CHEVROLET EXPRESS PASSANGER 2007 1.G 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 290.
Braking
SeeBrake System Warning Light on page 175.
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 290.Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS)
Your vehicle has the Anti-Lock Brake System
(ABS), an advanced electronic braking system that
will help prevent a braking skid.
When you start the engine and begin to drive
away, ABS will check itself. You might hear
a momentary motor or clicking noise while this test
is going on. This is normal.
If there is a problem
with the ABS, this
warning light will stay
on. SeeAnti-Lock Brake
System Warning Light
on page 176.
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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, the computer keeps receiving
updates on wheel speed and controls braking
pressure accordingly.
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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 firmly and let anti-lock work for you.
You might feel the brakes vibrate or notice
some noise, 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.
Locking Rear Axle
If your vehicle has this feature, your locking rear
axle can give you additional traction on snow, mud,
ice, sand or gravel. It works like a standard axle
most of the time, but when one of the rear wheels
has no traction and the other does, this feature will
allow the wheel with traction to move the vehicle.
StabiliTrak®System
If your vehicle has StabiliTrak®, it combines
anti-lock brake, traction and stability control
systems and helps the driver maintain directional
control of the vehicle in most driving conditions.
When you first start your vehicle and begin to drive
away, the system performs several diagnostic
checks to ensure that it is working properly. You
may hear or feel the system working. This is normal
and does not mean there is a problem with your
vehicle. The system should initialize before the
vehicle reaches 20 mph (32 km/h). In some cases,
it may take approximately 2 miles (3.2 km) of driving
before the system initializes.
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The following chart describes the StabiliTrak®not ready light and the StabiliTrak®indicator light.
StabiliTrak®Not Ready Light StabiliTrak®Indicator Light Meaning
Off OffStabiliTrak®is enabled, but not active.
The traction control is not active.
Off FlashingStabiliTrak
®is active, or the traction
control is active.
Off OnStabiliTrak
®is disabled due to system
fault. When on after restarting, the
vehicle needs to be serviced.
On OffStabiliTrak
®is disabled due to system
initialization or the driver has disabled
with switch.
On FlashingStabiliTrak
®is not initialized and not
disabled.
The traction control is active.
For more information, seeStabiliTrak®Not Ready Light on page 177andStabiliTrak®Indicator Light
on page 177.
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Pressing and holding
the StabiliTrak®button
located on the
instrument panel for
more than five seconds
can turn off StabiliTrak
®
and part of the
traction control system.
For your safety, the system can only be disabled
when the vehicle speed is less than 20 mph
(32 km/h). You will hear three chimes and the
StabiliTrak
®not ready light will come on.
To turn on the StabiliTrak
®system, press the
StabiliTrak®button again. StabiliTrak®will
automatically turn back on when the vehicle speed
exceeds 20 mph (32 km/h). You will hear one chime
and the StabiliTrak
®not ready light will turn off.
When the StabiliTrak
®system has been turned off
you may still hear system noises as a result of
the brake-traction control coming on.It is recommended to leave the system on for
normal driving conditions, but it may be necessary
to turn the system off if your vehicle is stuck in sand,
mud, ice or snow, and you want to “rock” your
vehicle to attempt to free it. SeeIf Your Vehicle is
Stuck in Sand, Mud, Ice, or Snow on page 260.
StabiliTrak®System Operation
The StabiliTrak®system is normally on, except
when the system is initializing or has been disabled
with the StabiliTrak
®button. The StabiliTrak®
system will automatically activate to assist the
driver in maintaining vehicle directional control in
most driving conditions. When activated, the
StabiliTrak
®system may reduce engine power to
the wheels and apply braking to individual wheels
as necessary to assist the driver with vehicle
directional control. If your vehicle is in cruise control
when the system activates, the StabiliTrak
®
indicator light on the instrument panel will flash, and
the cruise control will automatically disengage.
When the StabiliTrak
®system is no longer active,
you may re-engage the cruise control. SeeCruise
Control on page 151.
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The StabiliTrak®system 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, you should see
your dealer/retailer for service.
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.
If the brake-traction control system activates
constantly or if the brakes have heated up due to
high speed braking, the brake-traction control
will be automatically disabled. The system
will come back on after the brakes have cooled.
This can take up to two minutes or longer
depending on brake usage.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
you may notice a reduction in acceleration, or
may hear a noise or vibration. This is normal.
Adding non-dealer/non-retailer accessories
can affect your vehicle’s performance. See
Accessories and Modications on page 290for
more information.
All-Wheel Drive (AWD) System
If your vehicle has all-wheel drive, your engine’s
driving power is sent to all four wheels for
extra traction when needed.
This is like four-wheel drive, but there is no
separate lever or switch to engage or disengage
the front axle. It is fully automatic, and adjusts itself
as needed for road conditions.
You may experience a brief vehicle vibration upon
acceleration when driving in slippery conditions.
This is normal and is an indication that the
all-wheel drive system is functioning properly.
238

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 the 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.
What should you do if this ever happens? Ease up
on the 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
the 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-dealer/non-retailer accessories can
affect your vehicle’s performance. SeeAccessories
and Modications on page 290.
239

Steering in Emergencies
There are times when steering can be more
effective than braking. For example, you come
over a hill and find 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 the brakes. SeeBraking
on page 232. 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.
240