ABS SATURN VUE HYBRID 2007 Owners Manual

Your vehicle must have a working electrical
system (including adequate battery power) for the
OnStar
®equipment to operate. There are other
problems OnStar®cannot control that may prevent
OnStar®from providing OnStar®service to you
at any particular time or place. Some examples are
damage to important parts of your vehicle in an
accident, hills, tall buildings, tunnels, weather
or wireless phone network congestion.
Your Responsibility
You may need to increase the volume of your
radio to hear the OnStar®advisor. If the light next
to the OnStar®buttons is red, this means that
your system is not functioning properly and should
be checked by a dealer. If the light appears
clear (no light is appearing), your OnStar
®
subscription has expired. You can always press
the OnStar®button to conrm that your OnStar®
equipment is active.
Storage Areas
Glove Box
To open the glove box, pull the lever to the left.
Cupholder(s)
Your vehicle has a removable cupholder liner and
cupholder located inside the center console
storage area. To access, pull the cover towards
the rear of the vehicle. To remove the liner, pull it
out of the cupholder. To replace, push the liner
back in. To remove the cupholder, push the tab in
near the passenger’s seat and pull straight up.
To replace, slide the two tabs at the rear of
the cupholder into the slots at the rear of the
center console and push the cupholder gently into
place. There is additional storage underneath
the cupholders. There are two more cupholders
located at rear of the center console. Push the
button to access.
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Anti-Lock Brake System
Warning Light
The Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS) warning light
will come on briey, as a check, when you
start your vehicle. If it does not, have your vehicle
serviced so that the light works properly when
it needs to.
If the light stays on after
you start your engine, or
comes on and stays
on while you are driving,
try resetting the system.
To reset the system, do the following:
1. If you are driving, pull over when it is safe
to do so.
2. Be sure the vehicle is in PARK (P).
3. Turn off the ignition.
4. Then restart the engine.If the light remains on after resetting the system or
comes on again while driving, your vehicle
needs service. If the ABS light is on, but the
regular brake system warning light is not on, the
anti-lock brakes are not working properly, but
the regular brakes are still functioning. Have your
vehicle serviced right away. If both brake lights
are on, you do not have anti-lock brakes, and there
is a problem with your regular brakes as well.
Have your vehicle towed for service. SeeTowing
Your Vehicle on page 270.
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.
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Your Driving, the Road, and
Your Vehicle............................................ 232
Driver Behavior......................................... 232
Driving Environment.................................. 232
Vehicle Design.......................................... 232
Defensive Driving...................................... 233
Drunken Driving........................................ 234
Control of a Vehicle.................................. 237
Braking...................................................... 237
Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS).................. 238
Braking in Emergencies............................. 240
Traction Control System (TCS).................. 240
Steering.................................................... 241
Off-Road Recovery.................................... 244
Passing..................................................... 244
Loss of Control.......................................... 246
Driving at Night......................................... 247Driving in Rain and on Wet Roads............ 248
City Driving............................................... 251
Freeway Driving........................................ 252
Before Leaving on a Long Trip.................. 253
Highway Hypnosis..................................... 254
Hill and Mountain Roads........................... 255
Winter Driving........................................... 257
If Your Vehicle is Stuck in Sand, Mud,
Ice, or Snow.......................................... 261
Rocking Your Vehicle to Get It Out........... 262
Recovery Hook.......................................... 262
Loading Your Vehicle................................ 264
Towing........................................................ 270
Towing Your Vehicle ................................. 270
Recreational Vehicle Towing...................... 270
Towing a Trailer........................................ 274
Section 4 Driving Your Vehicle
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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-Saturn accessories can affect your
vehicle’s performance. SeeAccessories and
Modications on page 287.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 may hear
a momentary motor or clicking noise while this test
is going on, and you may even notice that the
brake pedal moves a little. This is normal.
If there is a problem
with ABS, this warning
light will stay on.
SeeAnti-Lock Brake
System Warning
Light on page 170.
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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 wheel.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 rmly and let anti-lock work for you. You may
hear the anti-lock pump or motor operate, and feel
the brake pedal pulsate, 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.
Traction Control System (TCS)
Your vehicle 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 reduces engine
power to limit wheel spin.
This light will come on
when your traction
control system is limiting
wheel spin.
SeeLow Traction Light on page 171. You may
feel or hear the system working, but this is normal.
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, ice or snow
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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.
Driving at Night
Night 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 the
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 so
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 differences increase.
A 50-year-old driver may require at least twice as
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.
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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. SeeAnti-Lock Brake
System (ABS) on page 238.
Allow greater following distance on any
slippery road.
Watch for slippery spots. The road might be
ne 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 buildings, 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
maneuvers.
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 ashers.
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, oor
mats — anything you can wrap around
yourself or tuck under your clothing to
keep warm.
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3. When the chocks are in place, release the
regular brakes until the chocks absorb
the load.
4. Reapply the regular brakes. Then apply your
parking brake and shift into PARK (P).
5. Release the regular brakes.
When You Are Ready to Leave After
Parking on a Hill
1. Apply your regular brakes and hold the pedal
down while you:
start your engine,
shift into a gear, and
release the parking brake.
2. Let up on the brake pedal.
3. Drive slowly until the trailer is clear of the
chocks.
4. Stop and have someone pick up and store
the chocks.
Maintenance When Trailer Towing
Your vehicle will need service more often when
you’re pulling a trailer. SeeScheduled Maintenance
on page 392for more information. Things that
are especially important in trailer operation are
automatic transaxle uid (don’t overll), engine oil,
drive belt, cooling system and brake system.
Each of these is covered in this manual, and the
Index will help you nd them quickly. If you’re
trailering, it’s a good idea to review this information
before you start your trip.
Check periodically to see that all hitch nuts and
bolts are tight.
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Center High-Mounted Stoplamp
(CHMSL)
To replace a CHMSL bulb, do the following:
1. Remove the center high-mounted stoplamp
(CHMSL) fasteners from the outside of the
vehicle.
2. Pull the CHMSL out of the liftgate.
3. Disconnect the rear washer hose from the
rear washer nozzle.
4. Disconnect the electrical connector from
the CHMSL.5. Depress the tabs on the CHMSL lens to
separate the CHMSL bulb from the
CHMSL lens.
6. Pull the CHMSL bulb out of the assembly.
7. Replace the old bulb with a new one.
8. Align the tabs on the CHMSL lens with the
CHMSL bulb assembly, and push to install.
9. Reverse Steps 1 through 4 to reinstall the
CHMSL assembly.
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