SERVICE TIRE MONITOR SYSTEM
If your vehicle has the Tire Pressure Monitor
(TPM) system, this message will display if a part
on the system is not working properly. If you
drive your vehicle while any of the four sensors
are missing or inoperable, the warning will
come on in about 20 minutes. A sensor would
be missing, for example, if you put different wheels
on your vehicle without transferring the sensors.
If the warning comes on and stays on, there
may be a problem with the TPM. See your dealer.
SERVICE TRACTION CONTROL
If your vehicle has StabiliTrak®, this message will
display when there is a problem with the traction
control system. When this message is displayed,
the system will not limit wheel spin. Adjust
your driving accordingly. See your dealer for
service. SeeStabiliTrak
®System on page 330for
more information.
STABILITRAK OFF
If your vehicle has StabiliTrak®, this message will
display when you turn off StabiliTrak®, or when
the stability control has been automatically
disabled. To limit wheel spin and realize the full
bene ts of the stability enhancement system, you
should normally leave StabiliTrak
®on. However,
you should turn StabiliTrak®off if your vehicle gets
stuck in sand, mud, ice, or snow and you want
to rock your vehicle to attempt to free it, or if you
are driving in extreme off-road conditions and
require more wheel spin. SeeIf Your Vehicle is
Stuck in Sand, Mud, Ice, or Snow on page 370.
To turn the StabiliTrak
®system on or off, see
StabiliTrak®System on page 330.
There are several conditions that can cause this
message to appear.
One condition is overheating, which could
occur if StabiliTrak®activates continuously
for an extended period of time.
The message will also be displayed if the
brake system warning light is on. See
Brake System Warning Light on page 232.
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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. See
StabiliTrak
®System on page 330.
Adding non-GM accessories can affect your
vehicle’s performance. SeeAccessories and
Modi cations on page 397.
Braking
SeeBrake System Warning Light on page 232.
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 the brakes; the weight of the vehicle;
and the amount of brake force applied.
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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
Modi cations on page 397.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 234.
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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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. Both traction
control and StabiliTrak
®are automatically disabled
in this condition.
Traction Control Operation
The traction control system is part of the
StabiliTrak®system. Traction control limits wheel
spin by reducing engine power to the wheels
(engine speed management) and by applying
brakes to each individual wheel (brake-traction
control) as necessary.
The traction control system is enabled
automatically when you start your vehicle. It will
activate and the StabiliTrak
®light will ash if
it senses that any of the wheels are spinning or
beginning to lose traction while driving. If you turn
off traction control, only the brake-traction
control portion of traction control will work. The
engine speed management will be disabled. In this
mode, engine power is not reduced automatically
and the driven wheels can spin more freely.
This can cause the brake-traction control to
activate constantly.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.
The traction control system 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 ash and the
cruise control will automatically disengage.
When road conditions allow you to use cruise
again, you may re-engage the cruise control. See
Cruise Control on page 201.
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.
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City Driving
One of the biggest problems with city streets is
the amount of traffic on them. You will want
to watch out for what the other drivers are doing
and pay attention to traffic signals.Here are ways to increase your safety in city
driving:
Know the best way to get to where you are
going. Get a city map and plan your trip
into an unknown part of the city just as you
would for a cross-country trip.
Try to use the freeways that rim and crisscross
most large cities. You will save time and
energy. SeeFreeway Driving on page 361.
Treat a green light as a warning signal. A
traffic light is there because the corner is
busy enough to need it. When a light turns
green, and just before you start to move,
check both ways for vehicles that have not
cleared the intersection or may be running the
red light.
360
Winter Driving
Here are some tips for winter driving:
Have your vehicle in good shape for winter.
You may want to put winter emergency
supplies in your vehicle.
Also seeTires on page 454.Include an ice scraper, a small brush or broom, a
supply of windshield washer uid, a rag, some
winter outer clothing, a small shovel, a ashlight, a
red cloth, and a couple of re ective warning
triangles. And, if you will be driving under severe
conditions, include a small bag of sand, a
piece of old carpet, or a couple of burlap bags to
help provide traction. Be sure you properly
secure these items in your vehicle.
Driving on Snow or Ice
Most of the time, those places where the tires
meet the road probably have good traction.
However, if there is snow or ice between the tires
and the road, you can have a very slippery
situation. You will have a lot less traction, or grip,
and will need to be very careful.
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