PONTIAC GRAND PRIX 2004 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. ªI'll be carefulº isn't the
right answer. What if there's 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's something else about drinking and driving that
many people don't 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 Ð driver or passenger Ð 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 re¯exes, perceptions, attentiveness and
judgment can be affected by even a small
amount of alcohol. You can have a seriousÐor
even fatalÐcollision if you drive after drinking.
Please don't drink and drive or ride with a
driver who has been drinking. Ride home in a
cab; or if you're with a group, designate a
driver who will not drink.
4-5

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're driving on snow or ice, it's
easy to ask more of those control systems than the tires
and road can provide. That means you can lose control of
your vehicle. Also see
Traction Control System (TCS)
on page 4-10andEnhanced Traction System (ETS) on
page 4-11.
Braking
Braking action involvesperception timeandreaction time.
First, you have to decide to push on the brake pedal.
That'sperception time.Then you have to bring up your
foot and do it. That'sreaction time.
Averagereaction timeis about 3/4 of a second.
But that's 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 3/4 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's pavement
or gravel); the condition of the road (wet, dry, icy);
tire tread; the condition of your brakes; the weight of
the vehicle and the amount of brake force applied.
4-6

Avoid needless heavy braking. Some people drive
in spurts Ð heavy acceleration followed by heavy
braking Ð rather than keeping pace with traffic. This is
a mistake. Your brakes may not have time to cool
between hard stops. Your 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 engine ever stops while you're driving, brake
normally but don't pump your brakes. If you do,
the pedal may get harder to push down. If your 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.Anti-lock Brake System (ABS)
Your vehicle may have anti-lock brakes. ABS is an
advanced electronic braking system that will help
prevent a braking skid.
If your vehicle has anti-lock
brakes, this warning light
on the instrument panel
will come on brie¯y when
you start your vehicle.
When you start your engine, or when you begin to drive
away, your anti-lock brake system will check itself.
You may hear a momentary motor or clicking noise while
this test is going on, and you may even notice that
your brake pedal moves or pulses a little. This is normal.
4-7

Let's say the road is wet and you're driving safely.
Suddenly, an animal jumps out in front of you.
You slam on the brakes and continue braking.
Here's 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.The anti-lock system 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.
4-8

Remember: Anti-lock doesn't 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 won't 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 anti-lock brakes.
Using Anti-Lock
Don't pump the brakes. Just hold the brake pedal down
®rmly and let anti-lock work for you. You may feel a
slight brake pedal pulsation or notice some noise,
but this is normal.
Braking in Emergencies
At some time, nearly every driver gets into a situation
that requires hard braking.
If you have anti-lock, you can steer and brake at the
same time. However, if you don't have anti-lock,
your ®rst reaction Ð to hit the brake pedal hard andhold it down Ð may be the wrong thing to do. Your
wheels can stop rolling. Once they do, the vehicle can't
respond to your steering. Momentum will carry it in
whatever direction it was headed when the wheels
stopped rolling. That could be off the road, into the very
thing you were trying to avoid, or into traffic.
If you don't have anti-lock, use a ªsqueezeº braking
technique. This will give you maximum braking while
maintaining steering control. You can do this by pushing
on the brake pedal with steadily increasing pressure.
In an emergency, you will probably want to squeeze
the brakes hard without locking the wheels. If you hear
or feel the wheels sliding, ease off the brake pedal.
This will help you retain steering control. If you
dohave
anti-lock, it's different. See ªAnti-Lock Brake Systemº
in this section.
In many emergencies, steering can help you more than
even the very best braking.
4-9

Traction Control System (TCS)
If your vehicle has the 3800 supercharged V6 engine
it 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 works the front
brakes and reduces engine power to limit wheel spin.
This symbol will appear on
the DIC screen when the
system is active, along with
the TRACTION CONTROL
ACTIVE message.
You may feel or hear the system working, but this is
normal.
When the traction control
system is not working, this
symbol will appear on the
instrument panel cluster.This symbol, along with
the message TRACTION
CONTROL OFF will
also display in the DIC
for three seconds when
the traction control system
is not active.
When these symbols and messages appear on the
instrument panel and the Driver's Information Center
(DIC), the system will not limit wheel spin. Adjust your
driving accordingly.
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 or snow and rocking the vehicle is required.
See ªRocking Your Vehicle to Get It Outº under
If You Are Stuck: In Sand, Mud, Ice or Snow on
page 4-32.
4-10

To turn the system off,
press the traction control
button located on the
console.
If the system is limiting wheel spin when you press the
button the system will turn off instantly. You can
turn the system back on at any time by pressing the
button again.
If your vehicle is in cruise control when the traction
control system begins to limit wheel spin, the cruise
control will automatically disengage. When road
conditions allow you to safely use it again, you may
reengage the cruise control. See
Cruise Control Lever
on page 3-8.
Enhanced Traction System (ETS)
If your vehicle has the 3800 V6 engine and anti-lock
brakes, your vehicle may have an Enhanced Traction
System (ETS) 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 and
may also upshift the transaxle to limit wheel spin.
This symbol will appear on
the Driver Information
Center (DIC) when your
Enhanced Traction System
is limiting wheel spin.
If your vehicle is in cruise control when the enhanced
traction system begins to limit wheel spin, the cruise
control will automatically disengage. When road
conditions allow you to safely use it again, you may
re-engage the cruise control. See
Cruise Control Lever
on page 3-8.
4-11

The Enhanced Traction System operates in all transaxle
shift lever positions. But the system can upshift the
transaxle only as high as the shift lever position you've
chosen, so you should use the lower gears only when
necessary. See
Automatic Transaxle Operation on
page 2-22.
This warning light appears
on the instrument panel to
indicate that the ETS is
not on.
This symbol, along with
the message TRACTION
CONTROL OFF will
also display on the DIC for
three seconds when the
ETS is not active.
See
Enhanced Traction System Warning Light on
page 3-38. When this warning light is on, the system will
not limit wheel spin. Adjust your driving accordingly.To limit wheel spin, especially in slippery road conditions,
you should always leave the ETS on. But you can turn
the system off if you ever need to. You should turn the
system off if your vehicle ever gets stuck in sand, mud or
snow and rocking the vehicle is required. See ªRocking
Your Vehicle To Get It Outº under
If You Are Stuck:
In Sand, Mud, Ice or Snow on page 4-32.
To turn the system off,
press the traction control
button located on the
console.
If the system is limiting wheel spin when you press the
button the system will turn off instantly. You can
turn the system back on at any time by pressing the
button again.
4-12

StabilitrakžPlus System
Your vehicle may be equipped with a vehicle stability
enhancement system called StabilitrakžPlus. It is
an advanced computer controlled system that assists
you with directional control of the vehicle in difficult
driving conditions.
Stabilitrak
žPlus comes on whenever the vehicle is
started. It activates when the computer senses a
discrepancy between your intended path and the
direction the vehicle is actually traveling. Stabilitrak
ž
Plus selectively applies braking pressure at any one of
the vehicle's brakes to help steer the vehicle in the
direction which you are steering.
This symbol, along with
the STABILITY CONTROL
ACTIVE message will
appear on the Driver
Information Center (DIC).See
DIC Warnings and Messages on page 3-65.
You may also hear a noise or feel vibration in the brake
pedal. This is normal. Continue to steer the vehicle in
the direction you want it to go.
If there is a problem
detected with Stabilitrak
ž
Plus, this symbol along
with the SERVICE
STABILITY SYSTEM
warning message will be
displayed on the Driver
Information Center (DIC).
See
DIC Warnings and Messages on page 3-65. When
this message is displayed, the system is not operational.
Driving should be adjusted accordingly.
If your vehicle is in cruise control when Stabilitrak
žPlus
activates, the cruise control will automatically disengage.
When road conditions allow you to safely use it again,
you may reengage the cruise control. See
Cruise Control
Lever on page 3-8for more information.
4-13

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.
Variable Effort Steering
If your vehicle has this steering system, the system
provides less steering effort for parking and when driving
at speeds below 20 mph (32 km/h). Steering effort will
increase at higher speeds for improved road feel.
Steering Tips
Driving on Curves
It's important to take curves at a reasonable speed.
A lot of the ªdriver lost controlº accidents mentioned on
the news happen on curves. Here's 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's no traction, inertia will keep the
vehicle going in the same direction. If you've ever tried to
steer a vehicle on wet ice, you'll 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're
in a curve, speed is the one factor you can control.Suppose you're steering through a sharp curve.
Then you suddenly apply the brakes. Both control
systems Ð steering and braking Ð have to do their
work where the tires meet the road. Unless you have
four-wheel anti-lock brakes, adding the hard braking can
demand too much of those places. You can lose control.
The same thing can happen if you're steering through a
sharp curve and you suddenly accelerate. Those two
control systems Ð steering and acceleration Ð can
overwhelm those places where the tires meet the road
and make you lose control. See
Traction Control System
(TCS) on page 4-10orEnhanced Traction System (ETS)
on page 4-11.
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'll 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 ªdriveº 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.
4-14