1999 CHEVROLET CORVETTE brake light

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If it doesn't come on then, have it fixed so it will be
ready to warn you if there's a problem. If this warning
light stays on after you start the engine, the parking
brake may not be set or there could be a brake problem.
Refer to ªParking Brakeº in the Index to see if it is set.
If the parking brake is not set, have your brake system
inspected right away.
If the light comes on while you are driving and you have
a LOW BRAKE FLUID message showing on the DIC,
pull off the road and stop carefully. You may notice that
the pedal is harder to push. Or, the pedal may go closer
to the floor. It may take longer to stop. If the light is still
on, have the vehicle towed for service. (See ªTowing
Your Vehicleº in the Index.)
CAUTION:
Your brake system may not be working properly
if the brake warning light is on. Driving with the
brake warning light on can lead to an accident.
If the light is still on after you've pulled off the
road and stopped carefully, have the vehicle
towed for service.
Anti-Lock Brake System Warning Light
With the anti-lock brake
system, the light will come
on when you start your
engine and may stay on
for several seconds.
That's normal.
If the light stays on, turn the ignition to OFF. Or, if the
light comes on when you're driving, stop as soon as
possible and turn the ignition off. Then start the engine
again to reset the system. If the light still stays on, or
comes on again while you're driving, your vehicle needs
service. If the regular brake system warning light isn't
on, you still have brakes, but you don't have anti
-lock
brakes. If the regular brake system warning light is also
on, you don't have anti
-lock brakes and there's a
problem with your regular brakes. See ªBrake System
Warning Lightº earlier in this section.
The anti
-lock brake system warning light should come
on briefly when you turn the ignition key to ON. If the
light doesn't come on then, have it fixed so it will be
ready to warn you if there is a problem.

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DIC Warnings and Messages
The following messages and warnings may appear in the
DIC display. The DIC display area is located in the
instrument cluster below the speedometer and
tachometer, directly above the steering column.
You may receive more than one message at a time.
Messages will appear one behind the other. To
acknowledge a message and remove it from the display,
press RESET. You may scroll through the messages
that may have been sent at the same time. The message
center is continuously updated with the vehicle
performance status.
ABS ACTIVE (Anti
-Lock Brake System Active):
When your anti
-lock system is adjusting brake pressure
to help avoid a braking skid, the ABS ACTIVE message
will be displayed.
Slippery road conditions may exist if this message is
displayed, so adjust your driving accordingly. The
message will stay on for a few seconds after the system
stops adjusting brake pressure.ACT HNDLING WARMING UP: When you first start
you vehicle (especially in during cold winter weather),
and begin to drive away (up to 6 mph (10 km/h)), the
message ACT HNDLING WARMING UP may be
displayed in the DIC, the instrument cluster light will be
on, and a chime will sound. This is normal. You can
acknowledge this message by pressing the RESET
button. The Active Handling system performance is
affected until the next message WARM UP
COMPLETE is displayed in the DIC.
WARM UP COMPLETE : If you receive this message
and hear a chime, the system has completed the
functional check of the Active Handling System.
TRAC/ACT HNDLG - ON: If the Traction Control
and Active Handling Systems are off, depressing the
Active Handling System console button momentarily
will turn both systems on. The message TRAC/ACT
HNDLG
- ON will be displayed temporarily in the DIC,
the instrument cluster light will be off and a chime
will sound.

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TRAC/ACT HNDLG - OFF: By pressing the Active
Handling System console button briefly, the driver can
turn the Traction Control and Active Handling Systems
off. The message TRAC/ACT HNDLG
- OFF will be
displayed in the DIC, the instrument cluster light will be
on and a chime will sound. You can acknowledge this
message by pressing the RESET button. The anti
-lock
brake systems remains on with the Traction Control and
Active Handling Systems off. You should adjust your
driving accordingly.
COMPETITIVE DRIVING: When the Competitive
Driving mode is selected, this message will be displayed
in the DIC. The instrument cluster light will not be on
when the Competitive Driving mode is selected. The
Traction Control System will not be operating while in
the Competitive Driving mode. You should adjust your
driving accordingly.SERVICE ABS (Anti
-Lock Brake System): If the
SERVICE ABS message is displayed when you are
driving, stop as soon as possible and turn the ignition
off. Then start the engine again to reset the system. If
the message stays on, or comes back on again while you
are driving, your vehicle is in need of service. If the
regular brake system warning light isn't on, you still
have brakes, but don't have anti
-lock brakes. If the
regular brake system light is also on, you don't have
anti
-lock brakes and there is a problem with your
brakes. See ªBrake System Warning Lightº earlier in
this section.
If the SERVICE ABS message is being displayed, your
traction control system and the optional active handling
system will also be disabled. The driver information
center will scroll three messages: SERVICE ABS,
SERVICE TRACTION SYS and SERVICE ACTIVE
HNDLG, and the instrument cluster car icon will be
illuminated. The driver can acknowledge these messages
by pressing the reset button three times. When the
service message is displayed the computer controlled
systems will not assist the driver and you should have
the system repaired as soon as possible. Adjust your
driving accordingly.

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Avoid needless heavy braking. Some people drive in
spurts
-- heavy acceleration followed by heavy
braking
-- rather than keeping pace with traffic. This
is a mistake. Your brakes may not have time to cool
between hard stops. Your brakes will wear out much
faster if you do a lot of heavy braking. If you keep pace
with the traffic and allow realistic following distances,
you will eliminate a lot of unnecessary braking. That
means better braking and longer brake life.
If your engine ever stops while you're driving, brake
normally but don't pump your brakes. If you do, the
pedal may get harder to push down. If your engine
stops, you will still have some power brake assist. But
you will use it when you brake. Once the power assist is
used up, it may take longer to stop and the brake pedal
will be harder to push.
Anti-Lock Brakes (ABS)
Your vehicle has anti-lock brakes (ABS). ABS is an
advanced electronic braking system that will help
prevent a braking skid.
When you start your engine and begin to drive away,
your anti
-lock brake system will check itself. You may
hear a momentary motor or clicking noise while this test
is going on, and you may even notice that your brake
pedal moves a little. This is normal.
If there's a problem with the
anti
-lock brake system, this
warning light will stay on.
See ªAnti
-Lock Brake
System Warning Lightº in
the Index.

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Remember: Anti-lock doesn't change the time you need
to get your foot up to the brake pedal or always decrease
stopping distance. If you get too close to the vehicle in
front of you, you won't have time to apply your brakes
if that vehicle suddenly slows or stops. Always leave
enough room up ahead to stop, even though you have
anti
-lock brakes.
Using Anti
-Lock
Don't pump the brakes. Just hold the brake pedal down
firmly and let anti
-lock work for you. You may hear a
motor or clicking noise and feel the brake pedal move a
little during a stop, but this is normal.
Traction Control System (TCS)
Your vehicle has a traction control system called TCS
that limits wheel spin. This is especially useful in
slippery road conditions. The system operates only if it
senses that the rear wheels are spinning too much or are
beginning to lose traction. When this happens, the
system works the rear brakes and reduces engine power
(by closing the throttle and managing engine spark) to
limit wheel spin.The TRACTION SYSTEM ACTIVE message will
come on when the TCS system is limiting wheel spin.
See ªTRACTION SYSTEM ACTIVE Messageº in the
Index. You may feel or hear the system working, but this
is normal.
If your vehicle is in cruise control when the TCS system
begins to limit wheel spin, the cruise control will
automatically disengage. When road conditions allow
you to safely use it again, you may re
-engage the cruise
control. (See ªCruise Controlº in the Index.)
The SERVICE TRACTION
SYSTEM message and the
TCS warning light will
come on to let you know if
there's a problem with your
TCS system. See
ªSERVICE TRACTION
SYSTEM Messageº in
the Index.

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When this light and the SERVICE TRACTION
SYSTEM message are on, the system will not limit
wheel spin. Adjust your driving accordingly.
The TCS system automatically comes on whenever you
start your vehicle. To limit wheel spin, especially in
slippery road conditions, you should always leave the
system on. But you can turn the TCS system off if you
ever need to.
To turn the system off, press
the button located on the
console. You can turn the
system ON or OFF at any
time by pressing the TCS
switch. The DIC will
display the appropriate
message when you push
the button.
Active Handling System (Option)
The optional Active Handling System is a computer
controlled system that helps the driver maintain
directional control of the vehicle in difficult driving
conditions. This is accomplished by selectively applying
any one of the vehicle's brakes.
When you first start your vehicle and begin to drive
away (6 mph (10 km/h)), the message ACT HNDLG
WARMING UP may be displayed in the DIC, the
instrument cluster light will be on, and a chime will
sound. This is normal. You can acknowledge this
message by pressing the RESET button. The Active
Handling System performance is affected until the
message, WARM UP COMPLETE, is displayed in
the DIC.
The ACTIVE HANDLING message will come on when
the system is operating. See ªDriver Information Center
Messagesº in the Index for more information. You may
also feel or hear the system working. This is normal.

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The SERVICE ACTIVE
HNDLG message will be
displayed, the instrument
cluster light will come on,
and a chime will sound to
let you know if there is a
problem with the system.
See ªDriver Information
Center Messagesº in the
Index for more information.
When this light and the SERVICE ACTIVE HNDLG
message are on, the system is not operational. Adjust
your driving accordingly.
The Active Handling System comes on automatically
whenever you start your car. To help maintain
directional control of the vehicle, you should always
leave the system on. You can turn the system off if you
ever need to. If you turn the Active Handling System
off, the Traction Control System will also be turned off.
Adjust your driving accordingly.To turn the system off, press
the ACTIVE HANDLING
button on the console. You
can turn the system on and
off at any time by pressing
the button. The DIC will
display the appropriate
message when you push
the button.
Competitive Driving
The driver can select an optional handling mode by
depressing the ACTIVE HANDLING button on the
console for more than five seconds, while the vehicle is
stopped with the ignition on. Competitive Driving mode
allows the driver to have full control of the rear wheels
while the Active Handling System helps steer the
vehicle by selective brake application. The instrument
cluster light will not be on. The Traction Control System
will not be operating. Adjust your driving accordingly.
When you press the ACTIVE HANDLING button on the
console again or turn the ignition to ACC, the Active
Handling and the Traction Control Systems will be on.
The message TRAC/ACT HNDLG ON will be displayed
temporarily in the DIC and a chime will be heard.

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CAUTION:
Wet brakes can cause accidents. They won't work
as well in a quick stop and may cause pulling to
one side. You could lose control of the vehicle.
After driving through a large puddle of water or
a car wash, apply your brake pedal lightly until
your brakes work normally.
Hydroplaning
Hydroplaning is dangerous. So much water can build up
under your tires that they can actually ride on the water.
This can happen if the road is wet enough and you're
going fast enough. When your vehicle is hydroplaning,
it has little or no contact with the road.
Hydroplaning doesn't happen often. But it can if your
tires do not have much tread or if the pressure in one or
more is low. It can happen if a lot of water is standing on
the road. If you can see reflections from trees, telephone
poles or other vehicles, and raindrops ªdimpleº the
water's surface, there could be hydroplaning.Hydroplaning usually happens at higher speeds. There
just isn't a hard and fast rule about hydroplaning. The
best advice is to slow down when it is raining.
Driving Through Deep Standing Water
NOTICE:
If you drive too quickly through deep puddles or
standing water, water can come in through your
engine's air intake and badly damage your
engine. Never drive through water that is slightly
lower than the underbody of your vehicle. If you
can't avoid deep puddles or standing water, drive
through them very slowly.
Some Other Rainy Weather Tips

Besides slowing down, allow some extra following
distance. And be especially careful when you pass
another vehicle. Allow yourself more clear room
ahead, and be prepared to have your view restricted
by road spray.

Have good tires with proper tread depth.
(See ªTiresº in the Index.)