2007 PONTIAC VIBE 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.
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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.
Adding non-GM accessories can affect your
vehicle’s performance. SeeAccessories and
Modications on page 272.
Braking
SeeBrake System Warning Light on page 166.
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
Modications on page 272.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.
If there is a problem with ABS, the anti-lock brake
system warning light will stay on. SeeAnti-Lock
Brake System Warning Light on page 167.
United StatesCanada
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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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If your vehicle has the vehicle stability control
system, it includes a brake assist system which
provides more powerful braking during a sudden,
hard brake application. See “Vehicle Stability
Control System” underTraction Control System
(TCS) on page 230.
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.
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 227.
In many emergencies, steering can help you
more than even the very best braking.
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Traction Control System (TCS)
Your vehicle may have a traction control system
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 works the front brakes and
reduces engine power to limit wheel spin.
You may feel or hear the system working, but this
is normal. Leave the system on during ordinary
driving so that it can operate when needed. When
the ignition is turned to ON, the system
automatically turns on.
This light should come
on briey when you
start the engine.
If it stays on or comes on while you are driving,
there is a problem with your traction control
system.The TRAC OFF button
is located to the left of
the steering wheel
below the instrument
panel cluster.
When getting the vehicle out of mud or newly
fallen snow, turn off the traction control system.
The system that controls engine performance
interferes with the process of freeing the
front wheels. To turn off traction control, press the
TRAC OFF button. The traction control system
warning light will come on. The vehicle stability
control system (StabiliTrak
®) is always activated,
even when the traction control system is turned
off. To turn the traction control system back
on, press the TRAC OFF button again. The
traction control system warning light will go off.
SeeTraction Control System (TCS) Warning Light
on page 168for more information.
Adding non-GM accessories can affect your
vehicle’s performance. SeeAccessories and
Modications on page 272for more information.
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StabiliTrak®System
Your vehicle may have this feature. The
StabiliTrak®system helps provide integrated
control of the systems such as anti-lock brake
system, traction control and engine control.
This system automatically controls the brakes and
engine to help prevent the vehicle from skidding
when cornering on a slippery road surface or
turning the steering wheel abruptly.
This system will activate when your vehicle speed
reaches or exceeds 9 mph (15 km/h), and will
deactivate when the vehicle speed reduces
to below 9 mph (15 km/h).
You may hear a sound in the engine compartment
for a few seconds when the engine is started or
just after the vehicle begins to move. This
means that the system is in the self-check mode,
but does not indicate a malfunction.
If the vehicle is going to skid during driving, the
traction control system warning light will blink and
an alarm will sound intermittently. Adjust your
driving accordingly.This light warns that
there is a problem
somewhere in
the traction control
system or StabiliTrak®.
Panic Brake Assist
Your vehicle has a panic brake assist system that
monitors the intention of the driver while braking.
If the system senses that the driver has applied
hard/fast pressure to the brake pedal, the system
will generate additional pressure, making it
easier for the driver to maintain brake application.
When this happens the brake pedal will feel
easier to push. Just hold the brake pedal down
rmly and let the system work for you. You
may feel the brakes vibrate, or you may notice
some noise but this is normal. The brakes
will return to normal operation after the brake
pedal has been released.
The brake assist system becomes operational
after the vehicle has accelerated to a speed
in excess of approximately 6 mph (10 km/h). It
stops operating when the vehicle decelerates to a
speed below approximately 3 mph (5 km/h).
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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 apply the brakes. Both
control systems — steering and braking — have
to do their work where the tires meet the road.
Unless you have four-wheel anti-lock brakes,
adding the hard braking can demand too much of
those places. You can lose control.
The same thing can happen if you are steering
through a sharp curve and you suddenly
accelerate. Those two control systems — steering
and acceleration — can overwhelm those
places where the tires meet the road and make
you lose control.
What should you do if this ever happens? Ease up
on the brake or accelerator pedal, steer the
vehicle the way you want it to go, and slow down.
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