2005 Saturn ION Owners Manual

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If your vehicle is equipped with this gage, it is located on the steering column. This gage indicates vacuum during light to moderate throttle and boost under heavier throttle. The gage displays the air pressure level going into the engine’s combustion chamber. The gage is automatically centered at zero every time the ignition is turned to RUN. Actual vacuum or boost is displayed from this zero point. The boost gage is also equipped with three pairs of lights that are located on each side of the gage. These lights are used to indicate three different engine rpm levels. The default setting for the lower pair of lights is 4,400 rpm, the middle pair of lights is 5,600 rpm, and the top pair of lights is 6,200 rpm. These settings can be adjusted by turning the stem behind each light. To have the light come on at a higher rpm level, turn the stem counterclockwise. To have the light come on at a lower rpm level, turn the stem clockwise. Each turn adjusts the settings by 100 rpm. To restore the default settings, press and hold any stem for three seconds. The lights will ﬂash three times. To turn the lights off or on, press and release any stem. Message Center The message center is located in the instrument panel cluster. It gives you important safety and maintenance facts. If there are several messages, each message will be shown for a few seconds and will continue to repeat until cleared. To clear a message, press the trip/reset button while the message you want to clear is being displayed. Many messages will also cause a chime to sound, to alert you to the message. 3-39 Changing the Language (Canada Only) Vehicles ﬁrst sold in Canada have instrument panel clusters that show messages in either English or French. To change the language, do the following: 1. Turn the ignition on. 2. Press the trip/reset button until the current language of ENGLISH or FRENCH is displayed. 3. Press and hold the trip/reset button for several seconds until the language is changed. Traction Off Message If your vehicle has an enhanced traction system (ETS), this TRAC OFF message will be displayed brieﬂy when the system has been turned off. 4. Press the trip/reset button to return to the odometer display. See Enhanced Traction System (ETS) on page 4-8 for more information. Low Traction Message Cruise Control Message If your vehicle has an enhanced traction system (ETS), this LOW TRAC message will be displayed when the system is limiting wheel spin. The CRUISE message is displayed brieﬂy when your cruise control system has been activated, or set to a desired speed. See Enhanced Traction System (ETS) on page 4-8 for more information. See Cruise Control on page 3-10 for more information. 3-40 Transaxle Fluid Hot Message If the TRANS HOT message is displayed, the automatic transaxle ﬂuid may be overheating. Low Coolant Level Warning Message When the COOLANT message is displayed while the engine is running, the engine coolant is low. See Engine Overheating on page 5-28 for more information. Transaxle Fluid Cold Message If equipped, the TRANS COLD message will be displayed if the automatic transaxle ﬂuid temperature is too cold to operate correctly. See Engine Coolant on page 5-24 for more information. Change Engine Oil Message When the CHG OIL message is displayed, it means that service is required for your vehicle. When this happens, shifting out of PARK (P) is prevented until the transaxle ﬂuid warms up. Let the engine run for a few minutes until this message is no longer displayed. The vehicle may then be shifted out of PARK (P). See Scheduled Maintenance on page 6-4 and Engine Oil on page 5-15 for more information. 3-41 Check Gage Message Power Steering Message If the CHK GAGE message is displayed, the engine coolant may be overheated. A chime will also sound to alert you to this message. If the PWR STR message is displayed, a problem has been detected with the electric power steering. If this message is displayed, check your engine coolant temperature gage. If the needle is in the red area, your engine may be overheating. See Engine Coolant Temperature Gage on page 3-33 and Engine Overheating on page 5-28 for more information. Notice: Driving with either the CHK GAGE message or the COOLANT message displayed in the message center and the Engine Coolant Temperature Gage on your instrument panel in the red zone could cause your vehicle to overheat. See Engine Overheating on page 5-28. Your vehicle could be damaged and the damages might not be covered by your warranty. If you suspect electric power steering problems and/or the PWR STR message is on, see your retailer for service and repair. Trunk Ajar Warning Message When the TRUNK message is displayed, it means the trunk lid is not fully closed. 3-42 Check Gas Cap Message Service Vehicle Message This message will come on when the ignition is on and the gas cap is open. If the SERVICE VEHICLE message is displayed, a non-emission related problem has occurred which requires the vehicle be taken in for service. Low Fuel Warning Message When the LOW FUEL message is displayed, you may have less than 1.5 gallons (5.5 liters) of fuel left. A chime will also sound to alert you to this message. You should refuel your vehicle immediately. When the fuel tank is ﬁlled to more than 3.3 gallons (11.5 liters), this message will no longer be displayed. These problems may not be obvious and may affect vehicle performance and durability. See your retailer for necessary repairs to maintain top vehicle performance. Error Message When the ERROR message is displayed, there is a problem with your odometer system. See your retailer for service and repair if this message is displayed. 3-43 Audio System(s) Notice: Before adding any sound equipment to your vehicle, like a tape player, CB radio, mobile telephone, or two-way radio, make sure that it can be added by checking with your retailer. Also, check federal rules covering mobile radio and telephone units. If sound equipment can be added, it is very important to do it properly. Added sound equipment may interfere with the operation of your vehicle’s engine, 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. Notice: Getting suntan lotion, hand lotion, or hand cleaner on the radio, will soften the paint, and the paint will eventually begin to peel. Repairs will not be covered by your vehicle’s warranty. Try not to get suntan lotion, hand lotion, or hand cleaner on the radio. If you do, wipe the lotion or cleaner off immediately. Figure out which audio system is in your vehicle, ﬁnd out what your audio system can do, and how to operate all of its controls. Setting the Time for Radios without Radio Data Systems (RDS) Press and hold the RCL button, at the same time press the TUNE/SEEK down or up arrows. Press the arrows until the correct time appears on the display. The time can be set with the ignition on or off. Setting the Time for Radios with Radio Data Systems (RDS) Press and hold the RCL button and at the same time press the HR (AUTO EQ left) or MN (AUTO EQ right) arrows. You will hear a beep indicating that you can change the time. Release the RCL button and press HR until the correct hour appears on the display. Press MN until the correct minute appears on the display. The time can be set with the ignition on or off. To synchronize the time with an FM station broadcasting Radio Data System (RDS) information, press and hold the RCL and RDS buttons at the same time for two seconds until SET RDS TIME appears on the display. If the time is not available from the station, NO RDS TIME SET will appear on the display. RDS time is broadcast once a minute. After tuning to an RDS broadcast station, it may take a few minutes for the time to update. 3-44 AM-FM Radio Finding a Station AM FM: Press this button to switch between FM1, FM2, or AM. The display will show the selection. R TUNE Q: Press either arrow to select radio stations. R SEEK Q: Press and hold the up or the down arrow to go to the next or to the previous station and stay there. The radio will only seek stations with a strong signal that are in the selected band. SCN (Scan): Press this button to scan stations. The radio will go to a station, play for a few seconds, then go on to the next station. Press this button again to stop scanning. The radio will only scan stations with a strong signal that are in the selected band. 3-45 Playing the Radio PUSH ON (Power): Push this knob to turn the system on and off. VOL (Volume): Turn this knob to increase or to decrease the volume. RCL (Recall): Press this button to switch the display between the radio station frequency and the time. When the ignition is off, press this button to display the time. Setting Preset Stations Up to 18 stations (six FM1, six FM2, and six AM) can be programmed on the six numbered pushbuttons, by performing the following steps: 1. Turn the radio on. 2. Press AM FM to select FM1, FM2, or AM. 3. Tune in the desired station. 4. Press and hold one of the six numbered pushbuttons until you hear a beep. Whenever that numbered pushbutton is pressed, the station that was set will return. 5. Repeat the steps for each pushbutton. If the battery has been disconnected or a radio fuse has been removed, the preset stations and time of day will need to be reset. Using Automatic Set Use this feature to automatically save the radio preset pushbuttons with the stations with the strongest radio signals. A.SET (Automatic Set): Press the AM FM button to have the radio automatically select the ﬁrst 12 strongest radio stations for FM and the six strongest radio stations for AM. To select the stations, perform the following: 1. Press AM FM to select FM1, FM2, or AM. 2. Press and hold AM FM until you hear a beep. The radio will begin to search the current band. The radio will store the stations, starting from the lowest frequency, to each preset pushbutton. A.SET will appear on the display when the radio is ﬁnished storing the stations. Cancelling Automatic Set The radio retains the previously stored stations so they can be recalled when automatic set is canceled. Press and hold the AM FM until you hear a beep. A.SET will no longer appear on the display. 3-46 Setting the Tone (Bass/Treble) Radio with CD (Base Level) BASS: Press this knob lightly so it extends. Turn the knob to increase or to decrease the bass. TREB (Treble): Press the TREB knob lightly so it extends, then pull then knob out slightly. Turn the knob to increase or to decrease the treble. If a station is weak or noisy, decrease the treble. Push the knob back into its stored position when not in use. Adjusting the Speakers (Balance/Fade) BAL (Balance): To adjust the balance between the right and the left speakers, pull the VOL knob out slightly. Turn the knob to move the sound toward the right or the left speakers. Push the knob back into its stored position when not in use. FADE: To adjust the fade between the front and the rear speakers, turn the ring around the VOL knob. Playing the Radio PUSH ON (Power): Press this knob to turn the system on and off. VOL (Volume): Turn this knob to increase or to decrease the volume. RCL (Recall): Press this button to switch the display between the radio station frequency and the time. When the ignition is off, press this button to display the time. 3-47 Finding a Station AM FM: Press this button to switch between FM1, FM2, or AM. The display will show the selection. R TUNE Q: Press the up or down arrow to select radio stations. R SEEK Q: Press and hold the up or the down arrow to go to the next or to the previous station and stay there. The radio will only seek stations with a strong signal that are in the selected band. SCN (Scan): Press this button to scan stations. The radio will go to a station, play for a few seconds, then go on to the next station. Press this button again to stop scanning. The radio will only scan stations with a strong signal that are in the selected band. Setting Preset Stations Up to 18 stations (six FM1, six FM2, and six AM), can be programmed on the six numbered pushbuttons, by performing the following steps: 1. Turn the radio on. 2. Press AM FM to select FM1, FM2, or AM. 3. Tune in the desired station. 4. Press and hold one of the six numbered pushbuttons until you hear a beep. Whenever that numbered pushbutton is pressed, the station that was set will return. 5. Repeat the steps for each pushbutton. If the battery has been disconnected or a radio fuse has been removed, the preset stations and time of day will need to be reset. 3-48 Using Automatic Set Setting the Tone (Bass/Treble) A.SET (Automatic Set): Press the AM FM button to have the radio automatically select the ﬁrst 12 strongest radio stations for FM and the six strongest radio stations for AM. To select the stations, perform the following: 1. Press AM FM to select FM1, FM2, or AM. 2. Press and hold AM FM until you hear a beep. The radio will begin to search the current band. The radio will store the stations, starting from the lowest frequency, to each preset pushbutton. A.SET will appear on the display when the radio is ﬁnished storing the stations. Cancelling Automatic Set The radio retains the previously stored stations so they can be recalled when automatic set is canceled. Press and hold AM FM until you hear a beep. A.SET will no longer appear on the display. MODE: Press this button until BAS or TRE appears on the display. Press the plus or minus buttons to increase or to decrease. The display will show the bass or the treble level. If a station is weak or noisy, decrease the treble. Adjusting the Speakers (Balance/Fade) MODE: To adjust the balance between the right and the left speakers, press this button until BAL appears on the display. Press the plus or minus buttons to move the sound toward the right or the left speakers. To adjust the fade between the front and the rear speakers, press this button until FAD appears on the display. Press the plus or minus buttons to move the sound toward the front or the rear speakers. 3-49 Playing a CD Insert a CD partway into the slot, label side up. The player will pull it in and the CD should begin playing. You can insert a CD with the ignition off. If the ignition or radio is turned off with a CD in the player, it will stay in the player. When the ignition or radio is turned on, the CD will start playing where it stopped, if it was the last selected audio source. When the CD is inserted, the CD symbol will appear on the display. As each new track starts to play, the track number will appear on the display. Play full size CDs only. The CD player cannot play the smaller 3 inch (8 cm) single CDs. If playing a CD-R the sound quality may be reduced due to CD-R quality, the method of recording, the quality of the music that has been recorded, and the way the CD-R has been handled. There may be an increase in skipping, difficulty in ﬁnding tracks, and/or difficulty in loading and ejecting. If these problems occur try a known good CD. Do not add paper labels to CDs, they could get caught in the CD player. 3-50 If you add any label to a CD, insert more Notice: than one CD into the slot at a time, or attempt to play scratched or damaged CDs, you could damage the CD player. When using the CD player, use only CDs in good condition without any label, load one CD at a time, and keep the CD player and the loading slot free of foreign materials, liquids, and debris. If an error appears on the display, see “CD Messages” later in this section. 1 PRV (Previous): Press this pushbutton to go to the start of the current track if more than eight seconds have played. If this pushbutton is held or pressed more than once, the player will continue moving backward through the CD. 2 NXT (Next): Press this pushbutton to go to the next track. If this pushbutton is held or pressed more than once, the player will continue moving forward through the CD. 3 REV (Reverse): Press and hold this pushbutton to reverse quickly within a track. Release this pushbutton to play the track. The elapsed time of the track will appear on the display. 4 FWD (Forward): Press and hold this pushbutton to advance quickly within a track. Release this pushbutton to play the track. The elapsed time of the track will appear on the display. 5 RDM (Random): Press this pushbutton to hear the tracks in random, rather than sequential, order. RDM will appear on the display. Press RDM again to turn off random play. 6 RPT (Repeat): Press this pushbutton to hear a track over again. RPT will appear on the display. The current track will continue to repeat. Press RPT again to turn off repeat play. Q TUNE SEEK R: Press the up arrow to go to the start of the current or of the previous track. Press the down arrow to go to the start of the next track. If either arrow is held or pressed more than once, the player will continue moving backward or forward through the CD. RCL (Recall): Press this button to see the track number. Press this button again to see how long the current track has been playing. AM FM: Press this button to listen to the radio when a CD is playing. The inactive CD will remain safely inside the radio for future listening. CD: Press this button to play a CD when listening to the radio. The CD symbol will appear on the display when a CD is loaded. EJ (Eject): Press this button to eject a CD. Eject may be activated with either the ignition or radio off. CD Messages ERR (Error): If this message appears on the display and/or the CD comes out, it could be for one of the following reasons: It is very hot. When the temperature returns to normal, the CD should play. (cid:127) You are driving on a very rough road. When the road becomes smoother, the CD should play. The CD is dirty, scratched, wet, or upside down. The air is very humid. If so, wait about an hour and try again. There may have been a problem while burning the CD. The label may be caught in the CD player. 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 cannot be corrected, contact your retailer. If the radio displays an error message, write it down and provide it to your retailer when reporting the problem. 3-51 (cid:127) (cid:127) (cid:127) (cid:127) (cid:127) Radio with CD (MP3) Single CD Player Audio System shown — Six-Disc CD Player similar 3-52 Radio Data System (RDS) The audio system has a Radio Data System (RDS). RDS features are available for use only on FM stations that broadcast RDS information. With RDS, the radio can do the following: (cid:127) Seek to stations broadcasting the selected type of programming (cid:127) Receive announcements concerning local and national emergencies (cid:127) Display messages from radio stations (cid:127) Seek to stations with traffic announcements This system relies upon receiving speciﬁc information from these stations and will only work when the information is available. In some cases, a radio station may broadcast incorrect information that will cause the radio features to work improperly. If this happens, contact the radio station. While the radio is tuned to an RDS station, the station name or call letters will appear on the display instead of the frequency. RDS stations may also provide the time of day, a program type category for current programming, and the name of the program being broadcast. Press the RDS button to change the display mode from radio to CD or from CD to radio. XM™ Satellite Radio Service XM™ is a satellite radio service that is based in the 48 contiguous United States. XM™ offers 100 coast to coast channels including music, news, sports, talk, and children’s programming. XM™ provides digital quality audio and text information that includes song title and artist name. A service fee is required in order to receive the XM™ service. For more information, contact XM™ at www.xmradio.com or call 1-800-852-XMXM (9696). Playing the Radio O (Power): Press this knob to turn the system on and off. u (Volume): Turn this knob to increase or to decrease the volume. RCL (Recall): Press this button to view station call letters or RDS category, if available. Press and hold the RCL button until you hear a beep, this is to inform you that the system has been reset to default. 4 (Information): Press this button to view RDS text information, if available. Finding a Station AM FM: Press this button to switch between FM1, FM2, or AM. The display will show the selection. AUX (Auxiliary): Press this button to switch between XM1 and XM2 (if equipped). While in XM you can perform the following: (cid:127) Press either CAT arrow to select different categories. (cid:127) Rotate the tune knob or use either SEEK arrow to change channels. (cid:127) Press the information button to view track title, artist title, and channel title. O (Tune): Turn this knob to select radio stations. t SEEK u: Press and hold the right or left arrow to go to the next or to the previous station and stay there. To scan stations, press either arrow until you hear a beep. The radio will go to a station, play for a few seconds, then go on to the next station. Press either arrow again to stop scanning. To scan preset stations, press either arrow for four seconds until you hear a beep. The radio will go to a preset station stored on the pushbuttons, play for a few seconds, then go on to the next station. 3-53 Press either arrow again or one of the pushbuttons to stop scanning presets. The radio will only seek and scan stations with a strong signal that are in the selected band. Setting Preset Stations Up to 30 stations (six FM1, six FM2, and six AM, six XM1 and six XM2 (if equipped), can be programmed on the six numbered pushbuttons, by performing the following steps: 1. Turn the radio on. 2. Press AM FM to select FM1, FM2, or AM. Press the AUX button to select XM1 or XM2. 3. Tune in the desired station. 4. Press the right or left AUTO EQ button to select the equalization. 5. Press and hold one of the six numbered pushbuttons. Preset X Stored will appear on the display and you will hear a beep. Whenever that numbered pushbutton is pressed, the station that was set will return and the equalization that was selected will be stored for that pushbutton. If the equalization of a preset is changed while listening to that station, the radio will save the new equalization. 6. Repeat the steps for each pushbutton. 3-54 If the battery has been disconnected or a radio fuse has been removed, the preset stations and time of day may need to be reset. Using Automatic Set A.SET (Automatic Set): Press and hold the AM FM button to have the radio automatically select the ﬁrst 12 strongest radio stations for FM and the six strongest radio stations for AM. To select the stations, perform the following: 1. Press AM FM to select FM1, FM2, or AM. 2. Press and hold AM FM until you hear a beep. The radio will begin to search the current band. The radio will store the stations, starting from the lowest frequency, to each preset pushbutton. A.SET will appear on the display when the radio is ﬁnished storing the stations. Cancelling Automatic Set The radio retains the previously stored stations so they can be recalled when automatic set is canceled. Press and hold AM FM until you hear a beep. A.SET will no longer appear on the display. Setting the Tone (Bass/Treble) Q P (Bass/Treble): Press this knob until BASS or TREB appears on the display. Turn this knob to increase or to decrease. The display will show the bass or the treble level. If a station is weak or noisy, decrease the treble. q AUTO EQ r (Automatic Equalization): Press the right and left arrow to select customized equalization settings designed for country/western, jazz, news, pop, rock, and classical. There is also a ﬂat setting that has been factory tuned for the best overall performance. To return the bass and treble to the manual mode, press either arrow until CUSTOM appears on the display. Adjusting the Speakers (Balance/Fade) Q P (Balance/Fade): To adjust the balance between the right and the left speakers, press this knob until BAL appears on the display. Turn this knob to move the sound toward the right or the left speakers. To adjust the fade between the front and the rear speakers, press this knob until FAD appears on the display. Turn this knob to move the sound toward the front or the rear speakers. Finding a Category (CAT) Station To select and ﬁnd a desired CAT perform the following: 1. Press the RDS button to activate program type select mode. 2. Press the right or left CAT arrow to select a category. CATEGORY will appear on the display. 3. Once the desired category is displayed, press the SEEK button to select and to take you to the category’s ﬁrst station. 4. To go to another station within that category while CAT is displayed, press the SEEK button once. If CAT is not displayed, press the RDS button or either CAT arrow to enable category search, then press the SEEK button. 5. Select a category using either CAT arrow. While the category is displayed, press and hold either SEEK arrow until you hear a beep to scan through all stations in that RDS category. RDS categories only have six available options from which to choose. The category you select will search for an expanded list of categories. If the RCL button is pressed, the broadcast category will appear on the display, not the selected category. If the radio cannot ﬁnd the desired program type, NOT FOUND will appear on the display and the radio will return to the last station you were listening to. 3-55 RDS Messages ALERT!: Alert warns of local or national emergencies. When an alert announcement comes on the current radio station, ALERT! will appear on the display. You will hear the announcement, even if the volume is low or a CD is playing. If a CD is playing, play will stop during the announcement. Alert announcements cannot be turned off. ALERT! will not be affected by tests of the emergency broadcast system. This feature is not currently supported by RDS stations in the United States. It is up to the individual stations to decide to support this feature. 4 (Information): If the current station has a message, the information symbol will appear on the display. Press this button to see the message. The message may display the artist, song title, call in phone numbers, etc. If the entire message is not displayed, parts of the message will appear every three seconds. To scroll through the message, press and release this button. A new group of words will appear on the display after every press of this button. Once the complete message has been displayed, the information symbol will disappear from the display until another new message is received. The last message can be displayed by pressing this button until a new message is received or a different station is tuned to. 3-56 TRAF (Traffic): If TA appears on the display, the tuned station has the ability to broadcast traffic announcements and if a traffic announcement comes on the tuned radio station you will hear it. If the station does not broadcast traffic announcements, press the TRAF button and the radio will seek to a station that does. When a station that broadcasts traffic announcements is found, the radio will stop seeking and TA will appear on the display. If no station is found that broadcasts traffic announcements, NO TRAFFIC will appear on the display. If TA is on the display, press the TRAF button to turn off the traffic announcements. The radio will play the traffic announcement with the volume at a moderate level. The radio will interrupt the play of a CD or XM™ Satellite Radio Station if the last tuned station broadcasts traffic announcements. Very few radio stations in the United States currently use the traffic announcement feature. Pressing the RDS button will change the display mode from radio to CD or from CD to radio. Playing the Single CD Player Insert a CD partway into the slot, label side up. The player will pull it in and the CD should begin playing. You can insert a CD with the ignition off. If the ignition or radio is turned off with a CD in the player, it will stay in the player. When the ignition or radio is turned on, the CD will start playing where it stopped, if it was the last selected audio source. When a CD is inserted, the CD symbol will appear on the display. As each new track starts to play, the track number will appear on the display. Play full size CDs only. The CD player cannot play the smaller 3 inch (8 cm) single CDs. If playing a CD-R the sound quality may be reduced due to CD-R quality, the method of recording, the quality of the music that has been recorded, and the way the CD-R has been handled. There may be an increase in skipping, difficulty in ﬁnding tracks, and/or difficulty in loading and ejecting. If these problems occur try a known good CD. Do not add paper labels to CDs, they could get caught in the CD player. If you add any label to a CD, insert more Notice: than one CD into the slot at a time, or attempt to play scratched or damaged CDs, you could damage the CD player. When using the CD player, use only CDs in good condition without any label, load one CD at a time, and keep the CD player and the loading slot free of foreign materials, liquids, and debris. If an error appears on the display, see “CD Messages” later in this section. g 1 (Previous): Press this pushbutton to go to the start of the current track. If this pushbutton is held or pressed more than once, the player will continue moving backward through the CD. 2 l (Next): Press this pushbutton to go to the next track. If this pushbutton is held or pressed more than once, the player will continue moving forward through the CD. 5/ RDM (Random): Press this pushbutton to hear the tracks in random, rather than sequential, order. RDM will appear on the display. Press RDM again to turn off random play. 6/ N (Repeat): Press this pushbutton to hear a track over again. RPT will appear on the display. The current track will continue to repeat. Press this pushbutton again to turn off repeat play. 3-57 r CAT (Reverse): Press and hold the left arrow to reverse quickly within a track. Release this pushbutton to play the passage. The elapsed time of the track will appear on the display. CAT [ (Forward): Press and hold the right arrow to advance quickly within a track. Release this pushbutton to play the passage. The elapsed time of the track will appear on the display. t SEEK u: Press the left arrow to go to the start of the current or to the previous track. Press the right arrow to go to the start of the next track. If either arrow is held or pressed more than once, the player will continue moving backward or forward through the CD. To scan tracks, press either SEEK arrow for four seconds. The radio will go to the next track, play for a few seconds, then go on to the next track. Press either SEEK arrow again to stop scanning tracks. O (Tune): Turn this knob to quickly change tracks. If you are playing an MP3 CD, turn this knob to search ﬁle folders. 4 (Information): Press this button to view CD text information, if available. To change the default on the display to track name, album name, or artist name, instead of elapsed track time, press this button to view the available information. Then press and hold the RCL button for ﬁve seconds. The selected display will now be the default. RCL (Recall): Press and hold the RCL button until you hear a beep, this is to inform you that the system has been reset to default. AM FM: Press this button to listen to the radio when a CD is playing. The inactive CD will remain safely inside the radio for future listening. AUX (Auxiliary): Press this button to play a CD or to switch to XM1 or XM2 when listening to the radio. Z (Eject): Press this button to eject a CD. Eject may be activated with either the ignition or radio off. If you eject a CD, but decide that you want to listen to it, press the CD button. The CD player will pull the CD back in and the CD will begin to play. If a CD is ejected, but not removed from the radio, the radio will automatically reload the CD, after 25 seconds, to prevent damage. 3-58 Playing the Six-Disc CD Player If the ignition or radio is turned off with a CD in the player, it will stay in the player. When the ignition or radio is turned on, the CD will start playing where it stopped, if it was the last selected audio source. When a CD is inserted, the CD symbol will appear on the display. As each new track starts to play, the track number will appear on the display. Play full size CDs only. The CD player cannot play the smaller 3 inch (8 cm) single CDs. If playing a CD-R the sound quality may be reduced due to CD-R quality, the method of recording, the quality of the music that has been recorded, and the way the CD-R has been handled. There may be an increase in skipping, difficulty in ﬁnding tracks, and/or difficulty in loading and ejecting. If these problems occur try a known good CD. Do not add paper labels to CDs, they could get caught in the CD player. Notice: than one CD into the slot at a time, or attempt to play scratched or damaged CDs, you could damage the CD player. When using the CD player, use only CDs in good condition without any label, load one CD at a time, and keep the CD player and the loading slot free of foreign materials, liquids, and debris. If you add any label to a CD, insert more If an error appears on the display, see “CD Messages” later in this section. M (Load): Press this button to load CDs into the CD player. This CD player will hold up to six CDs. To load one CD, do the following: 1. Turn the ignition on. 2. Press the load button for less than three seconds. 3. Press the pushbutton (1-6) for the CD slot to load. WAIT DISC X will appear on the display. If the CD slot is empty, LOAD DISC X will appear on the display, and a CD can be loaded. If a CD slot is already loaded, DISC X LOADED will appear on the display. 4. Load a CD. Insert the CD partway into the slot, label side up. The player will pull the CD in. If an equalization setting is selected for the CD, the equalization will be activated each time a CD is played. If the radio is on or off, the CD will begin to play automatically. To load all CDs, do the following: 1. Turn the ignition on. 2. Press and hold the load button for more than three seconds. 3-59 3. Load, up to six CDs, in order, starting with the ﬁrst empty slot. Loading will continue until all six CDs are loaded or load is stopped by pressing any other radio button. The radio will stop trying to load CDs if you wait too long to insert a CD. 4. Load a CD. Insert the CD partway into the slot, label side up. The player will pull the CD in. Cancel the loading of a CD by pressing the load button once. If an equalization setting is selected for the CD, the equalization will be activated each time a CD is played. If the radio is on or off, the CD will begin to play automatically. g 1 (Previous): Press this pushbutton to go to the start of the current track. If this pushbutton is held or pressed more than once, the player will continue moving backward through the CD. 2 l (Next): Press this pushbutton to go to the next track. If this pushbutton is held or pressed more than once, the player will continue moving forward through the CD. 5/RDM (Random): Press and release this pushbutton to hear the tracks on the current CD in random, rather than sequential, order. RDM will appear on the display. Press RDM again to turn off random play. Press and hold RDM for two seconds to hear the tracks on all of the CDs loaded in random, rather than sequential, order. ALL RDM will appear on the display. Press RDM again to turn off random play. 6/ N (Repeat): Press this pushbutton to hear a track over again. RPT will appear on the display. The current track will continue to repeat. Press RPT again to turn off repeat play. Press and hold the RPT button to hear all tracks on the CD over again. RPT will appear on the display. The current track will continue to repeat. Press RPT again to turn off repeat play. r CAT (Reverse): Press and hold the left arrow to reverse quickly within a track. Release this pushbutton to play the passage. The elapsed time of the track will appear on the display. CAT [ (Forward): Press and hold the right arrow to advance quickly within a track. Release this pushbutton to play the passage. The elapsed time of the track will appear on the display. 3-60 t SEEK u: Press the right or left arrow to go to the previous or next CD. To scan tracks on the current CD, press and hold either SEEK arrow for more than two seconds, but less then four seconds. The radio will go to the next track, play for a few seconds, then go on to the next track. Press either SEEK arrow again to stop scanning tracks. To scan tracks on all of the CDs loaded, press and hold either SEEK arrow for more than four seconds. The radio will go to the next track, play for a few seconds, then go on to the next track. Press either SEEK arrow again to stop scanning tracks. O (Tune): Turn this knob to quickly change tracks. 4 (Information): Press this button to view CD text information, if available. To change the default on the display, track name, artist name, album name, ﬁle name, or directory, press this button to scroll through each display. Once the desired display is shown, press and hold the RCL button for ﬁve seconds. The selected display will now be the default. RCL (Recall): Press and hold the RCL button until you hear a beep, this is to inform you that the system has been reset to default. AM FM: Press this button to listen to the radio when a CD is playing. The inactive CD(s) will remain safely inside the radio for future listening. AUX (Auxiliary): Press this button to play a CD or to switch to XM1 or XM2 when listening to the radio. B (CD): Press this button to go to the next CD, if more than one CD is loaded. Z (Eject): To eject one CD, press this button for less than two seconds. Then press the pushbutton number that corresponds to the loaded CD that you want to eject. To eject all loaded CDs, press and hold this button for more than two seconds. Eject may be activated with either the ignition or radio off. If you eject a CD, but decide that you want to listen to it, press the CD button. This will pull the CD back in and it will begin to play. If a CD is ejected, but not removed from the radio, the radio will automatically reload the CD, after 25 seconds, to prevent damage. 3-61 Using an MP3 CD MP3 Format The MP3 radio will play both standard audio CDs and CD-R or CD-RWs. The CD-R/RWs may contain either standard audio (*.cda) or compressed audio (*.mp3). Customers who record their own music CD-R/RWs should be aware of the following: The ﬁles can be recorded on a CD-R/RW disc with a maximum capacity of 700 MB. The radio will play only compressed audio ﬁles recorded in the *.mp3 format. It also supports playlists that can be made and saved with popular MP3 software, in the *.m3u format. The directory, playlist, and song name must have no more than 64 characters combined, e.g. /DIRECTORY NAME/PLAYLIST NAME/SONG NAME.MP3. If more than 64 characters are present, the radio will ignore that song and move to the next one. The radio will only play audio from a CD-R/RW, it cannot record audio. − The radio does not support DVD audio. − The radio does not support UNICODE. The radio will play a mixed mode CD-R/RW, one recorded with both *.cda and *.mp3 ﬁles. 3-62 The radio supports multi-session discs, but only the ﬁles from the last session will be played. There are a total of 20 directories (folders) allowed on a CD. The ﬁle structure can be 4 directories deep (a folder within a folder, within a folder, etc.). Anything more than 20 directories will be ignored. Each directory may have up to 99 ﬁles contained within it. Files not having the *.mp3 extension will not be played, but still count toward the maximum. Anything more than the ﬁrst 99 ﬁles within a directory will be ignored. A single CD may have up to 254 ﬁles and directories. Anything beyond the 254 limit will be ignored. (cid:127) MP3 ﬁles must be written to a CD-R/RW in one of the following industry-standard formats: − ISO 9660 Level 1 − ISO 9660 Level 2 − Joliet − Romeo ID3 tag information is displayed by the radio, if available. The ID3 tag information can be either version 1 or 2. The radio will display a ﬁlename, song name, artist name, album name, directory name, or playlist name. If the customer does not follow these guidelines when recording a CD-R(W), the CD may not play in the radio. (cid:127) (cid:127) (cid:127) (cid:127) (cid:127) (cid:127) (cid:127) Playing an MP3 If the ignition or radio is turned off with a CD in the player, it will stay in the player. When the ignition or radio is turned on, the CD will start playing where it stopped, if it was the last selected audio source. Play full size CDs only. The CD player cannot play the smaller 3 inch (8 cm) single CDs. If playing a CD-R the sound quality may be reduced due to CD-R quality, the method of recording, the quality of the music that has been recorded, and the way the CD-R has been handled. There may be an increase in skipping, difficulty in ﬁnding tracks, and/or difficulty in loading and ejecting. If these problems occur try a known good CD. Do not add paper labels to CDs, they could get caught in the CD player. Notice: than one CD into the slot at a time, or attempt to play scratched or damaged CDs, you could damage the CD player. When using the CD player, use only CDs in good condition without any label, load one CD at a time, and keep the CD player and the loading slot free of foreign materials, liquids, and debris. If an error appears on the display, see “CD Messages” later in this section. If you add any label to a CD, insert more See “Playing the Single CD Player” and “Playing the Six-Disc CD Player” earlier to use any radio control, while playing an MP3, that is not listed here. g 1 (Previous): Press this pushbutton to go to the start of the current track. If this pushbutton is held or pressed more than once, the player will continue moving backward through the current directory. 2 l (Next): Press this pushbutton to go to the next track. If this pushbutton is held or pressed more than once, the player will continue moving forward through the current directory. 4: Press this pushbutton to enter playlist mode. Use the tune knob to cycle through the available playlists. Playlist X will appear on the display. Use the 1 and 2 pushbuttons to cycle through songs in a particular playlist. Press the 4 pushbutton again to exit playlist mode. If a CD is a mixed mode, containing standard CD audio and MP3 compressed audio, the radio will assign the standard CD audio to a directory, which is listed as ROM audio directory. O (Tune): Turn this knob to quickly change tracks on the CDDA and the MP3 folder ﬁles. 3-63 4 (Information): Press this button to see the elapsed time of the track and the current track time. To change the default on the display, track name, artist name, album name, ﬁle name, or directory, press this button to scroll through each display. Once the desired display is shown, press and hold the RCL button for ﬁve seconds. The selected display will now be the default. r CAT [: Press either arrow to change directories. CD Messages If any error message appears on the display and/or the CD comes out, it could be for one of the following reasons: It is very hot. When the temperature returns to normal, the CD should play. (cid:127) You are driving on a very rough road. When the road becomes smoother, the CD should play. The CD is dirty, scratched, wet, or upside down. The air is very humid. If so, wait about an hour and try again. The format of the CD may not be compatible. See “MP3 Format” earlier for more information. There may have been a problem while burning the CD. The label may be caught in the CD player. 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 cannot be corrected, contact your retailer. If the radio displays an error message, write it down and provide it to your retailer when reporting the problem. Radio Personalization This radio has a personalization feature. You can change the following features: Clock Function: Change the time of the day displayed on the radio between 12 hour and 24 hour. Language: This radio supports three languages: ENG (English), FRE (French), and SPA (Spanish). The only terms translated are the terms which are ﬁxed in the display. Terms that are not translated include: MP3 ID3 tags, CD-TEXT information, RDS Text, and Satellite PDT information. 3-64 (cid:127) (cid:127) (cid:127) (cid:127) (cid:127) (cid:127) Beep Level: Change the volume level of the radio’s beeps between Normal and Loud. CD Text: Change whether or not the radio displays CD text by choosing Text On or Text Off. To change these features, do the following: 1. Press and hold the information button for ﬁve seconds. 2. Press either SEEK arrow to scroll through the features. 3. Once the feature is displayed, press either CAT arrow to change the setting. 4. Press the information button again to exit the menu. Theft-Deterrent Feature The Radio with Single CD (MP3) and the Radio with Six-Disc CD (MP3) have a theft deterrent feature. The theft deterrent feature is designed to discourage theft of your vehicle’s radio. It works by using a secret code to disable all radio functions whenever battery power is interrupted. The theft deterrent feature for the radio may be used or ignored. If ignored, the radio plays normally and the radio is not protected by the feature. If the theft deterrent feature is activated, the radio will not operate if stolen. When the theft deterrent feature is activated. LOCK will appear on the radio display to indicate a locked condition anytime battery power has been removed. If the battery loses power for any reason, you must unlock the radio with the secret code before it will operate. Activating the Theft-Deterrent Feature The instructions which follow explain how to enter your secret code to activate the theft deterrent feature. Read through all 10 steps before starting the procedure. If you allow more than 15 seconds to elapse between any steps, the radio automatically reverts to time and you must start the procedure over at Step 4. 1. Write down any four-digit number from 0000 to 9999 and keep it in a safe place separate from the vehicle. 2. Turn the ignition to RUN. 3. Turn the radio off. 4. Press the 5 and 6 pushbuttons at the same time for ﬁve seconds. -- -- -- -- will appear on the display. Next you will use the secret code number which you have written down. 5. Press the SEEK/SCAN down or SEEK left arrow to make the ﬁrst digit agree with your code. 3-65 6. Press the SEEK/SCAN up or SEEK right arrow to make the second digit agree with your code. 7. Press the TUNE down or AUTO EQ left arrow to make the third digit agree with your code. 8. Press the TUNE up or AUTO EQ right arrow to make the fourth digit agree with your code. 9. Press AM-FM after you have conﬁrmed that the code matches the secret code you have written down. The display will prompt you to repeat Steps 5 through 8 to conﬁrm your secret code. 10. Press AM-FM again. SEC or SECURITY ON will appear on the display to indicate that the radio is secure. If SEC or SECURITY ON does not appear on the display, but displays Err1, Err2, or LOCK, the theft deterrent feature is already set to another code. See “Disabling the Theft-Deterrent Feature” later in this section. Unlocking the Theft-Deterrent Feature After a Power Loss Enter your secret code as follows; pause no more than 15 seconds between steps: 1. Turn the ignition on. -- -- -- -- will appear on the display. 2. Preform Steps 5 through 8 from the “Activating the Theft-Deterrent Feature” earlier to enter your secret code. 3. Press AM-FM after you have conﬁrmed that the code matches the secret code you have written down. SEC or SECURITY ON will appear on the display, indicating the radio is now operable and secure. If you enter the wrong code, the display will momentarily show an error message and all radio functions will continue to be disabled. If -- -- -- -- appears on the display, you can try to enter your secret code again. If you enter the wrong code three times, LOCK will appear on the display. Contact your Saturn retailer. Your Saturn retailer is authorized to obtain the factory programmed code that is assigned to the radio to reset the system. If you forget your code, if the theft deterrent feature is accidentally activated with an unknown code, or if the radio is in the locked mode, contact your Saturn retailer. 3-66 Disabling the Theft-Deterrent Feature Enter your secret code as follows; pause no more than 15 seconds between steps: Preform Steps 1 through 9 from the “Activating the Theft-Deterrent Feature” earlier to enter your secret code. OFF will appear on the display indicating the theft deterrent feature is off. If OFF or SECURITY OFF does not appear on the display, the wrong code was entered. If you enter the wrong code, the display will momentarily show an error message and all radio functions will continue to be disabled. If -- -- -- -- appears on the display, you can try to enter your secret code again. If you enter the wrong code three times, LOCK will appear on the display. Contact your Saturn retailer. Your Saturn retailer is authorized to obtain the factory programmed code that is assigned to the radio to reset the system. If you forget your code, if the theft deterrent feature is accidentally activated with an unknown code, or if the radio is in the locked mode, contact your Saturn retailer. Radio Reception AM The range for most AM stations is greater than for FM, especially at night. The longer range can cause station frequencies to interfere with each other. Static can occur on AM stations caused by things like storms and power lines. Try reducing the treble to reduce this noise. FM Stereo FM stereo will give 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 fade in and out. XM™ Satellite Radio Service XM™ Satellite Radio Service gives digital radio reception from coast to coast. Just as with FM, tall buildings or hills can interfere with satellite radio signals, causing the sound to fade in and out. The radio may display NO SIGNAL to indicate interference. 3-67 Care of Your CDs Handle CDs carefully. Store them in their original cases or other protective cases and away from direct sunlight and dust. If the surface of a CD 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 CDs. Pick up CDs by grasping the outer edges or the edge of the hole and the outer edge. Care of the CD Player The use of CD lens cleaners for CD players is not advised, due to the risk of contaminating the lens of the CD optics with lubricants internal to the CD mechanism. Fixed Mast Antenna The ﬁxed mast antenna can withstand most car washes without being damaged. If the mast should ever become slightly bent, straighten it out by hand. If the mast is badly bent, replace it. Check occasionally to make sure the mast is still tightened to the antenna base located on the hood of the vehicle. If tightening is required, tighten by hand. XM™ Satellite Radio Antenna System The XM™ Satellite Radio antenna is located on the roof of your vehicle. Keep this antenna clear of snow and ice build up for clear radio reception. The performance of the XM™ system may be affected if the sunroof is open. Loading items onto the roof of your vehicle can interfere with the performance of the XM™ system. Make sure that the XM™ satellite antenna is not obstructed. 3-68 Section 4 Driving Your Vehicle Your Driving, the Road, and Your Vehicle ..........4-2 Defensive Driving ...........................................4-2 Drunken Driving .............................................4-2 Control of a Vehicle ........................................4-5 Braking .........................................................4-5 Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS) .........................4-6 Braking in Emergencies ...................................4-8 Enhanced Traction System (ETS) .....................4-8 Limited-Slip Differential ....................................4-9 Steering ........................................................4-9 Off-Road Recovery .......................................4-12 Passing .......................................................4-12 Loss of Control .............................................4-13 Driving at Night ............................................4-15 Driving in Rain and on Wet Roads ..................4-16 City Driving ..................................................4-19 Freeway Driving ...........................................4-20 Before Leaving on a Long Trip .......................4-21 Highway Hypnosis ........................................4-22 Hill and Mountain Roads ................................4-22 Winter Driving ..............................................4-24 If Your Vehicle is Stuck in Sand, Mud, Ice or Snow ...................................................4-28 Rocking Your Vehicle to Get It Out .................4-29 Loading Your Vehicle ....................................4-29 Towing ..........................................................4-34 Towing Your Vehicle .....................................4-34 Recreational Vehicle Towing ...........................4-34 Towing a Trailer ...........................................4-37 4-1 Your Driving, the Road, and Your Vehicle 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: They Are for Everyone on page 1-10. 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 is 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 4-2 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. Drunken Driving Death and injury associated with drinking and driving is a national tragedy. It is 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: Judgment (cid:127) Muscular Coordination (cid:127) Vision (cid:127) 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, more than 16,000 annual motor vehicle-related deaths have been associated with the use of alcohol, with more than 300,000 people injured. (cid:127) 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 is 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 eliminate 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 someone plans to drive? It is 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: The amount of alcohol consumed The drinker’s body weight The amount of food that is consumed before and during drinking 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 liquors like whiskey, gin, or vodka. It is 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. 4-3 (cid:127) (cid:127) (cid:127) (cid:127) There is a gender difference, too. Women generally have a lower relative percentage of body water than men. 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 will when each has the same number of drinks. The law in most 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 have 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! 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 will be careful” is not the right answer. What if there is 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 is something else about drinking and driving that many people do not 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. 4-4 {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 do not drink and drive or ride with a driver who has been drinking. Ride home in a cab; or if you are with a group, designate a driver who will not drink. 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 are driving on snow or ice, it is easy to ask more of those control systems than the tires and road can provide. That means you can lose control of your vehicle. See Enhanced Traction System (ETS) on page 4-8. Braking Braking action involves perception time and reaction time. First, you have to decide to push on the brake pedal. That is perception time. Then you have to bring up your foot and do it. That is reaction time. Average reaction time is about three-fourths of a second. But that is 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 three-fourths 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 is pavement or gravel; the condition of the road, whether it is wet, dry, or icy; tire tread; the condition of your brakes; the weight of the vehicle; and the amount of brake force applied. 4-5 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 are driving, brake normally but do not 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 (ABS) 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. 4-6 conditions. This can help you steer around the obstacle while braking hard. Let us say the road is wet and you are driving safely. Suddenly, an animal jumps out in front of you. You slam on the brakes and continue braking. Here is 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 wheel. 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 As you brake, your computer keeps receiving updates on wheel speed and controls braking pressure accordingly. Remember: Anti-lock does not 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 will not 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. 4-7 Using Anti-Lock Do not 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. This will help you retain steering control. If you do have anti-lock brakes, it is different. See Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS) on page 4-6. In many emergencies, steering can help you more than even the very best braking. Braking in Emergencies At some time, nearly every driver gets into a situation that requires hard braking. If you have anti-lock brakes, you can steer and brake at the same time. However, if you do not have anti-lock brakes, 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 cannot 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 do not have anti-lock brakes, use a “squeeze” braking technique. This will give you maximum braking while maintaining steering control. You can 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. 4-8 Enhanced Traction System (ETS) Your vehicle may have an Enhanced Traction System (ETS) 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 to limit wheel spin. The LOW TRAC message will be displayed when your Enhanced Traction System is engaged and limiting wheel spin. See Low Traction Message on page 3-40. You may feel or hear the system working, but this is normal. If your vehicle is in cruise control when the Enhanced Traction 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 on page 3-10. The Enhanced Traction System operates in all transaxle shift lever positions. But the system can upshift the transaxle only as high as the shift lever position you have chosen, so you should use the lower gears only when necessary. The Enhanced Traction System automatically comes on whenever you start your vehicle. The light on the traction control button will also come on to let you know the system is on. To limit wheel spin, especially in slippery road conditions, you should always leave the system on. But you can turn the traction control 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 to Get It Out on page 4-29 and If Your Vehicle is Stuck in Sand, Mud, Ice or Snow on page 4-28. To turn the system on or off, press the enhanced traction system button located on the instrument panel switchbank. When you turn the system off, the TRAC OFF message will be displayed. If the Enhanced Traction System is limiting wheel spin when you press the button to turn the system off, the TRAC OFF message will be displayed, but the system will not turn off until there is no longer a current need to limit wheel spin. You can turn the system back on at any time by pressing the button again. The TRAC OFF message will no longer be displayed. Limited-Slip Differential Your vehicle may have this feature. A limited-slip transaxle can give you additional traction on snow, mud, ice, sand or gravel. It works like a standard transaxle most of the time, but when one of the front wheels loses traction, this feature will allow the wheel with traction to move the vehicle. Steering Electric Power Steering If the engine stalls while you are driving, the power steering assist system will continue to operate until you are able to stop the vehicle. 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. 4-9 If you turn the steering wheel in either direction several times until it stops, or hold the steering wheel in the stopped position for an extended amount of time, you may notice a reduced amount of power steering assist. The normal amount of power steering assist should return shortly after a few normal steering movements. If you suspect steering problems and/or the PWR STR message is displayed, see your retailer for service and repair. Steering Tips Driving on Curves It is important to take curves at a reasonable speed. A lot of the “driver lost control” accidents mentioned on the news happen on curves. Here is 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 is no traction, inertia 4-10 will keep the vehicle going in the same direction. If you have ever tried to steer a vehicle on wet ice, you will 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 are in a curve, speed is the one factor you can control. Suppose you are 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 are 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. See Enhanced Traction System (ETS) on page 4-8. 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 will 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 cannot; there is not room. That is 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 on page 4-5. 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. 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. 4-11 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. 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. 4-12 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: (cid:127) 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. (cid:127) 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 is 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. (cid:127) Do not get too close to the vehicle you want to pass while you are awaiting an opportunity. For one thing, following too closely reduces your area of vision, especially if you are following a larger vehicle. Also, you will not have adequate space if the vehicle ahead suddenly slows or stops. Keep back a reasonable distance. (cid:127) When it looks like a chance to pass is coming up, start to accelerate but stay in the right lane and do not 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. If other vehicles are lined up to pass a slow vehicle, wait your turn. But take care that someone is not trying to pass you as you pull out to pass the slow vehicle. Remember to glance over your shoulder and check the blind spot. (cid:127) 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. Try not to pass more than one vehicle at a time on two-lane roads. Reconsider before passing the next vehicle. (cid:127) Do not overtake a slowly moving vehicle too rapidly. Even though the brake lamps are not ﬂashing, it may be slowing down or starting to turn. If you are 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 us review what driving experts say about what happens when the three control systems — brakes, steering, and acceleration — do not have enough friction where the tires meet the road to do what the driver has asked. In any emergency, do not give up. Keep trying to steer and constantly seek an escape route or area of less danger. 4-13 (cid:127) (cid:127) (cid:127) 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 are not 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 is best handled by easing your foot off the accelerator pedal. If you have the Enhanced Traction System (ETS), remember: It helps to avoid only the acceleration skid. See Enhanced Traction System (ETS) on page 4-8. If you do not have the Enhanced Traction System, or if the system is off, then an acceleration skid is also 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. 4-14 Of course, traction is reduced when water, snow, ice, gravel, or other material is on the road. For safety, you will 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. 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 (ABS), remember: It helps avoid only the braking skid. If you do not have ABS, 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. Driving at Night 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. Here are some tips on night driving. (cid:127) Drive defensively. (cid:127) Do not drink and drive. (cid:127) Adjust your inside rearview mirror to reduce the glare from headlamps behind you. (cid:127) Since you cannot see as well, you may need to slow down and keep more space between you and other vehicles. (cid:127) Slow down, especially on higher speed roads. Your headlamps can light up only so much road ahead. In remote areas, watch for animals. If you are 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 are driving, do not wear sunglasses at night. They may cut down on glare from headlamps, but they also make a lot of things invisible. 4-15 (cid:127) (cid:127) You can be temporarily blinded by approaching headlamps. It can take a second or two, or even several seconds, for your eyes to re-adjust to the dark. When you are faced with severe glare, as from a driver who does not 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 roadway when you are in a turn or curve. Keep your eyes moving; that way, it is easier to pick out dimly lighted objects. Just as your headlamps should be checked regularly for proper aim, so should your eyes be examined regularly. Some drivers suffer from night blindness — the inability to see in dim light — and are not even aware of it. 4-16 Driving in Rain and on Wet Roads Rain and wet roads can mean driving trouble. On a wet road, you cannot stop, accelerate, or turn as well because your tire-to-road traction is not as good as on dry roads. And, if your tires do not have much tread left, you will get even less traction. It is always wise to go slower and be cautious if rain starts to fall while you are driving. The surface may get wet suddenly when your reﬂexes are tuned for driving on dry pavement. The heavier the rain, the harder it is to see. Even if your windshield wiper blades are in good shape, a heavy rain can make it harder to see road signs and traffic signals, pavement markings, the edge of the road, and even people walking. It is wise to keep your windshield wiping equipment in good shape and keep your windshield washer tank ﬁlled with washer ﬂuid. Replace your windshield wiper inserts when they show signs of streaking or missing areas on the windshield, or when strips of rubber start to separate from the inserts. Driving too fast through large water puddles or even going through some car washes can cause problems, too. The water may affect your brakes. Try to avoid puddles. But if you cannot, try to slow down before you hit them. {CAUTION: Wet brakes can cause accidents. They will not work as well in a quick stop and may cause pulling to one side. You could lose control of the vehicle. After driving through a large puddle of water or a car wash, apply your brake pedal lightly until your brakes work normally. 4-17 Hydroplaning Hydroplaning is dangerous. So much water can build up under your tires that they can actually ride on the water. This can happen if the road is wet enough and you are going fast enough. When your vehicle is hydroplaning, it has little or no contact with the road. Hydroplaning does not happen often. But it can if your tires do not have much tread or if the pressure in one or more is low. It can happen if a lot of water is standing on the road. If you can see reﬂections from trees, telephone poles, or other vehicles, and raindrops dimple the water’s surface, there could be hydroplaning. Hydroplaning usually happens at higher speeds. There just is not a hard and fast rule about hydroplaning. The best advice is to slow down when it is raining. Driving Through Deep Standing Water Notice: If you drive too quickly through deep puddles or standing water, water can come in through your engine’s air intake and badly damage your engine. Never drive through water that is slightly lower than the underbody of your vehicle. If you cannot avoid deep puddles or standing water, drive through them very slowly. Driving Through Flowing Water {CAUTION: Flowing or rushing water creates strong forces. If you try to drive through ﬂowing water, as you might at a low water crossing, your vehicle can be carried away. As little as six inches of ﬂowing water can carry away a smaller vehicle. If this happens, you and other vehicle occupants could drown. Do not ignore police warning signs, and otherwise be very cautious about trying to drive through ﬂowing water. Some Other Rainy Weather Tips (cid:127) Besides slowing down, allow some extra following distance. And be especially careful when you pass another vehicle. Allow yourself more clear room ahead, and be prepared to have your view restricted by road spray. (cid:127) Have good tires with proper tread depth. See Tires on page 5-56. 4-18 City Driving Here are ways to increase your safety in city driving: (cid:127) Know the best way to get to where you are going. Get a city map and plan your trip into an unknown part of the city just as you would for a cross-country trip. Try to use the freeways that rim and crisscross most large cities. You will save time and energy. See Freeway Driving on page 4-20. Treat a green light as a warning signal. A traffic light is there because the corner is busy enough to need it. When a light turns green, and just before you start to move, check both ways for vehicles that have not cleared the intersection or may be running the red light. One of the biggest problems with city streets is the amount of traffic on them. You will want to watch out for what the other drivers are doing and pay attention to traffic signals. 4-19 (cid:127) (cid:127) Freeway Driving Mile for mile, freeways — also called thruways, parkways, expressways, turnpikes, or superhighways — are the safest of all roads. But they have their own special rules. The most important advice on freeway driving is: Keep up with traffic and keep to the right. Drive at the same speed most of the other drivers are driving. 4-20 Too-fast or too-slow driving breaks a smooth traffic ﬂow. Treat the left lane on a freeway as a passing lane. At the entrance, there is usually a ramp that leads to the freeway. If you have a clear view of the freeway as you drive along the entrance ramp, you should begin to check traffic. Try to determine where you expect to blend with the ﬂow. Try to merge into the gap at close to the prevailing speed. Switch on your turn signal, check your mirrors, and glance over your shoulder as often as necessary. Try to blend smoothly with the traffic ﬂow. Once you are on the freeway, adjust your speed to the posted limit or to the prevailing rate if it is slower. Stay in the right lane unless you want to pass. Before changing lanes, check your mirrors. Then use your turn signal. Just before you leave the lane, glance quickly over your shoulder to make sure there is not another vehicle in your blind spot. Once you are moving on the freeway, make certain you allow a reasonable following distance. Expect to move slightly slower at night. When you want to leave the freeway, move to the proper lane well in advance. If you miss your exit, do not, under any circumstances, stop and back up. Drive on to the next exit. The exit ramp can be curved, sometimes quite sharply. The exit speed is usually posted. Reduce your speed according to your speedometer, not to your sense of motion. After driving for any distance at higher speeds, you may tend to think you are going slower than you actually are. Before Leaving on a Long Trip Make sure you are ready. Try to be well rested. If you must start when you are not fresh — such as after a day’s work — do not plan to make too many miles that ﬁrst part of the journey. Wear comfortable clothing and shoes you can easily drive in. Is your vehicle ready for a long trip? If you keep it serviced and maintained, it is ready to go. If it needs service, have it done before starting out. Of course, you will ﬁnd experienced and able service experts at Saturn retailers all across North America. They will be ready and willing to help if you need it. Here are some things you can check before a trip: (cid:127) Windshield Washer Fluid: Is the reservoir full? Are all windows clean inside and outside? (cid:127) Wiper Blades: Are they in good shape? Fuel, Engine Oil, Other Fluids: Have you checked all levels? Lamps: Are they all working? Are the lenses clean? Tires: They are vitally important to a safe, trouble-free trip. Is the tread good enough for long-distance driving? Are the tires all inﬂated to the recommended pressure? (cid:127) Weather Forecasts: What is the weather outlook along your route? Should you delay your trip a short time to avoid a major storm system? (cid:127) Maps: Do you have up-to-date maps? 4-21

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2005 Saturn ION Owners Manual