2007 BUICK RAINIER brake

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. The brakes may not have
time to cool between hard stops. The 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 vehicle’s engine ever stops while you are
driving, brake normally but do not pump the
brakes. If you do, the pedal may get harder to
push down. If the 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-GM accessories can affect your
vehicle’s performance. SeeAccessories and
Modications on page 356.Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS)
Your vehicle has the Anti-Lock Brake System
(ABS), an advanced electronic braking system
that will help prevent a braking skid.
When you start your engine and begin to drive
away, ABS will check itself. You may hear a
momentary motor or clicking noise while this test
is going on. This is normal.
If there is a problem
with ABS, this warning
light will stay on.
SeeAnti-Lock Brake
System Warning
Light on page 187.
Along with ABS, your vehicle has a Dynamic Rear
Proportioning (DRP) system. If there is a DRP
problem, both the brake and ABS warning lights will
come on accompanied by a 10-second chime. The
lights and chime will come on each time the ignition
is turned on until the problem is repaired. See your
dealer for service.
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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.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.
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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
Your vehicle may have this feature. A 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.
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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.
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 329for more
information.
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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 Off Traction 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.
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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 159.
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 356for more information.
All-Wheel Drive (AWD) System
Your vehicle may have this feature. There is no
lever or switch to engage or disengage the
front axle. It is fully automatic and adjusts as
needed for road conditions. Your vehicle has an
active transfer case allowing two-wheel-drive
operation on dry roads. The transfer case will shift
automatically into all-wheel drive on slippery
surfaces. You may feel an extra shift when the
all-wheel drive engages.
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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 356.
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 286. 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.
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Do not overtake a slowly moving vehicle too
rapidly. Even though the brake lamps are not
ashing, it may be slowing down or starting
to turn.
If you are being passed, make it easy for the
following driver to get ahead of you. Perhaps
you can ease a little to the right.
Loss of Control
Let us review what driving experts say
about what happens when the three control
systems — brakes, steering, and
acceleration — do not have enough friction
where the tires meet the road to do what the
driver has asked.
In any emergency, do not give up. Keep trying to
steer and constantly seek an escape route or
area of less danger.
Skidding
In a skid, a driver can lose control of the vehicle.
Defensive drivers avoid most skids by taking
reasonable care suited to existing conditions, and
by not overdriving those conditions. But skids
are always possible.
The three types of skids correspond to your
vehicle’s three control systems. In the braking skid,
your wheels are not rolling. In the steering or
cornering skid, too much speed or steering in a
curve causes tires to slip and lose cornering force.
And in the acceleration skid, too much throttle
causes the driving wheels to spin.
A cornering skid is best handled by easing your
foot off the accelerator pedal.
If your vehicle starts to slide, ease your foot off
the accelerator pedal and quickly steer the
way you want the vehicle to go. If you start
steering quickly enough, your vehicle may
straighten out. Always be ready for a second skid
if it occurs.
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