GM Service Manual Online
For 1990-2009 cars only

Radio with CD shown, Radio with Six-Disc CD similar


Object Number: 1243759  Size: B3

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:

    • Seek to stations broadcasting the selected type of programming
    • Receive announcements concerning local and national emergencies
    • Display messages from radio stations
    • 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 rare cases, a radio station may broadcast incorrect information that will cause the radio features to work improperly. If this happens, contact the radio station.

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 (PTY) for current programming, and the name of the program being broadcast.

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, including 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).

CLOCK/INFO DISP (Clock/Information Display): Press the CLOCK/INFO DISP button to switch between the clock display, the XM screen, and the XM information display. Press this button while in XM mode to retrieve three different categories of information related to the current song or channel: Artist, Song Title, and Category. To view this information, perform the following:

  1. Press the TUNE/SEL knob to enter the main menu.
  2. Turn the TUNE/SEL knob until CLOCK/INFO DISP appears on the display.
  3. Press the TUNE/SEL knob to select CLOCK/INFO DISP. The display will change to show the additional XM information.
  4. To return to the original display, press the CLR button or wait for the display to time out.

If the CLOCK/INFO DISP is configured into one of the configurable keys, pressing the key will switch the display between the radio station frequency and the time. See "Configurable Radio Display Keys" later in this section for more information.

Playing the Radio

PWR (Power): Press this knob to turn the system on and off.

VOL (Volume): Turn this knob to increase or to decrease the volume.

AVC (Automatic Volume Compensation): Available only with the premium Bose® audio system, AVC monitors the noise in the vehicle and will adjust the volume level so that it always sounds the same to you. AVC works best when listening at low volume levels. At loud listening levels there will be little or no effect. To turn AVC on and off, perform the following steps:

  1. Press the TUNE/SEL knob to enter the main menu.
  2. Turn the TUNE/SEL knob until AUTO VOLUME COMP. appears on the display.
  3. Press the TUNE/SEL knob to turn AVC on or off. An X will appear in the box when AVC is selected on.
  4. Press the CLR button to exit the display. To return to the original display, repeatedly press the CLR button or wait for the display to time out.
SOURCE: Press this button to select a source, either radio or CD. The CD must be loaded to select the source and to play. CD will appear on the display if a CD is loaded. If a CD is not loaded the display will not change from the radio source.

Finding a Station

BAND: Press this button to select FM1, FM2, AM, or XM1 or XM2 (if equipped).

SEEK : Press the up or the down arrow to go to the next or to the previous station and stay there. SEEK will appear on the display. The sound will mute while seeking. The radio will only seek stations with a strong signal that are in the selected band.

SCAN : Press the SCAN button to enter scan mode. SCAN will appear on the display. Press the up arrow to scan to the next station. The radio will go to a station, play for 5 seconds, then go on to the next station. Press this button again to stop scanning. To scan preset stations, press and hold SCAN for more than two seconds until you hear a beep and PSCAN appears on the display. The radio will go to the first preset station stored on your pushbuttons, play for 5 seconds, then go on to the next preset station. Press SCAN again to stop scanning presets. The radio will only scan stations with a strong signal that are in the selected band.

LOCAL/DISTANT Selection: With this feature you can set the radio to search for local stations or stations that are further away for a larger selection. To set this feature to LOCAL or DISTANT, perform the following steps:

  1. Press the TUNE/SEL knob to enter the main menu.
  2. Turn the TUNE/SEL knob until SEEK LOCAL or SEEK DISTANT appears on the display.
  3. Press the TUNE/SEL knob to select either LOCAL or DISTANT.
  4. Press the CLR button to exit the display. To return to the original display, repeatedly press the CLR button or wait for the display to time out.

To search for stations, press the SEEK up or down arrows. If the system is set to LOCAL, SEEK will appear in the display and seek to stations with strong signals only. If the system is set to DISTANT, D-SEEK will appear in the display and seek to stations with weak and strong signals.

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 BAND to select FM1, FM2, or AM, or XM1 or XM2.
  3. Tune in the desired station.
  4. Press and hold one of the six numbered pushbuttons for two seconds until you hear a beep. The set preset station number will appear on the display above the pushbutton that it is set to. Whenever that numbered pushbutton is pressed for less than two seconds, the station that was set will return.
  5. Repeat the steps for each pushbutton.
  6. To set the preset stations with an equalization setting, DSP setting, or a PTY setting, see each of these features later in this section. When a preset station is selected, once one of these additional settings is selected, the preset station will remember each setting and it will remain active, until the setting is selected off for that preset station.

AUTOSTORE PRESETS:  To set the preset stations automatically, perform the following steps:

  1. Turn the radio on.
  2. Press BAND to select FM1, FM2, or AM.
  3. Press the TUNE/SEL knob to enter the main menu.
  4. Turn the TUNE/SEL knob until AUTOSTORE PRESETS appears on the display.
  5. Press the TUNE/SEL knob to select. AUTOSTORE will appear on the display. The radio will automatically search the band and select and store the six radio stations with the strongest signal. The stations will be stored by signal strength, not sequential order. The set preset station number will appear on the display above the pushbutton that it is set to. Whenever that numbered pushbutton is pressed for less than two seconds, the station that was set will return.
  6. Press the CLR button to exit the display. To return to the original display, repeatedly press the CLR button or wait for the display to time out.

When battery power is removed and later applied, you will not have to reset your radio presets.

PRESETS HOME/AWAY: This feature gives you the ability to store two different kinds of station presets. HOME can be used for stations available where you live and AWAY can be for stations available outside of your local broadcasting area. To set preset stations for home and away perform the following steps:

  1. Press the TUNE/SEL knob to enter the main menu.
  2. Turn the TUNE/SEL knob until PRESETS HOME/AWAY appears on the display.
  3. Press the TUNE/SEL knob to select. HOME or AWAY will appear on the display.
  4. Press the CLR button to exit the display. To return to the original display, repeatedly press the CLR button or wait for the display to time out.

Follow the manual or automatic steps previously listed for setting the preset pushbuttons for both home and away.

Setting the Tone (Bass/Treble)

To adjust the bass, midrange, and treble, perform the following steps:

  1. Press the TUNE/SEL knob to enter the main menu.
  2. Turn the TUNE/SEL knob until BASS-MID-TREBLE appears on the display.
  3. Press the TUNE/SEL knob to enter the tone settings.
  4. Press the TUNE/SEL knob to scroll through the settings.
  5. Turn the TUNE/SEL knob to increase or to decrease the bass, midrange, or treble. If a station is weak or noisy, decrease the treble.
  6. Press the TUNE/SEL knob to set the adjustment.
  7. Press the CLR button to exit the display. To return to the original display repeatedly press the CLR button or wait for the display to time out.
AUDIO EQUALIZER: This feature allows you to select customized equalization settings. To choose an equalization setting (EQ0 through EQ5), perform the following steps:

  1. Press the TUNE/SEL knob to enter the main menu.
  2. Turn the TUNE/SEL knob until EQUALIZER appears on the display.
  3. Press the TUNE/SEL knob to set the equalization setting. The equalization setting will appear on the display.
  4. Press the CLR button to exit the display. To return to the original display, repeatedly press the CLR button or wait for the display to time out.

The equalization settings are preset to EQ0 (Normal), EQ1 (Pop), EQ2 (Rock), EQ3 (Jazz), EQ4 (Talk), and EQ5 (Country).

Adjusting the Speakers (Balance/Fade)

To adjust the balance or fade, perform the following steps:

  1. Press the TUNE/SEL knob to enter the main menu.
  2. Turn the TUNE/SEL knob until BASS-MID-TREBLE appears on the display.
  3. Press the TUNE/SEL knob to enter the tone settings.
  4. Press the TUNE/SEL knob to scroll to BALANCE or FADER.
  5. Turn the TUNE/SEL knob to adjust the BALANCE to the right or the left speakers and the FADER to the front or the rear speakers.
  6. Press the TUNE/SEL knob to set the adjustment.
  7. Press the CLR button to exit the display. To return to the original display, repeatedly press the CLR button or wait for the display to time out.

EQ0 will not appear on the display when in this mode.

Using DSP

Available only with the premium Bose® audio system, this feature is used to provide a choice of five different listening experiences: DSP normal, talk, spacious, rear seat, and driver seat. DSP can be used while listening to the radio or the CD player. The radio keeps separate DSP settings for each band, preset, and source. To select a DSP choice, perform the following steps:

  1. Press the TUNE/SEL knob to enter the main menu.
  2. Turn the TUNE/SEL knob until one of the five settings appears on the display.
  3. Press the TUNE/SEL knob to select a DSP setting.
  4. Press the CLR button to exit the display. To return to the original display, repeatedly press the CLR button or wait for the display to time out.
DSP NORMAL: This setting provides the best overall audio performance for all passengers. DSP NORMAL will not appear on the display when in this mode.

TALK: This setting should be used when listening to non-musical material such as news, talk shows, sports broadcasts, and books on tape. Talk makes spoken words sound very clear.

SPACIOUS: This setting is used to make the listening space seem larger.

REAR SEAT: This setting adjusts the audio to give the rear seat passenger(s) the best possible sound quality. Sound quality for the front seat passengers may be different when this setting is used.

DRIVER SEAT: This setting adjusts the audio to give the driver the best possible sound quality. Sound quality for the front and rear seat passenger(s) may be different when this setting is used.

RDS Messages

ALERT: Alert warns of local and national emergencies. When, an alert announcement comes on the current radio station or a related network 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. If the radio tunes to a related network station for the announcement, it will return to the original station when the announcement is finished. ALERT will not be affected by tests of the emergency broadcast system. This feature is not supported by all RDS stations.

MSG (Message): If the current RDS station has a message, MSG will appear on the display. The message may display the artist, song title, call in phone numbers, etc. If the entire message does not appear on the display, parts of the message will appear every three seconds until the message is completed. Once the completed message has been displayed, MSG will disappear from the display until another new message is received. To display the last message, perform the following steps:

  1. Press the TUNE/SEL knob to enter the main menu.
  2. Turn the TUNE/SEL knob until RECALL RDS MESSAGE appears on the display.
  3. Press the TUNE/SEL knob. The message will appear on the display.

Once the message has been displayed, MSG will disappear from the display until another new message is received.

TP (Traffic Program): TP will appear on the display when the radio detects a signal from an RDS station that has traffic announcement broadcast capability.

TA (Traffic Announcement): If TA appears on the display, the tuned radio station broadcasts traffic announcements and when a traffic announcement comes on the tuned station you will hear it. If the station does not broadcast traffic announcements, when TA is turned on it 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. The radio will play traffic announcements if the volume is low. The radio will interrupt the play of a CD if the last tuned station broadcasts traffic announcements. To turn TA on or off, perform the following steps:

  1. Press the TUNE/SEL knob to enter the main menu.
  2. Turn the TUNE/SEL knob until TRAFFIC ANNOUNCE appears on the display.
  3. Press the TUNE/SEL knob to select ON or OFF. An X will appear in the box when TA is selected on.
  4. Press the CLR button to exit the display. To return to the original display, repeatedly press the CLR button or wait for the display to time out.

Activating Program Type (PTY) Stations (RDS and XM™)

PTY allows you to search for stations with specific types of music. The selectable PTYs are POP, EASY, TALK, CNTRY (Country), CLASS (Classical), and JAZZ.

To activate program types, perform the following steps:

  1. Press the TUNE/SEL knob to enter the main menu.
  2. Turn the TUNE/SEL knob until PROGRAM TYPE MODE appears on the display.
  3. Press the TUNE/SEL knob to select ON or OFF. An X will appear in the box when PTY is selected on.
  4. Press the CLR button to exit the display. To return to the original display, repeatedly press the CLR button or wait for the display to time out.

Once program type is activated the PTYs will appear on the display above the pushbuttons, in place of the preset stations (if programmed). Press the pushbutton for the PTY that you would like to listen to. Not all stations support PTYs. The radio may not go to all of the stations with that music type when pressing the pushbutton.

AF (Alternate Frequency): Alternate frequency allows the radio to switch to a stronger station with the same program type. To turn AF on or off, perform the following steps:

  1. Press the TUNE/SEL knob to enter the main menu.
  2. Turn the TUNE/SEL knob until ALTERNATE FREQ. appears on the display.
  3. Press the TUNE/SEL knob to select AF OFF, AF ON, or AF REG. An X will appear in the box when AF is selected on.
  4. Press the CLR button to exit the display. To return to the original display, repeatedly press the CLR button or wait for the display to time out.

Radio Message

THEFTLOCK: This message is displayed when the THEFTLOCK® system has been activated. Take the vehicle to the dealer for service.

XM™ Radio Messages

Radio Display Message

Condition

Action Required

XL (Explicit Language Channels)

XL on the radio display, after the channel name, indicates content with explicit language.

These channels, or any others, can be blocked at a customer's request, by calling 1-800-852-XMXM (9696).

XM Updating

Updating encryption code

The encryption code in the receiver is being updated, and no action is required. This process should take no longer than 30 seconds.

No XM Signal

Loss of signal

The system is functioning correctly, but the vehicle is in a location that is blocking the XM signal. When the vehicle is moved into an open area, the signal should return.

Loading XM

Acquiring channel audio (after 4 second delay)

The audio system is acquiring and processing audio and text data. No action is needed. This message should disappear shortly.

Channel Off Air

Channel not in service

This channel is not currently in service. Tune in to another channel.

Channel Unavail

Channel no longer available

This previously assigned channel is no longer assigned. Tune to another station. If this station was one of the presets, choose another station for that preset button.

No Artist Info

Artist Name/Feature not available

No artist information is available at this time on this channel. The system is working properly.

No Title Info

Song/Program Title not available

No song title information is available at this time on this channel. The system is working properly.

No CAT Info

Category Name not available

No category information is available at this time on this channel. The system is working properly.

Not Found

No channel available for the chosen category

There are no channels available for the selected category. The system is working properly.

No Information

No Text/Informational message available

No text or informational messages are available at this time on this channel. The system is working properly.

XM Lock

Theft lock active

The XM receiver in your vehicle may have previously been in another vehicle. For security purposes, XM receivers cannot be swapped between vehicles. If this message is received after having your vehicle serviced, check with your GM dealer.

XM Radio ID

Radio ID label (channel 0)

If tuned to channel 0, this message will alternate with the XM Radio 8 digit radio ID label. This label is needed to activate the service.

Unknown

Radio ID not known (should only be if hardware failure)

If this message is received when tuned to channel 0, there may be a receiver fault. Consult with your GM dealer.

Check XM Receiver

Hardware failure

If this message does not clear within a short period of time, the receiver may have a fault. Consult with your GM dealer.

Using the Single CD Player

Insert a CD partway into the slot, label side up. The player will pull it in. If the ignition and the radio are on the CD will begin playing. A CD may be loaded with the radio off but it will not start playing until the radio is on.

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 to play where it stopped, if it was the last selected audio source.

When the CD is inserted, CD will appear on the display. As each new track starts to play, the track number will appear on the display.

The CD player can play the smaller 3 inch (8 cm) single CDs with an adapter ring. Full-size CDs and the smaller CDs are loaded in the same manner.

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: If a label is added to a CD, or more than one CD is inserted into the slot at a time, or an attempt is made to play scratched or damaged CDs, the CD player could be damaged. While 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.

When a CD is inserted the CD functions will appear on the display above the pushbuttons, in place of the preset stations (if programmed).

F1 PREV (Previous): Press this pushbutton to go to the previous track. Press and hold this pushbutton to reverse quickly within a track. Release the pushbutton to play the passage. The elapsed time of the track will appear on the display.

F2 NEXT: Press this pushbutton to go to the next track. Press and hold this pushbutton to advance quickly within a track. Release the pushbutton to play the passage. The elapsed time of the track will appear on the display.

F3 RDM (Random): Press this pushbutton to listen to the tracks in random, rather than sequential, order. RANDOM will appear on the display. Press RDM again to turn off random play. RANDOM will disappear from the display.

F4 RPT (Repeat): Press this pushbutton to hear a track over again. REPEAT will appear on the display. Press RPT again to turn off repeat play. REPEAT will disappear from the display.

F6 DISP (Display): Press this pushbutton to display the time of the track. Press this pushbutton again to remove the time of the track from the display.

SEEK : Press the up or the down arrow to go to the next or to the previous track on the CD.

SCAN : Press this button to listen to each track for 10 seconds. The CD will go to a track, play for 10 seconds, then go on to the next track. Press this button again to stop scanning.

(Eject): Press this button to stop a CD when it is playing or to eject a CD when it is not playing. Eject may be activated with the ignition and the radio off.

Using the Six-Disc CD Changer

The CD player can play the smaller 3 inch (8 cm) single CDs with an adapter ring. Full-size CDs and the smaller CDs are loaded in the same manner.

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: If a label is added to a CD, or more than one CD is inserted into the slot at a time, or an attempt is made to play scratched or damaged CDs, the CD player could be damaged. While 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.

When a CD is inserted the CD functions will appear on the display above the pushbuttons, in place of the preset stations (if programmed).

LOAD: Press the LOAD button to load CDs into the CD player. This CD player will hold up to six CDs. To insert one CD, do the following:

  1. The ignition and the radio can be on or off.
  2. Press and release the LOAD button. Please Wait will appear on the display.
  3. Load the CD, when INSERT appears on the display, insert a CD partway into the slot, label side up. The player will pull the CD in.

When a CD is inserted, CD will appear on the display, the number of the CD and the track number will appear on the display if the radio is on.

If the radio is on, the CD will begin to play automatically.

To insert multiple CDs, do the following:

  1. The ignition and the radio can be on or off.
  2. Press and hold the LOAD button for two seconds. Please Wait will appear on the display and you will hear a beep.
  3. Load the CD, when INSERT appears on the display, insert a CD partway into the slot, label side up. The player will pull the CD in.
  4. Do not load a CD until INSERT appears on the display. The CD player will take up to six CDs. Do not try to load more than six. If you want to load less than six CDs, load the desired amount. The CD player will time out when it does not receive any more CDs and the last CD loaded will begin to play.

If the radio is on, the last CD loaded will begin to play automatically.

F1 CD(Down):  Press this pushbutton to go to the previous CD.

F2 CD(Up):  Press this pushbutton to go to the next CD.

CD REV (Reverse):  Press this pushbutton to go to the previous track. Press and hold this pushbutton to reverse quickly within the track. Release the pushbutton to play the passage. The elapsed time of the track will appear on the display.

CD FWD (Forward):  Press this pushbutton to go to the next track. Press and hold this pushbutton to advance quickly within the track. Release the pushbutton to play the passage. The elapsed time of the track will appear on the display.

F5 MODE:  Press this pushbutton to select from NORMAL, RPT TRCK (Repeat Track), RPT CD (Repeat CD), RDM TRK (Random Track), and RDM ALL (Random All CDs).

    • NORMAL: Sets the system for normal play of the CD(s). NORMAL will not appear on the display when in this mode.
    • RPT TRCK (Repeat Track): Repeats the track over again. RPT TRCK will appear on the display. Press the MODE pushbutton again to turn off repeat play. RPT TRCK will disappear from the display.
    • RPT CD (Repeat CD): Repeats the CD over again. RPT DISC will appear on the display. Press the MODE pushbutton again to turn off repeat play. RPT DISC will disappear from the display.
    • RDM TRK (Random Track): Plays the tracks on the current CD in random, rather than sequential, order. RDM TRK will appear on the display. Press the MODE pushbutton again to turn off random play. RDM TRK will disappear from the display.
    • RDM ALL (Random All CDs): Plays all of the CDs loaded in random, rather than sequential, order. RDM ALL will appear on the display. Press the MODE pushbutton again to turn off random play. RDM ALL will disappear from the display.
F6 DISP (Display):  Press this pushbutton to display the time of the track. Press this pushbutton again to display CD PLAY and press this pushbutton once more to clear the display.

SEEK :  Press the up or the down arrow to go to the next or to the previous track on the CD.

SCAN:  Press this button to listen to each track for 10 seconds. The CD will go to a track, play for 10 seconds, then go on to the next track. Press this button again to stop scanning.

(Eject):  Press this button to eject the CD that is currently playing, or press and hold this button to eject all of the CDs loaded. You will hear a beep. Eject may be activated with the ignition or radio off .

CD Messages

If the CD comes out, it could be for one of the following reasons:

    • If it is very hot. When the temperature returns to normal, the CD should play.
    • If 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 GM dealer. If the radio displays an error message, write it down and provide it to your GM dealer when reporting the problem.

Configurable Radio Display Keys

This feature allows you to customize the four keys that are located on each side of the radio display to make it easier to adjust the radio features and other non-radio related features are also available for customization.

To program the configurable radio display keys, perform the following steps:

  1. Press the TUNE/SEL knob to enter the main menu.
  2. Turn the TUNE/SEL knob until SETUP appears on the display.
  3. Press the TUNE/SEL knob to enter into SETUP.
  4. Turn the TUNE/SEL knob until CONFIGURE DISPLAY KEYS appears on the display.
  5. Press the TUNE/SEL knob to enter into CONFIGURE DISPLAY KEYS.
  6. Turn the TUNE/SEL knob to select which of the four configurable keys you would like to change. The currently assigned feature will be shown.
  7. Press the TUNE/SEL knob to select the configurable key to change.
  8. Turn the TUNE/SEL knob to find the feature that you would like to store to the key.
  9. Press the TUNE/SEL knob when you have found the feature to be stored. The display will update, by showing the symbol of the feature that you selected next to the configurable key.
  10. Repeat the previous steps for each configurable key.

Once a feature is programmed to a key, the feature will not appear on the display when programming the remaining configurable keys. The configurable keys can be changed at any time.