2006 SATURN ION brake

Brake System Warning Light
This light should come on briey when you turn the
ignition to RUN. If it does not come on then, have it xed
so it will be ready to warn you if there is a problem.
Your vehicle’s hydraulic brake system is divided into
two parts. If one part is not working, the other part can
still work and stop you. For good braking, though, you
need both parts working well.
If the brake system warning light comes on, there is a
brake problem. Have your brake system inspected
right away.
When the ignition is on, the BRAKE light will come on
when you set your parking brake. The light will stay on if
your parking brake does not release fully. A chime will
also sound if the parking brake is not fully released and
the vehicle is moving. If it stays on after your parking
brake is fully released, it means you have a brake
problem.The BRAKE light will also come on to indicate a low brake
uid level. SeeBrakes on page 5-39for more information.
If the light comes on while you are driving, pull off the
road and stop carefully. You may notice that the pedal is
harder to push or the pedal may go closer to the oor.
It may take longer to stop. Make sure the parking brake
is fully released. Turn the ignition off and wait several
seconds to restart vehicle, if the light is still on, have the
vehicle towed for service. SeeTowing Your Vehicle on
page 4-36.
{CAUTION:
Your brake system may not be working properly
if the brake system warning light is on. Driving
with the brake system warning light on can lead
to an accident. If the light is still on after you
have pulled off the road and stopped carefully,
have the vehicle towed for service. United States
Canada
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Anti-Lock Brake System
Warning Light
If your vehicle has anti-lock brakes, the anti-lock brake
system (ABS) warning light will come on briey, as a
check, when you start your vehicle. If it doesn’t, have your
vehicle serviced so that the light works properly when it
needs to.
The ABS light is located
in the instrument panel
cluster, to the left of
the engine coolant
temperature gage.If the light stays on longer than a few seconds after you
start your engine, or comes on and stays on while you
are driving, try resetting the system. To reset the system,
do the following:
1. If you are driving, pull over when it is safe to do so.
2. Be sure the vehicle is in PARK (P).
3. Turn off the ignition.
4. Then restart the engine.
If the light remains on after resetting the system or comes
on again while driving, your vehicle needs service. If the
ABS light is on, but the regular brake system warning light
is not on, you do not have anti-lock brakes, but you still
have regular brakes. Have your vehicle serviced right
away. If both brake lights are on, you do not have
anti-lock brakes, and there’s a problem with your regular
brakes as well. Have your vehicle towed for service.
SeeTowing Your Vehicle on page 4-36.
The anti-lock brake system warning light should come on
briey when you turn the ignition key to RUN. If the light
does not come on then, have it xed so it will be ready to
warn you if there is a problem.
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Notice:The chime signals related to safety belts,
parking brake, and other functions of your vehicle
operate through the radio/entertainment system. If
that equipment is replaced or additional equipment
is added to your vehicle, the chimes may not work.
Make sure that replacement or additional equipment
is compatible with your vehicle before installing it.
SeeAccessories and Modifications on page 5-3.
Notice:Getting suntan lotion, hand lotion, or hand
cleaner on the radio, will soften the paint, and the
paint will eventually begin to peel. Repairs will not be
covered by your vehicle’s warranty. Try not to get
suntan lotion, hand lotion, or hand cleaner on the
radio. If you do, wipe the lotion or cleaner off
immediately.
Your vehicle has a feature called Retained Accessory
Power (RAP). With RAP, the audio system can be
played even after the ignition is turned off. SeeRetained
Accessory Power (RAP) on page 2-20for more
information.Setting the Time
(Without Date Display)
If your vehicle has a base AM/FM radio with a single
CD player and preset buttons numbered one through
six, the radio will have a clock button for setting the time.
You can set the time by following these steps:
1. Press the clock button until the hour numbers begin
ashing on the display. Press the clock button a
second time and the minute numbers will begin
ashing on the display.
2. While either the hour or the minute numbers are
ashing, rotate the tune knob clockwise or
counterclockwise to increase or decrease the time.
Instead of using the tune knob, you can also press
the SEEK, FWD, or REV buttons to adjust the time.
3. Press the clock button again until the clock
display stops ashing to set the currently displayed
time; otherwise, the ashing will stop after
ve seconds and the current time displayed will be
automatically set.
To change the time default setting from 12 hour to
24 hour, press the clock button and then the pushbutton
located under the forward arrow label. Once the time
12H and 24H are displayed, press the pushbutton
located under the desired option or press the SEEK,
FWD, or REV buttons to select the default. Press
the clock button again to apply the selected default, or
let the screen time out.
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Your Driving, the Road, and Your Vehicle..........4-2
Defensive Driving...........................................4-2
Drunken Driving.............................................4-3
Control of a Vehicle........................................4-5
Braking.........................................................4-6
Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS).........................4-7
Braking in Emergencies...................................4-9
Enhanced Traction System (ETS).....................4-9
Limited-Slip Differential..................................4-10
Steering......................................................4-11
Off-Road Recovery.......................................4-13
Passing.......................................................4-14
Loss of Control.............................................4-15
Racing or Other Competitive Driving................4-16
Driving at Night............................................4-17Driving in Rain and on Wet Roads..................4-18
City Driving..................................................4-20
Freeway Driving...........................................4-21
Before Leaving on a Long Trip.......................4-22
Highway Hypnosis........................................4-23
Hill and Mountain Roads................................4-24
Winter Driving..............................................4-26
If Your Vehicle is Stuck in Sand, Mud,
Ice, or Snow.............................................4-30
Rocking Your Vehicle to Get It Out.................4-31
Loading Your Vehicle....................................4-31
Towing..........................................................4-36
Towing Your Vehicle.....................................4-36
Recreational Vehicle Towing...........................4-36
Towing a Trailer...........................................4-39
Section 4 Driving Your Vehicle
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But the ability to drive is affected well below a BAC of
0.10 percent. Research shows that the driving skills
of many people are impaired at a BAC approaching
0.05 percent, and that the effects are worse at night. All
drivers are impaired at BAC levels above 0.05 percent.
Statistics show that the chance of being in a collision
increases sharply for drivers who have a BAC of
0.05 percent or above. A driver with a BAC level of
0.06 percent has doubled his or her chance of having a
collision. At a BAC level of 0.10 percent, the chance
of this driver having a collision is 12 times greater; at a
level of 0.15 percent, the chance is 25 times greater!
The body takes about an hour to rid itself of the alcohol
in one drink. No amount of coffee or number of cold
showers will speed that up. “I will be careful” is not the
right answer. What if there is an emergency, a need
to take sudden action, as when a child darts into
the street? A person with even a moderate BAC
might not be able to react quickly enough to avoid
the collision.
There is something else about drinking and driving that
many people do not know. Medical research shows that
alcohol in a person’s system can make crash injuries
worse, especially injuries to the brain, spinal cord, or
heart. This means that when anyone who has been
drinking — driver or passenger — is in a crash, that
person’s chance of being killed or permanently disabled
is higher than if the person had not been drinking.
{CAUTION:
Drinking and then driving is very dangerous.
Your reexes, perceptions, attentiveness, and
judgment can be affected by even a small
amount of alcohol. You can have a serious — or
even fatal — collision if you drive after drinking.
Please do not drink and drive or ride with a
driver who has been drinking. Ride home in a
cab; or if you are with a group, designate a
driver who will not drink.
Control of a Vehicle
You have three systems that make your vehicle go
where you want it to go. They are the brakes, the
steering, and the accelerator. All three systems have to
do their work at the places where the tires meet the road.
Sometimes, as when you are driving on snow or ice, it
is easy to ask more of those control systems than
the tires and road can provide. That means you can
lose control of your vehicle. SeeEnhanced Traction
System (ETS) on page 4-9.
Adding non-Saturn accessories can affect your vehicle’s
performance. SeeAccessories and Modications
on page 5-3.
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Braking
SeeBrake System Warning Light on page 3-34.
Braking action involves perception time and
reaction time.
First, you have to decide to push on the brake pedal.
That is perception time. Then you have to bring up your
foot and do it. That is reaction time.
Average reaction time is about three-fourths of a
second. But that is only an average. It might be less
with one driver and as long as two or three seconds or
more with another. Age, physical condition, alertness,
coordination, and eyesight all play a part. So do alcohol,
drugs, and frustration. But even in three-fourths of a
second, a vehicle moving at 60 mph (100 km/h) travels
66 feet (20 m). That could be a lot of distance in an
emergency, so keeping enough space between
your vehicle and others is important.
And, of course, actual stopping distances vary greatly
with the surface of the road, whether it is pavement
or gravel; the condition of the road, whether it is
wet, dry, or icy; tire tread; the condition of your brakes;
the weight of the vehicle; and the amount of brake
force applied.Avoid needless heavy braking. Some people drive in
spurts — heavy acceleration followed by heavy
braking — rather than keeping pace with traffic. This is
a mistake. Your brakes may not have time to cool
between hard stops. Your brakes will wear out much
faster if you do a lot of heavy braking. If you keep pace
with the traffic and allow realistic following distances,
you will eliminate a lot of unnecessary braking.
That means better braking and longer brake life.
If your engine ever stops while you are driving, brake
normally but do not pump your brakes. If you do,
the pedal may get harder to push down. If your engine
stops, you will still have some power brake assist.
But you will use it when you brake. Once the power
assist is used up, it may take longer to stop and
the brake pedal will be harder to push.
Adding non-Saturn accessories can affect your vehicle’s
performance. SeeAccessories and Modications on
page 5-3.
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Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS)
Your vehicle may have the Anti-Lock Brake System
(ABS), an advanced electronic braking system that will
help prevent a braking skid.
If your vehicle has ABS,
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 ABS 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 wheel.
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ABS 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: ABS 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
a slight brake pedal pulsation or notice some noise,
but this is normal.
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