brake CHEVROLET COBALT 2007 1.G Owner's Manual

LOW COOLANT
If your vehicle has a 2.0L engine, this message
displays when there is a low level of engine
coolant. Have the cooling system serviced by your
dealer as soon as possible. SeeEngine Coolant
on page 302for more information.
LOW FUEL
This message displays when your vehicle is low
on fuel. Rell the fuel tank as soon as possible.
SeeFuel Gage on page 179,Fuel on page 282,
andFilling the Tank on page 285for more
information.
LOW TRACTION
If your vehicle has the Enhanced Traction System
(ETS), this message displays when the system
is actively limiting wheel spin. Slippery road
conditions may exist if this message displays,
so adjust your driving accordingly. SeeEnhanced
Traction System (ETS) on page 234for more
information.
PARKING BRAKE
This message displays if the parking brake is left
engaged. SeeParking Brake on page 123for
more information.
POWER STEERING
This message displays if a problem has been
detected with the electric power steering. Have
your vehicle serviced by your dealer immediately.
SERVICE AIR BAG
This message displays when there is a problem
with the airbag system. Have your vehicle serviced
by your dealer immediately.
TRUNK AJAR
This message displays when the trunk lid is not
closed completely. Make sure that the trunk
lid is closed completely. SeeTrunk on page 102.
DIC Vehicle Personalization
Your vehicle has personalization capabilities
that allow you to program certain features to a
preferred setting. All of the features listed may not
be available on your vehicle. Only the features
available will be displayed on the DIC.
The default settings for the features were set
when your vehicle left the factory, but may have
been changed from their default state since
that time.
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Your Driving, the Road, and
Your Vehicle............................................ 226
Defensive Driving...................................... 226
Drunken Driving........................................ 227
Control of a Vehicle.................................. 230
Braking...................................................... 230
Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS).................. 231
Braking in Emergencies............................. 233
Enhanced Traction System (ETS).............. 234
Limited-Slip Differential.............................. 235
Steering.................................................... 236
Off-Road Recovery.................................... 239
Passing..................................................... 239
Loss of Control.......................................... 241
Racing or Other Competitive Driving.......... 242
Driving at Night......................................... 243Driving in Rain and on Wet Roads............ 244
City Driving............................................... 248
Freeway Driving........................................ 249
Before Leaving on a Long Trip.................. 250
Highway Hypnosis..................................... 251
Hill and Mountain Roads........................... 252
Winter Driving........................................... 254
If Your Vehicle is Stuck in Sand,
Mud, Ice, or Snow................................. 258
Rocking Your Vehicle to Get It Out........... 259
Loading Your Vehicle................................ 259
Towing........................................................ 264
Towing Your Vehicle................................. 264
Recreational Vehicle Towing...................... 265
Towing a Trailer (Manual Transaxle)......... 267
Towing a Trailer (Automatic Transaxle)...... 268
Section 4 Driving Your Vehicle
225

Control of a Vehicle
The following three systems help to control your
vehicle while driving — brakes, steering, and
accelerator. At times, as when driving on snow
or ice, it is easy to ask more of those control
systems than the tires and road can provide.
Meaning, you can lose control of your vehicle.
SeeEnhanced Traction System (ETS) on
page 234.
Adding non-dealer/non-retailer accessories can
affect your vehicle’s performance. SeeAccessories
and Modications on page 280.
Braking
SeeBrake System Warning Light on page 171.
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 280.Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS)
Your vehicle might have the Anti-Lock Brake
System (ABS), an advanced electronic braking
system that will help prevent a braking skid.
If your vehicle has ABS,
this warning light on the
instrument panel will
come on briey
when you start your
vehicle.
When you start the engine, or when you begin to
drive away, ABS will check itself. You might
hear a momentary motor or clicking noise while
this test is going on, and you might even
notice that the brake pedal moves or pulses a
little. This is normal.
231

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 might 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 ABS, you can steer and brake at the
same time. However, if you do not have ABS,
your rst reaction — to hit the brake pedal
hard and hold it down — might be the wrong
thing to do. Your wheels can stop rolling.Once they do, the vehicle cannot 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 do not have ABS, use a “squeeze” 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 do have ABS, it is different.
SeeAnti-Lock Brake System (ABS) on page 231.
In many emergencies, steering can help you
more than even the very best braking.
233

The Enhanced Traction System warning light may
come on for the following reasons:
If you turn the system off by moving the shift
lever to LOW (L), the warning light will come
on and stay on. To turn the system back
on, move the shift lever back to a position
other than LOW (L). The warning light should
go off.
The warning light will come on when you set
your parking brake with the engine running,
and it will stay on if your parking brake
does not release fully. If the transaxle shift
lever is in any position other than LOW (L) and
the warning light stays on after your parking
brake is fully released, it means there is
a problem with the system.
If the traction control system is affected by an
engine related problem, the system will turn
off and the warning light will come on.If the Enhanced Traction System warning light
comes on and stays on for an extended period of
time when the transaxle shift lever is in any
position other than LOW (L), your vehicle needs
service.
Adding non-GM accessories can affect your
vehicle’s performance. SeeAccessories and
Modications on page 280for more information.
Limited-Slip Differential
Your vehicle may have this feature. A limited-slip
transaxle can give you additional traction on snow,
mud, ice, sand or gravel. It works like a standard
transaxle most of the time, but when one of the
front wheels loses traction, this feature will allow the
wheel with traction to move the vehicle.
235

Suppose you are steering through a sharp curve.
Then you suddenly apply the brakes. Both
control systems — steering and braking — 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 are steering
through a sharp curve and you suddenly
accelerate. Those two control systems — steering
and acceleration — can overwhelm those
places where the tires meet the road and make
you lose control. SeeEnhanced Traction System
(ETS) on page 234.
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 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 280.
237

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. 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 — but, unless
you have anti-lock brakes, not enough to lock the
wheels. SeeBraking on page 230. 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.
238

Check your vehicle’s mirrors, glance over your
shoulder, and start your left lane change signal
before moving out of the right lane to pass.
When you are far enough ahead of the passed
vehicle to see its front in your vehicle’s inside
mirror, activate the right lane change signal and
move back into the right lane. Remember that
an outside convex mirror makes the vehicle you
just passed seem farther away from you than it
really is.
Try not to pass more than one vehicle at a time
on two-lane roads. Reconsider before passing
the next vehicle.
Do not overtake a slowly moving vehicle too
rapidly. Even though the brake lamps are not
ashing, it might be slowing down or starting
to turn.
If you are being passed, make it easy for
the following driver to get ahead of you.
Perhaps you can ease a little to the right.
Loss of Control
Let us review what driving experts say about what
happens when the three control systems — brakes,
steering, and acceleration — do not have enough
friction where the tires meet the road to do what the
driver has asked.
In any emergency, do not give up. Keep trying to
steer and constantly seek an escape route or
area of less danger.
Skidding
In a skid, a driver can lose control of the vehicle.
Defensive drivers avoid most skids by taking
reasonable care suited to existing conditions, and
by not overdriving those conditions. But skids
are always possible.
The three types of skids correspond to your
vehicle’s three control systems. In the braking skid,
the wheels are not rolling. In the steering or
cornering skid, too much speed or steering in a
curve causes tires to slip and lose cornering force.
And in the acceleration skid, too much throttle
causes the driving wheels to spin.
A cornering skid is best handled by easing your
foot off the accelerator pedal.
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