GM Service Manual Online
For 1990-2009 cars only

AM-FM Radio


Object Number: 808609  Size: B2

Radio with CD (MP3/WMA)


Object Number: 1858679  Size: B3

Radio with Six-Disc CD Player


Object Number: 1411837  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 only works when the information is available. In rare cases, a radio station could broadcast incorrect information that causes 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 display instead of the frequency. RDS stations can also provide the time of day, a program type (PTY) for current programming, and the name of the program being broadcast.

Playing the Radio

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

VOL/VOLUME : Turn to increase or to decrease the volume.

RCL (Recall) (AM-FM Radio): Press to switch the display between the radio station frequency, band, and the time. When the ignition is off, press to display the time.

DISPL (Display) (Radio with CD): When the ignition is turned off, press to display the time. For RDS, press the DISPL knob to change what displays while using RDS. The display options are station name, RDS station frequency, PTY (program type), and the name of the program (if available). For XM™ (if equipped), press the DISPL knob while in XM™ mode to retrieve four different categories of information related to the current song or channel: Artist, Song Title, Category or PTY, Channel Number/Channel Name. To change the default on the display, press the DISPL knob until you see the desired display, then press and hold this knob for two seconds. The radio produces one beep. The selected display is now the default.

INFO (Information) (XM™ Satellite Radio Service and RDS Features) (Radio with Six-Disc CD): When the ignition is off, press to display the time. Press the INFO button to display additional text information related to the current FM-RDS or XM™ station. A choice of additional information such as: Channel, Song, Artist, and PTY (program type) may appear. Continue pressing the information button to highlight the desired label, and the information about that label displays. When information is not available, No Info displays. To change the default on the display, press the INFO knob until you see the desired display, then press and hold the knob until a beep sounds. The selected display becomes the default.

AUTO VOL (Automatic Volume): Automatic volume automatically adjusts the audio system to make up for road and wind noise as you drive. Set the volume at the desired level. Depending on the radio and displays, press to select MIN, MED, MAX AUTO VOL, or LOW, MEDIUM, and HIGH. AVOL displays. Each higher setting allows for more volume compensation at faster vehicle speeds. Then as you drive, automatic volume increases the volume, as necessary, to overcome noise at any speed. The volume level should always sound the same to you as you drive. For the Radio with CD, NONE displays if the radio cannot determine the vehicle speed. To turn automatic volume off, press until OFF or AUTO VOL OFF displays.

Finding a Station

AM FM (AM-FM Radio): Press to switch between FM1, FM2, or AM. The selection displays.

BAND: Press to switch between FM1, FM2, AM, or XM1 or XM2 (if equipped). The selection displays.

TUNE : Turn to select radio stations.

SEEK : Press the arrows to go to the previous or to the next station and stay there. To scan stations, press and hold either arrow for two seconds until a beep sounds. The radio goes to a station, plays for a few seconds, then goes to the next station. Press either arrow again to stop scanning. To scan preset stations, press and hold either arrow for more than four seconds until two beeps sound. The radio goes to the first preset station stored on the pushbuttons, plays for a few seconds, then goes to the next preset station. Press either arrow again to stop scanning presets.

/ SEEK : Press the SEEK or SEEK/TYPE arrows to go to the previous or to the next station and stay there.

/ SCAN: Press and hold either SCAN arrow or SCAN/TYPE arrows for more than two seconds. SCAN or SCN displays and the radio produces one beep. The radio goes to a station, plays for a few seconds, then goes to the next station. Press either SCAN arrow or SCAN/TYPE arrows again, or for the Radio with Six-Disc CD player, one of the pushbuttons to stop scanning presets. To scan preset stations, press and hold either SCAN arrow or SCAN/TYPE arrows for more than four seconds. PSCN or PSC displays and the radio produces one beep or depending on the radio, two beeps. The radio goes to a preset station, plays for a few seconds, then goes to the next preset station. Press either SCAN arrow or SCAN/TYPE arrows again, or for the Radio with CD, one of the pushbuttons to stop scanning presets. The radio only scans stations with a strong signal that are in the selected band.

Setting Preset Stations

If your radio does not have XM™, up to 18 stations (six FM1, six FM2, and six AM) can be programmed on the six numbered pushbuttons.

If your radio has XM™, up to 30 stations (six FM1, six FM2, six AM, six XM1 and six XM2 (if equipped)) can be programmed on the six numbered pushbuttons.

To program either radio:

  1. Turn the radio on.
  2. Press BAND to select FM1, FM2, AM, or XM1 or XM2 (if equipped).
  3. • For the AM-FM Radio, press AM FM to select FM1, FM2, or AM.
  4. Tune in the desired station.
  5. Press and hold one of the six numbered pushbuttons until the radio beeps once. When that numbered pushbutton is pressed again, the station that was stored, returns.
  6. Repeat the steps for each pushbutton.

Setting the Tone (Bass/Treble)

AUDIO: Push and release until BASS/TREB, or depending on the radio, BASS, MID, or TREB displays. Turn to increase or to decrease. The tone display shows the bass or the treble level. If a station is weak or has static, decrease the treble.

    • For the AM-FM Radio, press and hold the arrows to increase or to decrease the tone.

To adjust the bass/treble or bass/midrange/treble to the middle position, press and hold the AUDIO knob. The radio produces one beep and adjusts the display level to the middle position.

    • For the AM-FM Radio, adjust bass or treble to the middle position, select BAS (bass) or TRE (treble). Then press and hold for more than two seconds until a beep sounds. B (balance) and a zero or T (treble) and a zero displays.

To adjust all tone and speaker controls to the middle position, push and hold the AUDIO knob when no tone or speaker control displays. ALL CENTERED displays and a beep sounds.

    • For the AM-FM Radio, adjust both tone controls and both speaker controls to the middle position, first exit out of audio mode by pressing another button, causing the radio to perform that function or wait five seconds for the display to return to time of day. Then press and hold for more than two seconds until a beep sounds. CEN (center) displays.
AUTO EQ (Automatic Equalization): Press to select customized equalization settings designed for country/western, jazz, talk, pop, rock, and classical. To return to the manual mode, press the AUTO EQ button until CUSTOM displays. Then manually adjust the bass/treble, or bass/midrange/treble by using the AUDIO knob.

Adjusting the Speakers (Balance/Fade)

AUDIO: To adjust the balance between the right and the left speakers, push and release until BAL (balance) displays. Turn to move the sound toward the right or the left speakers.

    • For the AM-FM Radio, press and hold the arrows to move the sound toward the right or the left speakers.

To adjust the fade between the front and the rear speakers, push and release the AUDIO knob until FADE or depending on the radio, FAD displays. Turn the knob to move the sound toward the front or the rear speakers.

    • For the AM-FM Radio, press and hold the arrows to move the sound toward the right or the left speakers.

To adjust the balance or the fade to the middle position, push the AUDIO knob to select BAL or FADE/FAD, then push it again and hold it until one beep sounds.

    • For the AM-FM Radio, adjust balance or fade to the middle position by selecting BAL or FAD. Press and hold AUDIO for more than two seconds until a beep sounds. B (balance) and a zero or F (fade) and a zero displays.

To adjust all tone and speaker controls to the middle position, push and hold the AUDIO knob when no tone or speaker control is displayed. ALL CENTERED displays and a beep sounds.

    • For the AM-FM Radio, adjust both tone controls and both speaker controls to the middle position by exiting out of audio mode. To do this, press any button for the radio to perform that function or wait five seconds for the display to return to time of day. Then press and hold AUDIO for more than two seconds until a beep sounds. CEN (center) displays.
        Fade might not be available if the vehicle is a regular cab model.

Finding a Program Type (PTY) Station (RDS and XM™)

To select and find a desired PTY perform the following:

  1. Press the P-TYPE or depending on the radio, TYPE knob to activate program type select mode. P-TYPE or TYPE and a PTY displays.
  2. Turn the P-TYPE or TYPE knob again, to select a PTY.
  3. Once the desired PTY displays, press the SEEK TYPE button or the SEEK/TYPE arrows to select and to take you to the PTY's first station.
  4. For the Radio with CD, go to another station within that PTY by pressing the SEEK TYPE button twice to display the PTY and then go to another station.
SCAN: For the Radio with Six-Disc CD player, scan the stations within a PTY by performing the following:

  1. Press the TYPE button to activate program type select mode. P-TYPE and the last selected PTY displays.
  2. Turn the TYPE knob or press and release the TYPE button to select a PTY.
  3. Once the desired PTY is displayed, press and hold either the SEEK or TYPE arrows for two seconds, and the radio begins scanning the stations in the PTY.
  4. Press either the SEEK or TYPE arrows to stop scanning.

To cancel the seek, press the SEEK/TYPE buttton or any of the SEEK or TYPE arrows. This also exits the program type seek mode and returns to the last tuned station.

For the Radio with CD, if both PTY and TRAF (traffic) are on, the radio searches for stations with the selected PTY and traffic announcements.

If the radio cannot find the desired program type, NONE displays and the radio returns to the last tuned station.

BAND (Alternate Frequency): Alternate frequency lets the radio switch to a stronger station with the same program type. To turn alternate frequency on, press and hold BAND for two seconds. AF ON displays. The radio could switch to stations with a stronger frequency. To turn alternate frequency off, press and hold BAND again for two seconds. AF OFF displays. The radio does not switch to other stations. This function does not apply for XM™ Satellite Radio Service.

Setting Preset PTYs (RDS Only)

For the Radio with Six-Disc CD player, the six pushbuttons have factory PTY presets. Up to 12 PTYs (six FM1 and six FM2), can be programmed on the numbered pushbuttons, by performing the following steps:

  1. Press BAND to select FM1 or FM2.
  2. Press the TYPE button to activate program type select mode. P-TYPE and the last selected PTY displays.
  3. Turn the TYPE knob or press and release the TYPE button to select a PTY.
  4. Press and hold one of the six numbered pushbuttons until a beep sounds. When that numbered pushbutton is pressed, the PTY that was set, returns.
  5. Repeat the steps for each pushbutton.

RDS Messages

ALERT!: For the Radio with CD, the Alert feature warns of local or national emergencies. When an alert announcement comes on the current radio station, ALERT! displays. You will hear the announcement, even if the volume is low or a CD is playing. If a CD is playing, play stops during the announcement. Alert announcements cannot be turned off. ALERT! is not affected by tests of the emergency broadcast system. This feature is not supported by all RDS stations.

INFO (Information): If the current station has a message, the information symbol or INFO displays. Press this button to see the message. The message can display the artist, song title, call in phone numbers, etc. If the entire message is not displayed, parts of the message displays every three seconds. To scroll through the message, press and release the INFO button. A new group of words display after every press of this button. Once the complete message has displayed, the information symbol or INFO disappears from the display until another new message is received. The last message can be displayed by pressing the INFO button. The last message stays on the display until a new message is received or the radio is tuned to a different station. When a message is not available from a station, NO INFO displays.

TRAF (Traffic): For the Radio with CD, if TRAF displays, the tuned station broadcasts traffic announcements. When a traffic announcement is broadcast on this station you will hear it. If the station does not broadcast traffic announcements, press the TRAF button and the radio seeks to a station that does. When a station that broadcasts traffic announcements is found, the radio stops seeking and TRAF displays. If no station is found that broadcasts traffic announcements, NO TRAF displays. If TRAF displays, press the TRAF button to turn off the traffic announcements. The radio plays the traffic announcement if the volume is low. The radio interrupts the play of a CD if the last tuned station broadcasts traffic announcements. This function does not apply to XM™ Satellite Radio Service.

Radio Messages

CAL ERR or CAL (Calibration Error): The audio system has been calibrated for your vehicle from the factory. If CAL or CAL ERR displays it means that the radio has not been configured properly for your vehicle and it must be returned to your dealer/retailer for service.

LOC or LOCKED: This message displays when the THEFTLOCK® system has locked up. Take your vehicle to your dealer/retailer for service. If any error occurs repeatedly or if an error cannot be corrected, contact your dealer/retailer.

XM™ Satellite Radio Service

XM™ is a satellite radio service that is based in the 48 contiguous United States and 10 Canadian provinces. XM™ Satellite Radio has a wide variety of programming and commercial-free music, coast-to-coast, and in digital-quality sound. During your trial or when you subscribe, you will get unlimited access to XM™ Radio Online for when you are not in your vehicle. A service fee is required to receive the XM™ service. For more information, contact XM™ at www.xmradio.com or call 1-800-929-2100 in the U.S. and www.xmradio.ca or call 1-877-438-9677 in Canada.

Radio Messages for XM™ Only

See XM Radio Messages later in this section for further detail.

Playing a CD (Radio with Single CD Player)

Insert a CD partway into the slot, label side up. The player pulls it in, and READING displays. The CD should begin playing. If you want to insert a CD with the ignition off, first press the (eject) button or the DISPL knob.

If the ignition or radio is turned off with a CD in the player it stays in the player. When the ignition or radio is turned on, the CD starts to play where it stopped, if it was the last selected audio source.

When the CD is inserted, the CD symbol displays. As each new track starts to play, the track number displays.

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.

Care of Your CDs

If playing a CD-R, the sound quality can 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. Handle them carefully. Store CD-R(s) in their original cases or other protective cases and away from direct sunlight and dust. The CD player scans the bottom surface of the disc. If the surface of a CD is damaged, such as cracked, broken, or scratched, the CD does not play properly or not at all. Do not touch the bottom side of a CD while handling it; this could damage the surface. Pick up CDs by grasping the outer edges or the edge of the hole and the outer edge.

If the surface of a CD is soiled, take a soft, lint free cloth or dampen a clean, soft cloth in a mild, neutral detergent solution mixed with water, and clean it. Make sure the wiping process starts from the center to the edge.

Care of Your CD Player

Do not add any label to a CD, it could get caught in the CD player. If a CD is recorded on a personal computer and a description label is needed, try labeling the top of the recorded CD with a marking pen.

The use of CD lens cleaners for CDs is not advised, due to the risk of contaminating the lens of the CD optics with lubricants internal to the CD player mechanism.

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 displays, see "CD Messages" later in this section.

1 FLD (Previous): This button is inactive when playing a CD.

2 FLD (Next): This button is inactive when playing a CD.

3 REV (Fast Reverse): Press and hold to reverse quickly within a track. Press and hold for less than two seconds to reverse at 10 times the normal playing speed. Press and hold for more than two seconds to reverse at 20 times the normal playing speed. Release to play the passage. ET (elapsed time) and the elapsed time of the track displays.

4 FWD (Fast Forward): Press and hold to advance quickly within a track. Press and hold for less than two seconds to advance at six times the normal playing speed. Press and hold for more than two seconds to advance at 17 times the normal playing speed. Release to play the passage. ET and the elapsed time of the track displays.

6 RDM (Random): Press to hear the tracks in random, rather than sequential, order. RDM ON displays. RDM and the track number displays when each track starts to play. Press again to turn off random play. RDM OFF displays.

SEEK : Press the left arrow to go to the start of the current or the previous track. Press the right arrow to go to the start of the next track. Pressing either arrow for more than two seconds scans the next tracks, playing the first eight seconds of each track until all of the tracks have been previewed. Press either arrow again to stop scanning and to play the track.

TUNE : Turning this knob fast tracks reverse or advances through tracks. The track number displays for each track.

DISPL (Display): Press to see how long the current track has been playing. ET and the elapsed time of the track displays. To change the default on the display (track or elapsed time), press until you see the desired display, then press and hold for two seconds. The radio produces one beep. The selected display is now the default.

BAND: Press to listen to the radio when a CD is playing. The inactive CD remains inside the radio for future listening.

CD AUX (Auxiliary): Press to play a CD when listening to the radio. The CD symbol displays when a CD is loaded.

(Eject): Press to eject a CD. Eject can be activated with either the ignition or radio off. CDs can be loaded with the ignition and radio off if this button is pressed first.

Playing a CD(s) (Radio with Six-Disc CD Player)

LOAD: Press to load CDs into the CD player. This CD player holds up to six CDs.

To insert one CD, do the following:

  1. Turn the ignition on.
  2. Press and release the LOAD button.
  3. Wait for the indicator light, located to the right of the slot, to turn green.
  4. Load a CD. Insert the CD partway into the slot, label side up. The player pulls the CD in.

To insert multiple CDs, do the following:

  1. Turn the ignition on.
  2. Press and hold the LOAD button for two seconds.
  3. A beep sound and the indicator light, located to the right of the slot, begins to flash and MULTI LOAD # displays.

  4. Once the light stops flashing and turns green, INSERT CD # displays, load a CD. Insert the CD partway into the slot, label side up. The player pulls the CD in.
  5. Once the CD is loaded, the indicator light begins flashing again. Once the light stops flashing and turns green, you can load another CD. The CD player takes up to six CDs. Do not try to load more than six.

To load more than one CD but less than six, complete Steps 1 through 3. When finished loading CDs, press the LOAD button to cancel the loading function. The radio begins to play the last CD loaded.

If more than one CD has been loaded, a number for each CD displays.

Playing a Specific Loaded CD

For every CD loaded, a number displays. To play a specific CD, first press the CD AUX button (if not already in CD mode), then press the numbered pushbutton that corresponds to the CD. A small bar appears under the CD number that is playing and the track number displays.

CD (Eject): Press to eject CD(s).

To eject the CD that is currently playing, press and release this button.

To eject multiple CDs, do the following:

  1. Press and hold the button for five seconds.
  2. A beep sounds and the indicator light, located to the right of the slot, begins to flash and EJECT ALL displays.

  3. Once the light stops flashing, REMOVE CD # displays. The CD ejects and can be removed.
  4. Once the CD is removed, the indicator light begins flashing again and another CD ejects.

    To stop ejecting the CDs, press the LOAD or the eject button.

If the CD is not removed, after 25 seconds, the CD automatically pulls back into the player. If CD is pushed back into the player, before the 25 second time period is complete, the player senses an error and tries to eject the CD several times before stopping.

Do not repeatedly press the CD eject button to eject a CD after you have tried to push it in manually. The player's 25-second eject timer resets at each press of eject, causing the player to not eject the CD until the 25-second time period has elapsed.

REV (Fast Reverse): Press and hold to reverse quickly within a track. You will hear sound at a reduced volume. The elapsed time of the track displays. Release to play the passage.

FWD (Fast Forward): Press and hold to advance quickly within a track. You will hear sound at a reduced volume. The elapsed time of the track displays. Release to play the passage.

RPT (Repeat): With repeat, one track or an entire CD can be repeated. To use repeat, do the following:

    • To repeat the track you are listening to, press and release the RPT button. RPT displays. Press again to turn off repeat play.
    • To repeat the CD you are listening to, press and hold the RPT button for two seconds. RPT displays. Press again to turn off repeat play.
RDM (Random): With the random setting, tracks can be listened to in random, rather than sequential, order, on one CD or on all of the CDs. To use random, do one of the following:

    • To play the tracks on the CD you are listening to in random order, press and release the RDM button. RANDOM ONE displays. Press again to turn off random play.
    • To play the tracks on all of the CDs that are loaded in random order, press and hold RDM for more than two seconds. A beep sounds and RANDOM ALL displays. Press again to turn off random play.
AUTO EQ (Automatic Equalization): Press to select the equalization setting while playing a CD. The equalization is stored when a CD is played. For more information on AUTO EQ, see "AUTO EQ" listed previously in this section.

SEEK : Press the left arrow to go to the start of the current track (if more than 10 seconds have played), or to go to the previous track (if less than 10 seconds have played). Press the right arrow to go to the next track. If either arrow is held or pressed more than once, the player continues moving backward or forward through the CD.

SCAN : To scan one CD, press and hold either arrow for more than two seconds until SCAN displays and a beep sounds. The radio goes to the next track, plays for 10 seconds, then goes to the next track. Press either arrow again, to stop scanning. To scan all loaded CDs, press and hold either arrow for more than four seconds until CD SCAN displays and a beep sounds. Use this feature to listen to 10 seconds of the first track of each loaded CD. Press either arrow again, to stop scanning.

INFO (Information): Press to see how long the current track has been playing. To change the default on the display, track or elapsed time, press until you see the desired display, then press and hold until the radio beeps. The selected display becomes the default.

BAND: Press to listen to the radio while a CD is playing. The inactive CD(s) remains inside the radio for future listening.

Using Song List Mode (Radio with Six-Disc CD Player)

The six-disc CD changer has a feature called song list. This feature is capable of saving 20 track selections.

To save tracks into the song list feature:

  1. Turn the CD player on and load it with at least one CD. See "LOAD CD" listed previously in this section for more information.
  2. Check to see that the CD changer is not in song list mode. S-LIST should not display. If S-LIST is present, press the SONG LIST button to turn it off.
  3. Select the desired CD by pressing the numbered pushbutton and then use the SEEK or TYPE right arrows to locate the track to be saved. The track begins to play.
  4. Press and hold the SONG LIST button to save the track into memory. When SONG LIST is pressed, one beep sounds. After two seconds of continuously pressing the SONG LIST button, two beeps sound to confirm the track has been saved.
  5. Repeat Steps 3 and 4 for saving other selections.

S-LIST FULL displays if you try to save more than 20 selections.

To play the song list, press the SONG LIST button. One beep sounds and S-LIST displays. The recorded tracks begins to play in the order they were saved.

Seek through the song list by using the SEEK or TYPE arrows. Seeking past the last saved track returns to the first saved track.

To delete tracks from the song list, perform the following steps:

  1. Turn the CD player on.
  2. Press the SONG LIST button to turn song list on. S-LIST displays.
  3. Press either the SEEK or TYPE arrows to select the desired track to be deleted.
  4. Press and hold the SONG LIST button for two seconds. When SONG LIST is pressed, one beep sounds. After two seconds of continuously pressing the SONG LIST button, two beeps sound to confirm that the track has been deleted.

After a track has been deleted, the remaining tracks are moved up the list. When another track is added to the song list, the track is added to the end of the list.

To delete the entire song list, perform the following steps:

  1. Turn the CD player on.
  2. Press the SONG LIST button to turn song list on. S-LIST displays.
  3. Press and hold the SONG LIST button for more than four seconds. One beep sounds, followed by two beeps after two seconds, and a final beep sounds after four seconds. S-LIST EMPTY displays indicating the song list has been deleted.

If a CD is ejected, and the song list contains saved tracks from that CD, those tracks are automatically deleted from the song list. Any tracks saved to the song list again are added to the bottom of the list.

To end song list mode, press the SONG LIST button. One beep sounds and S-LIST is removed from the display.

Playing an MP3/WMA CD-R Disc

Radios with the MP3/WMA feature are capable of playing an MP3/WMA CD-R disc. For more information on how to play an MP3/WMA CD-R disc, see Using an MP3 later in this section.

CD Messages

CHECK CD: If this message displays 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.
    • 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 might not be compatible. See Using an MP3 later in this section.
    • There could have been a problem while burning the CD.
    • The label could 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 dealer/retailer. If the radio displays an error message, write it down and provide it to your dealer/retailer when reporting the problem.