2006 GMC ENVOY Owner's Manual

Remember: ABS 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 ABS.
Using ABS
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 ABS, 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.
StabiliTrak®System
Your vehicle is equipped with StabiliTrak®, Electronic
Stability Control (ESC) which combines antilock
brake, traction and stability control systems and helps
the driver maintain directional control of the vehicle
in most driving conditions.
Traction control activates when the controller senses
wheel spin. StabiliTrak
®will selectively apply the brakes
and reduce engine torque to help regain traction.
Stability control activates when the controller senses a
discrepancy between your intended path and the
direction the vehicle is travelling. StabiliTrak
®selectively
applies braking pressure at any one of the vehicle’s
brakes to help guide the vehicle in the direction which
you are steering.
When you rst start your vehicle and begin to drive
away, the system performs several diagnostic checks to
insure there are no problems. You may hear or feel
the system working. This is normal and does not mean
there is a problem with your vehicle. If driving
conditions delay system initialization, the STABILITRAK
NOT READY message may be displayed. If this is
the case, your vehicle does not need servicing.
For more information on the stability messages, see
DIC Warnings and Messages on page 3-54.
4-9

When the StabiliTrak®
system is both on and
actively controlling
the stability of the vehicle,
the StabiliTrak
®light
will blink for the duration of
the event.
You may also feel or hear the system working. This
is normal.
The StabiliTrak
®disable
button is located on the
transmission shift handle.
The StabiliTrak
®system is automatically disabled in
4LO mode and cannot be turned on until the vehicle is
switched to 2HI, 4HI, or 4AWD.The StabiliTrak
®system has three modes of operation:
STABILITRAK ON, TRACTION CONTROL OFF,
and STABILITRAK OFF.
STABILITRAK ON -The vehicle will default to
STABILITRAK ON every time the driver starts the
vehicle. The StabiliTrak
®light will be off and no DIC
messages will be displayed.
TRACTION CONTROL OFF - The driver can modify the
engine speed management system by momentarily
pressing the StabiliTrak
®button on the transmission shift
handle. The StabiliTrak®light will come on and
TRACTION CONTROL OFF will be displayed. For
vehicles without a DIC, the StabiliTrak
®indicator light
will come on. Momentarily pressing the StabiliTrak®
button again will return the system to the STABILITRAK
ON mode.
STABILITRAK OFF - The driver can turn off StabiliTrak
®
by pressing the StabiliTrak®button for more than
ve seconds. The StabiliTrak®light will come on and
STABILITRAK OFF will be displayed. For vehicles
without a DIC, the StabiliTrak
®indicator light will come
on. Momentarily pressing the StabiliTrak®button
again will return the system to the STABILITRAK ON
mode. See StabiliTrak
®Off below for more information.
4-10

Traction Control Off
In this mode, stability control and brake-traction control
are functional. Engine speed management will be
modied and the driven wheels can spin more freely.
This can cause the brake-traction control to activate
more frequently. If the controller detects excessive wheel
spin in this mode, the StabiliTrak
®indicator light may
blink and the STABILITRAK ACTIVE message may be
displayed to warn the driver that damage may occur
to the transfer case.
StabiliTrak®Off
In this mode, both stability control and part of the
traction control system are disabled. Your vehicle will
still have brake-traction control, but will not be able
to use the engine speed management system. You may
still hear system noises as a result of the brake-traction
control coming on. If the controller detects excessive
wheel spin in this mode, the StabiliTrak
®indicator light
may blink and the STABILITRAK ACTIVE message
may be displayed to warn the driver that damage may
occur to the transfer case.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 may want to “rock” your vehicle in
an 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 4-44for more information.
When the transfer case is in 4LO, the stability system is
automatically disabled. The StabiliTrak
®light will
come on and the STABILITRAK OFF message will
appear on the DIC. The StabiliTrak
®system cannot be
turned on until the vehicle is switched to 2HI, 4HI,
or 4AWD.
4-11

The following chart describes the StabiliTrak®system events and the corresponding messages and lights that will be
displayed on the instrument panel cluster.
Vehicles with a DIC Vehicles without a DIC
Event StabiliTrak®
Indicator LightDIC MessageStabiliTrak
®
Indicator LightStabiliTrak
®
Service Light
Off None Off OffStabiliTrak®On mode
(System is fully enabled, but
is not actively controlling
vehicle stability).
Solid Traction Control Off Solid OffTraction Control
Off Mode
Solid StabiliTrak
®Off Solid OffStabiliTrak
®Off Mode
(StabiliTrak®indicator light
will ash when system rst
enters this mode).
Blinking StabiliTrak
®Active Blinking OffStabiliTrak
®system
activates using engine
speed management, brake
traction control, and/or
stability control.
Solid Service StabiliTrak
®Solid SolidStabiliTrak
®system is
disabled due to a system
fault.
SolidStabiliTrak
®Not
ReadySolid OffStabiliTrak®system is
disabled due to a failure
to initialize.
4-12

Notice:If the StabiliTrak®light comes on due to
heavy braking and/or because the traction control
system has been continuously active, do not
allow the wheel(s) of one axle to spin excessively. If
you do, you may be causing damage to the
transfer case. This could lead to costly repairs not
covered by your warranty.
Notice:If you allow the wheel(s) of one axle to spin
excessively while the StabiliTrak
®, ABS and brake
warning lights and the SERVICE STABILITRAK
message are displayed, you could damage the
transfer case. The repairs would not be covered by
your warranty. Reduce engine power and do not
spin the wheel(s) excessively while these lights and
this message are displayed.
StabiliTrak
®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 StabiliTrak
®light will blink, and the cruise
control will automatically disengage. When road
conditions allow, you may re-engage the cruise control.
SeeCruise Control on page 3-11.
StabiliTrak
®will turn off automatically if a problem is
detected in the system. The StabiliTrak®light will come
on and SERVICE STABILITRAK will be displayed on
the DIC. For vehicles without a DIC, the StabiliTrak
®
light and the StabiliTrak®service light will both come on.
If the SERVICE STABILITRAK message (or StabiliTrak®
service light) does not clear itself after restarting the
vehicle, you should see your dealer for service.
Adding non-GM accessories can affect your vehicle’s
performance. SeeAccessories and Modications
on page 5-3for more information.
4-13

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
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 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.
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.
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.
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.
Adding non-GM accessories can affect your vehicle’s
performance. SeeAccessories and Modications
on page 5-3.
4-14

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 4-6. 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.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.
4-15

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.
4-16