2004 CHEVROLET TRACKER wheel

Rear Window Washer/Wiper
To turn on your rear wiper,
push the upper button.
Push the same button
again to turn it off.
To spray washer ¯uid on the rear window, push the
lower button about halfway down. Washer ¯uid will spray
as long as you hold this button. To wash and wipe at
the same time, push the button all the way in.
The washer and wiper will run as long as you hold this
button. To add washer ¯uid, see
Windshield Washer
Fluid on page 5-37.
Cruise Control
If your vehicle has cruise control, you can maintain a
speed of about 25 mph (40 km/h) or more without
keeping your foot on the accelerator. This can really
help on long trips. Cruise control will not set at speeds
below about 25 mph (40 km/h).
{CAUTION:
Cruise control can be dangerous where you
can not drive safely at a steady speed. So, do
not use your cruise control on winding roads
or in heavy traffic.
Cruise control can be dangerous on slippery
roads. On such roads, fast changes in tire
traction can cause needless wheel spinning,
and you could lose control. Do not use cruise
control on slippery roads.
3-9

Interior Lamps
Instrument Panel Brightness
The thumbwheel for this
feature is located to the
left of the steering
wheel on the instrument
panel.
Move the thumbwheel upward to brighten the instrument
panel lights or downward to dim them.
Dome Lamp
The dome lamp operates as follows:
OFF:This position is to the left when you are sitting in
the driver's seat. The dome lamp will stay off even
when a door is opened.
Center:The lamp will come on when a door is opened.
The dome lamp will turn off while all doors are shut.
ON:This position is to the right when you are sitting in
the driver's seat. The dome lamp will turn on and
stay on whether or not a door is open.
3-16

Overdrive Off Light
This light comes on when
the automatic four-speed
transmission, if equipped,
has been converted to
the three-speed mode
and the overdrive is
turned off.
This light also comes on as a check for about
®ve seconds when the ignition key is turned to ON
or START.
Four-Wheel-Drive Light
If you have four-wheel
drive, this light comes on
when the ignition switch is
on and the transfer
case lever is in one of the
four-wheel drive positions.
See
Four-Wheel Drive on page 5-49.
Power Indicator Light
This light comes on when
the power mode selector
switch, if equipped, is
turned to P (power) with
the ignition switch in
the ON position.
This light comes on as a check for about ®ve seconds
when the ignition key is turned to ON or START.
3-37

Your Driving, the Road, and Your Vehicle..........4-2
Driver Behavior..............................................4-2
Driving Environment........................................4-2
Vehicle Design...............................................4-3
Defensive Driving...........................................4-3
Drunken Driving.............................................4-4
Control of a Vehicle........................................4-7
Braking.........................................................4-7
Steering......................................................4-10
Off-Road Recovery.......................................4-13
Passing.......................................................4-13
Loss of Control.............................................4-15
Off-Road Driving with Your Four-Wheel-Drive
Vehicle....................................................4-16
Driving at Night............................................4-30Driving in Rain and on Wet Roads..................4-32
City Driving..................................................4-34
Freeway Driving...........................................4-35
Before Leaving on a Long Trip.......................4-36
Highway Hypnosis........................................4-37
Hill and Mountain Roads................................4-38
Winter Driving..............................................4-40
If You Are Stuck: In Sand, Mud, Ice
or Snow...................................................4-44
Towing..........................................................4-47
Towing Your Vehicle.....................................4-47
Recreational Vehicle Towing...........................4-47
Loading Your Vehicle....................................4-51
Towing a Trailer...........................................4-57
Section 4 Driving Your Vehicle
4-1

Vehicle Design
According to the U.S. Department of Transportation,
utility vehicles have a signi®cantly higher rollover
rate than other types of vehicles. Utility vehicles do
have higher ground clearance and a narrower track or
shorter wheelbase than passenger cars, to make
them more capable for off-road driving. Speci®c design
characteristics like these give the driver a better
view of the road, but also give utility vehicles a higher
center of gravity than other types of vehicles. This
means that you should not expect a utility vehicle to
handle the same way a vehicle with a lower center
of gravity, like a car, would in similar situations.
But driver behavior factors are far more often the cause
of a utility vehicle rollover than are environmental or
vehicle factors. Safe driver behavior and understanding
the environment in which you will be driving can help
avoid a rollover crash in any type of vehicle, including
utility vehicles.
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 1-9.
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 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.
4-3

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.
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 does not 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 will not 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
Do not pump the brakes. Just hold the brake pedal
down ®rmly and let anti-lock work for you. You may feel
a slight brake pedal pulsation or notice some noise,
but this is normal.
4-9

Braking in Emergencies
At some time, nearly every driver gets into a situation
that requires hard braking.
If you have anti-lock, you can steer and brake at the
same time. However, if you do not have anti-lock, your
®rst reaction Ð to hit the brake pedal hard and hold
it down Ð may be the wrong thing to do. Your wheels
can stop rolling. Once they do, the vehicle can not
respond to your steering. Momentum will carry it
in whatever direction it was headed when the wheels
stopped rolling. That could be off the road, into the very
thing you were trying to avoid, or into traffic.
If you do not have anti-lock, use a ªsqueezeº braking
technique. This will give you maximum braking
while maintaining steering control. You can do this by
pushing on the brake pedal with steadily increasing
pressure.
In an emergency, you will probably want to squeeze the
brakes hard without locking the wheels. If you hear or
feel the wheels sliding, ease off the brake pedal.
This will help you retain steering control. If you
dohave
anti-lock, it is different. See ªAnti-Lock Brake Systemº
in this section.
In many emergencies, steering can help you more than
even the very best braking.
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.
Steering Tips
Driving on Curves
It is important to take curves at a reasonable speed.
A lot of the ªdriver lost controlº accidents mentioned on
the news happen on curves.
Here is 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 is no traction, inertia
will keep the vehicle going in the same direction. If
you have ever tried to steer a vehicle on wet ice, you
will understand this.
4-10

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 are in a curve, speed is the one factor you
can control.
Suppose you are steering through a sharp curve.
Then you suddenly apply the brakes. Both control
systems Ð steering and braking Ð have to do their work
where the tires meet the road. Unless you have
four-wheel anti-lock brakes, adding the hard braking can
demand too much of those places. You can lose
control.
The same thing can happen if you are steering through
a sharp curve and you suddenly accelerate. Those
two control systems Ð steering and acceleration Ð can
overwhelm those places where the tires meet the
road and make you lose control.What should you do if this ever happens? Ease up on
the brake or 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 will 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.
4-11