GM Service Manual Online
For 1990-2009 cars only

Object Number: 1704427  Size: A1

The exterior lamps control is located on the instrument panel to the left of the steering wheel.

It controls the following systems:

    • Headlamps
    • Taillamps
    • Parking Lamps
    • License Plate Lamps
    • Instrument Panel Lights

The exterior lamps control has four positions:

(Off): Turns off the automatic headlamps and daytime running lamps (DRL). Turning the headlamp control to the off position again will turn the automatic headlamps or DRL back on. For vehicles first sold in Canada, the off position only works when the vehicle is shifted into the P (Park) position.

AUTO (Automatic): Automatically turns on the headlamps at normal brightness, together with the following:

    • Parking Lamps
    • Instrument Panel Lights
    • Taillamps
    • License Plate Lamps
(Parking Lamps): Turns on the parking lamps together with the following:

    • Instrument Panel Lights
    • Taillamps
    • License Plate Lamps
&(Headlamps): Turns on the headlamps together with the following lamps listed below.

    • Parking Lamps
    • Instrument Panel Lights
    • Taillamps
    • License Plate Lamps

When the headlamps are turned on while the vehicle is on, the headlamps will turn off automatically 10 minutes after the ignition is turned off. When the headlamps are turned on while the vehicle is off, the headlamps will stay on for 10 minutes before automatically turning off to prevent the battery from being drained. Turn the headlamp control to off and then back to the headlamp on position to make the headlamps stay on for an additional 10 minutes.

IntelliBeam® Intelligent High-Beam Headlamp Control System

For vehicles with this feature, be sure to read this entire section before using it.

IntelliBeam® is an enhancement to the vehicle's headlamp system. Using a digital light sensor on the rearview mirror, this system will turn the vehicle's high-beam headlamps on and off according to surrounding traffic conditions.

The IntelliBeam® system turns the high-beam headlamps on when it is dark enough, there is no other traffic present, and the IntelliBeam® system is enabled.

Turning On and Enabling IntelliBeam®

Press and release the IntelliBeam® button on the inside rear view mirror. The IntelliBeam® indicator on the mirror will turn on to let you know the system has been turned on. Once the system has been turned on, it will remain on each time the vehicle is started. Additionally, the IntelliBeam® system must be enabled.

To enable the IntelliBeam® system, turn the exterior lamp control to AUTO, with the turn signal/multifunction lever in its neutral position. The High-Beam On Light will appear on the instrument panel cluster when the high-beams are on. See Highbeam On Light.

Driving with IntelliBeam®

IntelliBeam® will only activate your high-beams when driving over 20 mph (32 km/h).

The high-beam headlamps will remain on, under the automatic control of IntelliBeam®, until any of the following situations occur:

    • The system detects an approaching vehicle's headlamps.
    • The system detects a preceding vehicle's taillamps.
    • The outside light is bright enough that high-beam headlamps are not required.
    • The vehicle's speed drops below 15 mph (24 km/h).
    • The headlamp stalk is moved forward to the high-beam position. See Headlamp High/Low-Beam Changer.
        When either of these conditions occur, the IntelliBeam® feature will be disabled and the IntelliBeam® light in the mirror will turn off until the high-beam stalk is returned to the neutral position.
    • If IntelliBeam® was using low-beams prior to this action, the IntelliBeam® feature will be temporarily disabled until the stalk is returned to the neutral position.
    • The exterior lamp control is turned to any setting except AUTO.
        When this occurs, IntelliBeam® will be disabled until the control is turned back to the AUTO position.
    • The IntelliBeam® system is turned off at the inside rearview mirror.

IntelliBeam® may not turn off the high-beams if the system cannot detect other vehicle's lamps because of any of the following:

    • The others vehicle's lamp(s) are missing, damaged, obstructed from view or otherwise undetected.
    • The other vehicle's lamp(s) are covered with dirt, snow and/or road spray.
    • The other vehicle's lamp(s) cannot be detected due to dense exhaust, smoke, fog, snow, road spray, mist or other airborne obstructions.
    • Your vehicle's windshield is dirty, cracked or obstructed by something that blocks the view of the IntelliBeam light sensor.
    • Your vehicle's windshield is covered with ice, dirt, haze or other obstructions.
    • Your vehicle is loaded such that the front end of the vehicle points upward, causing the IntelliBeam sensor to aim high and not detect headlamps and taillamps.
    • You are driving on winding or hilly roads.

You may need to manually disable or cancel the high-beam headlamps by turning the low-beam headlamps on, if any of the above conditions exist.

Disabling and Resetting IntelliBeam® at the Rearview Mirror

IntelliBeam® can be disabled by using the controls on the inside rearview mirror.

AUTO (On/Off): To disable the system, press this button on the inside rearview mirror. The IntelliBeam® indicator will turn off and will not come back on until the IntelliBeam® button is pressed again.

(Stalk Disable): When IntelliBeam® has turned on the high-beams, pull or push the high-beam stalk. This will disable IntelliBeam®. The IntelliBeam® indicator on the mirror will turn off. To re-enable IntelliBeam®, press the IntelliBeam® button on the mirror.

A different sensitivity setting is available for dealer diagnostics. This is done by pushing and holding this button for 20 seconds until the IntelliBeam® indicator light flashes three times. If you accidentally activate this, the vehicle's setting will automatically be reset each time the ignition is turned off and then on again.

Cleaning the IntelliBeam® Light Sensor


Object Number: 1459946  Size: A2

The light sensor is located on the inside of the vehicle in front of the inside rearview mirror.

Clean the light sensor window, periodically, using glass cleaner on a soft cloth. Gently wipe the sensor window. Do not spray glass cleaner directly on the surface of the sensor window.