2007 SUZUKI XL7 headlamp

4-9 DRIVING YOUR VEHICLE
78J00-03E
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 system is off, then an acceler-
ation skid is also best handled by easing
your foot off the accelerator pedal. Refer to
“Traction Control System (TCS)” and
“Electronic Stability Control” in this section.
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 con-
ditions. It is important to slow down on slip-
pery surfaces because stopping distance
will be longer and vehicle control more lim-
ited.
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 sur-
face – and slow down when you have any
doubt.
If you have the Anti-Lock Brake System
(ABS), remember: It helps avoid only the
braking skid. If you do not have ABS, then
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.
Remember: Any Anti-Lock Brake System
(ABS) helps avoid only the braking skid.
Driving at NightNight 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 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 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 differ-
ences increase. A 50-year-old driver may
require at least twice 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 sec-
ond or two, or even several seconds, for
your eyes to re-adjust to the dark. When
you are faced with severe glare, as from a
driver who does not lower the high beams,
or a vehicle with misaimed headlamps,
slow down a little. Avoid staring directly
into the approaching headlamps.
Keep the windshield and all the glass on
your vehicle clean – inside and out. Glare
at night is made much worse by dirt on the
glass. Even the inside of the glass can

4-10 DRIVING YOUR VEHICLE
78J00-03E
build up a film caused by dust. Dirty glass
makes lights dazzle and flash more than
clean glass would, making the pupils of
your eyes contract repeatedly.
Remember that the headlamps light up far
less of a roadway when you are in a turn or
curve. Keep your eyes moving; that way, it
is easier to pick out dimly lighted objects.
Just as the headlamps should be checked
regularly for proper aim, so should your
eyes be examined regularly. Some drivers
suffer from night blindness – the inability to
see in dim light – and are not even aware
of it.Driving in Rain and on Wet Roads
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Rain and wet roads can mean driving trou-
ble. On a wet road, you cannot stop, accel-
erate, or turn as well because your tire-to-
road traction is not as good as on dryroads. And, if your tires do not have much
tread left, you will get even less traction. It
is always wise to go slower and be cau-
tious if rain starts to fall while you are driv-
ing. The surface may get wet suddenly
when your reflexes are tuned for driving on
dry pavement.
The heavier the rain, the harder it is to see.
Even if your windshield wiper blades are in
good shape, a heavy rain can make it
harder to see road signs and traffic signals,
pavement markings, the edge of the road,
and even people walking.
It is wise to keep your windshield wiper and
washer system in good shape and keep
your windshield washer fluid reservoir filled
with washer fluid. Replace your windshield
wiper inserts when they show signs of
streaking or missing areas on the wind-
shield, or when strips of rubber start to
separate from the inserts.
Driving too fast through large water pud-
dles or even going through some carwashes can cause problems, too. The
water may affect your brakes. Try to avoid
puddles. But if you cannot, try to slow
down before you hit them.
Hydroplaning
Hydroplaning is dangerous. So much
water can build up under your tires that
they can actually ride on the water. This
can happen if the road is wet enough and
you are going fast enough. When your
vehicle is hydroplaning, it has little or no
contact with the road.
Hydroplaning does not happen often. But it
can if your tires do not have much tread or
if the pressure in one or more is low. It can
happen if a lot of water is standing on the
road. If you can see reflections from trees,
telephone poles, or other vehicles, and
raindrops dimple the water’s surface, there
could be hydroplaning.
Hydroplaning usually happens at higher
speeds. There just is not a hard and fast
rule about hydroplaning. The best advice is
to slow down when it is raining.
WARNING
Wet brakes can cause accidents.
They may not work as well in a quick
stop and may cause pulling to one
side. You could lose control of the
vehicle. After driving through a large
puddle of water or a car wash, apply
the brake pedal lightly until the
brakes work normally.

4-11 DRIVING YOUR VEHICLE
78J00-03E
Driving Through Deep Standing Water
Driving Through Flowing Water
Some Other Rainy Weather Tips
 Turn on your low-beam headlamps – not
just your parking lamps – to help make
you more visible to others. Besides slowing down, allow some extra
following distance. And be especially
careful when you pass another vehicle.
Allow yourself more clear room ahead,
and be prepared to have your view
restricted by road spray.
 Have good tires with proper tread depth.
Refer to “Tires” in the “Service and
Appearance Care” section.
City Driving
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One of the biggest problems with city
streets is the amount of traffic on them.
You will want to watch out for what the
other drivers are doing and pay attention to
traffic signals.
Here are ways to increase your safety in
city driving:
 Know the best way to get to where you
are going. Get a city map and plan yourtrip into an unknown part of the city just
as you would for a cross-country trip.
 Try to use the freeways that rim and
crisscross most large cities. You will
save time and energy. Refer to “Freeway
Driving” in this section.
 Treat a green light as a warning signal. A
traffic light is there because the corner is
busy enough to need it. When a light
turns green, and just before you start to
move, check both ways for vehicles that
have not cleared the intersection or may
be running the red light.
Freeway Driving
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Mile for mile, freeways – also called thru-
ways, parkways, expressways, turnpikes,
or superhighways – are the safest of all
roads. But they have their own special
rules.
CAUTION
If you drive too quickly through deep
puddles or standing water, water can
come in through the engine’s air
intake and badly damage the engine.
Never drive through water that is
slightly lower than the underbody of
your vehicle. If you cannot avoid
deep puddles or standing water,
drive through them very slowly.
WARNING
Flowing or rushing water creates
strong forces. If you try to drive
through flowing water, as you might
at a low water crossing, your vehicle
can be carried away. As little as six
inches of flowing water can carry
away a smaller vehicle. If this hap-
pens, you and other vehicle occu-
pants could drown. Do not ignore
police warning signs, and otherwise
be very cautious about trying to drive
through flowing water.

4-15 DRIVING YOUR VEHICLE
78J00-03E
vehicle has a traction system, you will want
to slow down and adjust your driving to the
road conditions. Under certain conditions,
you may want to turn the traction system
off, such as when driving through deep
snow and loose gravel, to help maintain
vehicle motion at lower speeds. Refer to
“Traction Control System (TCS)” and
“Electronic Stability Control” in this section.
The Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS)
improves your vehicle’s stability when you
make a hard stop on a slippery road. Even
though you have ABS, you will want to
begin stopping sooner than you would on
dry pavement. Refer to “Anti-Lock Brake
System (ABS)” in this section.
 Allow greater following distance on any
slippery road.
 Watch for slippery spots. The road might
be fine until you hit a spot that is covered
with ice. On an otherwise clear road, ice
patches may appear in shaded areas
where the sun cannot reach, such as
around clumps of trees, behind build-
ings, or under bridges. Sometimes the
surface of a curve or an overpass may
remain icy when the surrounding roads
are clear. If you see a patch of ice ahead
of you, brake before you are on it. Try not
to brake while you are actually on the
ice, and avoid sudden steering maneu-
vers.If You Are Caught in a Blizzard
If you are stopped by heavy snow, you
could be in a serious situation. You should
probably stay with your vehicle unless you
know for sure that you are near help and
you can hike through the snow. Here are
some things to do to summon help and
keep yourself and your passengers safe:
 Turn on your hazard flashers.
 Tie a red cloth to your vehicle to alert
police that you have been stopped by the
snow.
 Put on extra clothing or wrap a blanket
around you. If you do not have blankets
or extra clothing, make body insulators
from newspapers, burlap bags, rags,
floor mats – anything you can wrap
around yourself or tuck under your cloth-
ing to keep warm.
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You can run the engine to keep warm, but
be careful.
Run your engine only as long as you must.
This saves fuel. When you run the engine,
make it go a little faster than just idle. That
is, push the accelerator slightly. This uses
less fuel for the heat that you get and it
keeps the battery charged.
You will need a well-charged battery to
restart the vehicle, and possibly for signal-
ing later on with your headlamps. Let the
heater run for a while.
Then, shut the engine off and close the
window almost all the way to preserve the
heat. Start the engine again and repeat
this only when you feel really uncomfort-
WARNING
Snow can trap exhaust gases under
your vehicle. This can cause deadly
CO (carbon monoxide) gas to get
inside. CO could overcome you and
kill you. You cannot see it or smell it,
so you might not know it is in your
vehicle. Clear away snow from
around the base of your vehicle,
especially any that is blocking the
exhaust pipe. And check around
again from time to time to be sure
snow does not collect there.
Open a window just a little on the
side of the vehicle that is away from
the wind. This will help keep CO out.

5-37 SERVICE AND APPEARANCE CARE
78J00-03E
Wheel ReplacementReplace any wheel that is bent, cracked,
or badly rusted or corroded. If wheel nuts
keep coming loose, the wheel, wheel bolts,
and wheel nuts should be replaced. If the
wheel leaks air, replace it (except some
aluminum wheels, which can sometimes
be repaired). See your dealer if any of
these conditions exist.
Your dealer will know the kind of wheel you
need.
Each new wheel should have the same
load-carrying capacity, diameter, width,
offset, and be mounted the same way as
the one it replaces.
If you need to replace any of your wheels,
wheel bolts or wheel nuts, replace them
only with new original equipment parts.
This way, you will be sure to have the right
wheel, wheel bolts, and wheel nuts for
your vehicle.Refer to “Changing a Flat Tire” in this sec-
tion for more information.
Used Replacement Wheels
Tire Chains
If a Tire Goes FlatIt is unusual for a tire to blowout while you
are driving, especially if you maintain your
vehicle’s tires properly. If air goes out of a
tire, it is much more likely to leak out
slowly. But if you should ever have a blow-
out, here are a few tips about what to
expect and what to do:
WARNING
Using the wrong replacement wheels,
wheel bolts, or wheel nuts on your
vehicle can be dangerous. It could
affect the braking and handling of
your vehicle, make your tires lose air
and make you lose control. You
could have a collision in which you
or others could be injured. Always
use the correct wheel, wheel bolts,
and wheel nuts for replacement.
CAUTION
The wrong wheel can also cause
problems with bearing life, brake
cooling, speedometer or odometer
calibration, headlamp aim, bumper
height, vehicle ground clearance, and
tire or tire chain clearance to the
body and chassis.
WARNING
Putting a used wheel on your vehicle
is dangerous. You cannot know how
it has been used or how far it has
been driven. It could fail suddenly
and cause a crash. If you have to
replace a wheel, use a new original
equipment wheel.
WARNING
Do not use tire chains. There is not
enough clearance. Tire chains used
on a vehicle without the proper
amount of clearance can cause dam-
age to the brakes, suspension or
other vehicle parts. The area dam-
aged by the tire chains could cause
you to lose control of your vehicle
and you or others may be injured in a
crash.
Use another type of traction device
only if its manufacturer recommends
it for use on your vehicle and tire size
combination and road conditions.
Follow that manufacturer’s instruc-
tions. To help avoid damage to your
vehicle, drive slowly, readjust or
remove the device if it is contacting
your vehicle, and do not spin your
vehicle’s wheels. If you do find trac-
tion devices that will fit, install them
on the front tires.

8-3 INDEX
78J00-03E
Fuses and Circuit Breakers
................................................5-53
GGasoline Octane
..................................................................5-2
Gasoline Specifications
......................................................5-2
Gate Ajar Light
.....................................................................3-25
Glove Box
.............................................................................2-21
HHalogen Bulbs
.....................................................................5-23
Hazard Warning Flashers
...................................................3-3
Head Restraints
...................................................................1-4
Headlamps
...........................................................................3-7
Heated Seats ........................................................................1-2
Highbeam On Light
.............................................................3-25
Highway Hypnosis ...............................................................4-12
Hill and Mountain Roads
.....................................................4-13
Hood Release
.......................................................................5-5
Horn
......................................................................................3-3
How Does an Airbag Restrain?
..........................................1-38
How to Wear Safety Belts Properly
....................................1-11
IIdentification Numbers
........................................................7-1
If a Tire Goes Flat
................................................................5-37
If Your Vehicle is Stuck in Sand, Mud, Ice, or Snow
........4-16
Ignition Positions
................................................................2-12
Infants and Young Children
................................................1-19
Inflation – Tire Pressure
......................................................5-30
Instrument Panel Brightness
..............................................3-8
Instrument Panel Cluster
....................................................3-15
Instrument Panel Overview ................................................3-1
Instrument Panel, Vinyl, and Other Plastic Surfaces
.......5-49
JJump Starting
...................................................................... 5-19
KKeys
..................................................................................... 2-1
LLeather
................................................................................. 5-49
Level Control
....................................................................... 4-21
License Plate Lamp
............................................................ 5-24
Liftgate
................................................................................. 2-7
Loading Your Vehicle
......................................................... 4-16
Lockout Protection
............................................................. 2-6
Loss of Control
................................................................... 4-8
Low Fuel Warning Light
..................................................... 3-26
Lower Anchors
.................................................................... 1-26
Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children (LATCH)
......... 1-26
Luggage Carrier
.................................................................. 2-22
MMaintenance Record except CANADA
.............................. 6-18
Maintenance Requirements
............................................... 6-1
Maintenance Schedule
....................................................... 6-1
Malfunction Indicator Lamp
............................................... 3-21
Manual Lumbar
................................................................... 1-2
Manual Rearview Mirror
..................................................... 2-20
Manual Reclining Seatbacks
.............................................. 1-2
Manual Seats
....................................................................... 1-1
Manual Shift Mode (MSM) (Automatic Transaxle)
............ 2-16
Map Lamps
.......................................................................... 3-9
Mirrors
.................................................................................. 2-20
Multi-Band Antenna
............................................................ 3-74