2003 GMC YUKON DENALI wheel

When the system activates, you may hear a noise or
feel a vibration in the brake pedal. This is normal. When
the STABILITY SYS ACTIVE message is on, you
should continue
to steer in the direction you want to go.
The system is designed
to help you in bad weather
or other difficult driving situations by making the most of
whatever road conditions will permit.
SERVICE STABILITY
If you ever see the SERVICE STABILITY message, it
means there may be a problem with your
StabiIitrak@system. If you see this message
try to reset
the system (stop; turn
off the engine; then start the
engine again). If the SERVICE STABILITY message still
comes on, it means there is a problem. You should
see your dealer for service. The vehicle is safe to drive,
however, you do not have the benefit of Stabilitrak@,
so reduce your speed and drive accordingly.
STABILITY SYS DISABLED
The STABILITY SYS DISABLED message will turn on
when you press the Stabilitrak@button, or when the
stability control has been automatically disabled. To limit
wheel spin and realize the full benefits of the stability
enhancement system, you should normally leave
Stabilitrak@on. However, you should turn Stabilitrak@off
if your vehicle gets stuck in sand, mud, ice or snow and you want to “rock”
your vehicle
to attempt to free it,
or if you are driving in extreme off-road conditions
and require more wheel spin. See If
You Are Stuck: In
Sand, Mud, Ice or
Snow on page 4-41. To turn the
Stabilitrak@system back on press the Stabilitrak@button
again. There are four conditions that can cause this
message
to appear. One condition is overheating, which
could occur
if Stabilitrak@activates continuously for an
extended period of time. The message will
also be
displayed
if the brake system warning light is on. See
Brake System Warning Light
on page 3-34. The
message could be displayed
if the stability system takes
longer than usual to complete its diagnostic checks
due to driving conditions. Also,
if an engine or vehicle
related problem has been detected, and the vehicle
needs service, the message will appear.
The message will turn off as soon as the conditions that
caused the message to be displayed are no longer
present.
TRACTION ACTIVE
When the traction control system has detected that any
of the vehicle’s wheels are slipping, the traction
control system will activate and this message will appear
on the DIC. See StabiIitrakO System
on page 4-9 for
more information.
3-57

Audio Steering Wheel Controls
You can control certain radio functions using the buttons
on your steering wheel.
I
((I? (OnStarNoice Recognition): You can press this
button
to interact with the Onstar@ system. See the
Onstar@ manual provided with your vehicle for more
information.
PROG (Program): Press this button to play a station
you have programmed on the radio preset buttons
on the selected band. If a cassette tape is playing, press
this button to play the other side of the tape. If a
compact disc is playing
in the CD changer, press this
button to
go to the next available CD.
A SOURCE v: Press this button to select AM, FMI
or FM2, XM1 or XM2 (if equipped), or a cassette
tape or CD. The cassette or CD must be loaded to play.
Available loaded sources are shown on the display as
a tape or a CD symbol.
A SEEK 7: Press the up or the down arrow to seek
to the next or
to the previous radio station and stay
there.
If a cassette tape or compact disc is playing, the player
will advance with the up arrow and reverse with the
down arrow.
A VOLv : Press the up or the down arrow to increase
or to decrease volume.
DVD Distortion
You may experience audio distortion in the
IR headphones when operating cellular phones,
scanners, CB radios, Global Positioning Systems
(GPS)*, two-way radios, mobile fax, or walkie talkies.
It may be necessary to turn
off the DVD player
when operating one of these devices in or near the
vehicle.
* Excludes the Onstat-@ System.
3-86

Section 4 Driving Your Vehicle
Your Driving. the Road. and Your Vehicle .......... 4-2
Defensive Driving
........................................... 4.2
Drunken Driving
............................................. 4-2
Control of a Vehicle
........................................ 4-5
Braking
......................................................... 4-6
Stabilitrak@ System
......................................... 4-9
Steering
...................................................... 4-11
Off-Road Recovery
....................................... 4-13
Passing
....................................................... 4-13
Loss of Control ............................................. 4-15
Operating Your All-Wheel-Drive Vehicle Off
Paved Roads
............................................ 4-16
Driving at Night
............................................ 4-28
Driving in Rain and on Wet Roads
.................. 4-29 City Driving
.................................................. 4-32
Before Leaving on a Long Trip
....................... 4-34
Highway Hypnosis
........................................ 4-35
Winter Driving
.............................................. 4.37
Towing .......................................................... 4.44
Towing Your Vehicle
..................................... 4-44
Recreational Vehicle Towing
........................... 4-44
Loading Your Vehicle
........... ................. 4.44
AutorideTM
.............................. ............. 4-46
Trailer Recommendations
............................... 4-47
Towing a Trailer
...................... ...... 4-47
Freeway Driving
4-33 -r ...........................................
Hill and Mountain Roads ................................ 4-35
If You Are Stuck: In Sand, Mud, Ice or Snow
........ 4-41
4-
1

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. See Anti-Lock
Brake System Warning
Light
on page 3-35.
Along with ABS, your vehicle has a Dynamic Rear
Proportioning (DRP) system.
If there’s a DRP problem,
both the brake and ABS warning lights will come
on
accompanied by a IO-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’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.
4-7

As you brake, your computer keeps receiving updates
on wheel speed and controls braking pressure
accordingly.
4-8

When the Stabilitrak@system has been turned off you
may still hear system noises as a result of the
brake-traction control coming on.
It is recommended to leave the system on for normal
driving conditions, but it may be necessary
to turn
the system
off if your vehicle is stuck in sand, mud, ice
or snow, and you want
to “rock” your vehicle to
attempt to free it. It may also be necessary to turn off
the system when driving in extreme off-road conditions
where high wheel spin is required. See If
You Are
Stuck: In Sand, Mud, Ice or Snow on page
4-4 1.
Traction Control Operation
The traction control system is part of the
Stabilitrak@system. Traction control limits wheel spin by
reducing engine power
to the wheels (engine speed
management) and by applying brakes
to each individual
wheel (brake-traction control) as necessary.
The traction control system is enabled automatically
when you start your vehicle, and it will activate
and display the TRACTION ACTIVE message in the
Driver Information Center (DIC)
if it senses that any of
the wheels are spinning or beginning to lose traction
while driving. If you turn
off Stabilitrak@, only the
brake-traction control portion
of traction control will
work. The engine speed management will be disabled.
In this state, engine power is not reduced automatically
and the driven wheels can spin more freely. This
can cause the brake-traction control
to activate
constantly. For more information on the traction active
message, see Driver Information Center (DIC) on
page
3-43.
Notice: If the traction off light comes on due to
heavy braking and/or because the traction control
system has been continuously active, do not allow
the wheel@) of one axle to spin excessively.
If you
do, you may be causing damage to your transfer
case. This could lead to costly repairs not covered by
your warranty.
If the brake-traction control system activates constantly
or
if the brakes have heated up due to high speed
braking, the brake-traction control will be automatically
disabled. The system will come back on after the
brakes have cooled. This can take up
to two minutes ot
longer depending on brake usage.
Notice: Don’t allow the wheel(s) of one axle to spin
excessively when the traction
off, ABS and brake
lights are on and the
SERVICE STABILITY MESSAGE
is displayed. In this situation, damage to the transfer
case
is possible. This could lead to costly repairs not
covered by your warranty. You should immediately
reduce engine power until the lights and messages
are no longer displayed.
4-1 0

The traction control system may activate on dry or
rough roads or under conditions such as heavy
acceleration while turning or abrupt upshifts/downshifts
of the transmission. When this happens you may
notice a reduction in acceleration, or may hear
a noise
or vibration. This is normal.
If your vehicle is in cruise control when the system
activates, the STABILITY SYS ACTIVE message will
appear on the Driver Information Center and the cruise
control will automatically disengage. When road
conditions allow you
to use cruise again, you may
re-engage the cruise control. See “Cruise Control” under
Turn SignaVMultifunction
Lever on page 3-7
Stabilitrak@may also turn off automatically if it
determines that a problem exists with the system. If the
problem does not clear itself after restarting the
vehicle, you should see your dealer for service.
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.
Steering Tips
Driving on Curves
It’s important to take curves at a reasonable speed.
A
lot of the “driver lost control” 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
- steering
and acceleration
- 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.
4-1 1

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 “drive” 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 find
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
- if you can stop
in time. But sometimes you can’t; there isn’t room.
That’s the time for evasive action
- steering around the
problem.
Your vehicle can perform very well in emergencies like
these. First apply your brakes.
See
Braking on page 4-6. 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.
4-1
2
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.