traction control BUICK ENCLAVE 2009 Owner's Manual

Vehicle Symbol Chart
Here are some additional symbols
that may be found on the vehicle
and what they mean. For more
information on the symbol, refer to
the index.
9:Airbag Readiness Light
#:Air Conditioning
!:Antilock Brake System (ABS)
g:Audio Steering Wheel
Controls or OnStar®
$:Brake System Warning Light
":Charging System
I:Cruise Control
B:Engine Coolant Temperature
O:Exterior Lamps
#:Fog Lamps
.:Fuel Gage
+:Fuses
i:Headlamp High/Low-Beam
Changer
j:LATCH System Child Restraints
*:Malfunction Indicator Lamp
::Oil Pressure
g:Outside Power Foldaway
Mirrors
}:Power
/:Remote Vehicle Start
>:Safety Belt Reminders
7:Tire Pressure Monitor
_:Tow/Haul Mode
F:Traction Control
M:Windshield Washer Fluid
iv Preface

The main components of your
instrument panel are listed here:
A.Outlet Adjustment on page 3-25.
B.Turn Signal/Multifunction
Lever on page 3-6.Windshield
Wipers on page 3-8.
C.Instrument Panel Cluster on
page 3-29.
D.Driver Information Center (DIC)
on page 3-41.
E.Analog Clock on page 3-19.
F.Audio System(s) on page 3-64.
Navigation/Radio System on
page 3-92(If Equipped).
G.Exterior Lamps on page 3-12.
Fog Lamps on page 3-14.
H.Hood Release on page 5-9.
I.Dome Lamp Override on
page 3-15.Instrument Panel
Brightness on page 3-15. Heated
Windshield Washer Button
(If Equipped). SeeWindshield
Washer on page 3-8.J.Cruise Control on page 3-10.
K.Tilt and Telescopic Steering
Wheel on page 3-6.
L.Horn on page 3-5.
M.Audio Steering Wheel Controls
on page 3-113.
N.Hazard Warning Flashers on
page 3-5.
O.Dual Automatic Climate Control
System on page 3-20.
P. Center Console Shift Lever. See
“Console Shift Lever” under
Shifting Into Park on page 2-28.
Q.Rear Window Wiper/Washer on
page 3-9. Traction Control
System (TCS) Disable Button
(If Equipped). SeeStabiliTrak
®
System on page 4-5.Tow/Haul
Mode on page 2-26(If
Equipped).Power Liftgate on
page 2-10(If Equipped).
R.Accessory Power Outlet(s) on
page 3-18.
S.Heated Seats on page 1-4.T. Passenger Air Bag Status
Indicator. SeePassenger
Sensing System on page 1-52.
U.Glove Box on page 2-49.
Hazard Warning Flashers
|
Hazard Warning
Flasher:Press this button located
on the instrument panel below
the audio system, to make the front
and rear turn signal lamps ash
on and off. This warns others that
you are having trouble. Press
again to turn the ashers off.
The turn signals do not work while
the hazard warning ashers are on.
Horn
Press near or on the horn symbols
on the steering wheel pad to
sound the horn.
Instrument Panel 3-5

Cruise Control
With cruise control, a speed of
about 25 mph (40 km/h) or more can
be maintained without keeping
your foot on the accelerator. Cruise
control does not work at speeds
below about 25 mph (40 km/h).
When the brakes are applied, the
cruise control is disengaged.
{CAUTION
Cruise control can be dangerous
where you cannot drive safely at
a steady speed. So, do not use
the cruise control on winding
roads or in heavy traffic.
Cruise control can be dangerous
on slippery roads. On such roads,
fast changes in tire traction can
cause excessive wheel slip, and
you could lose control. Do not use
cruise control on slippery roads.The cruise control buttons are
located on left side of the steering
wheel.
T(On/Off):Press to turn cruise
control on and off. The indicator
comes on when cruise control is on.
+ RES (Resume/Accelerate):
Press to make the vehicle
accelerate or resume to a previously
set speed.
SET–:Press to set the speed or
make the vehicle decelerate.
[(Cancel):Press to cancel cruise
control.Setting Cruise Control
Cruise control will not work if the
parking brake is set, or if the master
cylinder brake uid level is low.
The cruise control light on the
instrument panel cluster comes on
after the cruise control has been
set to the desired speed.
{CAUTION
If you leave your cruise control on
when you are not using cruise,
you might hit a button and go into
cruise when you do not want to.
You could be startled and even
lose control. Keep the cruise
control switch off until you want to
use cruise control.
1. Press the
Ibutton.
2. Get up to the speed desired.
3-10 Instrument Panel

SERVICE TIRE MONITOR
SYSTEM
On vehicles with the Tire Pressure
Monitor System (TPMS), this
message displays if a part on the
TPMS is not working properly.
The tire pressure light also ashes
and then remains on during the
same ignition cycle. SeeTire
Pressure Light on page 3-36.
Several conditions may cause this
message to appear. SeeTire
Pressure Monitor Operation on
page 5-45for more information. If
the warning comes on and stays on,
there may be a problem with the
TPMS. See your dealer/retailer.
SERVICE TRACTION
CONTROL
This message displays when there
is a problem with the Traction
Control System (TCS). When this
message is displayed, the system
will not limit wheel spin. Adjust your
driving accordingly. See yourdealer/retailer for service. See
StabiliTrak
®System on page 4-5for
more information.
SERVICE TRANSMISSION
This message displays when there
is a problem with the transmission.
See your dealer/retailer for
service.
SERVICE VEHICLE SOON
This message displays when
a non-emissions related malfunction
occurs. Have the vehicle serviced
by your dealer/retailer as soon
as possible.
SPEED LIMITED TO
XXX MPH (KM/H)
This message displays when your
vehicle speed is limited to 80 mph
(128 km/h) because the vehicle
detects a problem in the speed
variable assist steering system.
Have your vehicle serviced by your
dealer/retailer.
STARTING DISABLED
SERVICE THROTTLE
This message displays when your
vehicle’s throttle system is not
functioning properly. Have your
vehicle serviced by your
dealer/retailer.
THEFT ATTEMPTED
This message displays if the content
theft-deterrent system has detected
a break-in attempt while you
were away from your vehicle. See
Content Theft-Deterrent on
page 2-16for more information.
TIGHTEN GAS CAP
This message may display along
with the check engine light on the
instrument panel cluster if the
vehicle’s fuel cap is not tightened
properly. SeeMalfunction Indicator
Lamp on page 3-36. Reinstall the
fuel cap fully. SeeFilling the Tank on
page 5-7. The diagnostic system can
determine if the fuel cap has been
left off or improperly installed.
Instrument Panel 3-55

A loose or missing fuel cap allows
fuel to evaporate into the
atmosphere. A few driving trips with
the cap properly installed should turn
this light and message off.
TIRE LEARNING ACTIVE
This message displays when the
Tire Pressure Monitor System
(TPMS) is re-learning the tire
positions on your vehicle. The tire
positions must be re-learned
after rotating the tires or after
replacing a tire or sensor. SeeTire
Inspection and Rotation on
page 5-48,Tire Pressure Monitor
System on page 5-44, and
Inflation - Tire Pressure on
page 5-42for more information.
TRACTION CONTROL OFF
This message displays when
the Traction Control System (TCS)
is turned off. Adjust your driving
accordingly. SeeStabiliTrak
®
System on page 4-5for more
information. This message clears
itself after 10 seconds.
TRANSMISSION HOT IDLE
ENGINE
Notice:If you drive your vehicle
while the transmission uid is
overheating and the transmission
temperature warning is displayed
on the instrument panel cluster
and/or DIC, you can damage
the transmission. This could lead
to costly repairs that would
not be covered by your warranty.
Do not drive your vehicle with
overheated transmission uid or
while the transmission
temperature warning is displayed.
This message displays and a chime
sounds if the transmission uid in the
vehicle gets hot. Driving with the
transmission uid temperature high
can cause damage to the vehicle.
Stop the vehicle and let it idle to
allow the transmission to cool. This
message clears when the uid
temperature reaches a safe level.
TURN SIGNAL ON
This message displays and a chime
sounds if a turn signal is left on
for 3/4 of a mile (1.2 km). Move the
turn signal/multifunction lever to
the off position.
WASHER FLUID LOW ADD
FLUID
This message displays when the
windshield washer uid is low.
Fill the windshield washer uid
reservoir as soon as possible. See
Engine Compartment Overview
on page 5-10for the location of the
windshield washer uid reservoir.
Also, seeWindshield Washer
Fluid on page 5-23for more
information.
3-56 Instrument Panel

The DVD should resume play from
where it last stopped if the disc
has not been ejected and the stop
button has not been pressed
twice on the remote control. If the
disc has been ejected or the
stop button has been pressed twice
on the remote control, the disc
resumes playing at the beginning of
the disc.
Ejecting a Disc
Press
ZDVD on the radio to eject
the disc. If a disc is ejected from the
radio, but not removed, the radio
reloads the disc after a short period
of time. The disc is stored in the
radio. The radio does not resume
play of the disc automatically. If the
movie is reloaded and the RSA
system is sourced to the DVD, the
player begins to play again. If loading
and reading a DVD or CD cannot be
completed, and the disc fails to eject,
press and hold
ZDVD for more
than ve seconds to force the disc
to eject.
DVD Radio Error Messages
Player Error:This message
displays when there are disc load or
eject problems.
Disc Format Error:This message
displays, if the disc is inserted
with the disc label wrong side up, or
if the disc is damaged.
Disc Region Error:This message
displays, if the disc is not from a
correct region.
No Disc Inserted:This message
displays, if no disc is present
when
ZDVD or DVD/CD AUX is
pressed on the radio.
Using the Auxiliary Input Jack
The radio system has an auxiliary
input jack located on the lower right
side of the faceplate. This is not
an audio output; do not plug
a headphone set into the front
auxiliary input jack. Connect
an auxiliary input device such as an
iPod, laptop computer, MP3player, CD player, or cassette tape
player, etc. to the auxiliary input
jack for use as another source for
audio listening.
Drivers are encouraged to set up
any auxiliary device while the
vehicle is in P (Park). SeeDefensive
Driving on page 4-2for more
information on driver distraction.
To use an auxiliary input device,
connect a 3.5 mm (1/8 inch) cable to
the radio’s front auxiliary input jack.
O(Power/Volume):Turn
clockwise or counterclockwise to
increase or decrease the volume of
the portable player. Additional
volume adjustments might have to
be made from the portable device if
the volume is not loud or soft
enough.
BAND:Press to listen to the radio
when a portable audio device is
playing. The portable audio device
continues playing, so you might
want to stop it or turn it off.
Instrument Panel 3-81

As the brakes are applied, the
computer keeps receiving updates
on wheel speed and controls braking
pressure accordingly.
Remember: ABS does not change
the time needed to get a foot
up to the brake pedal or always
decrease stopping distance. If you
get too close to the vehicle in
front of you, there will not be enough
time to apply the brakes if that
vehicle suddenly slows or stops.
Always leave enough room up
ahead to stop, even with ABS.
Using ABS
Do not pump the brakes. Just hold
the brake pedal down rmly and
let antilock work. The antilock pump
or motor operating might be
heard and the brake pedal might be
felt to pulsate, but this is normal.
Braking in Emergencies
ABS allows the driver to steer and
brake at the same time. In many
emergencies, steering can help more
than even the very best braking.
Brake Assist
This vehicle has a Brake Assist
feature designed to assist the driver
in stopping or decreasing vehicle
speed in emergency driving
conditions. This feature uses the
stability system hydraulic brake
control module to supplement the
power brake system under
conditions where the driver has
quickly and forcefully applied
the brake pedal in an attempt to
quickly stop or slow down the
vehicle. The stability system
hydraulic brake control module
increases brake pressure at each
corner of the vehicle until the
ABS activates. Minor brake pedal
pulsations or pedal movement
during this time is normal and the
driver should continue to apply
the brake pedal as the drivingsituation dictates The Brake Assist
feature will automatically disengage
when the brake pedal is released
or brake pedal pressure is quickly
decreased.
StabiliTrak®System
The vehicle has the StabiliTrak
system which combines antilock
brake, traction and stability control
systems and helps the driver
maintain directional control of the
vehicle in most driving conditions.
When you rst start the vehicle and
begin to drive away, the system
performs several diagnostic checks
to ensure there are no problems.
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 of driving
before the system initializes.
Driving Your Vehicle 4-5

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 3-41.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. It may also be
4-6 Driving Your Vehicle

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 4-15.
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 reducedautomatically 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 3-10.
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
front axle. It is fully automatic,
and adjusts itself as needed for road
conditions.
Driving Your Vehicle 4-7

When using a compact spare tire on
the AWD equipped vehicle, the
AWD system automatically detects
the presence of the compact
spare and the AWD is disabled. To
restore the AWD operation and
prevent excessive wear on
the clutch in the AWD system,
replace the compact spare with a
full-size tire as soon as possible.
SeeCompact Spare Tire on
page 5-83for more information.
Steering
Power Steering
If power steering assist is lost
because the engine stops or the
system is not functioning, the vehicle
can be steered but it will take
more effort.
Variable Effort Steering
The vehicle has a steering system
that continuously adjusts the
effort felt when steering at all vehicle
speeds. It provides ease when
parking, yet a rm, solid feel
at highway speeds.
Steering Tips
It is important to take curves at a
reasonable speed.
Traction in a curve depends on the
condition of the tires and the
road surface, the angle at which the
curve is banked, and vehicle
speed. While in a curve, speed is
the one factor that can be controlled.
If there is a need to reduce speed,
do it before entering the curve,
while the front wheels are straight.
Try to adjust the speed so you
can drive through the curve.
Maintain a reasonable, steady
speed. Wait to accelerate until out
of the curve, and then accelerate
gently into the straightaway.
Steering in Emergencies
There are times when steering can
be more effective than braking.
For example, you come over a hill
and nd 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. These
problems can be avoided by
braking — if you can stop in time.
But sometimes you cannot stop
in time because there is no room.
That is the time for evasive
action — steering around the
problem.
The vehicle can perform very well in
emergencies like these. First,
apply the brakes. SeeBraking on
page 4-3. It is better to remove
as much speed as possible from a
collision. Then steer around the
problem, to the left or right
depending on the space available.
4-8 Driving Your Vehicle