
Loss of Control
Let us review what driving experts say about what
happens when the three control systems — brakes,
steering, and acceleration — do not have enough
friction where the tires meet the road to do what the
driver has asked.
In any emergency, do not give up. Keep trying to
steer and constantly seek an escape route or
area of less danger.
Skidding
In a skid, a driver can lose control of the vehicle.
Defensive drivers avoid most skids by taking
reasonable care suited to existing conditions, and
by not overdriving those conditions. But skids
are always possible.
The three types of skids correspond to your
vehicle’s three control systems. In the braking skid,
your wheels are not rolling. In the steering or
cornering skid, too much speed or steering in a
curve causes tires to slip and lose cornering force.
And in the acceleration skid, too much throttle
causes the driving wheels to spin.A cornering skid and an acceleration skid are
best handled by easing your foot off the
accelerator pedal.
If your vehicle starts to slide, ease your foot off
the accelerator pedal and quickly steer the
way you want the vehicle to go. If you start
steering quickly enough, your vehicle may
straighten out. Always be ready for a second skid
if it occurs.
Of course, traction is reduced when water, snow,
ice, gravel, or other material is on the road.
For safety, you will want to slow down and adjust
your driving to these conditions. It is important
to slow down on slippery surfaces because
stopping distance will be longer and vehicle control
more limited.
While driving on a surface with reduced traction,
try your best to avoid sudden steering, acceleration,
or braking, including reducing vehicle speed by
shifting to a lower gear. Any sudden changes could
cause the tires to slide. You may not realize the
surface is slippery until your vehicle is skidding.
Learn to recognize warning clues — such as
enough water, ice, or packed snow on the road to
make a mirrored surface — and slow down when
you have any doubt.
208
ProCarManuals.com

Remember: Any Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS)
helps avoid only the braking skid.
If the ABS is ever disabled, in a braking skid,
where the wheels are no longer rolling, release
enough pressure on the brakes to get the wheels
rolling again. This restores steering control.
Push the brake pedal down steadily when you
have to stop suddenly. As long as the wheels are
rolling, you will have steering control.
Driving at Night
Night driving is more dangerous than day driving.
One reason is that some drivers are likely to
be impaired — by alcohol or drugs, with night
vision problems, or by fatigue.
Here are some tips on night driving.
Drive defensively.
Do not drink and drive.
Adjust the inside rearview mirror to reduce the
glare from headlamps behind you.
Since you cannot see as well, you may need
to slow down and keep more space between
you and other vehicles.
Slow down, especially on higher speed roads.
Your vehicle’s headlamps can light up only so
much road ahead.
In remote areas, watch for animals.
If you are tired, pull off the road in a safe
place and rest.
No one can see as well at night as in the daytime.
But as we get older these differences increase.
A 50-year-old driver may require at least twice as
much light to see the same thing at night as a
20-year-old.
What you do in the daytime can also affect your
night vision. For example, if you spend the
day in bright sunshine you are wise to wear
sunglasses. Your eyes will have less trouble
adjusting to night. But if you are driving, do not
wear sunglasses at night. They may cut down on
glare from headlamps, but they also make a
lot of things invisible.
You can be temporarily blinded by approaching
headlamps. It can take a second or two, or
even several seconds, for your eyes to re-adjust
to the dark.
209
ProCarManuals.com

Freeway Driving
Mile for mile, freeways — also called thruways,
parkways, expressways, turnpikes, or
superhighways — are the safest of all roads.
But they have their own special rules.The most important advice on freeway driving
is: Keep up with traffic and keep to the right.
Drive at the same speed most of the other drivers
are driving. Too-fast or too-slow driving breaks
a smooth traffic ow. Treat the left lane on
a freeway as a passing lane.
At the entrance, there is usually a ramp that leads
to the freeway. If you have a clear view of the
freeway as you drive along the entrance ramp, you
should begin to check traffic. Try to determine
where you expect to blend with the ow. Try to
merge into the gap at close to the prevailing speed.
Switch on your turn signal, check your mirrors, and
glance over your shoulder as often as necessary.
Try to blend smoothly with the traffic ow.
Once you are on the freeway, adjust your speed
to the posted limit or to the prevailing rate if it
is slower. Stay in the right lane unless you
want to pass.
Before changing lanes, check your mirrors.
Then use your turn signal.
Just before you leave the lane, glance quickly
over your shoulder to make sure there is not
another vehicle in your blind spot.
214
ProCarManuals.com

Highway Hypnosis
Is there actually such a condition as highway
hypnosis? Or is it just plain falling asleep at the
wheel? Call it highway hypnosis, lack of
awareness, or whatever.
There is something about an easy stretch of road
with the same scenery, along with the hum of the
tires on the road, the drone of the engine, and the
rush of the wind against the vehicle that can make
you sleepy. Do not let it happen to you! If it does,
your vehicle can leave the road in less than a
second, and you could crash and be injured.
What can you do about highway hypnosis?
First, be aware that it can happen.
Then here are some tips:
Make sure your vehicle is well ventilated, with
a comfortably cool interior.
Keep your eyes moving. Scan the road ahead
and to the sides. Check your rearview mirrors
and your instruments frequently.
If you get sleepy, pull off the road into a rest,
service, or parking area and take a nap, get
some exercise, or both. For safety, treat
drowsiness on the highway as an emergency.
Hill and Mountain Roads
Driving on steep hills or mountains is different
from driving in at or rolling terrain.
216
ProCarManuals.com

Fuses Usage
10 Trunk
11 Trunk
12 Empty
13 Fuel Pump
14 Rear Defogger Relay
15 Air Conditioning Clutch Relay
16 Empty
17 Empty
18 Trunk Release Relay
19 Fuel Pump Relay
20 Empty
21 Mirrors
22 Air Conditioning
23 Empty
24Cooling Fan 2 Relay (LE5);
Empty (LNF)
25 Fuse Puller
26 Powertrain Relay
27 EmptyFuses Usage
28Back-up Lamps Relay
(Automatic Transmission);
Empty (Manual Transmission)
29 Data Link Connector
30 Outlet
31Back-up Lamps
(Automatic Transmission);
Empty (Manual Transmission)
32 Empty (LE5); Vacuum Pump (LNF)
33 Emissions
34 Crank Relay
35 Empty
36 Empty
37 Power Seat
38Empty (LE5); Vacuum Pump
Relay (LNF)
39 Empty
40 Cooling Fan 1 (LE5); Empty (LNF)
41Empty (LE5); Turbo, Cam
Phaser (LNF)
42 Engine Control Module
329
ProCarManuals.com

Hood
Checking Things Under............................ 240
Release................................................... 241
Horn............................................................ 110
How to Use This Manual................................ 4
How to Wear Safety Belts Properly............... 18
Hydraulic Clutch.......................................... 254
I
Ignition Positions........................................... 78
Infants and Young Children, Restraints.......... 30
In ation - Tire Pressure............................... 292
In ator Kit, Tire........................................... 304
Instrument Panel
Overview.................................................. 108
Instrument Panel (I/P)
Brightness................................................ 120
Cluster..................................................... 128
J
Jump Starting.............................................. 272
K
Keyless Entry System................................... 62
Keys............................................................. 60
L
Labeling, Tire Sidewall................................. 287
Lamps
Battery Run-Down Protection................... 121
Fog .......................................................... 120
Mirror Reading......................................... 120
LATCH System
Child Restraints......................................... 38
Latches, Seatback......................................... 12
License Plate Lamps................................... 282
Light
Airbag Readiness..................................... 130
Anti-Lock Brake System Warning............. 135
Brake System Warning............................. 134
Charging System..................................... 133
Electronic Stability Control........................ 136
Engine Coolant Temperature Warning....... 137
Fog Lamp................................................ 142
377
ProCarManuals.com

Message
DIC Warnings and Messages................... 147
Mirror Reading Lamps................................. 120
Mirrors
Manual Rearview Mirror............................. 93
Manual Rearview Mirror with OnStar
®........ 93
Outside Power Mirrors............................... 93
MP3 ............................................................ 179
MyGMLink.com............................................ 357
N
New Vehicle Break-In.................................... 77
Normal Maintenance Replacement Parts..... 347
O
Odometer.................................................... 129
Off-Road Recovery...................................... 206
Oil
Engine..................................................... 245
Pressure Light.......................................... 141Oil, Engine Oil Life System......................... 250
Older Children, Restraints............................. 28
Online Owner Center................................... 357
OnStar
®System, see OnStar®Manual .......... 94
Other Warning Devices................................ 110
Outlet Adjustment........................................ 126
Outlet(s), Accessory Power.......................... 121
Outside
Power Mirrors............................................ 93
Owner Checks and Services....................... 340
Owners, Canadian.......................................... 3
P
Paint, Damage............................................ 322
Park (P)
Shifting Into............................................... 87
Shifting Out of........................................... 89
Parking
Brake......................................................... 86
Over Things That Burn.............................. 90
Parking Your Vehicle..................................... 89
379
ProCarManuals.com

Passenger Airbag Status Indicator............... 131
Passenger Position, Safety Belts................... 27
Passenger Sensing System........................... 50
Passing....................................................... 206
PASS-Key
®III+............................................. 75
PASS-Key®III+ Operation............................. 75
Power
Accessory Outlet(s).................................. 121
Door Locks................................................ 67
Electrical System..................................... 325
Retained Accessory (RAP)......................... 79
Steering Fluid.......................................... 266
Windows.................................................... 72
Pretensioners, Safety Belt............................. 27
Q
Questions and Answers About Safety Belts ... 17
R
Radios........................................................ 158
Care of Your CD Player........................... 190
Care of Your CDs.................................... 190Radios (cont.)
Radio with CD................................162, 168
Setting the Time..............................159, 160
Theft-Deterrent......................................... 188
Understanding Reception ......................... 189
Rear Axle.................................................... 278
Limited-Slip.............................................. 200
Rearview Mirror with OnStar
®........................ 93
Rearview Mirrors........................................... 93
Reclining Seatbacks...................................... 10
Recommended Fluids and Lubricants.......... 345
Recreational Vehicle Towing........................ 230
Remote Keyless Entry (RKE) System............ 62
Remote Keyless Entry (RKE) System,
Operation................................................... 63
Replacement Bulbs..................................... 283
Reporting Safety Defects
Canadian Government............................. 368
Saturn...................................................... 369
United States Government....................... 368
Restraint System Check
Checking the Restraint Systems................. 56
Replacing Restraint System Parts
After a Crash......................................... 57
380
ProCarManuals.com