2005 CHEVROLET IMPALA wheel

Using Cruise Control on Hills
How well your cruise control will work on hills depends
upon your speed, load and the steepness of the
hills. When going up steep hills, you may have to step
on the accelerator pedal to maintain your speed.
When going downhill, you may have to brake or shift to
a lower gear to keep your speed down. Of course,
applying the brake takes you out of cruise control.
Many drivers nd this to be too much trouble and don’t
use cruise control on steep hills.
Ending Cruise Control
There are three ways to cancel the cruise control:
Step lightly on the brake pedal.
Slide the OFF ON lever, on the multifunction lever,
to OFF.
Press the COAST and ACCEL buttons at the
same time.
Erasing Speed Memory
When you turn off the cruise control or the ignition,
your cruise control set speed memory is erased.
Exterior Lamps
The exterior lamps control
is located on the
instrument panel to the left
of the steering wheel.
It controls the following systems:
Headlamps
Taillamps
Parking Lamps
License Plate Lamps
Instrument Panel Lights
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Daytime Running Lamps (DRL)/
Automatic Headlamp System
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
rst sold in Canada.
A light sensor on top of the instrument panel makes the
DRL work, so be sure it isn’t covered.
The DRL system’s automatic headlamp control will
make your low-beam headlamps come on at a reduced
brightness when the following conditions are met:
The ignition is ON,
the exterior lamps control is OFF, and
the gearshift is not in PARK (P).
When the DRL are on, only your low-beam headlamps,
at a reduced level of brightness, will be on. The
headlamps, taillamps, sidemarker and other lamps won’t
be on. Your instrument panel and cluster won’t be lit
up either.When it’s dark enough outside, your low-beam
headlamps will turn off and the headlamps and parking
lamps will turn on. The other lamps that come on
with your headlamps will also come on.
When it’s bright enough outside, your headlamps will go
off and your DRL will come on.
As with any vehicle, you should turn on the regular
headlamp system when you need it.
Fog Lamps
If your vehicle is equipped
with fog lamps, the button
is located on the
instrument panel next to
the exterior lamps
control wheel to the left of
the steering column.
Your ignition must be in ON for the fog lamps to
illuminate.
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When this message is displayed, the system will not
limit wheel spin. The message will stay on for
60 seconds. Four chimes will also be heard. Adjust your
driving accordingly.
When the ignition is turned off, this message will be
displayed again for three seconds to remind you
that your traction control system is not working properly.
Be sure to have your vehicle serviced right away.
Traction Active Message
If your vehicle is equipped with the traction control
system, this message will stay on a few seconds after
the traction system stops limiting wheel spin.
This message will appear when the traction control
system is limiting wheel spin.
Battery Warning Message
When the vehicle is
started this message will
be displayed for
three seconds.
If the message is displayed when the engine is running,
you may have a problem with your charging system. If
there is a problem with the charging system, four chimes
will sound when the message comes on. The battery
display will also stay on while the key is in ON until the
engine is started.
If the message stays on after starting the engine it could
indicate a problem with the generator drive belt, or
some other charging system problem. Have it checked
right away. Driving with this message on could drain
your battery.
If you must drive a short distance with this message
displayed, it helps to turn off all your accessories. United States
Canada
3-41

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 ignition is off and RAP is not active, the
blinking red light indicates that THEFTLOCK
®is armed.
With THEFTLOCK
®activated, the radio will not
operate if stolen.
Audio Steering Wheel Controls
If your vehicle has this feature, some audio controls can
be adjusted at the steering wheel.They include the following:
QSEEKR:Press the up or the down arrow to go to
the next or to the previous station and stay there.
Press and hold either arrow for three seconds to scan
the radio stations programmed on the preset
pushbuttons. The radio will go to the rst preset station,
play for a few seconds, then go to the next preset
station. Press either arrow again to stop scanning.
The radio will only seek or scan stations with a strong
signal that are in the selected band.
When a cassette tape or CD is playing, press the up or
the down arrow to fast forward or reverse.
SEEK TYPE:Press this button to go to a station with
the last selected PTY and the last selected PTY
will appear on the display, if it is not already showing.
If a station with the selected PTY is not found, the radio
will return to the original station. If both SEEK TYPE
and TRAF are on, the radio will search for stations with
the selected PTY and traffic announcements.
PRESET:Press this button to play the stations that are
programmed on the radio preset pushbuttons. The radio
will go to the rst preset station, play for a few seconds,
then go to the next preset station. Press this button again
to stop scanning. The radio will only scan preset stations
with a strong signal that are in the selected band.
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Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS)
Your vehicle may have anti-lock brakes. ABS is an
advanced electronic braking system that will help
prevent a braking skid.
If your vehicle has anti-lock
brakes, this warning light
on the instrument panel will
come on briey when
you start your vehicle.
When you start your engine, or when you 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, and you may even notice that
your brake pedal moves or pulses a little. This is normal.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 is 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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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.
4-8

Braking in Emergencies
At some time, nearly every driver gets into a situation
that requires hard braking.
If you have anti-lock brakes, you can steer and brake at
the same time. However, if you do not have anti-lock
brakes, your rst reaction — to hit the brake pedal hard
and hold it down — may be the wrong thing to do.
Your wheels can stop rolling. Once they do, the vehicle
cannot 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 brakes, use a “squeeze”
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 do have
anti-lock brakes, it is different. SeeAnti-Lock Brake
System (ABS) on page 4-7.
In many emergencies, steering can help you more than
even the very best braking.
Traction Control System (TCS)
Your vehicle may have a traction control system 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 front wheels are spinning or
beginning to lose traction. When this happens,
the system reduces engine power and may also
upshift the transaxle and apply the front brakes to limit
wheel spin.
This light will come on when your traction control
system is limiting wheel spin. SeeTraction Active
Message on page 3-41.
You may feel or hear the system working, but this is
normal.United States
Canada
4-9

If your vehicle is in cruise control when the traction
control system 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 3-11.
The traction control system operates in all transaxle
shift lever positions. But the system can upshift
the transaxle only as high as the shift lever position
you’ve chosen, so you should use the lower gears only
when necessary. SeeAutomatic Transaxle Operation
on page 2-20.
When the system is on,
this warning light will
come on to let you know
if there’s a problem.
When this warning light is on, the system will not limit
wheel spin. Adjust your driving accordingly.
To limit wheel spin, especially in slippery road conditions,
you should always leave the traction control system on.
But you can turn the system off if you ever need to.You should turn the system off if your vehicle ever gets
stuck in sand, mud or snow and rocking the vehicle is
required. SeeRocking Your Vehicle to Get It Out on
page 4-30andIf Your Vehicle is Stuck in Sand, Mud, Ice
or Snow on page 4-29for more information.
To turn the system on or
off, press the TRAC OFF
button on the left side
of the instrument panel.
When you turn the system off, a chime will sound and
the TRAC OFF warning light will come on and stay
on. If the traction control system is limiting wheel spin
when you press the button to turn the system off,
the warning light will come on and the system will turn
off right away.
You can turn the system back on at any time by pressing
the button again. The TRAC OFF light should go off.
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