1998 GMC SIERRA ESP

or the safety belts!
With safety belts, you slow down
as the vehicle does.
You get more time to stop. You stop over more distance,
and your strongest bones take the forces. That’s why
safety belts make such good sense.
Here Are Questions Many People Ask
About Safety Belts -- and the Answers
Won’t I be trapped in the vehicle after an
accident if I’m wearing a safety belt?
A: You could be -- whether you’re wearing a safety
belt
or not. But you can unbuckle a safety belt,
even
if you’re upside down. And your chance of
being conscious during and after an accident,
so
you can unbuckle and get out, is much greater if
you are belted.
Q: If my vehicle has air bags, why should I have to
wear safety belts?
A: Air bags are in many vehicles today and will
be in most of them in the future. But they are
supplemental systems only;
so they work with
safety belts -- not instead of them. Every air bag
system ever offered for sale
has required the use of
safety belts. Even if you’re in a vehicle that has air
bags, you stili have to buckle
up to get the most
protection. That’s true not only in frontal collisions,
but especially in side and other collisions.
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p, CAUTION:
If something is between an occupant and an air
bag, the bag might not inflate properly or it
might force the object into that person. The path
of an inflating air bag must be kept clear. Don’t
put anything between an occupant and an air
bag, and don’t attach or put anything on the
steering wheel hub or on or near any other air
bag covering.
When should an air bag inflate?
An air bag is designed to inflate in a moderate to severe
frontal or near-frontal crash. The air bag will inflate
only if the impact speed
is above the system’s designed
“threshold level.” If your vehicle goes straight into a
wall that doesn’t move or deform,
the threshold level is
about
9 to 16 mph (14 to 26 km/h). The threshold level
can vary, however, with specific vehicle design,
so that
it can be somewhat above or below this range. If your
vehicle strikes something that will move or deform, such as
a parked car, the threshold
level will be higher. The
air bag
is not designed to inflate in rollovers, side
impacts or rear impacts, because inflation would not
help the occupant.
In any particular crash,
no one can say whether an air
bag should have inflated simply because of the damage
to a vehicle or because of what the repair costs were.
Inflation is determined by the angle of the impact and
how quickly the vehicle slows down
in frontal or
near-frontal impacts.
The air bag system is designed to work properly under a
wide range
of conditions, including off-road usage.
Observe safe driving speeds, especially
on rough terrain.
As always, wear your safety belt. See ”Off-Road
Driving’‘
in the Index for more tips on off-road driving.
What makes an air bag inflate?
In an impact of sufficient severity, the air bag sensing
system detects
that the vehide is in a crash. The sensing
system triggers a release
of gas from the inflator, which
inflates
the air bag. The inflator, air bag and related
hardware are all part
of the air bag modules inside the
steering wheel and in the instrument panel
in front of the
right front passenger.
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Door Locks
A CAUTION:
Unlocked doors can be dangerous.
Passengers
-- especially children -- can easily
open the doors and fall out. When
a door is
locked, the inside handle won't open it.
Outsiders can easily enter through an unlocked
door when
you slow down or stop your vehicle.
This may not be
so obvious: You increase the
chance
of being thrown out of the vehicle in a
crash if the doors aren't locked. Wear safety belts
properly, lock your doors, and you
will be far
better off whenever you drive your vehicle.
There are several cc.ays to lock and unlock your vehicle.
From the outside. use your key or the Keyless Entry
System.
if your \:ellick has this option.
To lock the door from the
inside, slide
the lever on
your door down.
To unlock the door. slide the lever up.
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Synchronization
Synchronization may be necessary d~te to the security
method used by this system. The transmitter does not
send the
same signal twice to the receiver. The receiver
will not respond to a signal it has been sent previously.
This prevents anyone from recording and playing back
the signal
from the transmitter.
To resynchronize your transmitter, stand close to your
vehicle and simultaneously press and hold the
LOCK
and UNLOCK buttons on the transmitter for at least
five seconds. The door locks should cycle to confirm
synchronization.
If the locks do not cycle. see your
dealer for service.
Theft
Vehicle theft is big business, especially in scme cities.
Although your vehicle has
a number of theft-deterrent
features, we know that nothing we put on
it can make it
impossible to steal. However. there are ways you can help.
Key in the Ignition
If you leave your vehicle with the keys inside, it's an
easy target forjoy riders
01- professional thieves -- so
don't do it.
When you park your vehicle and open the driver's door,
you'll hear
a tone reminding you to remove your key
from the ignition and take
it with you. Always do this.
Ycx~r steering wheel will be locked, and so will your
ignition.
If you have an automatic transmission, taking
your key
out also locks your transmission. And
remember
to lock the doors.
Parking at Night
Park in a lighted spot, close all windows and lock your
vehicle. Remember
to keep your valuables out of sight.
Put them in a storage area, or take them with you.
Parking Lots
If you park in a lot where someone will be watching
your vehicle, it's best to lock
it up and take your keys.
But what if you have to leave your ignition key? What if
you have to leave something valuable in your vehicle'?
Put your valuables in a storage area, like your
glove box.
Lock all the doors except the driver's.
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Clearance Lamps (If Equipped)
Taillamps License Plate Lamps
Instrument Panel Lights
Transfer Case Shift Indicator Light (Four-Wheel-Drive Vehicles)
Rotate the knob to the right again to the master
lighting symbol
to turn on all the lamps listed as
well as the headlamps.
Rotate the knob to the left,
to OFF, to turn off
your lamps.
Rotate the thumb wheel next to
the knob up to adjust
instrument panel lights. Rotate the thumb wheel
up to
the first notch to return the radio display and gearshift
indicator
LED display to full intensity when the
headlamps or parking lamps are on.
You can switch your headlamps from high
to low beams
by pulling on the turn signal/multifunction lever.
Headlamps On Reminder
A buzzer will sound when your headlamps are turned on
and the key
is turned to the OFF, LOCK or
ACCESSORY position.
If you need to use your
headlamps when the key is turned to OFF-
LOCK or ACCESSORY, the
buzzer can be turned off by turning
the thumb wheel next
to the parking lamp/headlamp
knob all the way down.
Daytime Running Lamps
Daytime Running Lamps (DRL) can make it easier for
others to see the front of your vehicle during the day.
DRL can be helpful
in many different driving
conditions, but they can be especially helpful
in the
short periods after dawn and before sunset.
The DRL system
will make your headlamps come on at
a reduced brightness when:
0 the ignition is on,
0 the headlamp switch is off and
the parking brake is released.
When the DRL are on, only your headlamps will be on.
The taillamps, sidemarker and other lamps won’t
be on.
Your instrument panel won’t be lit
up either.
When it begins to get dark, your DRL indicator light is a
reminder to turn your headlamp switch on. The other lamps
that come
on with your headlanips will also come on.
When you
turn off the headlamp switch, the regular
lamps will
go off, and your headlamps will change to
the reduced brightness of DRL.
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If you enter the wrong code eight times, INOP will
appear on
the display. You will have to wait an hour
with the ignition on before you can try again. When you
try again,
you will only have three chances to enter the
correct code before INOP appears.
If you lose or forget your code, contact your dealer.
Disabling the Theft-Deterrent Feature
Enter your secret code as follows; pause no more than
15 seconds between steps:
1. Turn the ignition to ACCESSORY or RUN.
2. Turn the radio off.
3. Press the 1 and 4 buttons together. Hold them down
until SEC shows on the display.
4. Press MN and 000 will appear on the display.
5. Press MN again to make the last two digits agree
with your code.
6. Press HR to make the first one or two digits agree
with your code.
1. Press AM-FM after you have confirmed that the
code matches the secret code you have written down.
The display will show
---, indicating that the radio
is no longer secured.
If the code entered is incorrect, SEC will appear on the
display. The radio
will remain secured until the correct
.code is entered.
When battery power is removed and later applied to a
secured radio, the radio won‘t turn on and
LOC will
appear
on the display.
To unlock a secured radio, see “Unlocking the
Theft-Deterrent Feature After a Power
Loss” earlier
in this section.
Understanding Radio Reception
AM
The range for most AM stations is greater than for FM,
especially at night. The longer range, however, can
cause stations to interfere with each other. AM can pick
up noise from things like storms and power lines. Try
reducing the treble to reduce this noise
if you ever get it.
FM Stereo
FM stereo will give you the best sound, but FM signals
will reach only about 10 to 40 miles (16 to 65 km). Tall
buildings or hills can interfere
with FM signals, causing
the sound to come and
go.
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The body takes about an hour to rid itself of the alcohol
in one drink. No amount of coffee or number of cold
showers will speed that up.
“I’ll be careful” isn’t the
right answer. What
if there’s an emergency, a need to
take sudden action, as when a child darts into the street?
A person with even a moderate BAC might not be able
to react quickly enough to avoid the collision.
There‘s something else about drinking and driving that
many people don’t know. Medical research shows that
alcohol
in a person’s system can make crash injuries
worse, especially injuries to the brain, spinal cord or
heart. This means that when anyone who has been
drinking
-- driver or passenger -- is in a crash, that
person’s chance of being killed or permanently disabled
is higher than if the person had not been drinking.
A CAUTION:
Drinking and then driving is very dangerous.
Your reflexes, perceptions, attentiveness and
judgment can be affected by even a small amount
of alcohol. You can have a serious
-- or even
fatal
-- collision if you drive after drinking.
Please don’t drink and drive or ride with
a driver
who has been drinking. Ride home in
a cab; or if
you’re with
a group, designate a driver who will
not drink.
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.
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Do not get too close to the vehicle you want to pass
while you’re awaiting
an opportunity. For one thing,
following too closely reduces your area
of vision,
especially if you’re following a larger vehicle.
Also, you
won’t have adequate space if the vehicle ahead suddenly
slows or stops. Keep back a reasonable distance.
When it looks like a chance to pass is coming up,
start
to accelerate but stay in the right lane and don’t
get too close. Time your move
so you will be
increasing speed as the time comes
to move into the
other lane. If
the way is clear to pass, you will have a
“running start” that more than makes up for the
distance you would lose by dropping back. And if
something happens to cause you to cancel your pass,
you need only slow down and drop back again and
wait for another opportunity.
If other cars are lined up to pass a slow vehicle, wait
your turn. But take care that someone
isn’t trying to
pass you as you pull
out to pass the slow vehicle.
Remember
to glance over your shoulder and check
the blind spot.
Check your mirrors, glance over your shoulder and
start your
left lane change signal before moving out
of the right lane to pass. When
you are far enough
ahead
of the passed vehicle to see its front in your
inside mirror, activate your right lane change signal
and move back into the right lane. (Remember that if
your right outside mirror
is convex, the vehicle you
just passed may seem to be farther away from you
than it really is.)
Try not to pass more than one vehicle at a time
on two-lane roads. Reconsider before passing the
next vehicle.
Don’t overtake a slowly moving vehicle too rapidly.
Even though the brake lamps are not flashing, it may
be slowing down or starting
to turn.
If you’re being passed, make it easy for the
following driver to get ahead
of you. Perhaps you
can ease a little to the right.
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