2003 CHEVROLET SILVERADO brake

Traction Off Light
If you have the Traction
Assist System, this light
should come on brie¯y
when you turn the ignition
to RUN.
If the light doesn't come on then, the system may
require service; have it ®xed so it will be there to warn
you if the system is turned off.
If the light stays on, or comes on when you're driving,
there may be a problem with your Traction Assist
System and your vehicle may need service. When this
light is on, the system will not limit wheel spin. Adjust
your driving accordingly.
The traction off light may come on for the following
reasons:
·If you turn the system off by pressing the TAS
on/off button located to the left of the steering wheel,
the light will come on and stay on. To turn the
system back on, press the button again; the light
should go off.
·If you move the shift lever to FIRST (1), the light
will come on and stay on to indicate that the
traction system is off. This is normal operation. To
turn the system back on, move the shift lever
back to a position other than FIRST (1); the light
should go off. See
Traction Assist System (TAS) on
page 4-10.
·The light will come on and stay on if the TAS
automatic engagement feature has been turned off.
To turn the system on, press the TAS off/on
button; the light should go off. To turn the automatic
engagement feature back on, see
Traction Assist
System (TAS) on page 4-10.
·If the Traction Assist System is affected by an
anti-lock brake system, TAS or engine-related
problem, the system will turn off and the light will
come on. Have your vehicle serviced.
·If the vehicle is driven over an extremely rough
road, the system will turn off and the light will come
on. The light will go off a few seconds after the
rough road conditions go away or when the vehicle
comes to a complete stop. This is normal
operation.
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SeeDriver Information Center (DIC) on page 3-54for
further information.
If your vehicle has an Allison transmission, and the ¯uid
reaches temperatures of approximately 275ÉF (135ÉC)
or greater, the driver information center will display
a TRANS HOT IDLE ENGINE warning message and a
chime will sound until the temperature falls below
265ÉF (129ÉC) degrees. Pull the vehicle off the roadway
when it is safe to do so. Set the parking brake, place
the transmission in PARK (P) and allow the engine
to idle until the transmission temperature falls below
265ÉF (129ÉC). If the transmission continues to operate
above 265ÉF (130ÉC), contact your nearest dealer or
the GM Roadside Assistance Center. See
Roadside
Assistance Program on page 7-5.
Notice:If you keep driving your vehicle with the
transmission temperature gage above the normal
operating range, you can damage the transmission.
This could lead to costly repairs that may not be
covered under your warranty.The following situations can cause the transmission to
operate at higher temperatures:
·Towing a trailer
·Hot outside air temperatures
·Hauling a large or heavy load
·Low transmission ¯uid level
·High transmission ¯uid level
·Restricted air ¯ow to the radiator and the auxiliary
transmission oil cooler (if equipped).
A temporary solution to hotter transmission operating
temperatures may be to let the transmission cool down.
If the transmission is operated at higher temperatures
on a frequent basis, see
Scheduled Maintenance
on page 6-5for the proper transmission maintenance
intervals.
3-48

REDUCED ENGINE POWER
This message is displayed when the cooling system
temperature gets too hot and the engine further enters
the engine coolant protection mode.
See
Engine Overheating on page 5-33for further
information.
RIGHT REAR DOOR AJAR (Crew Cab)
If the passenger's side rear door is not fully closed,
this message will appear on the display and you
will hear a chime. Stop and turn off the vehicle, check
the door for obstacles, and close the door again. Check
to see if the message still appears on the DIC. Press
the select button to acknowledge the message and clear
it from the DIC display.
SERVICE AIRBAG
If there is a problem with the air bag system, this
message will be displayed on the DIC. Have a quali®ed
technician inspect the system for problems. Press
the select button to acknowledge the message and clear
it from the DIC display.
SERVICE BRAKE SYSTEM
If there is a problem with the brake system, this
message will be displayed on the DIC. If this message
appears, stop as soon as possible and turn off the
vehicle. Restart the vehicle and check for the message
on the DIC display. If the message is still displayed,
or appears again when you begin driving, the brake
system needs service.
SERVICE BRAKE BOOSTER
If your vehicle has vaccum assist power brakes, this
message will be displayed on the DIC when there is a
problem with the Supplemental Brake Assist system.
If the message is displayed immediately after starting
the vehicle or the message appears while driving,
your Supplemental Brake Assist system needs service.
See
Brake System Warning Light on page 3-44.
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{CAUTION:
Your brake system may not be working
properly if the SERVICE BRAKE BOOSTER
message is displayed.
If the brake system warning light is also on,
you should have the vehicle towed for service.
See ªBrake System Warning Lightº in the
Index.
If the brake system warning light isn't on, you
still have brakes, but the supplemental brake
assist system may not operate properly. In the
event of a vacuum loss, you may not have
vacuum power assist for braking. The brake
pedal will be harder to push and it will take
longer to stop. If you continue to drive with
this message displayed it can lead to a crash.
Have the brake system serviced as soon as
possible.
SERVICE 4 WHEEL STEER
If a problem occurs with the 4 wheel steer system, this
message will appear on the DIC. If this message
appears, stop as soon as possible, and turn off the
vehicle. Restart the vehicle and check for the message
on the DIC display. If the message is still displayed,
or appears again when you being driving, the four wheel
steer system needs service.
SERVICE 4WD
If a problem occurs with the four wheel drive system,
this message will appear on the DIC. If this message
appears, stop as soon as possible and turn off the
vehicle. Restart the vehicle and check for the message
on the DIC display. If the message is still displayed,
or appears again when you begin driving, the four wheel
drive system needs service.
SERVICE RIDE CONTROL
If a problem occurs with the suspension system, this
message will appear on the DIC. If this message
appears, stop and turn off the vehicle. Restart the
vehicle and check for the message on the DIC display.
If the message is still displayed, or appears again
when you begin driving, the air suspension system
needs service.
3-69

Your Driving, the Road, and
Your Vehicle
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
Safety Belts: They Are for
Everyone on page 1-10.
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 is 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 Ð such as concentrating on a cellular telephone call,
reading, or reaching for something on the ¯oor Ð makesproper 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.
Drunken Driving
Death and injury associated with drinking and driving is
a national tragedy. It is the number one contributor
to the highway death toll, claiming thousands of victims
every year.
Alcohol affects four things that anyone needs to drive a
vehicle:
·Judgment
·Muscular Coordination
·Vision
·Attentiveness.
Police records show that almost half of all motor
vehicle-related deaths involve alcohol. In most cases,
these deaths are the result of someone who was
drinking and driving. In recent years, more than
16,000 annual motor vehicle-related deaths have been
associated with the use of alcohol, with more than
300,000 people injured.
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{CAUTION:
Drinking and then driving is very dangerous.
Your re¯exes, perceptions, attentiveness and
judgment can be affected by even a small
amount of alcohol. You can have a serious Ð or
even fatal Ð collision if you drive after drinking.
Please do not drink and drive or ride with a
driver who has been drinking. Ride home in a
cab; or if you are 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.
Sometimes, as when you are driving on snow or ice, it
is easy to ask more of those control systems than
the tires and road can provide. That means you can lose
control of your vehicle. Also see
Traction Assist
System (TAS) on page 4-10.
4-5

Braking
Braking action involvesperception timeandreaction time.
First, you have to decide to push on the brake pedal.
That isperception time.Then you have to bring up your
foot and do it. That isreaction time.
Averagereaction timeis about 3/4 of a second. But that
is 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 is 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.
Avoid needless heavy braking. Some people drive in
spurts Ð heavy acceleration followed by heavy
braking Ð 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 trafficand 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 are driving, brake
normally but do not 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 Brake System
Your vehicle has anti-lock brakes. 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. This is normal.
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If there is a problem with
the anti-lock brake system,
this warning light will
stay on. See
Anti-Lock
Brake System Warning
Light on page 3-45
.
Along with ABS, your vehicle has a Dynamic Rear
Proportioning (DRP) system. If there is a DRP problem,
both the brake and ABS warning lights will come on
accompanied by a 10-second chime. The lights
and chime will come on each time the ignition is turned
on until the problem is repaired. See your dealer for
service.
Let us say the road is wet and you are driving safely.
Suddenly, an animal jumps out in front of you. You slam
on the brakes and continue braking. Here's what
happens with ABS:
A computer senses that wheels are slowing down. If
one of the wheels is about to stop rolling, the computer
will separately work the brakes at each front wheel
and at both rear wheels.
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