2007 GMC SAVANA Owner's Manual

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 286.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 the ABS, this
warning light will stay
on. SeeAnti-Lock Brake
System Warning Light
on page 176.
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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 firmly 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
If your vehicle has this feature, your 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
If your vehicle has StabiliTrak®, it combines
anti-lock brake, traction and stability control
systems and helps the driver maintain directional
control of the vehicle in most driving conditions.
When you first start your vehicle and begin to drive
away, the system performs several diagnostic
checks to ensure that it is working properly. You
may hear or feel the system working. This is normal
and does not mean there is a problem with your
vehicle. The system should initialize before the
vehicle reaches 20 mph (32 km/h). In some cases,
it may take approximately 2 miles (3.2 km) of driving
before the system initializes.
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The following chart describes the StabiliTrak®not ready light and the StabiliTrak®indicator light.
StabiliTrak®Not Ready Light StabiliTrak®Indicator Light Meaning
Off OffStabiliTrak
®is enabled, but not active.
The traction control is not active.
Off FlashingStabiliTrak
®is active, or the traction
control is active.
Off OnStabiliTrak
®is disabled due to system
fault. When on after restarting, the
vehicle needs to be serviced.
On OffStabiliTrak
®is disabled due to system
initialization or the driver has disabled
with switch.
On FlashingStabiliTrak
®is not initialized and
not disabled.
The traction control is active.
For more information, seeStabiliTrak®Not Ready Light on page 177andStabiliTrak®Indicator Light on
page 177.
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Pressing and holding
the StabiliTrak®button
located on the
instrument panel for
more than five seconds
can turn off StabiliTrak
®
and part of the
traction control system.
For your safety, the system can only be disabled
when the vehicle speed is less than 20 mph
(32 km/h). You will hear three chimes and the
StabiliTrak
®not ready light will come on.
To turn on the StabiliTrak
®system, press the
StabiliTrak®button again. StabiliTrak®will
automatically turn back on when the vehicle speed
exceeds 20 mph (32 km/h). You will hear one chime
and the StabiliTrak
®not ready light will turn off.
When the StabiliTrak
®system has been turned off
you may still hear system noises as a result of
the brake-traction control coming on.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 want to “rock”
your vehicle to attempt to free it. SeeIf Your
Vehicle is Stuck in Sand, Mud, Ice, or Snow on
page 258.
StabiliTrak®System Operation
The StabiliTrak®system is normally on, except
when the system is initializing or has been
disabled with the StabiliTrak
®button. The
StabiliTrak®system will automatically activate to
assist the driver in maintaining vehicle directional
control in most driving conditions. When activated,
the StabiliTrak
®system may reduce engine
power to the wheels and apply braking to individual
wheels as necessary to assist the driver with
vehicle directional control. If your vehicle is
in cruise control when the system activates, the
StabiliTrak
®indicator light on the instrument panel
will flash, and the cruise control will automatically
disengage. When the StabiliTrak
®system is
no longer active, you may re-engage the cruise
control. SeeCruise Control on page 151.
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The StabiliTrak®system 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.
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.
If the brake-traction control system activates
constantly or if the brakes have heated up due to
high speed braking, the brake-traction control
will be automatically disabled. The system
will come back on after the brakes have cooled.
This can take up to two minutes or longer
depending on brake usage.
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.
Adding non-GM accessories can affect your
vehicle’s performance. SeeAccessories and
Modications on page 286for more information.All-Wheel Drive (AWD) System
If your vehicle has all-wheel drive, your engine’s
driving power is sent to all four wheels for
extra traction when needed.
This is like four-wheel drive, but there is no
separate lever or switch to engage or disengage
the front axle. It is fully automatic, and adjusts itself
as needed for road conditions.
You may experience a brief vehicle vibration upon
acceleration when driving in slippery conditions.
This is normal and is an indication that the
all-wheel drive system is functioning properly.
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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 your 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.
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 your front wheels are straight ahead.
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 286.
239

Steering in Emergencies
There are times when steering can be more
effective than braking. For example, you come
over a hill and find 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 232. 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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