ABS CHEVROLET SILVERADO 2007 1.G Owners Manual

To unlatch the belt, push the button on the buckle.
The belt should go back out of the way.
Before you close the door, be sure the belt is out
of the way. If you slam the door on it, you can
damage both the belt and your vehicle.
Shoulder Belt Height Adjustment
Shoulder belt height adjusters are available for the
driver and right front passenger seating positions.
Before you begin to drive, move the shoulder
belt adjuster to the height that is right for you.
Adjust the height so that the shoulder portion of
the belt is centered on your shoulder. The
belt should be away from your face and neck, but
not falling off your shoulder. Improper shoulder
belt height adjustment could reduce the
effectiveness of the safety belt in a crash.
To move the adjuster
down for the regular
and crew cabs, squeeze
the buttons (A) on the
sides of the height
adjuster and move the
height adjuster to
the desired position.
Regular and Crew Cab
35

On the extended cabs,
push down on the
release button (A) and
move the height
adjuster to the desired
position.
You can move the adjuster up just by pushing up
on the shoulder belt guide.
After you move the adjuster to where you want it,
try to move it down, without squeezing the
buttons for the regular and crew cabs, or without
pushing the release button for extended cabs,
to make sure it has locked into position.Safety Belt Use During Pregnancy
Safety belts work for everyone, including pregnant
women. Like all occupants, they are more likely
to be seriously injured if they do not wear
safety belts.
A pregnant woman should wear a lap-shoulder
belt, and the lap portion should be worn as low as
possible, below the rounding, throughout the
pregnancy.
Extended Cab
36

Rear Doors
Extended Cab
Your vehicle may have a rear access door(s) that
allows easier access to the rear area of the
extended cab.
To open a rear access
door from the outside,
rst open the front door.
Then, use the handle
located on the front
edge of the rear access
door to open it.
You must fully close a rear access door before
you can close the front door.To open a rear access
door from the inside, the
front door must be
opened rst. Then, use
the handle located
on the inside of the rear
access door to open.
Crew Cabs
If your vehicle is a crew cab, you can open your
doors from the inside or outside. Your vehicle may
also have a feature which prevents children
from opening the rear doors. SeeRear Door
Security Locks on page 122for more information.
123

Anti-Lock Brake System
Warning Light
With the Anti-Lock
Brake System (ABS),
this light will come on
when you start your
engine and may stay on
for several seconds.
That is normal. If the light does not come on then,
have it xed so it will be ready to warn you if
there is a problem.If the light stays on, or comes on when you are
driving, your vehicle needs service. A chime
will sound when the light stays on. If the regular
brake system warning light is not on, you still have
brakes, but you do not have ABS. If the regular
brake system warning light is also on you do
not have ABS and there is a problem with your
regular brakes. In addition to both lights, you
will also hear a chime sound on the rst
occurrence of a problem and each time the
vehicle is shut off and then restarted. SeeBrake
System Warning Light on page 258.
The ABS warning light should come on briey
when you turn the ignition key to RUN. If the light
does not come on then, have it xed so it will
be ready to warn you if there is a problem.
259

Your Driving, the Road, and Your
Vehicle..................................................... 376
Defensive Driving...................................... 376
Drunken Driving........................................ 377
Control of a Vehicle.................................. 380
Braking...................................................... 380
Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS).................. 381
Braking in Emergencies............................. 383
Locking Rear Axle..................................... 383
StabiliTrak
®System................................... 384
Steering.................................................... 387
Off-Road Recovery.................................... 389
Passing..................................................... 389
Loss of Control.......................................... 391
Off-Road Driving........................................ 392
Driving at Night......................................... 409
Driving in Rain and on Wet Roads............ 410
City Driving............................................... 414
Freeway Driving........................................ 415Before Leaving on a Long Trip.................. 416
Highway Hypnosis..................................... 417
Hill and Mountain Roads........................... 418
Winter Driving........................................... 420
If Your Vehicle is Stuck in Sand, Mud,
Ice, or Snow.......................................... 424
Rocking Your Vehicle to Get It Out........... 425
Recovery Hooks (Except SS Model).......... 426
Loading Your Vehicle................................ 427
Adding a Snow Plow or Similar
Equipment.............................................. 434
Truck-Camper Loading Information............ 438
Pickup Conversion to Chassis Cab.............. 441
Towing........................................................ 441
Towing Your Vehicle................................. 441
Recreational Vehicle Towing...................... 442
Towing a Trailer........................................ 447
Trailer Recommendations.......................... 484
Section 4 Driving Your Vehicle
375

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 488.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 your engine and begin to drive
away, ABS will check itself. You may hear a
momentary motor or clicking noise while this test
is going on. This is normal.
If there is a problem
with ABS, this warning
light will stay on.
SeeAnti-Lock Brake
System Warning
Light on page 259.
Along with ABS, your vehicle has a Dynamic Rear
Proportioning (DRP) system. If there is a DRP
problem, both the brake and ABS warning lights
will come on accompanied by a 10-second
chime. The lights and chime will come on each
time the ignition is turned on until the problem is
repaired. See your dealer for service.
381

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, your computer keeps receiving
updates on wheel speed and controls braking
pressure accordingly.
382

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 your 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 feel the brakes vibrate, or you may 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.
383

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 you start your vehicle. 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 you
turn off traction control, 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 you allow the wheel(s) of one axle
to spin excessively while the StabiliTrak
®, ABS
and brake warning lights and the SERVICE
STABILITRAK message are displayed,
you could damage the transfer case.The repairs would not be covered by your
warranty. Reduce engine power and do
not spin the wheel(s) excessively while these
lights and this message 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, you may notice a reduction in
acceleration, or may hear a noise or vibration.
This is normal.
If your vehicle is in cruise control when the system
activates, the StabiliTrak
®light will ash and the
cruise control will automatically disengage.
When road conditions allow you to use cruise
again, you may re-engage the cruise control.
SeeCruise Control on page 220.
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, you should see your dealer for service.
386

A cornering skid is best handled by easing your
foot off the accelerator pedal.
Remember: StabiliTrak
®helps avoid only the
acceleration skid. SeeStabiliTrak®System
on page 384. If the StabiliTrak®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.
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.
Remember: Any Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS)
helps avoid only the braking skid.
Off-Road Driving
This off-road guide is for vehicles that have
four-wheel drive. Also, seeBraking on page 380.
If your vehicle is an SS Model or does not have
four-wheel drive, you should not drive off-road
unless you are on a level, solid surface. If your
vehicle has 20-inch tire/wheel assemblies, do not
use your vehicle for off-road driving. SeeTires
on page 552.
The airbag system is designed to work properly
under a wide range of conditions, including off-road
usage. Observe safe driving speeds, especially
on rough terrain. As always, wear your safety belt.
392