2009 CHEVROLET TRAVERSE light

The wireless headphones have an
On/Off button, channel 1/2 switch,
and a volume control. Switch the
headphones to Off when not in use.
Push the power button to turn on
the headphones. An indicator light
located on the headphones comes
on. If the light does not come on,
the batteries might need to be
replaced. Intermittent sound or
static on the headphones can also
be an indication of weak batteries.
See “Battery Replacement” later in
this section for more information.
The headphones automatically turn
off after four hours of continuous use.
To adjust the volume on the
headphones, use the volume
control located on the right side.Infrared transmitters are located
at the rear of the RSE overhead
console. The headphones shut off
automatically to save the battery
power if the RSE system and RSA
are shut off or if the headphones are
out of range of the transmitters for
more than three minutes. Moving
too far forward or stepping out of the
vehicle, can cause the headphones
to lose the audio signal.
For optimal audio performance,
the headphones must be worn
correctly. Headphones should be
worn with the headband over the top
of the head for best audio reception.
The symbol L (Left) appears on the
upper left side, above the ear pad
and should be positioned on the left
ear. The symbol R (Right) appears
on the upper right side, above the
ear pad and should be positioned
on the right ear.Notice:Do not store the
headphones in heat or direct
sunlight. This could damage
the headphones and repairs will
not be covered by the warranty.
Storage in extreme cold can
weaken the batteries. Keep the
headphones stored in a cool,
dry place.
If the foam ear pads attached to
the headphones become worn or
damaged, the pads can be replaced
separately from the headphone set.
See your dealer/retailer for more
information.
Headphones should be stored in
the front oor console and not in the
front seat back pocket. Headphone
damage can occur when the second
row seats are folded forward.
Instrument Panel 3-115

Remote Control
To use the remote control, aim it
at the transmitter window at the rear
of the overhead console and press
the desired button. Direct sunlight
or very bright light could affect the
ability of the RSE transmitter to
receive signals from the remote
control. If the remote control does
not seem to be working, the batteries
might need to be replaced. See
“Battery Replacement” later in this
section. Objects blocking the line of
sight could also affect the function
of the remote control.If a CD or DVD is in the Radio DVD
slot, the remote controlObutton can
be used to turn on the video screen
display and start the disc. The radio
can also turn on the video screen
display. SeeRadio(s) on page 3-75
for more information.
Notice:Storing the remote
control in a hot area or in direct
sunlight can damage it, and
the repairs will not be covered by
the warranty. Storage in extreme
cold can weaken the batteries.
Keep the remote control stored
in a cool, dry place.Remote Control Buttons
3-118 Instrument Panel

O(Power):Press to turn the video
screen on and off.
P(Illumination):Press to turn
the remote control backlight on.
The backlight automatically times
out after seven to ten seconds if no
other button is pressed while the
backlight is on.
v(Title):Press to return the DVD
to the main menu of the DVD. This
function could vary for each disc.
y(Main Menu):Press to access
the DVD menu. The DVD menu
is different on every DVD. Use the
navigation arrows to move the
cursor around the DVD menu.
After making a selection press
the enter button. This button only
operates when using a DVD.
n,q,p,o(Menu Navigation
Arrows):Use the arrow buttons to
navigate through a menu.
r(Enter):Press to select
the choice that is highlighted in
any menu.
z(Display Menu):Press to adjust
the brightness, screen display mode
(normal, full, or zoom), and display
the language menu.
q(Return):Press to exit the
current active menu and return to
the previous menu. This button
operates only when the display
menu or a DVD menu is active.
c(Stop):Press to stop playing,
rewinding, or fast forwarding a
DVD. Press twice to return to
the beginning of the DVD.
s(Play/Pause):Press to start
playing a DVD. Press while a DVD
is playing to pause it. Press again
to continue playing the DVD.When the DVD is playing, depending
on the radio, play may be slowed
down by pressing
sthen[.
The DVD continues playing in a
slow play mode. Depending on the
radio, perform reverse slow play by
pressing
sthenr. To cancel
slow play mode, press
sagain.
t(Previous Track/Chapter):Press
to return to the start of the current
track or chapter. Press again to
go to the previous track or chapter.
This button might not work when
the DVD is playing the copyright
information or the previews.
u(Next Track/Chapter):Press
to go to the beginning of the next
chapter or track. This button might
not work when the DVD is playing
the copyright information or the
previews.
Instrument Panel 3-119

Police records show that
almost 40 percent of all motor
vehicle-related deaths involve
alcohol. In most cases, these deaths
are the result of someone who
was drinking and driving. In recent
years, more than 17,000 annual
motor vehicle-related deaths have
been associated with the use of
alcohol, with about 250,000 people
injured.
For persons under 21, it is against
the law in every U.S. state to drink
alcohol. There are good medical,
psychological, and developmental
reasons for these laws.
The obvious way to eliminate the
leading highway safety problem
is for people never to drink alcohol
and then drive.
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.
Control of a Vehicle
The following three systems
help to control the vehicle while
driving — brakes, steering, and
accelerator. At times, as when
driving on snow or ice, it is easy to
ask more of those control systems
than the tires and road can provide.
Meaning, you can lose control of the
vehicle. SeeStabiliTrak
®System on
page 4-5.
Adding non-dealer/non-retailer
accessories can affect vehicle
performance. SeeAccessories and
Modifications on page 5-3.
Braking
SeeBrake System Warning Light on
page 3-36.
Braking action involves perception
time and reaction time. Deciding
to push the brake pedal is
perception time. Actually doing
it 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 the
vehicle and others is important.
Driving Your Vehicle 4-3

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.
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 might not have time to cool
between hard stops. The brakes will
wear out much faster with a lot of
heavy braking. Keeping pace with
the traffic and allowing realistic
following distances eliminates a lot of
unnecessary braking. That means
better braking and longer brake life.
If the engine ever stops while
the vehicle is being driven, brake
normally but do not pump the brakes.
If the brakes are pumped, the
pedal could get harder to push down.If the engine stops, there will still be
some power brake assist but it will
be used when the brake is applied.
Once the power assist is used up, it
can take longer to stop and the brake
pedal will be harder to push.
Adding non-dealer/non-retailer
accessories can affect vehicle
performance. SeeAccessories and
Modifications on page 5-3.
Antilock Brake
System (ABS)
This vehicle has the Antilock
Brake System (ABS), an advanced
electronic braking system that helps
prevent a braking skid.
When the engine is started and the
vehicle begins to drive away, ABS
checks itself. A momentary motor or
clicking noise might be heard while
this test is going on, and it might
even be noticed that the brake pedal
moves a little. This is normal.If there is a problem with ABS, this
warning light stays on. SeeAntilock
Brake System (ABS) Warning Light
on page 3-37.
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 the 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
to each wheel, as required, faster
than any driver could. This can help
the driver steer around the obstacle
while braking hard.
4-4 Driving Your Vehicle

The system may be heard or felt
while it is working. This is normal and
does not mean there is a problem
with the vehicle. The system should
initialize before the vehicle reaches
20 mph (32 km/h). In some cases, it
may take approximately two miles
(3.2 km) of driving before the system
initializes.
If the system fails to turn on or
activate, the StabiliTrak light along
with one of the following messages
will be displayed on the Driver
Information Center (DIC):
TRACTION CONTROL OFF,
SERVICE TRACTION CONTROL,
SERVICE STABILITRAK. If these
conditions are observed, turn the
vehicle off, wait 15 seconds, and
then turn it back on again to reset the
system. If any of these messages still
appear on the Driver Information
Center (DIC), the vehicle should
be taken in for service. For more
information on the DIC messages,
seeDriver Information Center (DIC)
on page 3-44.The StabiliTrak light will ash on the
instrument panel cluster when the
system is both on and activated.
The system may be heard or
felt while it is working; this is normal.
The traction control disable button is
located on the instrument panel
below the climate controls.
The traction control part of
StabiliTrak can be turned off by
pressing and releasing the traction
control disable button.Traction control can be turned
on by pressing and releasing the
traction control disable button if not
automatically shut off for any other
reason.
When the traction control system is
turned off, the StabiliTrak light and
the appropriate traction control off
message will be displayed on the
DIC to warn the driver. The vehicle
will still have brake-traction control
when traction control is off, but will
not be able to use the engine speed
management system. See “Traction
Control Operation” next for more
information.
When the traction control system
has been turned off, system noises
may be heard and felt as a result
of the brake-traction control working.
It is recommended to leave
the system on for normal driving
conditions, but it may be necessary
to turn the system off if the vehicle
is stuck in sand, mud, ice or
snow, and you want to “rock”
the vehicle to attempt to free it.
4-6 Driving Your Vehicle

It may also be necessary to turn off
the system when driving in extreme
off-road conditions where high wheel
spin is required. SeeIf Your Vehicle
is Stuck in Sand, Mud, Ice, or Snow
on page 4-16.
Traction Control Operation
The traction control system is part
of the StabiliTrak system. Traction
control limits wheel spin by reducing
engine power to the wheels (engine
speed management) and by applying
brakes to each individual wheel
(brake-traction control) as necessary.
The traction control system is
enabled automatically when the
vehicle is started. It will activate
and the StabiliTrak light will ash
if it senses that any of the wheels
are spinning or beginning to lose
traction while driving. If traction
control is turned off, only the
brake-traction control portion of
traction control will work. The engine
speed management will be disabled.In this mode, engine power is not
reduced automatically and the driven
wheels can spin more freely. This
can cause the brake-traction control
to activate constantly.
Notice:If the wheel(s) of one axle
is allowed to spin excessively
while the StabiliTrak, ABS and
brake warning lights and any
relevant DIC messages are
displayed, the transfer case could
be damaged. The repairs would
not be covered by the vehicle
warranty. Reduce engine power
and do not spin the wheel(s)
excessively while these lights and
messages are displayed.
The traction control system may
activate on dry or rough roads or
under conditions such as heavy
acceleration while turning or
abrupt upshifts/downshifts of the
transmission. When this happens, a
reduction in acceleration may be
noticed, or a noise or vibration may
be heard. This is normal.If cruise control is being used when
the system activates, the StabiliTrak
light will ash and cruise control will
automatically disengage. Cruise
control may be reengaged when
road conditions allow. SeeCruise
Control on page 3-9.
StabiliTrak may also turn off
automatically if it determines that a
problem exists with the system.
If the problem does not clear itself
after restarting the vehicle, see your
dealer/retailer for service.
All-Wheel Drive (AWD)
System
If the vehicle has this feature, engine
power is sent to all four wheels when
extra traction is needed. This is like
four-wheel drive, but there is no
separate lever or switch to engage
or disengage the axle. It is fully
automatic, and adjusts itself as
needed for road conditions.
Driving Your Vehicle 4-7

An emergency like this requires
close attention and a quick decision.
If holding the steering wheel at the
recommended 9 and 3 o’clock
positions, it can be turned 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.
Off-Road Recovery
The vehicle’s right wheels can drop
off the edge of a road onto the
shoulder while 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
the vehicle straddles the edge of the
pavement. Turn the steering wheel
3 to 5 inches, 8 to 13 cm, (about
one-eighth turn) until the right front
tire contacts the pavement edge.
Then turn the steering wheel to go
straight down the roadway.
Passing
Passing another vehicle on a
two-lane road can be dangerous.
To reduce the risk of danger while
passing:
Look down the road, to the sides,
and to crossroads for situations
that might affect a successful
pass. If in doubt, wait.
Watch for traffic signs,
pavement markings, and lines
that could indicate a turn or an
intersection. Never cross a solid
or double-solid line on your side of
the lane.
Do not get too close to the vehicle
you want to pass. Doing so can
reduce your visibility.
Wait your turn to pass a slow
vehicle.
When you are being passed, ease
to the right.
Driving Your Vehicle 4-9