2005 CHEVROLET AVALANCHE steering wheel

xSEEKw:When listening to FM1, FM2, or AM,
press the up or the down arrow to go to the next or to
the previous station and stay there. This function is
inactive if the front seat passengers are listening to
the radio.
When a CD is playing, press the up arrow to go to the
next track on the CD. Press the down arrow to go
to the start of the current track if more than eight
seconds have played. This function is inactive if the
front seat passengers are listening to a CD.
PROG (Program):Press this button to go to the next
preset radio station set on the pushbuttons on the
main radio. This function is inactive if the front seat
passengers are listening to the radio.
When a cassette tape is playing, press this button to go
to the other side of the tape. This function is inactive
if the front seat passengers are listening to a
cassette tape.
When a CD is playing, press this button to go to the
beginning of the CD. This function is inactive if the front
seat passengers are listening to a CD.
When a CD is playing in the six-disc CD changer, press
this button to select the next CD, if multiple CDs are
loaded. This function is inactive if the front seat
passengers are listening to a CD.Theft-Deterrent Feature
THEFTLOCK®is designed to discourage theft of your
vehicle’s radio. The feature works automatically by
learning a portion of the Vehicle Identication Number
(VIN). If the radio is moved to a different vehicle, it
will not operate and LOCKED will appear on the display.
When the radio and vehicle are turned off, the blinking
red light indicates that THEFTLOCK
®is armed.
With THEFTLOCK
®activated, the radio will not operate
if stolen.
Audio Steering Wheel Controls
3-102

Some audio controls can be adjusted at the steering
wheel. They include the following:
g(OnStar/Mute):If your vehicle has OnStar®, press
this button to interact with the OnStar®system. See
the OnStar®manual provided with your vehicle for more
information.
If your vehicle does not have OnStar
®, press this button
to silence the system. Press it again, or any other
radio button, to turn on the sound.
PROG (Program):Press this button to play a station
you have programmed on the radio preset pushbuttons.
The radio will only seek preset stations with a strong
signal that are in the selected band.
When a CD is playing in the CD changer, press this
button to go to the next available CD, if multiple CDs are
loaded.
QSOURCER:Press this button to switch between
FM1, FM2, AM, or XM1 or XM2 (if equipped), or a
CD. If a CD is loaded the CD symbol will appear on the
display.
QSEEKR:Press the up or the down arrow to go to
the next or to the previous radio station and stay
there. The radio will only seek stations with a strong
signal that are in the selected band.When a CD is playing, press the up or the down arrow
to fast forward or reverse.
QVOLR(Volume):Press the up or the down arrow
to increase or to decrease the volume.
Radio Reception
AM
The range for most AM stations is greater than for FM,
especially at night. The longer range can cause
station frequencies to interfere with each other. Static
can occur on AM stations caused by things like
storms and power lines. Try reducing the treble to
reduce this noise.
FM Stereo
FM stereo will give the best sound, but FM signals will
reach only about 10 to 40 miles (16 to 65 km). Tall
buildings or hills can interfere with FM signals, causing
the sound to fade in and out.
XM™ Satellite Radio Service
XM™ Satellite Radio Service gives digital radio
reception from coast to coast. Just as with FM, tall
buildings or hills can interfere with satellite radio signals,
causing the sound to fade in and out. The radio may
display NO SIGNAL to indicate interference.
3-103

Your Driving, the Road, and Your Vehicle..........4-2
Defensive Driving...........................................4-2
Drunken Driving.............................................4-2
Control of a Vehicle........................................4-5
Braking.........................................................4-5
Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS).........................4-6
Braking in Emergencies...................................4-8
Traction Assist System (TAS)...........................4-8
Locking Rear Axle........................................4-10
StabiliTrak
®System......................................4-10
Steering......................................................4-13
Off-Road Recovery.......................................4-15
Passing.......................................................4-15
Loss of Control.............................................4-16
Off-Road Driving with Your Four-Wheel-Drive
Vehicle....................................................4-18
Driving at Night............................................4-31
Driving in Rain and on Wet Roads..................4-32
City Driving..................................................4-35Freeway Driving...........................................4-36
Before Leaving on a Long Trip.......................4-38
Highway Hypnosis........................................4-38
Hill and Mountain Roads................................4-39
Winter Driving..............................................4-41
If Your Vehicle is Stuck in Sand, Mud,
Ice or Snow..............................................4-45
Rocking Your Vehicle to Get It Out.................4-46
Recovery Hooks...........................................4-46
Loading Your Vehicle....................................4-47
Adding a Snow Plow or Similar Equipment.......4-54
Towing..........................................................4-58
Towing Your Vehicle.....................................4-58
Recreational Vehicle Towing...........................4-58
Level Control...............................................4-63
Truck-Camper Loading Information..................4-63
Trailer Recommendations...............................4-64
Towing a Trailer...........................................4-64
Section 4 Driving Your Vehicle
4-1

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
the brakes vibrate, or you may notice some noise,
but this is normal.
Braking in Emergencies
With anti-lock brakes, you can steer and brake at the
same time. In many emergencies, steering can help you
more than even the very best braking.
Traction Assist System (TAS)
Your vehicle may have a Traction Assist System (TAS)
that limits wheel spin. This is especially useful in slippery
road conditions. The system operates only if it senses
that one or both of the rear wheels are spinning or
beginning to lose traction. When this happens, the
system reduces engine power to limit wheel spin.
The TRACTION ACTIVE message will come on in the
DIC when the TAS is limiting wheel spin. SeeDIC
Warnings and Messages on page 3-49.
You may hear or feel the system working or notice a
lack of accelerator response, but this is normal.
The Traction Assist System may operate on dry roads
under some conditions. When this happens, you
may notice a reduction in acceleration. This is normal
and doesn’t mean there’s a problem with your vehicle.
Examples of these conditions include a hard
acceleration in a turn, an abrupt upshift or downshift of
the transmission or driving on rough roads.
If your vehicle is in cruise control when the TAS begins
to limit wheel spin, the cruise control will automatically
disengage. When road conditions allow you to safely
use it again, you may re-engage the cruise control.
SeeCruise Control on page 3-10.
4-8

The STABILITY SYS ACTIVE message will appear on
the Driver Information Center (DIC) only when the system
is both on and activated. It means that an advanced
computer-controlled system has come on to help your
vehicle continue to go in the direction in which you’re
steering. StabiliTrak
®activates when the computer
senses that your vehicle is just starting to spin, as it might
if you hit a patch of ice or other slippery spot on the road.
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. For more information on the
stability messages, seeDriver Information Center (DIC)
on page 3-45.
StabiliTrak
®and part of the
traction control system can
be turned off or back on
by pressing the
StabiliTrak
®button on the
instrument panel.When the system is turned off, the traction off light will
illuminate, and the STABILITY SYS DISABLED
message will appear on the DIC to warn the driver that
both the stability system and part of the traction
control system are disabled. Your vehicle will still have
brake-traction control when StabiliTrak
®is off, but
will not be able to use the engine speed management
system. See “Traction Control Operation” next for
more information.
When the StabiliTrak
®system has been turned off you
may still hear system noises as a result of the
brake-traction control coming on.
To limit wheel spin and realize the full benets of the
stability enhancement system, you should normally
leave StabiliTrak
®on, 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. SeeIf Your
Vehicle is Stuck in Sand, Mud, Ice or Snow on
page 4-45.
4-11

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. SeeCruise Control on
page 3-10.
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.
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 “driver lost control” 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 makesit 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.
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 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. SeeTraction Assist System (TAS) on
page 4-8.
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 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.
4-13

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 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 — if you can stop
in time. But sometimes you cannot; there is not room.
That is the time for evasive action — steering around the
problem.
Your vehicle can perform very well in emergencies like
these. First apply your brakes.
SeeBraking on page 4-5. 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.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.
4-14

Off-Road Recovery
You may nd that your right wheels have dropped off
the edge of a road onto the shoulder while you are
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.
Passing
The driver of a vehicle about to pass another on a
two-lane highway waits for just the right moment,
accelerates, moves around the vehicle ahead, then
goes back into the right lane again. A simple maneuver?
Not necessarily! Passing another vehicle on a two-lane
highway is a potentially dangerous move, since the
passing vehicle occupies the same lane as oncoming
traffic for several seconds. A miscalculation, an error in
judgment, or a brief surrender to frustration or anger
can suddenly put the passing driver face to face with the
worst of all traffic accidents — the head-on collision.
So here are some tips for passing:
Drive ahead. Look down the road, to the sides and
to crossroads for situations that might affect your
passing patterns. If you have any doubt whatsoever
about making a successful pass, wait for a
better time.
Watch for traffic signs, pavement markings and
lines. If you can see a sign up ahead that might
indicate a turn or an intersection, delay your pass.
A broken center line usually indicates it is all
right to pass, providing the road ahead is clear.
Never cross a solid line on your side of the lane or
a double solid line, even if the road seems empty
of approaching traffic.
4-15