2007 CHEVROLET KODIAK brakes

The brake system warning light may come on, and
the warning tone may sound, when you are
turning and braking at the same time. This is
normal. See “Hydraulic Brake Systems” under
Braking on page 210.
This light is located
above the climate
controls in the center of
the instrument panel.
If the service brakes soon warning light comes on,
it means there may be something wrong in the
brake system.
When this light comes on, you will also hear a
warning tone. Have the system repaired
immediately.Both of these lights should come on briefly every
time you start your engine. If they do not come
on then, have them fixed so they will be ready to
warn you if there is a problem. If one or both
of these warning lights stay on after you start the
engine, there could be a brake problem. Have
your brake system inspected right away.
If one or both of these lights come 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 floor. It may take
longer to stop. If this light is still on, have the
vehicle towed for service. SeeTowing Your
Vehicle on page 241. See “Hydraulic Brake
Systems” underBraking on page 210for further
information.
170

Anti-Lock Brake System
Warning Light
This light will come on
briefly when you start
your engine, then
it will turn off. This
is normal.
If the light stays on, or comes on when you are
driving, your vehicle needs service. If the BRAKE
or LOW AIR warning light is not on, you still
have brakes, but you do not have the anti-lock
brake feature. If the BRAKE and/or LOW AIR
warning light is on, you do not have anti-lock
brakes and there is a problem with your regular
brakes. SeeBrake System Warning Light on
page 169andAnti-Lock Brake System (ABS) on
page 212for more information.
The anti-lock brake system warning light should
come on briefly when you turn the ignition
key to ON. If the light does not come on then,
have it fixed so it will be ready to warn you if
there is a problem.
Trailer Anti-Lock Brake System
Warning Light
This light is located
above the climate
controls in the center of
the instrument panel.
If your vehicle is connected to a trailer with
anti-lock brakes, this light should come on briefly,
as a check, when you turn on the ignition.
When this light comes on and stays on, it means
there is something wrong in the trailer anti-lock
brake system. Have the system repaired
immediately.
If an anti-lock brake system equipped trailer is not
connected, this light is not functional.
172

Air Pressure Gage
If your vehicle has air
brakes, the air pressure
gage is located above
the switchbank in
the center of the
instrument panel.
This gage shows the air pressure for both your
front and rear brake systems.
If the needle on the gage indicates that the air
pressure is below 60 to 75 psi (415 to 517 kPa),
the low air warning light will come on. An alarm will
also sound if this happens.The top pointer shows the pressure available for the
front system, while the bottom pointer shows
pressure for the rear. There should be no more than
4 psi (28 kPa) difference showing between the
systems.
Don’t drive until both pointers are showing at least
120 psi (827 kPa), so you’ll have enough air if
you need to apply your brakes.
Hourmeter Gage
To access the engine hourmeter gage, press the
trip odometer button three times.
The instrument panel cluster displays the
accumulated engine run time hours using the
reconfigurable odometer display. The engine run
time hours displays only when the ignition is in the
LOCK or ACCESSORY position and the trip
reset button is pressed for about four seconds.
The value of the accumulated hours does
not change when the battery is disconnected.
The hourmeter resets to 0.0 when 10,000 hours
are accumulated. The instrument panel cluster
begins to reaccumulate the engine run time hours
from 0.0 hours.
183

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.
Braking
SeeBrake System Warning Light on page 169.
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; the
weight of the load; and the amount of brake
force applied.
210

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.Hydraulic Brake Systems
If your engine stops running, or if your primary
brake system stops working, your vehicle has a
reserve power assist system to help you slow down.
Just slowly and steadily apply the brake pedal until
you can safely get off the road. The pedal will seem
harder to push down. Do not pump the pedal; the
system will not work well or at all that way.
You may find that the steering wheel seems hard
to turn when you are turning and braking at
the same time. Also, the primary brake warning
light may come on and the warning tone may
sound. This is normal because the main hydraulic
brake system and power steering both use the
power steering pump. If this ever happens, let up
on the brake pedal a little. When you let up on
the brake pedal in that situation, it lets the steering
get a little more help from the pump.
211

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 172.
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.
212

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 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 firmly and let anti-lock work for you. You may
feel the brakes pulsate, or you may hear air
exhausting if you have air brakes, 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.
213

Trailer Brake Hand Control Valve
If your vehicle has this feature, the control
is mounted on the floor console.
This feature lets you
apply the trailer brakes
without applying the
tractor brakes.
You can apply the trailer brakes a little or apply
them all the way if you have to. Use this control
only when you are driving. Do not use it for
parking or to hold the rig on a hill.{CAUTION:
Using the trailer brake hand control for
parking or for holding the vehicle on a hill
may not keep the vehicle from rolling.
This can happen if someone hits the
valve by accident, or if air pressure bleeds
from the system. If the vehicle rolls,
you or others could be injured. To park
the vehicle or hold it on a hill, use the
parking brake properly.
214