Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Child Restraints
Every time infants and young children ride in vehicles, they should have protection provided by
appropriate restraints.
&." What are the different types of add-on
child restraints?
A: Add-on child restraints are available in four basic
types. When selecting a child restraint, take into
consideration not only the child's weight and size,
but also whether or
not the restraint will be
compatible with the motor vehicle in which it will
be used.
An infant car bed
(A) is a special bed made for use
in a motor vehicle. It's an infant restraint system
designed
to restrain or position a child on a
continuous flat surface. With an infant car bed,
make sure that the infant's head rests toward the
center of the vehicle.
1-34
Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Torque Lock
If you are parking on a hill and you don’t shift your
transaxle into
PARK (P) properly, the weight of the
vehicle may put too much force on the parking pawl in
the transaxle.
You may find it difficult to pull the shift
lever out of
PARK (P). This is called “torque lock.” To
prevent torque lock, set the parking brake and then shift into
PARK (P) properly before you leave the driver’s
seat. To find out how, see “Shifting Into
PARK (P)” in
the Index.
If torque lock does occur, you may need to have another
vehicle push yours a little uphill to take some of the
pressure from the parking pawl in the transaxle,
so you
can pull the shift lever out
of PARK (P).
Shifting Out of PARK (P)
Your vehicle has a Brake-Transaxle Shift Interlock
(BTSI). You have to fully
apply your regular brakes
before you can shift from PARK (P) when the ignition is
in
ON. See “Automatic Transaxle” in the Index.
If you cannot shift out
of PARK (P), ease pressure on
the shift lever. Push the shift lever all the way into
PARK (P) as you maintain brake application. Then
move the shift lever into the gear you want. If you ever
hold
the brake pedal down but still can’t shift out of
PARK (P), try this:
1. Turn the ignition key to OFF. Open and close the
2. Apply and hold the brake until the end of Step 4.
driver’s door to turn off the RAP feature.
3. Shift to NEUTRAL (N).
4. Start the vehicle and then shift to the drive gear
you want.
5. Have the vehicle fixed as soon as you can.
2-28
Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Drunken Driving
Death and injury associated with drinking and driving
is a national tragedy. It’s the number one contributor to
the highway death toll, claiming thousands of victims
every year.
Alcohol affects four things that anyone needs to drive
a vehicle:
Judgment
0 Muscular Coordination
Vision
0 Attentiveness.
Police records show that almost half of all motor
vehicle-related deaths involve alcohol. In most cases,
these deaths are the result of someone who was drinking
and driving. In recent years, over 17,000 annual motor
vehicle-related deaths have been associated with the use
of alcohol, with more than
300,000 people injured.
Many adults
-- by some estimates, nearly half the adult
population
-- choose never to drink alcohol, so they
never drive after drinking. For persons under
21, it’s
against the law in every
U.S. state to drink alcohol.
There are good medical, psychological and
developmental reasons for these laws. The
obvious way to solve this highway safety problem
is for people never to drink alcohol and then drive. But
what if people do? How much is “too much”
if the
driver plans to drive?
It’s a lot less than many might
think. Although it depends on each person and situation,
here is some general information on the problem.
The Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) of someone
who is drinking depends upon four things:
0 The amount of alcohol consumed
0 The drinker’s body weight
The amount of food that is consumed before and
during drinking
The length of time it has taken the drinker to
consume the alcohol.
According to the American Medical Association, a 180-lb. (82 kg) person who drinks three 12-ounce
(355 ml) bottles of beer in an hour will end up with a
BAC of about 0.06 percent. The person would reach the
same BAC by drinking three 4-ounce
(120 ml) glasses
of wine or three mixed drinks if each had 1 - 1/2 ounces
(45 ml) of a liquor like whiskey, gin or vodka.
Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine It’s the amount of alcohol that counts. For example, if
the same person drank three double martinis
(3 ounces
or
90 ml of liquor each) within an hour, the person’s
BAC would be close to
0.12 percent. A person who
consumes food just before or during drinking will have a
somewhat lower BAC level.
There
is a gender difference, too. Women generally have
a lower relative percentage of body water than men. Since alcohol is carried
in body water, this means that a
woman generally will reach a higher BAC level than a
man of her same body weight when
each has the same
number
of drinks.
The law in many
U.S. states sets the legal limit at a BAC
of
0.10 percent. In a growing number of U.S. states, and
throughout Canada, the limit is
0.08 percent. In some
other countries, it’s even lower. The BAC limit for all
commercial drivers in the United States is
0.04 percent.
The BAC will be over
0.10 percent after three to
six drinks (in one hour). Of course, as we’ve seen, it
depends on how much alcohol is in the
drinks, and
how quickly the person drinks them.
But the ability to drive is affected well below a BAC
of 0.10 percent. Research shows that the driving skills
of many people are impaired at a BAC approaching
0.05 percent, and that the effects are worse at night. All
drivers are impaired at BAC levels above
0.05 percent.
Statistics show that the chance of being in a collision
increases sharply for drivers who have a BAC of
0.05 percent or above. A driver with a BAC level of
0.06 percent has doubled his or her chance of having a
collision. At a BAC level of
0.10 percent, the chance of
this driver having a collision
is 12 times greater; at a
level of
0.15 percent, the chance is 25 times greater!
4-4
Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Control of a Vehicle
You have three systems that make your vehicle go where
you want it to go. They are the brakes, the steering and the accelerator. All three systems have to do their work
at the places where the tires meet the road.
~~ ~~~~~~~~~ ~~
Braking
Braking action involves perception time and
reaction time.
First, you have to decide to push on the brake pedal.
That’s
perception time. Then you have to bring up your
foot and do it. That’s
reaction time.
Average reaction time is about 3/4 of a second. But
that’s only an average. It might be less with one driver
and as long as two or three seconds or more with
another. Age, physical condition, alertness, coordination
and eyesight all play a part.
So do alcohol, drugs and
frustration. But even in 3/4 of a second, a vehicle
moving at
60 mph (100 km/h) travels 66 feet (20 m).
That could be a lot
of distance in an emergency, so
keeping enough space between your vehicle and others
is important.
And, of course, actual stopping distances vary greatly
with the surface of the road (whether it’s pavement or
gravel); the condition
of the road (wet, dry, icy); tire
tread; the condition of your brakes; the weight of the
vehicle and the amount
of brake force applied.
Sometimes, as when you’re driving on snow or ice, it’s
easy to ask more
of those control systems than the tires
and road can provide. That means you can lose control
of your vehicle.
4-6
Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine Run your engine only as long as you must. This saves
fuel. When you run the engine, make it go a little faster
than just idle. That
is, push the accelerator slightly. This
uses less fuel for the heat that you get and it keeps the
battery charged.
You will need a well-charged battery to
restart the vehicle, and possibly for signaling later on
with your headlamps. Let the heater run for a while.
Then, shut the engine
off and close the window almost
all the way to preserve the heat. Start the engine again
and repeat this only when you feel really uncomfortable
from the cold.
But do it as little as possible. Preserve the
fuel as long as you can. To help keep warm, you can get
out
of the vehicle and do some fairly vigorous exercises
every half hour or
so until help comes.
Loading Your Vehicle
TIRE-LOADING INFORMATION
VEHICLE CAP. WT.
FRT. CTR. RR. TOTAL LBS.
MAX. LOADING
& GVWR SAME AS VEHICLE
CAPACITY WEIGHT XXX
COLD TIRE
TIRE SIZE SPEED PRESSURE
RTG PSI/KPa
FRT.
RR.
SPA.
IF TIRES ARE HOT, ADD 4PS1/28KPa
SEE OWNER’S MANUAL FOR ADDITIONAL
may properly carry. The Tire-Loading Information label
found on the rear edge
of the driver’s door tells you the
proper size, speed rating and recommended inflation
pressures for the tires on your vehicle. It also gives you
important information about the number of people that
can be in your vehicle and the total weight that you can
carry. This weight is called the Vehicle Capacity Weight
and includes the weight
of all occupants, cargo and all
options not installed in the factory.
4-29
Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine /-
MFDBYGENERALMOTORSCORP DATE GVWR
GAWR FRT GAWR RR
THIS VEHICLE CONFORMS TO ALL APPLI-
CABLE
U.S. FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE
SAFETY,
BUMPER, AND THEFT PREVENTION
STANDARDS
IN EFFECT ON THE DATE OF
MANUFACTURE SHOWN ABOVE.
:
The other label is the Certification label, found on the
rear edge of
the driver’s door. It tells you the gross
weight capacity of your vehicle, called the Gross
Vehicle Weight Rating
(GVWR). The GVWR includes
the weight of the vehicle, all occupants, fuel and cargo.
Never exceed the GVWR for your vehicle, or the
Gross Axle Weight Rating (GAWR) for either the front
or rear axle.
If you do have a heavy load, you should spread
it out.
Don’t carry more than
176 lbs. (80 kg) in your trunk.
Do not load your vehicle any heavier than the
GVWR, or either the maximum front or rear
GAWR.
If you do, parts on your vehicle can
break, or it can change the
way your vehicle
handles. These could cause you to lose control.
Also, overloading can shorten the life
of
your vehicle.
NOTICE:
Your warranty does not cover parts or
components that fail because
of overloading.
If you put things inside your vehicle -- like suitcases,
tools, packages, or anything else
-- they will go as fast
as the vehicle goes.
If you have to stop or turn quickly,
or
if there is a crash, they’ll keep going.
4-30
Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine 1 A CAUTION:
Things you put inside your vehicle can strike
and injure people in a sudden stop or turn,
or
in a crash.
Put things in the trunk of your vehicle. In a
trunk, put them as
far forward as you can.
Try to spread the weight evenly.
inside the vehicle
so that some of them are
above the tops of the seats.
Don’t leave an unsecured child restraint in
your vehicle.
When you carry something inside the
vehicle, secure it whenever
you can.
Never stack heavier things, like suitcases,
Electronic Level Control
This feature keeps the rear of your vehicle level as
the load changes. It’s automatic
-- you don’t need to
adjust anything.
Towing a Trailer
A CAUTION:
If you don’t use the correct equipment and drive
properly, you can lose control when you pull a
trailer. For example, if the trailer is too heavy,
the brakes may not work well
-- or even at all.
You and your passengers could be seriously
injured. You may also damage your vehicle; the
resulting repairs would not be covered by your
warranty. Pull
a trailer only if you have followed
all the steps in this section. Ask your dealer for
advice and information about towing a trailer
with your vehicle.
Your vehicle can tow a trailer if it is equipped with the
proper trailer towing equipment.
To identify what the
vehicle trailering capacity
is for your vehicle, you
should read the information in “Weight of the Trailer”
that appears later in this section. But trailering is
different than just driving your vehicle
by itself.
4-31
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