2007 SATURN VUE HYBRID wheel

Your Driving, the Road, and
Your Vehicle
Whenever we drive, we are taking on an
important responsibility. This is true for any motor
vehicle — passenger car, van, truck, sport utility.
Driver behavior, the driving environment, and the
vehicle’s design all affect how well a vehicle
performs. But statistics show that the most
important factor, by far, is how we drive.
Knowing how these three factors work together can
help you understand how your vehicle handles and
what you can do to avoid many types of crashes,
including a rollover crash.
Driver Behavior
The single most important thing is this: everyone in
the vehicle, including the driver, should buckle up.
SeeSafety Belts: They Are for Everyone on
page 20. In fact, most serious injuries and fatalities
to unbelted occupants can be reduced or prevented
by the use of safety belts. In a rollover crash, an
unbelted person is signicantly more likely to die
than a person wearing a seat belt. In addition,
avoiding excessive speed, sudden or abrupt turns,and drunken or aggressive driving can help make
trips safer and avoid the possibility of a crash,
especially a rollover crash. This section provides
many useful tips to help you drive more safely.
Driving Environment
You can also help avoid a rollover or other type of
crash by being prepared for driving in inclement
weather, at night, or during other times where
visibility or traction may be limited, such as on
curves, slippery roads, or hilly terrain. Unfamiliar
surroundings can also have hidden hazards.
To help you learn more about driving in different
conditions, this section contains information about
city, freeway, and off-road driving, as well as other
hints for driving in various weather conditions.
Vehicle Design
According to the U.S. Department of
Transportation, utility vehicles have a signicantly
higher rollover rate than other types of vehicles.
Utility vehicles do have higher ground clearance
and a narrower track or shorter wheelbase than
passenger cars, to make them more capable for
off-road driving.
232
ProCarManuals.com

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 wheel.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.
239
ProCarManuals.com

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 may
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.
Traction Control System (TCS)
Your vehicle has 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 reduces engine
power to limit wheel spin.
This light will come on
when your traction
control system is limiting
wheel spin.
SeeLow Traction Light on page 171. You may
feel or hear the system working, but this is normal.
The traction control system automatically comes
on whenever you start your vehicle. To limit wheel
spin, especially in slippery road conditions, you
should always leave the system on. But you
can turn the traction control system off if you ever
need to. You should turn the system off if your
vehicle ever gets stuck in sand, mud, ice or snow
240
ProCarManuals.com

and rocking the vehicle is required. SeeRocking
Your Vehicle to Get It Out on page 262andIf Your
Vehicle is Stuck in Sand, Mud, Ice, or Snow on
page 261for more information.
The traction control
system can be turned
off by pressing this
button.
The button is located on the instrument panel
above the audio system.
If the system is limiting wheel spin when you
press this button, the system will not turn off until
there is no longer a current need to limit wheel
spin. You can turn the system back on at any time
by pressing the button again. If the traction
control warning light does not come on, you may
not have traction control and your vehicle
should be serviced at a retailer.
Adding non-Saturn accessories can affect your
vehicle’s performance. SeeAccessories and
Modications on page 287for more information.Steering
Electric Power Steering
If the engine stalls while you are driving, the
power steering assist system will continue
to operate until you are able to stop your vehicle.
If you lose power steering assist because the
electric power steering system is not functioning,
you can steer, but it will take more effort.
If you turn the steering wheel in either direction
several times until it stops, or hold the steering
wheel in the stopped position for an extended
amount of time, you may notice a reduced amount
of power steering assist. The normal amount of
power steering assist should return shortly after a
few normal steering movements.
The electric power steering system does not
require regular maintenance. If you suspect
steering system problems and/or the Service
Vehicle Soon light comes on, contact your retailer
for service repairs.
241
ProCarManuals.com

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.
SeeTraction Control System (TCS) on page 240.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.
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-Saturn accessories can affect your
vehicle’s performance. SeeAccessories and
Modications on page 287.
242
ProCarManuals.com

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 your brakes. SeeBraking
on page 237. 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.
243
ProCarManuals.com

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 nothing in 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 your
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.
So here are some tips for passing:
Drive ahead. Look down the road, to the
sides, and to crossroads for situations
that might affect your passing patterns. If you
have any doubt whatsoever about making
a successful pass, wait for a better time.
Watch for traffic signs, pavement markings,
and lines. If you can see a sign up ahead
that might indicate a turn or an intersection,
delay your pass. A broken center line usually
244
ProCarManuals.com

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 is best handled by easing your
foot off the accelerator pedal.
Remember: Any traction control system helps
avoid only the acceleration skid. If your traction
control system is off, then an acceleration
skid is also 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.
246
ProCarManuals.com