1999 CHEVROLET CORVETTE brake

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If the air bag readiness light stays on after you start the
engine or comes on when you are driving, your air bag
system may not work properly. Have your vehicle
serviced right away.
The air bag readiness light should flash for a few
seconds 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.
Voltmeter
When the key is in ON with
the engine not running, the
voltmeter shows the voltage
output of your battery.
When the engine is running,
it shows the voltage output
of the charging system.The reading will change as the rate of charge changes
(with engine speed, for example), but if the voltmeter
reads at 9 volts or below, your instrument panel and
other systems may shut down. The Driver Information
Center (DIC) will read LOW VOLTAGE when your
vehicle is at 10 volts or below. Have it checked right
away. Driving with the voltmeter reading at 10 volts or
below could drain your battery and disable your vehicle.
Brake System Warning Light
Your vehicle's hydraulic brake system is divided into
two parts. If one part isn't working, the other part can
still work and stop you. For good braking, though, you
need both parts working well.
This light should come on
when you turn the ignition
key to START.

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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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Other Messages
Here are more messages that you can receive on your
Driver Information Center (DIC). To acknowledge a
message and read another message that may have come
on at the same time, press the RESET button.

BRAKE BEFORE SHIFT (Automatic
Transmissions Only)

CHANGE OIL NOW (See ªEngine Oil Lifeº in
the Index.)

CHANGE OIL SOON (See ªEngine Oil Lifeº in
the Index.)

CRUISE DISENGAGED (See ªCruise Controlº in
the Index.)

CRUISE SET __ MPH (__ km/h) (See ªCruise
Controlº in the Index.)

DOOR AJAR
ENGINE PROTECTION REDUCE ENGINE RPM

TRUNK AJAR (Convertible/Hardtop)

HATCH AJAR (Coupe)

HIGH VOLTAGE

LOW BRAKE FLUID (See ªBrake Fluidº in
the Index.)

LOW FUEL (See ªFuel Gageº in the Index.)

LOW VOLTAGE

LOW WASHER FLUID

RESERVE FUEL

UPSHIFT NOW

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Defensive Driving
The best advice anyone can give about driving is:
Drive defensively.
Please start with a very important safety device in your
vehicle: Buckle up. (See ªSafety Beltsº in the Index.)Defensive driving really means ªbe ready for anything.º
On city streets, rural roads or freeways, it means
ªalways expect the unexpected.º
Assume that pedestrians or other drivers are going to be
careless and make mistakes. Anticipate what they might
do. Be ready for their mistakes.
Rear
-end collisions are about the most preventable of
accidents. Yet they are common. Allow enough
following distance. It's the best defensive driving
maneuver, in both city and rural driving. You never
know when the vehicle in front of you is going to brake
or turn suddenly.
Defensive driving requires that a driver concentrate on
the driving task. Anything that distracts from the
driving task
-- such as concentrating on a cellular
telephone call, reading, or reaching for something on
the floor
-- makes proper defensive driving more
difficult and can even cause a collision, with resulting
injury. Ask a passenger to help do things like this, or
pull off the road in a safe place to do them yourself.
These simple defensive driving techniques could save
your life.

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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.
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.
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.

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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.