GM Service Manual Online
For 1990-2009 cars only

Base Radio Shown, Bose® Similar


Object Number: 1411837  Size: B3

If your vehicle has the Bose® audio system, it has six Bose® amplified speakers.

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

This system relies upon receiving specific information from these stations and only works when the information is available. In rare cases, a radio station can 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.

XM™ Satellite Radio Service

XM™ is a satellite radio service that is based in the 48 contiguous United States and Canada. XM™ offers a large variety of coast-to-coast channels including music, news, sports, talk, traffic/weather (U.S. subscribers), 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™; In the U.S. at www.xmradio.com or call 1-800-852-XMXM (9696) or in Canada at www.xmradio.ca or call 1-877-GET-XMSR (438-9677).

Playing the Radio

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

VOLUME: Turn this knob clockwise or counterclockwise to increase or to decrease the volume.

INFO (Information): When the ignition is off, press this knob to display the time. For RDS, press the INFO knob to change what displays while using RDS. The display options are station name, RDS station frequency, PTY, and the name of the program (if available). For XM™ (if equipped), press the INFO 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 INFO knob until you see the desired display, then press and hold the knob until a beep sounds. The selected display is now the default.

AUTO VOL (Automatic Volume): With automatic volume, the audio system adjusts automatically to make up for road and wind noise as you drive by increasing the volume as vehicle speed increases. Set the volume at the desired level. Press this button to select MIN, MED, or MAX. AUTO VOL (volume) displays. Each higher setting provides more volume compensation at faster vehicle speeds. To turn automatic volume off, press this button until AUTO VOL OFF displays.

Finding a Station

BAND: Press this button to switch between FM1, FM2, AM, or XM1 or XM2 (if equipped). The display shows the selection.

TUNE: Turn this knob to select radio stations.

SEEK : Press either the left or right SEEK arrow or the left or right TYPE arrow to go to the previous or to the next station and stay there. The radio only seeks stations with a strong signal that are in the selected band.

SCAN : Press and hold either the left or right SCAN arrow or the left or right TYPE arrow for two seconds until SCN displays and a beep sounds. The radio goes to a station, plays for a few seconds, then goes to the next station. Press either the left or right SCAN arrow or the left or right TYPE arrow again to stop scanning. To scan preset stations, press and hold either the left or right SCAN arrow or the left or right TYPE arrow for more than four seconds. PSC displays and a double beep sounds. The radio goes to a preset station, plays for a few seconds, then goes to the next preset station. Press either the left or right SCAN arrow or the left or right TYPE arrow again to stop scanning presets. The radio only scans 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 programed on the six numbered pushbuttons, by performing the following steps:

  1. Turn the radio on.
  2. Press BAND to select FM1, FM2, AM, or XM1 or XM2.
  3. Tune in the desired station.
  4. Press and hold one of the six numbered pushbuttons until a beep sounds. When that numbered pushbutton is pressed, the station that was set returns for that pushbutton.
  5. Repeat the steps for each pushbutton.

To store an equalization setting to a preset station perform the following:

  1. Tune to the preset station.
  2. Press and release the AUTO EQ button to select the equalization setting.
  3. Once the equalization no longer displays, the equalization is set for that preset station.

Setting the Tone (Bass/Midrange/Treble)

AUDIO: Push and release the AUDIO knob until BASS, MID (midrange) (without Bose®), or TREB (treble) displays. Turn the knob to increase or to decrease. The display shows the bass, midrange (without Bose®), or treble level. If a station is weak or has static, decrease the treble. To adjust the bass, midrange (without Bose®), or treble to the middle position while it is displayed, push and hold the AUDIO knob. The radio produces one beep and adjusts the display level to the middle position. To adjust all tone and speaker controls to the middle position, push and hold the AUDIO knob when no tone or speaker controls are displayed. ALL CENTERED displays and a beep sounds.

AUTO EQ (Automatic Equalization): Press this button to select customized equalization settings designed for country/western, jazz, talk, pop, rock, and classical. The radio saves separate AUTO EQ settings for each preset and source. If the radio is equipped with the Bose® audio system, the equalization settings are either CUSTOM or TALK.

Adjusting the Speakers (Balance/Fade)

AUDIO: To adjust the balance between the right and the left speakers, push and release the AUDIO knob until BAL (balance) displays. Turn the knob to move the sound toward the right or the left speakers. To adjust the fade between the front and rear speakers, push and release the AUDIO knob until FAD (fade) displays. Turn the knob to move the sound toward the front or the rear speakers. To adjust the balance or fade to the middle position while it is displayed, push and hold the AUDIO knob. The radio produces one beep and adjusts the display level to the middle position. To adjust all tone and speaker controls to the middle position, push and hold the AUDIO knob when no tone or speaker controls are displayed. ALL CENTERED displays and a beep sounds.

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

To select and find a desired PTY perform 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 either the left or right TYPE arrow or the left or right SEEK arrow to select and to take you to the PTY's first station.
  4. To go to another station within that PTY, press the TYPE button then, press either the left or right TYPE arrow or the left or right SEEK arrow once.
  5. Press either the left or right TYPE arrow or the left or right SEEK arrow twice to exit program type select mode.
SCAN: 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 left or right TYPE arrow or the left or right SCAN arrow for two seconds, and the radio begins scanning the stations in the PTY.
  4. Press either the left or right TYPE arrow or the left or right SCAN arrow to stop scanning.
BAND (Alternate Frequency): Alternate frequency allows the radio to 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 may 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)

These pushbuttons have factory PTY presets. Up to 12 PTYs (six FM1 and six FM2), can be programmed on the six 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, while in PTY mode, the PTY that was set returns.
  5. Repeat the steps for each pushbutton.

RDS Messages

INFO (Information): If the current station has a message, 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 appears 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 been displayed, 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 can be viewed until a new message is received or a different station is tuned to.

Radio Messages

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

LOCKED: This message is displayed when the THEFTLOCK® system has locked up. Take the vehicle to your dealer/retailer for service.

If any error occurs repeatedly, or if an error cannot be corrected, contact your dealer/retailer.

Radio Messages for XM™ Only

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

Playing a CD

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

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

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. There can be an increase in skipping, difficulty in finding tracks, and/or difficulty in loading and ejecting. If these problems occur, check the bottom surface of the CD. If the surface of the CD is damaged, such as cracked, broken, or scratched, the CD will not play properly. If the surface of the CD is soiled, see Care of Your CDs for more information.

If there is no apparent damage, try a known good CD.

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.

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.

LOAD: Press this button 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 sounds 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 appears on the display. 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 displays under the CD number that is playing and the track number also displays.

If an error displays, see "CD Messages" later in this section.

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

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

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 RPT 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 RPT again to turn off repeat play.
RDM (Random): With the random setting, you can listen to the tracks 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 in random order, press and release the RDM button. RANDOM ONE displays. Press RDM 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 RDM again to turn off random play.
AUTO EQ (Automatic Equalization): Press AUTO EQ to select the equalization setting while playing a CD. The equalization is stored whenever a CD is played. For more information on AUTO EQ, see "AUTO EQ" listed previously in this section.

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

SCAN : To scan one CD, press and hold either the left or right SCAN arrow for more than two seconds until TRACK 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 the left or right SCAN arrow again, to stop scanning. To scan all loaded CDs, press and hold either the left or right SCAN arrow for more than four seconds until ALL 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 the left or right SCAN arrow again, to stop scanning.

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

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

Using Song List Mode

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, perform the following steps:

  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 displays, press the SONG LIST button to turn it off.
  3. Select the desired CD by pressing the numbered pushbutton and then use the right SEEK or TYPE 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 begin to play in the order they were saved.

Seek through the song list by using the left or right SEEK arrow or the left or right TYPE arrow. 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 left or right SEEK arrow or the left or right TYPE arrow 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.

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.
    • 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.