1999 PONTIAC BONNEVILLE brake

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2-68 Anti-Lock Brake System Warning Light
With the anti-lock brake
system, the light(s) 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 RUN. If the
light doesn't come on then, have it fixed so it will be
ready to warn you if there is a problem.
Traction Control System Warning
Light (Option)
This warning light should come on briefly as you start
the engine. If the warning light doesn't come on then,
have it fixed so it will be ready to warn you if there's a
problem. If it stays on, or comes on when you're
driving, there may be a problem with your traction
control system and your vehicle may need service.
When this warning light is on, the system will not limit
wheel spin. Adjust your driving accordingly.

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The traction control system warning light may come on
for the following reasons:

If you turn the system off by pressing the button
located on the center console, the warning light will
come on and stay on. To turn the system back on,
press the button again. The warning light should go
off. (See ªTraction Control Systemº in the Index for
more information.)

If there's a brake system problem that is specifically
related to traction control, the traction control system
will turn off and the warning light will come on. If
your brakes begin to overheat, the traction control
system will turn off and the warning light will come
on until your brakes cool down.

If the traction control system is affected by an
engine
-related problem, the system will turn off and
the warning light will come on.
If the traction control system warning light comes on
and stays on for an extended period of time when the
system is turned on, your vehicle needs service.
Engine Coolant Temperature Gage
This gage shows the engine
coolant temperature.
If the gage pointer moves
into the red area, your
engine is too hot! On
vehicles with the optional
DIC, the CHECK GAGES
light will go on and a
warning chime will sound.
It means that your engine coolant has overheated. If you
have been operating your vehicle under normal driving
conditions, you should pull off the road, stop your
vehicle and turn off the engine as soon as possible.
In the section ªProblems on the Road,º this manual
explains what to do. See ªEngine Overheatingº in
the Index.

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2-76 Systems Monitor (Option)
If you have the Systems
Monitor, it gives you
important safety and
maintenance facts.
When you turn the ignition on, the Systems Monitor and
warning lights will briefly light up. If a problem is
detected, the warning lights will turn on.The following warning lights are displayed in the
Systems Monitor:

Check Oil Level: This message could mean your oil
level is low. If it comes on for more than three
seconds, see ªCheck Oil Level Warning Lightº in
the Index.

Washer Fluid: This message means your washer
fluid tank is less than about 30 percent full. If this
light comes on, see ªWindshield Washer Fluidº in
the Index.

Check Doors: This message means that either the
driver's door or one of the passenger's doors is not
completely closed. If this light comes on, see ªCheck
Doors Lightº in the Index.

Brake: If this message comes on while you are
driving, it means there is a brake problem. See
ªBrake System Warning Lightº in the Index.

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FUNCTION MONITOR: This lets you know if
you are low on fluids or have a problem with a
vehicle function:

CHECK OIL LEVEL: This message could mean
your oil level is low. If it comes on for more than
three seconds, see ªCheck Oil Level Warning Lightº
in the Index.

WASHER FLUID: This message means your
washer fluid tank is less than about 30 percent full.
The windshield portion of the vehicle outline will
also glow. If these come on, see ªWindshield Washer
Fluidº in the Index.

LOW COOLANT: This message means your
coolant level has fallen to about half full. If it comes
on, see ªEngine Coolantº in the Index.

CHECK GAGES: If this light comes on and stays
on while you are driving, check your gages for fuel,
coolant temperature, oil pressure or battery voltage.
SECURITY MONITOR: The vehicle outline will
illuminate to let you know the following information:

DOOR AJAR: This message means a door is not
fully closed. The vehicle outline will show you
which door it is.
TRUNK AJAR: This message appears if the trunk is
not fully closed. The vehicle outline will illuminate.

HOOD AJAR: This message appears if the hood is
not fully closed. The vehicle outline will illuminate
if the hood is not latched properly.
LAMP MONITOR: Whenever you try to use one of
the following lamps, the LAMP MONITOR will tell you
if a bulb is out.

Headlamp (Low and High Beam)

Parking Lamp/Sidemarker

Turn Signal/Parking/Stop

Back
-Up Lamp

Taillamp/Turn/Sidemarker/License

Brake Lamp and Center High
-Mounted Stoplamp
If a bulb is out, you will see a message, such as PARK
LAMP, and you will also see where the problem is on
the vehicle outline. The message stays on until the
problem is fixed. See ªReplacement Bulbsº in the Index
for bulb details.

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2-82
If a burned-out bulb is replaced, the warning light will
stay on until the bulb is used.
Message Bulbs Monitored
Hi Beam Lamp Both Headlamp High Beams
Head Lamp Both Headlamp Low Beams
Park Lamp 2 Front Park
Right Sidemarker
Left Sidemarker
Turn Signal 1 Front Left Turn/Park
1 Front Right Turn/Park
1 Rear Left Turn
1 Rear Right Turn
Back Up 2 Back
-Up Lamps
Tail 4 Tail Only
4 Stop/Tail
2 License Plate
1 Right Rear Sidemarker
1 Left Rear Sidemarker
Brake Lamp 4 Rear Stop/Tail/Turn
1 Center High
-Mounted Stop
Electronic Compass (Option)
Some vehicles are equipped with an electronic compass.
As with all compasses, this unit senses the earth's
magnetic field to show the direction the car is pointing.

First Edition for Pontiac Bonneville Owner's Manual ± 1999
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AS400101
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.

First Edition for Pontiac Bonneville Owner's Manual ± 1999
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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.
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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.

First Edition for Pontiac Bonneville Owner's Manual ± 1999
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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, or when you 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 or pulses a little. This is normal.
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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.