2007 PONTIAC G6 Owners Manual

But the ability to drive is affected well below a BAC
of 0.10 percent. Research shows that the driving
skills of many people are impaired at a BAC
approaching 0.05 percent, and that the effects are
worse at night. All drivers are impaired at BAC
levels above 0.05 percent. Statistics show that the
chance of being in a collision increases sharply for
drivers who have a BAC of 0.05 percent or above.
A driver with a BAC level of 0.06 percent has
doubled his or her chance of having a collision. At a
BAC level of 0.10 percent, the chance of this driver
having a collision is 12 times greater; at a level of
0.15 percent, the chance is 25 times greater!
The body takes about an hour to rid itself of the
alcohol in one drink. No amount of coffee or
number of cold showers will speed that up. “I will be
careful” is not the right answer. What if there is an
emergency, a need to take sudden action, as when
a child darts into the street? A person with even a
moderate BAC might not be able to react quickly
enough to avoid the collision.There is something else about drinking and driving
that many people do not know. Medical research
shows that alcohol in a person’s system can make
crash injuries worse, especially injuries to the
brain, spinal cord, or heart. This means that when
anyone who has been drinking — driver or
passenger — is in a crash, that person’s chance
of being killed or permanently disabled is
higher than if the person had not been drinking.
{CAUTION:
Drinking and then driving is very
dangerous. Your reexes, perceptions,
attentiveness, and judgment can be
affected by even a small amount of
alcohol. You can have a serious — or
even fatal — collision if you drive after
drinking. Please do not drink and drive
or ride with a driver who has been
drinking. Ride home in a cab; or if you
are with a group, designate a driver who
will not drink.
257

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. SeeTraction
Control System (TCS) on page 262,Enhanced
Traction System (ETS) on page 263and
StabiliTrak
®System on page 265.
Adding non-GM accessories can affect your
vehicle’s performance. SeeAccessories and
Modications on page 308.
Braking
SeeBrake System Warning Light on page 199.
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.
258

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 308.Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS)
Your vehicle may have the Anti-Lock Brake
System (ABS), an advanced electronic braking
system that will help prevent a braking skid.
If your vehicle has ABS,
this warning light on the
instrument panel will
come on briey when
you start your vehicle.
When you start your engine, or when you begin to
drive away, ABS will check itself. You may hear a
momentary motor or clicking noise while this test is
going on, and you may even notice that your brake
pedal moves or pulses a little. This is normal.
259

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
while trying to avoid the animal. 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. SeeBraking in Emergencies on page 261.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.
260

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 a slight brake pedal pulsation
or notice some noise, but this is normal. See
Braking in Emergencies on page 261.
Braking in Emergencies
At some time, nearly every driver gets into a
situation that requires hard braking.
If you have ABS, you can steer and brake at the
same time. However, if you do not have ABS, your
rst reaction — to hit the brake pedal hard and hold
it down — may be the wrong thing to do.Your wheels can stop rolling. Once they do, the
vehicle cannot respond to your steering.
Momentum will carry it in whatever direction it was
headed when the wheels stopped rolling. That
could be off the road, into the very thing you were
trying to avoid, or into traffic.
If you do not have ABS, use a “squeeze” braking
technique. This will give you maximum braking
while maintaining steering control. You can do this
by pushing on the brake pedal with steadily
increasing pressure.
In an emergency, you will probably want to squeeze
the brakes hard without locking the wheels. If you
hear or feel the wheels sliding, ease off the brake
pedal. This will help you retain steering control. If
you do have ABS, it is different. SeeAnti-Lock
Brake System (ABS) on page 259.
In many emergencies, steering can help you more
than even the very best braking.
261

Traction Control System (TCS)
Your vehicle may have a Traction Control System
(TCS) that limits wheel spin. This is especially
useful in slippery road conditions. The system
operates only if it senses that one or both of the
front wheels are spinning or beginning to lose
traction. When this happens, the system reduces
engine power and may also upshift the transaxle
to limit wheel spin. Also, the traction control system
activates the appropriate corner brakes to gain
even quicker control to limit wheel spin.
This light, located on the
instrument panel, will
come on when your
Traction Control System
is limiting wheel spin.
You may feel or hear the system working, but this
is normal.
If your vehicle is in cruise control when the
traction control system begins to limit wheel spin,
the cruise control will automatically disengage.When road conditions allow you to safely use it
again, you may re-engage the cruise control. See
Cruise Control on page 171.
The Traction Control System operates in all
transaxle shift lever positions except park or
neutral. But the system can upshift the transaxle
only as high as the shift lever position you’ve
chosen, so you should use the lower gears only
when necessary. SeeAutomatic Transaxle
Operation on page 129.
This light is located on
the instrument panel
cluster.
When the system is on, this light will come on to let
you know if there’s a problem, or if the system has
been turned off.
When this warning light is on, the system will not
limit wheel spin. Adjust your driving accordingly.
262

To limit wheel spin, especially in slippery road
conditions, you should always leave the Traction
Control System on. But you can turn the system off
if you prefer.
To turn the system on or off, press the traction
control button (TC) located under the climate
controls. In order to effectively “rock” the vehicle,
you will need to turn off TCS.
If you press the TC button once, the traction control
system will turn off and the traction control system
warning light will come on. The StabiliTrak
®system
will stay on. Press the TC button again to turn the
system back on. The traction control system
warning light will go off. If you press and hold the
TC button, the StabiliTrak
®system and the traction
control system will turn off. Press the TC button
again to turn StabiliTrak
®and the traction control
system back on. For more information, see
StabiliTrak
®System on page 265.
When you turn the system off, the Traction Control
System warning light will come on and stay on.
If the Traction Control System is limiting wheel spin
when you press the button to turn the system
off, the warning light will come on – but the system
won’t turn off right away. It will wait until there’s
no longer a current need to limit wheel spin.Adding non-GM accessories can affect your
vehicle’s performance. SeeAccessories and
Modications on page 308for more information.
Enhanced Traction System (ETS)
Your vehicle may have an Enhanced Traction
System (ETS) that limits wheel spin. This is
especially useful in slippery road conditions. The
system operates only if it senses that one or
both of the front wheels are spinning or beginning
to lose traction. When this happens, the system
reduces engine power and may also upshift
the transaxle to limit wheel spin.
This light, located on
the instrument panel,
will come on when your
Enhanced Traction
System is limiting
wheel spin.
You may feel or hear the system working, but this
is normal.
263

If your vehicle is in cruise control when the
enhanced traction system begins to limit wheel
spin, the cruise control will automatically
disengage. When road conditions allow you to
safely use it again, you may re-engage the cruise
control. SeeCruise Control on page 171.
The Enhanced Traction System operates in all
transaxle shift lever positions except park, neutral
or reverse. But the system can upshift the
transaxle only as high as the shift lever position
you’ve chosen, so you should use the lower gears
only when necessary. SeeAutomatic Transaxle
Operation on page 129.
This light is located on
the instrument panel
cluster.
When the system is on, this light will come on to
let you know if there’s a problem, or if the
system has been turned off.When this warning light is on, the system will not
limit wheel spin. Adjust your driving accordingly.
To limit wheel spin, especially in slippery road
conditions, you should always leave the Enhanced
Traction System on. But you can turn the system
off if you prefer.
To turn the system on or off, press the traction
control button located on the instrument panel. In
order to effectively “rock” the vehicle, you will
need to turn off the traction control system.
When you turn the system off, the Enhanced
Traction System warning light will come on and
stay on. If the Enhanced Traction System is
limiting wheel spin when you press the button to
turn the system off, the warning light will come
on – but the system won’t turn off right away. It will
wait until there’s no longer a current need to
limit wheel spin.
You can turn the system back on at any time by
pressing the button again. The Enhanced Traction
System warning light should go off.
264