2003 CHEVROLET BLAZER steering wheel

Automatic Transfer Case
If your vehicle is equipped
with the automatic transfer
case, the transfer case
buttons are located to the
right of the steering
wheel on the instrument
panel.
Use these buttons to shift into and out of four-wheel
drive. You can choose among four driving settings:
2HI (Two-Wheel High):This setting is used for driving
in most street and highway situations. Your front
axle is not engaged in two-wheel drive. This setting also
provides the best fuel economy.
AUTO 4WD (Automatic Four-Wheel Drive):This
setting is ideal for use when road conditions are
variable. While driving your vehicle in AUTO 4WD, the
front axle is engaged, but the vehicle's power is
sent only to the rear wheels. When the vehicle senses a
loss of traction, the system will automatically engage
four-wheel drive. Driving in this mode results in slightly
lower fuel economy than 2HI.4HI (Four-Wheel High):Use 4HI when you need extra
traction, such as on snowy or icy roads or in most
off-road situations. This setting also engages your front
axle to help drive your vehicle.
4LO (Four-Wheel Low):This setting also engages
your front axle and delivers extra torque. You may never
need 4LO. It sends maximum power to all four wheels.
You might choose 4LO if you are driving off-road in
deep sand, deep mud, deep snow and climbing
or descending steep hills.
{CAUTION:
Shifting the transfer case to NEUTRAL can
cause your vehicle to roll even if the
transmission is in PARK (P). You or someone
else could be seriously injured. Be sure to set
the parking brake before placing the transfer
case in NEUTRAL. See ªParking Brakeº in
the Index.
NEUTRAL:Shift the vehicle's transfer case to
NEUTRAL only when towing your vehicle. See
Recreational Vehicle Towing on page 4-45orTowing
Your Vehicle on page 4-45for more information.
2-31

The hazard warning
¯asher button is located on
the top of the steering
column.
Your hazard warning ¯ashers work no matter what
position your key is in, and even if the key isn't in.
Press the button to make the front and rear turn signal
lamps ¯ash on and off. Press the button again to
turn the ¯ashers off.
When the hazard warning ¯ashers are on, your turn
signals won't work. The ¯ashers will stop if you step on
the brake.
Other Warning Devices
If you carry re¯ective triangles, you can set one up at
the side of the road about 300 feet (100 m) behind your
vehicle.
Horn
To sound the horn, press the horn symbol on the
steering wheel pad.
Tilt Wheel
A tilt wheel allows you to adjust the steering wheel
before you drive. If you have the tilt steering wheel, you
can raise it to the highest level to allow more room
for the driver to enter and exit the vehicle.
The tilt lever is located on
the driver's side of the
steering column, under the
turn signal lever.
To tilt, hold the steering wheel and pull the tilt lever
toward you. Move the wheel to a comfortable level, then
release the tilt lever to lock the wheel in place.
Do not adjust the steering wheel while driving.
3-4

LO (Low Speed):Turn the band away from you to LO
and past the delay settings for steady wiping at low
speed.
HI (High Speed):Turn the band away from you, to HI,
and past the delay settings for wiping steady at high
speed.
Delayed Wiping:You can set the wiper speed for a
long or short delay between wipes. Turn the band
to choose the delay time. The closer to LO, the shorter
the delay.
JPUSH (Windshield Washer):There is a paddle
marked with the windshield washer symbol at the top of
the multifunction lever. To spray washer ¯uid on the
windshield, push the paddle. The wipers will clear the
window and then either stop or return to your preset
speed.
Be sure to clear ice and snow from the wiper blades
before using them. If they're frozen to the windshield,
carefully loosen or thaw them. If your blades do become
worn or damaged, get new blades or blade inserts.
Heavy snow or ice can overload your wipers. A circuit
breaker will stop them until the motor cools. Clear away
snow or ice to prevent an overload.
{CAUTION:
In freezing weather, don't use your washer
until the windshield is warmed. Otherwise the
washer ¯uid can form ice on the windshield,
blocking your vision.
Rear Window Washer/Wiper
If your vehicle has this
feature, the control is
located on the instrument
panel to the right of
the steering wheel.
To turn the rear wiper on, slide the control to either LO
or HI. For delayed wiping, slide the control to LO.
For steady wiping, slide the control to HI. To turn the
wiper off, slide the control to OFF.
3-7

Your Driving, the Road, and Your Vehicle..........4-2
Driver Behavior..............................................4-2
Driving Environment........................................4-3
Vehicle Design...............................................4-3
Defensive Driving...........................................4-3
Drunken Driving.............................................4-4
Control of a Vehicle........................................4-7
Braking.........................................................4-8
Locking Rear Axle........................................4-10
Steering......................................................4-10
Off-Road Recovery.......................................4-12
Passing.......................................................4-13
Loss of Control.............................................4-14
Off-Road Driving with Your Four-Wheel-Drive
Vehicle....................................................4-15Driving at Night............................................4-28
Driving in Rain and on Wet Roads..................4-30
City Driving..................................................4-33
Freeway Driving...........................................4-34
Before Leaving on a Long Trip.......................4-35
Highway Hypnosis........................................4-36
Hill and Mountain Roads................................4-36
Winter Driving..............................................4-38
If You Are Stuck: In Sand, Mud,
Ice or Snow..............................................4-42
Towing..........................................................4-45
Towing Your Vehicle.....................................4-45
Recreational Vehicle Towing...........................4-45
Loading Your Vehicle....................................4-52
Towing a Trailer...........................................4-54
Section 4 Driving Your Vehicle
4-1

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
®rmly and let anti-lock work for you. You may feel
the brakes vibrate, or you may notice some noise, but
this is normal.
Braking in Emergencies
With anti-lock, you can steer and brake at the same
time. In many emergencies, steering can help you more
than even the very best braking.
Locking Rear Axle
If your vehicle has this feature, your locking rear axle
can give you additional traction on snow, mud, ice, sand
or gravel. It works like a standard axle most of the
time, but when one of the rear wheels has no traction
and the other does, this feature will allow the wheel with
traction to move the vehicle.
Steering
Power Steering
If you lose power steering assist because the engine
stops or the system is not functioning, you can steer but
it will take much more effort.
4-10

Steering Tips
Driving on Curves
It's important to take curves at a reasonable speed.
A lot of the ªdriver lost controlº accidents mentioned on
the news happen on curves. Here's why:
Experienced driver or beginner, each of us is subject to
the same laws of physics when driving on curves.
The traction of the tires against the road surface makes
it possible for the vehicle to change its path when
you turn the front wheels. If there's no traction, inertia
will keep the vehicle going in the same direction. If
you've ever tried to steer a vehicle on wet ice, you'll
understand this.
The traction you can get in a curve depends on the
condition of your tires and the road surface, the angle at
which the curve is banked, and your speed. While
you're in a curve, speed is the one factor you can
control.
Suppose you're steering through a sharp curve.
Then you suddenly accelerate. Both control
systems Ð steering and acceleration Ð have to do their
work where the tires meet the road. Adding the sudden
acceleration can demand too much of those places. You
can lose control.
What should you do if this ever happens? Ease up on
the accelerator pedal, steer the vehicle the way you
want it to go, and slow down.Speed limit signs near curves warn that you should
adjust your speed. Of course, the posted speeds
are based on good weather and road conditions. Under
less favorable conditions you'll want to go slower.
If you need to reduce your speed as you approach a
curve, do it before you enter the curve, while your front
wheels are straight ahead.
Try to adjust your speed so you can ªdriveº through the
curve. Maintain a reasonable, steady speed. Wait to
accelerate until you are out of the curve, and then
accelerate gently into the straightaway.
Steering in Emergencies
There are times when steering can be more effective
than braking. For example, you come over a hill and ®nd
a truck stopped in your lane, or a car suddenly pulls
out from nowhere, or a child darts out from between
parked cars and stops right in front of you. You
can avoid these problems by braking Ð if you can stop
in time. But sometimes you can't; there isn't room.
That's the time for evasive action Ð steering around the
problem.
Your vehicle can perform very well in emergencies like
these. First apply your brakes.
See
Braking on page 4-8. It is better to remove as much
speed as you can from a possible collision. Then
steer around the problem, to the left or right depending
on the space available.
4-11

An emergency like this requires close attention and a
quick decision. If you are holding the steering wheel at
the recommended 9 and 3 o'clock positions, you
can turn it a full 180 degrees very quickly without
removing either hand. But you have to act fast, steer
quickly, and just as quickly straighten the wheel
once you have avoided the object.
The fact that such emergency situations are always
possible is a good reason to practice defensive driving
at all times and wear safety belts properly.
Off-Road Recovery
You may ®nd that your right wheels have dropped off
the edge of a road onto the shoulder while you're
driving.
If the level of the shoulder is only slightly below the
pavement, recovery should be fairly easy. Ease off the
accelerator and then, if there is nothing in the way,
steer so that your vehicle straddles the edge of
the pavement. You can turn the steering wheel up to
one-quarter turn until the right front tire contacts
the pavement edge. Then turn your steering wheel to go
straight down the roadway.
4-12

·If other vehicles 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 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 ¯ashing, 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.
Loss of Control
Let's review what driving experts say about what
happens when the three control systems (brakes,
steering and acceleration) don't have enough friction
where the tires meet the road to do what the driver
has asked.
In any emergency, don't give up. Keep trying to steer
and constantly seek an escape route or area of
less danger.
Skidding
In a skid, a driver can lose control of the vehicle.
Defensive drivers avoid most skids by taking reasonable
care suited to existing conditions, and by not
ªoverdrivingº those conditions. But skids are always
possible.
The three types of skids correspond to your vehicle's
three control systems. In the braking skid, your wheels
aren't rolling. In the steering or cornering skid, too
much speed or steering in a curve causes tires to slip
and lose cornering force. And in the acceleration
skid, too much throttle causes the driving wheels
to spin.
A cornering skid is best handled by easing your foot off
the accelerator pedal.
4-14