2003 GMC SAFARI brake

Daytime Running Lamps (DRL)
Daytime Running Lamps (DRL) can make it easier for
others to see the front of your vehicle during the
day. DRL can be helpful in many different driving
conditions, but they can be especially helpful in the short
periods after dawn and before sunset. Fully functional
daytime running lamps are required on all vehicles
first sold in Canada.
The DRL system will make your headlamps come on
at a reduced brightness when the following conditions
are met:
•The ignition is on,
•the exterior lamp control is off.
•the automatic transmission is not in PARK (P),
•the light sensor determines it is daytime and
•the parking brake is released.
When the DRL are on, only your DRL lamps will be on.
The taillamps, sidemarker and other lamps won’tbe
on. Your instrument panel won’t be lit up either.When it begins to get dark, the automatic headlamp
system will switch from DRL to the headlamps or the
last chosen headlamp setting that was used.
To idle your vehicle with the DRL off, put the
transmission in PARK (P). The DRL will stay off until
you shift out of PARK (P).
The following does not apply to vehicles first sold
in Canada.
When necessary, you may turn off the automatic
headlamp system and the Daytime Running
Lamps (DRL) feature by following the steps below:
1. Turn the ignition to RUN.
2. Press the DOME OVERRIDE button four times
within six seconds. After the fourth press of the
button, a chime will sound informing you that
the system is off.
To return to the automatic mode, push the DOME
OVERRIDE button four times within six seconds
(the chime will sound), or turn the ignition to off and
then to RUN again.
As with any vehicle, you should turn on the regular
headlamp system when you need it.
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You can only drive for a short time with the readings in
either warning zone. If you must drive, turn off all
unnecessary accessories.
Readings in either warning zone indicate a possible
problem in the electrical system. Have the vehicle
serviced as soon as possible.
Brake System Warning Light
When the ignition is on, the brake system warning light
will come on when you set your parking brake. The
light will stay on if your parking brake doesn’t release
fully. If it stays on after your parking brake is fully
released, it means you have a brake problem.
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.
If the warning light comes on, there could be a brake
problem. Have your brake system inspected right away.This light should come on
briefly when you turn the
ignition key to RUN.
If it doesn’t come on then,
have itfixed so it will
be ready to warn you if
there’s a problem.
If the light comes on while you are driving, 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. SeeTowing
Your Vehicle on page 4-28.
{CAUTION:
Your brake system may not be working
properly if the brake system warning light is
on. Driving with the brake system 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.
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Anti-Lock Brake System
Warning Light
With the anti-lock brake
system, this light will come
on when you start your
engine and may stay on
for several seconds.
That’s normal.
If the light stays on, or comes on when 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“Brake System Warning Light”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 itfixed so
it will be ready to warn you if there is a problem.
Engine Coolant Temperature Gage
This gage shows the
engine coolant
temperature. If the gage
pointer moves to the
red area, your engine
is too hot!
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.
SeeEngine Overheating on page 5-28.
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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. SeeSafety Belts: They Are for
Everyone on page 1-13.
Defensive driving really means “be ready for anything.”
On city streets, rural roads or freeways, it means
“always expect the unexpected.”
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 oor — 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.
Drunken Driving
Death and injury associated with drinking and driving is
a national tragedy. It’s 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.
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There’s something else about drinking and driving that
many people don’t know. Medical research shows
that alcohol in a person’s system can make crash
injuries worse, especially injuries to the brain, spinal
cord or heart. This means that when anyone who
has been drinking—driver or passenger—is in a
crash, that person’s chance of being killed or
permanently disabled is higher than if the person had
not been drinking.
{CAUTION:
Drinking and then driving is very dangerous.
Your reflexes, perceptions, attentiveness and
judgment can be affected by even a small
amount of alcohol.You can have a serious—or
even fatal—collision if you drive after drinking.
Please don’t drink and drive or ride with a
driver who has been drinking.Ride home in a
cab; or if you’re 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’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.
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Braking
Braking action involvesperception timeand
reaction time.
First, you have to decide to push on the brake pedal.
That’sperception time.Then you have to bring up your
foot and do it. That’sreaction time.
Averagereaction timeis 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.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.
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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.
If there’s a problem with the anti-lock brake system, this
warning light will stay on. SeeAnti-Lock Brake System
Warning Light on page 3-29.Let’s say the road is wet and you’re 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. United States
Canada
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The anti-lock system can change the brake pressure
faster than any driver could. The computer is
programmed to make the most of available tire and road
conditions. This can help you steer around the obstacle
while braking hard.
As you brake, your computer keeps receiving updates
on wheel speed and controls braking pressure
accordingly.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.
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