2007 GMC ACADIA steering

4(Information) (XM™ Satellite Radio Service,
MP3, and RDS Features):Press the information
button to display additional text information
related to the current FM-RDS or XM™ station,
or MP3 song. A choice of additional information
such as: Channel, Song, Artist, and CAT
(category) can appear. Continue pressing the
information button to highlight the desired label,
or press the pushbutton positioned under any
one of the labels and the information about that
label displays.
When information is not available, No Info
displays.
Storing a Radio Station as a Favorite
Drivers are encouraged to set up their radio
station favorites while the vehicle is parked.
Tune to your favorite stations using the presets,
favorites button, and steering wheel controls,
if the vehicle has them. SeeDefensive Driving
on page 330.FAV (Favorites):A maximum of 36 stations
can be programmed as favorites using the
six pushbuttons positioned below the radio station
frequency labels and by using the radio favorites
page button (FAV button). Press the FAV button to
go through up to six pages of favorites, each
having six favorite stations available per page.
Each page of favorites can contain any
combination of AM, FM, or XM™ (if equipped)
stations. To store a station as a favorite, perform
the following steps:
1. Tune to the desired radio station.
2. Press the FAV button to display the page
where you want the station stored.
3. Press and hold one of the six pushbuttons
until a beep sounds. When that pushbutton
is pressed and released, the station that was
set, returns.
4. Repeat the steps for each pushbutton radio
station you want stored as a favorite.
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©SEEK¨:Press the SEEK arrows to go to the
previous or to the next radio station while in
AM, FM, or XM™ (if equipped). Press the SEEK
arrows to go to the previous or to the next track or
chapter while sourced to the DVD slot.
SRCE (Source):Press this button to switch
between the radio (AM, FM), XM™ (if equipped),
CD, and if your vehicle has these features,
DVD, front auxiliary, and rear auxiliary.
>(Mute):Press this button to silence the
system. Press this button again, or any other
radio button, to turn the sound on.
+/−
x(Volume):Press the plus or minus volume
buttons to increase or to decrease the volume.
Theft-Deterrent Feature
THEFTLOCK®is designed to discourage theft
of your vehicle’s radio. The feature works
automatically by learning a portion of the Vehicle
Identication Number (VIN). If the radio is moved
to a different vehicle, it does not operate and
LOCKED displays.
Audio Steering Wheel Controls
If your vehicle has audio
steering wheel controls,
they could differ
depending on your
vehicle’s options.
Some audio controls
can be adjusted at the
steering wheel. They
include the following:
xw(Next/Previous):Press the up or the down
arrow to go to the next or to the previous radio
station stored as a favorite.
When a CD/DVD is playing, press the up or the
down arrow to go to the next or previous track or
chapter.
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Your Driving, the Road, and
Your Vehicle............................................ 330
Defensive Driving...................................... 330
Drunken Driving........................................ 331
Control of a Vehicle.................................. 334
Braking...................................................... 334
Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS).................. 335
Braking in Emergencies............................. 336
StabiliTrak
®System................................... 337
All-Wheel Drive (AWD) System.................. 339
Steering.................................................... 340
Off-Road Recovery.................................... 342
Passing..................................................... 342
Loss of Control.......................................... 344
Driving at Night......................................... 346Driving in Rain and on Wet Roads............ 347
City Driving............................................... 350
Freeway Driving........................................ 351
Before Leaving on a Long Trip.................. 352
Highway Hypnosis..................................... 353
Hill and Mountain Roads........................... 354
Winter Driving........................................... 356
If Your Vehicle is Stuck in Sand, Mud,
Ice, or Snow.......................................... 360
Rocking Your Vehicle to Get It Out........... 361
Loading Your Vehicle................................ 361
Towing........................................................ 367
Towing Your Vehicle................................. 367
Recreational Vehicle Towing...................... 367
Towing a Trailer........................................ 371
Section 4 Driving Your Vehicle
329

Control of a Vehicle
The following three systems help to control your
vehicle while driving — brakes, steering, and
accelerator. At times, as when driving on snow or
ice, it is easy to ask more of those control
systems than the tires and road can provide.
Meaning, you can lose control of your vehicle.
SeeStabiliTrak
®System on page 337.
Adding non-dealer/non-retailer accessories can
affect your vehicle’s performance. SeeAccessories
and Modifications on page 385.
Braking
SeeBrake System Warning Light on page 222.
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.
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 might 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 could get
harder to push down. If the engine stops,
you will still have some power brake assist.
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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, the 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 the 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 might hear the anti-lock pump or motor
operate, and feel the brake pedal pulsate, 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.
336

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 the 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.
SeeStabiliTrak
®System on page 337.
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
the front wheels are straight ahead.
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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-dealer/non-retailer accessories can
affect your vehicle’s performance. SeeAccessories
and Modifications on page 385.
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 the brakes. SeeBraking
on page 334. 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.
341

Off-Road Recovery
You may nd that your vehicle’s 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 nothingin 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 the 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.
342