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GENERAL MOTORS, GM, the GM Emblem, PONTIAC,
the PONTIAC Emblem and the name VIBE are
registered trademarks of General Motors Corporation.

This manual includes the latest information at the time it
was printed. We reserve the right to make changes
after that time without further notice. For vehicles first
sold in Canada, substitute the name “General Motors of
Canada Limited” for Pontiac Division whenever it
appears in this manual.

Keep this manual in the vehicle, so it will be there if it is
needed when on the road. If the vehicle is sold, leave
this manual in it so the new owner can use it.

Canadian Owners

A French language copy of this manual can be obtained
from your dealer or from:

Helm, Incorporated
P.O. Box 07130
Detroit, MI 48207

How to Use This Manual

Many people read the owner manual from beginning to
end when they first receive their new vehicle. If this
is done, it can help you learn about the features
and controls for the vehicle. Pictures and words work
together in the owner manual to explain things.

Index

A good place to quickly locate information about the
vehicle is the Index in the back of the manual. It is an
alphabetical list of what is in the manual and the
page number where it can be found.

Litho in U.S.A.
Part No. 06VIBE A First Printing

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Vehicle Damage Warnings

Also, in this manual you will find these notices:

Notice: These mean there is something that could
damage your vehicle.

A notice tells about something that can damage the
vehicle. Many times, this damage would not be covered
by your vehicle’s warranty, and it could be costly. But
the notice will tell what to do to help avoid the damage.

When you read other manuals, you might see
CAUTION and NOTICE warnings in different colors
or in different words.

There are also warning labels on the vehicle. They use
the same words, CAUTION or NOTICE.

Vehicle Symbols

The vehicle has components and labels that use
symbols instead of text. Symbols are shown along with
the text describing the operation or information
relating to a specific component, control, message,
gage, or indicator.

If you need help figuring out a specific name of
a component, gage, or indicator, reference the
following topics:

•

Seats and Restraint Systems in Section 1

•

Features and Controls in Section 2

•

Instrument Panel Overview in Section 3

•

Climate Controls in Section 3

•

Warning Lights, Gages, and Indicators in Section 3

•

Audio System(s) in Section 3

•

Engine Compartment Overview in Section 5

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These are some examples of symbols that may be found on the vehicle:

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Front Seats ......................................................1-2

Manual Seats ................................................1-2
Driver Seat Height Adjuster ..............................1-3
Reclining Seatbacks ........................................1-3
Head Restraints .............................................1-5
Passenger Folding Seatback ............................1-6

Rear Seats .......................................................1-7

Rear Seat Operation .......................................1-7

Safety Belts .....................................................1-9

Safety Belts: They Are for Everyone .................1-9
Questions and Answers About Safety Belts ......1-13
How to Wear Safety Belts Properly .................1-14
Driver Position ..............................................1-14
Shoulder Belt Height Adjustment .....................1-21
Safety Belt Use During Pregnancy ..................1-22
Right Front Passenger Position .......................1-22
Rear Seat Passengers ..................................1-22
Safety Belt Pretensioners ...............................1-25
Safety Belt Extender .....................................1-25

Child Restraints .............................................1-26

Older Children ..............................................1-26
Infants and Young Children ............................1-28

Child Restraint Systems .................................1-31
Where to Put the Restraint .............................1-36
Lower Anchors and Tethers for

Children (LATCH) ......................................1-37

Securing a Child Restraint in a Rear

Seat Position ............................................1-42

Securing a Child Restraint in the Right

Front Seat Position ....................................1-45

Airbag System ...............................................1-49

Where Are the Airbags? ................................1-52
When Should an Airbag Inflate? .....................1-55
What Makes an Airbag Inflate? .......................1-57
How Does an Airbag Restrain? .......................1-57
What Will You See After an Airbag Inflates? ........1-58
Passenger Sensing System ............................1-59
Servicing Your Airbag-Equipped Vehicle ...........1-64
Adding Equipment to Your

Airbag-Equipped Vehicle .............................1-64

Restraint System Check ..................................1-66

Checking the Restraint Systems ......................1-66
Replacing Restraint System Parts

After a Crash ............................................1-67

Section 1

Seats and Restraint Systems

1-1

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Front Seats

Manual Seats

{

CAUTION:

You can lose control of the vehicle if you try to
adjust a manual driver’s seat while the vehicle
is moving. The sudden movement could startle
and confuse you, or make you push a pedal
when you do not want to. Adjust the driver’s
seat only when the vehicle is not moving.

Lift the bar located under the front of the seat to unlock
it. Slide the seat to where you want it and release
the bar. Try to move the seat with your body to be sure
the seat is locked in place.

1-2

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Driver Seat Height Adjuster

The driver seat height adjuster is located on the
outboard side of the seat. To raise the seat, pull up on
the lever repeatedly until the seat is at the desired
height. To lower the seat, push down on the lever
repeatedly until the seat is at the desired height.

It is easier to use the adjuster when the seat is
unoccupied.

Reclining Seatbacks

To adjust the seatback, lift the lever located on the
outboard side of the seat. Release the lever to lock the
seatback where you want it. Push on the seat to
make sure it is locked into position. Pull up on the lever
without pushing on the seatback, and the seat will go
to its original upright position.

1-3

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Do not have a seatback reclined if your vehicle is
moving.

{

CAUTION:

Sitting in a reclined position when your vehicle
is in motion can be dangerous. Even if you
buckle up, your safety belts cannot do their
job when you are reclined like this.

The shoulder belt cannot do its job because it
will not be against your body. Instead, it will be
in front of you. In a crash, you could go into it,
receiving neck or other injuries.

The lap belt cannot do its job either. In a crash,
the belt could go up over your abdomen.
The belt forces would be there, not at your
pelvic bones. This could cause serious internal
injuries.

For proper protection when the vehicle is in
motion, have the seatback upright. Then sit
well back in the seat and wear your safety belt
properly.

1-4

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Head Restraints

Press the release button at
the base of the head
restraint and push the
restraint down to lower it.

Pull up on the head restraint to raise it.

Adjust your head restraint so that the top of the restraint
is closest to the top of your head. This position
reduces the chance of a neck injury in a crash.

The rear seats may have adjustable head restraints.
If so, they work the same way as the front head
restraints.

1-5

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Passenger Folding Seatback

{

CAUTION:

If you fold the seatback forward to carry longer
objects, such as skis, be sure any such cargo
is not near an airbag. In a crash, an inflating
airbag might force that object toward a person.
This could cause severe injury or even death.
Secure objects away from the area in which an
airbag would inflate. For more information,
see Where Are the Airbags? on page 1-52 and
Loading Your Vehicle on page 4-31.

{

CAUTION:

Things you put on this seatback can strike and
injure people in a sudden stop or turn, or in
a crash. Remove or secure all items before
driving.

You can fold the front passenger’s seatback down to
allow for more cargo space or as a temporary table while
the vehicle is stopped. When the area is not being
used for more cargo space, the seatback should
be placed in the locked, upright position.

To fold the seatback down, do the following:

1. Lower the head restraint to the lowest position and

make sure the seatback is at the most upright
position and locked.

2. Pull up on one of the

levers located on either
side of the back of
the passenger’s
seatback.

1-6

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3. Fold the seatback down.

To raise the seatback, do the following:

1. Pull up on one of the levers located on either side

of the back of the passenger’s seatback.

2. Pull the seatback up and push it back to lock it into

place. Make sure the safety belt is not twisted or
caught in the seatback.

3. Push and pull the top of the seatback to be sure it

is locked into position.

4. Use the reclining front seatback lever to adjust the

seatback to a comfortable position.

Rear Seats

Rear Seat Operation

You can fold either side of the seatback down for more
cargo space. The rear right side seatback can also
be used as a temporary table while the vehicle is
stopped. Make sure the front seatback isn’t reclined or
in the rearward most position. If it is, the rear seatback
won’t fold down all the way.

{

CAUTION:

A rear seatback folded forward, or any other
object contacting or pressing the front
seatback may affect the proper functioning of
the passenger sensing system. See Passenger
Sensing System on page 1-59.

1-7

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{

CAUTION:

If the seatback is not locked, it could move
forward in a sudden stop or crash. That could
cause injury to the person sitting there. Always
push and pull on the seatback to be sure it is
locked.

{

CAUTION:

A safety belt that is improperly routed, not
properly attached, or twisted will not provide
the protection needed in a crash. The person
wearing the belt could be seriously injured.
After raising the rear seatback, always check
to be sure that the safety belts are properly
routed and attached, and are not twisted.

To fold either seatback down, do the following:

1. Pull up on the lock

release knob, located
on the top outboard
side of the seatbacks.

2. Fold the seatback down. Each seatback can be

folded separately.

To raise the seatback, do the following:

1. Pull the seatback up and push it back to lock it into

place. Make sure the safety belts are not twisted or
caught in the seatback.

2. Push and pull the top of the seatback to be sure it

is locked into position.

1-8

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Safety Belts

Safety Belts: They Are for Everyone

This part of the manual tells you how to use safety
belts properly. It also tells you some things you should
not do with safety belts.

{

CAUTION:

Do not let anyone ride where he or she cannot
wear a safety belt properly. If you are in a
crash and you are not wearing a safety belt,
your injuries can be much worse. You can hit
things inside the vehicle or be ejected from it.
You can be seriously injured or killed. In the
same crash, you might not be, if you are
buckled up. Always fasten your safety belt,
and check that your passengers’ belts are
fastened properly too.

{

CAUTION:

It is extremely dangerous to ride in a cargo
area, inside or outside of a vehicle. In a
collision, people riding in these areas are more
likely to be seriously injured or killed. Do not
allow people to ride in any area of your vehicle
that is not equipped with seats and safety
belts. Be sure everyone in your vehicle is in a
seat and using a safety belt properly.

Your vehicle has a light
that comes on as a
reminder to buckle up.
See Safety Belt Reminder
Light on page 3-27.

1-9

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In most states and in all Canadian provinces, the law
says to wear safety belts. Here is why: They work.

You never know if you will be in a crash. If you do have
a crash, you do not know if it will be a bad one.

A few crashes are mild, and some crashes can be so
serious that even buckled up, a person would not
survive. But most crashes are in between. In many of
them, people who buckle up can survive and sometimes
walk away. Without belts they could have been badly
hurt or killed.

After more than 30 years of safety belts in vehicles,
the facts are clear. In most crashes buckling up
does matter...a lot!

Why Safety Belts Work

When you ride in or on anything, you go as fast as it goes.

Take the simplest vehicle. Suppose it is just a seat on
wheels.

1-10

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Put someone on it.

Get it up to speed. Then stop the vehicle. The rider
does not stop.

1-11

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The person keeps going until stopped by something.
In a real vehicle, it could be the windshield...

or the instrument panel...

1-12

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