF button once to seek to an RDS station that supports the traffic interrupt feature if the current station does not. The traffic symbol will flash on the display when seeking for a station that supports traffic interrupt. When the traffic interrupt feature is on, TRAF will appear on the display.

When a traffic announcement comes on the current radio station, you will hear it, even if the volume is muted or a cassette tape or compact disc is playing. The traffic symbol and TRAFFIC will appear on the display while the traffic announcement plays. If the cassette tape or compact disc player was being used, the tape or compact disc will stay in the player and resume play at the point where it stopped.

Radio Messages CAL ERR (Calibration Error): This message is displayed when the radio has not been calibrated properly for the vehicle. You must return to the dealership for service. LOCKED: This message is displayed when the THEFTLOCKR system has locked up. You must return to the dealership for service.

Playing a Cassette Tape Your tape player is built to work best with tapes that are up to 30 to 45 minutes long on each side. Tapes longer than that are so thin they may not work well in this player. The longer side with the tape visible should face to the right. If the ignition is on, but the radio is off, the tape can be inserted and will begin playing. A tape symbol is shown on the display whenever a tape is inserted. If you hear nothing but a garbled sound, the tape may not be in squarely. Press EJT to remove the tape and start over. While the tape is playing, use the VOL, AUDIO and SEEK controls just as you do for the radio. The display will show TAPE and an arrow showing which side of the tape is playing. If you want to insert a tape when the ignition is off, first press EJT or DISP. If an error appears on the display, see “Cassette Tape Messages” later in this section.

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1 PREV (Previous): Press this pushbutton to go to the previous selection on the tape if the selection has been playing for less than three seconds. If this pushbutton is pressed and the current selection has been playing for more than 13 seconds, it will go to the beginning of the current selection. If this pushbutton is pressed and the current selection has been playing from 3 to 13 seconds, it will go to the beginning of the previous selection or the beginning of the current selection, depending upon the position on the tape. SEEK and a -1 will appear on the display while the cassette player is in the previous mode. If this pushbutton is pressed additional times or held, the radio will go to the displayed number of previous selections up to 9. SEEK and a negative number will appear on the display. Your tape must have at least three seconds of silence between each selection for previous to work. The sound will mute while seeking. 2 NEXT: Press this pushbutton to go to the next selection on the tape. If you press the pushbutton more than once, the player will continue moving forward through the tape. SEEK and a positive number will appear on the display. Your tape must have at least three seconds of silence between each selection for next to work. The sound will mute while seeking.

3 REV (Reverse): Press this pushbutton to reverse the tape rapidly. Press it again to return to playing speed. The radio will play the last selected station while the tape reverses. The station frequency and REV will appear on the display. You may select stations during reverse operation by using TUNE, SEEK or PSCAN. 4 FWD (Forward): Press this pushbutton to advance quickly to another part of the tape. Press this pushbutton again to return to playing speed. The radio will play the last selected station while the tape advances. The station frequency and FWD will appear on the display. You may select stations during forward operation by using TUNE, SEEK or PSCAN. 5 (Side): Press this pushbutton to play the other side of the tape. 6 D (Dolby): Press this pushbutton to reduce background noise. NR ON will appear on the display. Press it again to turn Dolby B off. NR OFF will appear on the display. Dolby Noise Reduction is manufactured under a license from Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation. Dolby and the double-D symbol are trademarks of Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation.

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A SEEK ": The right arrow is the same as the NEXT pushbutton, and the left arrow is the same as the PREV pushbutton. If the arrows are held or pressed more than once, the player will continue moving forward or backward through the tape. SEEK and a positive or negative number will appear on the display. BAND: Press this button to listen to the radio when a tape is playing. The tape will stop but remain in the player. TAPE CD: Press this button to play a tape when listening to the radio. Press TAPE CD to switch between the tape and compact disc if both are loaded. The inactive tape or CD will remain safely inside the radio for future listening.

EJT (Eject): Press this button, located to the right of the cassette tape slot, to stop a tape when it is playing or to eject a tape when it is not playing. Eject may be activated with the radio off. Cassette tapes may be loaded with the radio off if this button is pressed first.

Cassette Tape Messages CHK TAPE (Check Tape): If this message appears on the radio display, the tape won’t play because of one of the following errors. D The tape is tight and the player can’t turn the tape

hubs. Remove the tape. Hold the tape with the open end down and try to turn the right hub counterclockwise with a pencil. Turn the tape over and repeat. If the hubs do not turn easily, your tape may be damaged and should not be used in the player. Try a new tape to make sure your player is working properly.

D The tape is broken. Try a new tape. D The tape is wrapped around the tape head.

Attempt to get the cassette out. Try a new tape.

CLEAN: If this message appears on the display, the cassette tape player needs to be cleaned. It will still play tapes, but you should clean it as soon as possible to prevent damage to the tapes and player. See “Care of Your Cassette Tape Player” in the Index. If any error occurs repeatedly or if an error can’t be corrected, contact your dealer.

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1 PREV (Previous): Press this pushbutton to go to the previous track if the current track has been playing for less than eight seconds. If this pushbutton is pressed and the current track has been playing for more than eight seconds, it will go to the beginning of the current track. TRACK and the track number will appear on the display. If you hold this pushbutton or press it more than once, the player will continue moving back through the disc. The sound will mute while seeking. 2 NEXT: Press this pushbutton to go to the next track. TRACK and the track number will appear on the display. If you hold this pushbutton or press it more than once, the player will continue moving forward through the disc. The sound will mute while seeking. 3 REV (Reverse): Press and hold this pushbutton to reverse quickly within a track. Press and hold this pushbutton for less than two seconds to reverse at six times the normal playing speed. Press and hold it for more than two seconds to reverse at 17 times the normal playing speed. Release it to play the passage. The display will show ET and the elapsed time.

CD Adapter Kits It is possible to use a portable CD player adapter kit with your cassette tape player after disabling the tight/loose tape sensing feature on your tape player. To disable the feature, use the following steps: 1. Turn the radio off. 2. Press and hold the TAPE CD button. The radio will display READY and flash the cassette icon.

3. Insert the adapter into the cassette slot. It will

power up the radio and begin playing.

This override routine will remain active until EJT is pressed.

Playing a Compact Disc Insert a disc partway into the slot, label side up. The player will pull it in and the disc should begin playing. The display will show the CD symbol. If you want to insert a compact disc with the ignition off, first press DISP or EJT. If an error appears on the display, see “Compact Disc Messages” later in this section.

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4 FWD (Forward): Press and hold this pushbutton to advance quickly within a track. Press and hold this pushbutton for less than two seconds to advance at six times the normal playing speed. Press and hold it for more than two seconds to advance at 17 times the normal playing speed. Release it to play the passage. The display will show ET and the elapsed time. 6 RDM (Random): Press this pushbutton to hear the tracks in random, rather than sequential, order. RDM ON will appear on the display. RDM T and the track number will appear on the display when each track starts to play. Press it again to turn off random play. RDM OFF will appear on the display. A SEEK ": The right arrow is the same as the NEXT pushbutton, and the left arrow is the same as the PREV pushbutton. If either of the SEEK arrows is held or pressed more then once, the player will continue moving backward or forward through the CD. DISP (Display): Press this knob to see how long the current track has been playing. ET and the elapsed time will appear on the display. To change what is normally shown on the display (track or elapsed time), press this knob until you see the display you want, then hold this knob for two seconds. The radio will produce one beep.

BAND: Press this button to listen to the radio when a disc is playing. The disc will stop but remain in the player. TAPE CD: Press this button to play a CD when listening to the radio. Press TAPE CD to switch between the tape and compact disc if both are loaded. The inactive tape or CD will remain safely inside the radio for future listening.

EJT (Eject): Press this button, located to the right of the CD slot, to eject a CD. Eject may be activated with either the ignition or radio off. CDs may be loaded with the radio and ignition off if this button is pressed first.

Theft-Deterrent Feature THEFTLOCKR is designed to discourage theft of your radio. The feature works automatically by learning a portion of the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN). If the radio is moved to a different vehicle, it will not operate and LOC will be displayed. When the ignition is off and RAP is not active, the blinking red light indicates that THEFTLOCK is armed. With THEFTLOCK activated, your radio will not operate if stolen.

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SEEK TYPE: Press this button to go to a station with the last selected PTY TYPE and the last selected PTY will appear on the display, if it is not already showing. If a station with the selected PTY is not found, the radio will return to the original station. If both SEEK TYPE and TRAF are on, the radio will search for stations with traffic announcements and the selected PTY. PRESET: Press this button to play a station you have programmed on the radio preset pushbuttons. MODE: Press this button to choose AM, FM1 or FM2. If a cassette tape or compact disc is playing, it will stop and the radio will play. MUTE: Press this button to silence the system. Press it again to turn on the sound. Y VOL B: Press the up or down arrow to increase or decrease volume.

Audio Steering Wheel Controls (If Equipped) If your vehicle has this feature, you can control certain radio functions using the buttons on your steering wheel.

Y SEEK B: Press the up or down arrow to seek to the next or previous radio station. If a cassette tape or compact disc is playing, the player will advance with the up arrow and reverse with the down arrow. Holding SEEK for three seconds or more will activate the PSCAN mode.

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Understanding Radio Reception

AM The range for most AM stations is greater than for FM, especially at night. The longer range, however, can cause stations to interfere with each other. AM can pick up noise from things like storms and power lines. Try reducing the treble to reduce this noise if you ever get it.

FM Stereo FM stereo will give you the best sound, but FM signals will reach only about 10 to 40 miles (16 to 65 km). Tall buildings or hills can interfere with FM signals, causing the sound to come and go. Tips About Your Audio System Hearing damage from loud noise is almost undetectable until it is too late. Your hearing can adapt to higher volumes of sound. Sound that seems normal can be loud and harmful to your hearing. Take precautions by adjusting the volume control on your radio to a safe sound level before your hearing adapts to it.

To help avoid hearing loss or damage do the following: 1. Adjust the volume knob to the lowest setting. 2. Increase volume slowly until you hear comfortably

and clearly.

NOTICE:

Before you add any sound equipment to your vehicle -- like a tape player, CB radio, mobile telephone or two-way radio -- be sure you can add what you want. If you can, it’s very important to do it properly. Added sound equipment may interfere with the operation of your vehicle’s engine, Delphi Electronics radio or other systems, and even damage them. Your vehicle’s systems may interfere with the operation of sound equipment that has been added improperly. So, before adding sound equipment, check with your dealer and be sure to check federal rules covering mobile radio and telephone units.

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Care of Your Cassette Tape Player A tape player that is not cleaned regularly can cause reduced sound quality, ruined cassettes or a damaged mechanism. Cassette tapes should be stored in their cases away from contaminants, direct sunlight and extreme heat. If they aren’t, they may not operate properly or may cause failure of the tape player. Your tape player should be cleaned regularly after every 50 hours of use. Your radio may display CLEAN to indicate that you have used your tape player for 50 hours without resetting the tape clean timer. If this message appears on the display, your cassette tape player needs to be cleaned. It will still play tapes, but you should clean it as soon as possible to prevent damage to your tapes and player. If you notice a reduction in sound quality, try a known good cassette to see if it is the tape or the tape player at fault. If this other cassette has no improvement in sound quality, clean the tape player. The recommended cleaning method for your cassette tape player is the use of a scrubbing action, non-abrasive cleaning cassette with pads which scrub the tape head as the hubs of the cleaner cassette turn. The recommended cleaning cassette is available through your dealer (GM Part No. 12344789).

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When cleaning the cassette tape player with the recommended non-abrasive cleaning cassette, it is possible that the cassette may eject, because the cut tape detection feature on your radio may recognize it as a broken tape. To prevent the cleaning cassette from being ejected, use the following steps: 1. Turn the ignition to ON or ACC. 2. Turn the radio off. 3. Press and hold the TAPE CD or the TAPE AUX button for five seconds. READY will appear on the display and a cassette symbol will flash for five seconds.

4. Insert the scrubbing action cleaning cassette. 5. Eject the cleaning cassette after the manufacturer’s

recommended cleaning time.

When the cleaning cassette has been ejected, the broken tape detection feature is active again. You may also choose a non-scrubbing action, wet-type cleaner which uses a cassette with a fabric belt to clean the tape head. This type of cleaning cassette will not eject on its own. A non-scrubbing action cleaner may not clean as thoroughly as the scrubbing type cleaner. The use of a non-scrubbing action, dry-type cleaning cassette is not recommended.

After you clean the player, press and hold the EJT button for five seconds to reset the CLEAN indicator. The radio will display CLEANED to show the indicator was reset. Cassettes are subject to wear and the sound quality may degrade over time. Always make sure the cassette tape is in good condition before you have your tape player serviced. Care of Your Compact Discs Handle discs carefully. Store them in their original cases or other protective cases and away from direct sunlight and dust. If the surface of a disc is soiled, dampen a clean, soft cloth in a mild, neutral detergent solution and clean it, wiping from the center to the edge. Be sure never to touch the side without writing when handling discs. Pick up discs by grasping the outer edges or the edge of the hole and the outer edge.

Care of Your Compact Disc Player The use of CD lens cleaner discs is not advised, due to the risk of contaminating the lens of the CD optics with lubricants internal to the CD mechanism. Backglass Antenna Your AM-FM antenna is integrated with your rear window defogger, located in the rear window. Be sure that the inside surface of the rear window is not scratched and that the lines on the glass are not damaged. If the inside surface is damaged, it could interfere with radio reception.

NOTICE:

Do not try to clear frost or other material from the inside of the rear window with a razor blade or anything else that is sharp. This may damage the rear defogger grid and affect your radio’s ability to pick up stations clearly. The repairs wouldn’t be covered by your warranty.

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Because this antenna is built into your rear window, there is a reduced risk of damage caused by car washes and vandals. If you choose to add a cellular telephone to your vehicle, and the antenna needs to be attached to the glass, be sure that you do not damage the grid lines for the AM-FM antenna. There is enough space between the lines to attach a cellular telephone antenna without interfering with radio reception. Vehicle Customization Settings Your audio system can be used to control vehicle customization settings using the DISP button when the radio is off. See “Vehicle Customization Settings” in the Index for more information.

Chime Level Adjustment Chime level adjustment is only available on RDS radios. The radio is the vehicle chime producer. The chime is produced from the driver’s side front door speakers. To change the volume level, press and hold pushbutton 6
with the ignition on and the radio power off. The chime volume level will change from the normal level to loud, and LOUD will be displayed on the radio. To change back to the default or normal setting, press and hold pushbutton 6 again. The chime level will change from the loud level to normal, and NORMAL will be displayed. Each time the chime volume is changed, three chimes will sound as an example of the new volume selected. Removing the radio and not replacing it with a factory radio or chime module will disable vehicle chimes.

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Section 4 Your Driving and the Road

Here you’ll find information about driving on different kinds of roads and in varying weather conditions. We’ve also included many other useful tips on driving.

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Defensive Driving Drunken Driving Control of a Vehicle Braking Traction Control System (3800 V6 Engine) Steering Off-Road Recovery Passing Loss of Control Driving at Night

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Driving in Rain and on Wet Roads City Driving Freeway Driving Before Leaving on a Long Trip Highway Hypnosis Hill and Mountain Roads Winter Driving Recreational Vehicle Towing Loading Your Vehicle Towing a Trailer

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Defensive driving really means “be ready for anything.” On city streets, rural roads or freeways, it means “always expect the unexpected.” Assume that pedestrians or other drivers are going to be careless and make mistakes. Anticipate what they might do. Be ready for their mistakes. Rear-end collisions are about the most preventable of accidents. Yet they are common. Allow enough following distance. It’s the best defensive driving maneuver, in both city and rural driving. You never know when the vehicle in front of you is going to brake or turn suddenly. Defensive driving requires that a driver concentrate on the driving task. Anything that distracts from the driving task -- such as concentrating on a cellular telephone call, reading, or reaching for something on the floor -- makes proper defensive driving more difficult and can even cause a collision, with resulting injury. Ask a passenger to help do things like this, or pull off the road in a safe place to do them yourself. These simple defensive driving techniques could save your life.

Defensive Driving The best advice anyone can give about driving is: Drive defensively. Please start with a very important safety device in your vehicle: Buckle up. See “Safety Belts” in the Index.

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Drunken Driving Death and injury associated with drinking and driving is a national tragedy. It’s the number one contributor to the highway death toll, claiming thousands of victims every year. Alcohol affects four things that anyone needs to drive a vehicle: D Judgment D Muscular Coordination D Vision D Attentiveness. Police records show that almost half of all motor vehicle-related deaths involve alcohol. In most cases, these deaths are the result of someone who was drinking and driving. In recent years, about 16,000 annual motor vehicle-related deaths have been associated with the use of alcohol, with more than 300,000 people injured. Many adults -- by some estimates, nearly half the adult population -- choose never to drink alcohol, so they never drive after drinking. For persons under 21, it’s against the law in every U.S. state to drink alcohol. There are good medical, psychological and developmental reasons for these laws.

The obvious way to solve the leading highway safety problem is for people never to drink alcohol and then drive. But what if people do? How much is “too much” if the driver plans to drive? It’s a lot less than many might think. Although it depends on each person and situation, here is some general information on the problem. The Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) of someone who is drinking depends upon four things: D The amount of alcohol consumed D The drinker’s body weight D The amount of food that is consumed before and

during drinking

D The length of time it has taken the drinker to

consume the alcohol.

According to the American Medical Association, a 180-lb. (82 kg) person who drinks three 12-ounce (355 ml) bottles of beer in an hour will end up with a BAC of about 0.06 percent. The person would reach the same BAC by drinking three 4-ounce (120 ml) glasses of wine or three mixed drinks if each had 1-1/2 ounces (45 ml) of a liquor like whiskey, gin or vodka.

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Since alcohol is carried in body water, this means that a woman generally will reach a higher BAC level than a man of her same body weight when each has the same number of drinks. The law in an increasing number of U.S. states, and throughout Canada, sets the legal limit at 0.08 percent. In some other countries, the limit is even lower. For example, it is 0.05 percent in both France and Germany. The BAC limit for all commercial drivers in the United States is 0.04 percent. The BAC will be over 0.10 percent after three to six drinks (in one hour). Of course, as we’ve seen, it depends on how much alcohol is in the drinks, and how quickly the person drinks them. But the ability to drive is affected well below a BAC of 0.10 percent. Research shows that the driving skills of many people are impaired at a BAC approaching 0.05 percent, and that the effects are worse at night. All drivers are impaired at BAC levels above 0.05 percent. Statistics show that the chance of being in a collision increases sharply for drivers who have a BAC of 0.05 percent or above. A driver with a BAC level of 0.06 percent has doubled his or her chance of having a collision. At a BAC level of 0.10 percent, the chance of this driver having a collision is 12 times greater; at a level of 0.15 percent, the chance is 25 times greater!

It’s the amount of alcohol that counts. For example, if the same person drank three double martinis (3 ounces or 90 ml of liquor each) within an hour, the person’s BAC would be close to 0.12 percent. A person who consumes food just before or during drinking will have a somewhat lower BAC level. There is a gender difference, too. Women generally have a lower relative percentage of body water than men.

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The body takes about an hour to rid itself of the alcohol in one drink. No amount of coffee or number of cold showers will speed that up. “I’ll be careful” isn’t the right answer. What if there’s an emergency, a need to take sudden action, as when a child darts into the street? A person with even a moderate BAC might not be able to react quickly enough to avoid the collision. There’s something else about drinking and driving that many people don’t know. Medical research shows that alcohol in a person’s system can make crash injuries worse, especially injuries to the brain, spinal cord or heart. This means that when anyone who has been drinking -- driver or passenger -- is in a crash, that person’s chance of being killed or permanently disabled is higher than if the person had not been drinking.

CAUTION:

Drinking and then driving is very dangerous. Your reflexes, perceptions, attentiveness and judgment can be affected by even a small amount of alcohol. You can have a serious -- or even fatal -- collision if you drive after drinking. Please don’t drink and drive or ride with a driver who has been drinking. Ride home in a cab; or if you’re with a group, designate a driver who will not drink.

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Control of a Vehicle You have three systems that make your vehicle go where you want it to go. They are the brakes, the steering and the accelerator. All three systems have to do their work at the places where the tires meet the road.

Sometimes, as when you’re driving on snow or ice, it’s easy to ask more of those control systems than the tires and road can provide. That means you can lose control of your vehicle. Also see “Traction Control System” in the Index.

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Braking Braking action involves perception time and reaction time. First, you have to decide to push on the brake pedal. That’s perception time. Then you have to bring up your foot and do it. That’s reaction time. Average reaction time is about 3/4 of a second. But that’s only an average. It might be less with one driver and as long as two or three seconds or more with another. Age, physical condition, alertness, coordination and eyesight all play a part. So do alcohol, drugs and frustration. But even in 3/4 of a second, a vehicle moving at 60 mph (100 km/h) travels 66 feet (20 m). That could be a lot of distance in an emergency, so keeping enough space between your vehicle and others is important. And, of course, actual stopping distances vary greatly with the surface of the road (whether it’s pavement or gravel); the condition of the road (wet, dry, icy); tire tread; the condition of your brakes; the weight of the vehicle and the amount of brake force applied.

Avoid needless heavy braking. Some people drive in spurts -- heavy acceleration followed by heavy braking -- rather than keeping pace with traffic. This is a mistake. Your brakes may not have time to cool between hard stops. Your brakes will wear out much faster if you do a lot of heavy braking. If you keep pace with the traffic and allow realistic following distances, you will eliminate a lot of unnecessary braking. That means better braking and longer brake life. If your engine ever stops while you’re driving, brake normally but don’t pump your brakes. If you do, the pedal may get harder to push down. If your engine stops, you will still have some power brake assist. But you will use it when you brake. Once the power assist is used up, it may take longer to stop and the brake pedal will be harder to push.

Anti-Lock Brake System (If Equipped) Your vehicle may have anti-lock brakes. ABS is an advanced electronic braking system that will help prevent a braking skid.

If your vehicle has anti-lock brakes, this warning light on the instrument panel will come on briefly when you start your vehicle.

When you start your engine, or when you begin to drive away, your anti-lock brake system will check itself. You may hear a momentary motor or clicking noise while this test is going on, and you may even notice that your brake pedal moves or pulses a little. This is normal. If there’s a problem with the anti-lock brake system, the anti-lock brake system warning light will stay on. See “Anti-Lock Brake System Warning Light” in the Index.

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The anti-lock system can change the brake pressure faster than any driver could. The computer is programmed to make the most of available tire and road conditions. This can help you steer around the obstacle while braking hard.

Let’s say the road is wet and you’re driving safely. Suddenly, an animal jumps out in front of you. You slam on the brakes and continue braking. Here’s what happens with ABS: A computer senses that wheels are slowing down. If one of the wheels is about to stop rolling, the computer will separately work the brakes at each front wheel and at both rear wheels.

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As you brake, your computer keeps receiving updates on wheel speed and controls braking pressure accordingly.

Remember: Anti-lock doesn’t change the time you need to get your foot up to the brake pedal or always decrease stopping distance. If you get too close to the vehicle in front of you, you won’t have time to apply your brakes if that vehicle suddenly slows or stops. Always leave enough room up ahead to stop, even though you have anti-lock brakes. Using Anti-Lock Don’t pump the brakes. Just hold the brake pedal down firmly and let anti-lock work for you. You may feel a slight brake pedal pulsation or notice some noise, but this is normal. Braking in Emergencies At some time, nearly every driver gets into a situation that requires hard braking. If you have anti-lock, you can steer and brake at the same time. However, if you don’t have anti-lock, your first reaction -- to hit the brake pedal hard and hold it down -- may be the wrong thing to do. Your wheels can stop rolling. Once they do, the vehicle can’t respond to your steering. Momentum will carry it in whatever direction it was headed when the wheels stopped rolling. That could be off the road, into the very thing you were trying to avoid, or into traffic.

If you don’t have anti-lock, use a “squeeze” braking technique. This will give you maximum braking while maintaining steering control. You do this by pushing on the brake pedal with steadily increasing pressure. In an emergency, you will probably want to squeeze the brakes hard without locking the wheels. If you hear or feel the wheels sliding, ease off the brake pedal. This will help you retain steering control. If you do have anti-lock, it’s different. See “Anti-Lock Brakes” in the Index. In many emergencies, steering can help you more than even the very best braking. Traction Control System (3800 V6 Engine) Your vehicle is equipped with a Traction Control System that limits wheel spin. This is especially useful in slippery road conditions. The system operates only if it senses that one or both of the front wheels are spinning or beginning to lose traction. When this happens, the system reduces engine power and may also upshift the transaxle and apply the front brakes to limit wheel spin.

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The Traction Control System operates in all transaxle shift lever positions. But the system can upshift the transaxle only as high as the shift lever position you’ve chosen, so you should use the lower gears only when necessary. See “Automatic Transaxle” in the Index.

When the system is on, this warning light will come on to let you know if there’s a problem.

See “Traction Control System Warning Light” in the Index. When this warning light is on, the system will not limit wheel spin. Adjust your driving accordingly. To limit wheel spin, especially in slippery road conditions, you should always leave the Traction Control System on. But you can turn the system off if you ever need to. You should turn the system off if your vehicle ever gets stuck in sand, mud or snow and rocking the vehicle is required. See “Rocking Your Vehicle” in the Index.

United States

Canada

This light will come on when your Traction Control System is limiting wheel spin. See “Traction Control System Active Light” in the Index. You may feel or hear the system working, but this is normal. If your vehicle is in cruise control when the traction control system begins to limit wheel spin, the cruise control will automatically disengage. When road conditions allow you to safely use it again, you may re-engage the cruise control. See “Cruise Control” in the Index.

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To turn the system on or off, press the TRAC OFF button on the left side of the instrument panel.

When you turn the system off, a chime will sound and the Traction Control System warning light will come on and stay on. If the Traction Control System is limiting wheel spin when you press the button to turn the system off, the warning light will come on and the system will turn off right away. You can turn the system back on at any time by pressing the button again. The Traction Control System warning light should go off.

Steering Power Steering If you lose power steering assist because the engine stops or the system is not functioning, you can steer but it will take much more effort. Steering Tips

Driving on Curves It’s important to take curves at a reasonable speed. A lot of the “driver lost control” accidents mentioned on the news happen on curves. Here’s why: Experienced driver or beginner, each of us is subject to the same laws of physics when driving on curves. The traction of the tires against the road surface makes it possible for the vehicle to change its path when you turn the front wheels. If there’s no traction, inertia will keep the vehicle going in the same direction. If you’ve ever tried to steer a vehicle on wet ice, you’ll understand this. The traction you can get in a curve depends on the condition of your tires and the road surface, the angle at which the curve is banked, and your speed. While you’re in a curve, speed is the one factor you can control.

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Suppose you’re steering through a sharp curve. Then you suddenly apply the brakes. Both control systems -- steering and braking -- have to do their work where the tires meet the road. Unless you have four-wheel anti-lock brakes, adding the hard braking can demand too much of those places. You can lose control. The same thing can happen if you’re steering through a sharp curve and you suddenly accelerate. Those two control systems -- steering and acceleration -- can overwhelm those places where the tires meet the road and make you lose control. What should you do if this ever happens? Ease up on the brake or accelerator pedal, steer the vehicle the way you want it to go, and slow down. Speed limit signs near curves warn that you should adjust your speed. Of course, the posted speeds are based on good weather and road conditions. Under less favorable conditions you’ll want to go slower. If you need to reduce your speed as you approach a curve, do it before you enter the curve, while your front wheels are straight ahead.

Try to adjust your speed so you can “drive” through the curve. Maintain a reasonable, steady speed. Wait to accelerate until you are out of the curve, and then accelerate gently into the straightaway. Steering in Emergencies There are times when steering can be more effective than braking. For example, you come over a hill and find a truck stopped in your lane, or a car suddenly pulls out from nowhere, or a child darts out from between parked cars and stops right in front of you. You can avoid these problems by braking -- if you can stop in time. But sometimes you can’t; there isn’t room. That’s the time for evasive action -- steering around the problem. Your vehicle can perform very well in emergencies like these. First apply your brakes -- but, unless you have anti-lock, not enough to lock your wheels. See “Braking in Emergencies” earlier in this section. It is better to remove as much speed as you can from a possible collision. Then steer around the problem, to the left or right depending on the space available.

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Off-Road Recovery You may find that your right wheels have dropped off the edge of a road onto the shoulder while you’re driving.

An emergency like this requires close attention and a quick decision. If you are holding the steering wheel at the recommended 9 and 3 o’clock positions, you can turn it a full 180 degrees very quickly without removing either hand. But you have to act fast, steer quickly, and just as quickly straighten the wheel once you have avoided the object. The fact that such emergency situations are always possible is a good reason to practice defensive driving at all times and wear safety belts properly.

If the level of the shoulder is only slightly below the pavement, recovery should be fairly easy. Ease off the accelerator and then, if there is nothing in the way, steer so that your vehicle straddles the edge of the pavement. You can turn the steering wheel up to one-quarter turn until the right front tire contacts the pavement edge. Then turn your steering wheel to go straight down the roadway.

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Passing The driver of a vehicle about to pass another on a two-lane highway waits for just the right moment, accelerates, moves around the vehicle ahead, then goes back into the right lane again. A simple maneuver? Not necessarily! Passing another vehicle on a two-lane highway is a potentially dangerous move, since the passing vehicle occupies the same lane as oncoming traffic for several seconds. A miscalculation, an error in judgment, or a brief surrender to frustration or anger can suddenly put the passing driver face to face with the worst of all traffic accidents -- the head-on collision. So here are some tips for passing: D “Drive ahead.” Look down the road, to the sides and to crossroads for situations that might affect your passing patterns. If you have any doubt whatsoever about making a successful pass, wait for a better time.

D Watch for traffic signs, pavement markings and lines.

If you can see a sign up ahead that might indicate a turn or an intersection, delay your pass. A broken center line usually indicates it’s all right to pass (providing the road ahead is clear). Never cross a solid line on your side of the lane or a double solid line, even if the road seems empty of approaching traffic.

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D Do not get too close to the vehicle you want to pass while you’re awaiting an opportunity. For one thing, following too closely reduces your area of vision, especially if you’re following a larger vehicle. Also, you won’t have adequate space if the vehicle ahead suddenly slows or stops. Keep back a reasonable distance.

D When it looks like a chance to pass is coming up,

start to accelerate but stay in the right lane and don’t get too close. Time your move so you will be increasing speed as the time comes to move into the other lane. If the way is clear to pass, you will have a “running start” that more than makes up for the distance you would lose by dropping back. And if something happens to cause you to cancel your pass, you need only slow down and drop back again and wait for another opportunity.

D If other cars are lined up to pass a slow vehicle, wait your turn. But take care that someone isn’t trying to pass you as you pull out to pass the slow vehicle. Remember to glance over your shoulder and check the blind spot.

D Check your mirrors, glance over your shoulder, and start your left lane change signal before moving out of the right lane to pass. When you are far enough ahead of the passed vehicle to see its front in your inside mirror, activate your right lane change signal and move back into the right lane. (Remember that your right outside mirror is convex. The vehicle you just passed may seem to be farther away from you than it really is.)

D Try not to pass more than one vehicle at a time

on two-lane roads. Reconsider before passing the next vehicle.

D Don’t overtake a slowly moving vehicle too rapidly.

Even though the brake lamps are not flashing, it may be slowing down or starting to turn. D If you’re being passed, make it easy for the

following driver to get ahead of you. Perhaps you can ease a little to the right.

Loss of Control Let’s review what driving experts say about what happens when the three control systems (brakes, steering and acceleration) don’t have enough friction where the tires meet the road to do what the driver has asked. In any emergency, don’t give up. Keep trying to steer and constantly seek an escape route or area of less danger.

Skidding In a skid, a driver can lose control of the vehicle. Defensive drivers avoid most skids by taking reasonable care suited to existing conditions, and by not “overdriving” those conditions. But skids are always possible. The three types of skids correspond to your vehicle’s three control systems. In the braking skid, your wheels aren’t rolling. In the steering or cornering skid, too much speed or steering in a curve causes tires to slip and lose cornering force. And in the acceleration skid, too much throttle causes the driving wheels to spin. A cornering skid and an acceleration skid are best handled by easing your foot off the accelerator pedal. If your vehicle starts to slide, ease your foot off the accelerator pedal and quickly steer the way you want the vehicle to go. If you start steering quickly enough, your vehicle may straighten out. Always be ready for a second skid if it occurs. Of course, traction is reduced when water, snow, ice, gravel or other material is on the road. For safety, you’ll want to slow down and adjust your driving to these conditions. It is important to slow down on slippery surfaces because stopping distance will be longer and vehicle control more limited.

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Driving at Night

While driving on a surface with reduced traction, try your best to avoid sudden steering, acceleration or braking (including engine braking by shifting to a lower gear). Any sudden changes could cause the tires to slide. You may not realize the surface is slippery until your vehicle is skidding. Learn to recognize warning clues -- such as enough water, ice or packed snow on the road to make a “mirrored surface” -- and slow down when you have any doubt. If you have the anti-lock braking system, remember: It helps avoid only the braking skid. If you do not have anti-lock, then in a braking skid (where the wheels are no longer rolling), release enough pressure on the brakes to get the wheels rolling again. This restores steering control. Push the brake pedal down steadily when you have to stop suddenly. As long as the wheels are rolling, you will have steering control.

Night driving is more dangerous than day driving. One reason is that some drivers are likely to be impaired -- by alcohol or drugs, with night vision problems, or by fatigue.

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Here are some tips on night driving. D Drive defensively. D Don’t drink and drive. D Adjust your inside rearview mirror to reduce the

glare from headlamps behind you.

D Since you can’t see as well, you may need to slow down and keep more space between you and other vehicles.

D Slow down, especially on higher speed roads. Your

headlamps can light up only so much road ahead.

D In remote areas, watch for animals. D If you’re tired, pull off the road in a safe place

and rest.

No one can see as well at night as in the daytime. But as we get older these differences increase. A 50-year-old driver may require at least twice as much light to see the same thing at night as a 20-year-old. What you do in the daytime can also affect your night vision. For example, if you spend the day in bright sunshine you are wise to wear sunglasses. Your eyes will have less trouble adjusting to night. But if you’re driving, don’t wear sunglasses at night. They may cut down on glare from headlamps, but they also make a lot of things invisible.

You can be temporarily blinded by approaching headlamps. It can take a second or two, or even several seconds, for your eyes to readjust to the dark. When you are faced with severe glare (as from a driver who doesn’t lower the high beams, or a vehicle with misaimed headlamps), slow down a little. Avoid staring directly into the approaching headlamps. Keep your windshield and all the glass on your vehicle clean -- inside and out. Glare at night is made much worse by dirt on the glass. Even the inside of the glass can build up a film caused by dust. Dirty glass makes lights dazzle and flash more than clean glass would, making the pupils of your eyes contract repeatedly. Remember that your headlamps light up far less of a