traction control CHEVROLET IMPALA 2003 8.G User Guide

To turn the system on or
off, press the TRAC OFF
button on the left side
of the instrument panel.
When you turn the system off, a chime will sound and
the TRAC OFF warning light will come on and stay on.
If the traction control system is limiting wheel spin
when you press the button to turn the system off, the
warning light will come on and the system will turn
off right away.
You can turn the system back on at any time by
pressing the button again. The TRAC OFF warning light
should go off.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.
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.
4-10

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
ªoverdrivingº those conditions. But skids are always
possible.
The three types of skids correspond to your vehicle's
three control systems. In the braking skid, your wheels
aren't 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 and an acceleration skid are 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'll
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 engine braking 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 Ð such as enough water, ice or packed snow
on the road to make a ªmirrored surfaceº Ð and slow
down when you have any doubt.
If you have the anti-lock braking system, remember: It
helps avoid only the braking skid. If you do not have
anti-lock, then in a braking skid (where the wheels are
no longer rolling), release enough pressure on the
brakes to get the wheels rolling again. This restores
steering control. Push the brake pedal down steadily
when you have to stop suddenly. As long as the wheels
are rolling, you will have steering control.
4-15

What's the worst time for this? ªWet ice.º Very cold
snow or ice can be slick and hard to drive on. But wet
ice can be even more trouble because it may offer
the least traction of all. You can get wet ice when it's
about freezing (32ÉF; 0ÉC) and freezing rain begins
to fall. Try to avoid driving on wet ice until salt and sand
crews can get there.
Whatever the condition ± smooth ice, packed, blowing
or loose snow ± drive with caution.
Keep your traction control system on. It improves your
ability to accelerate when driving on a slippery road.
Even though your vehicle has a traction control system,
you'll want to slow down and adjust your driving to
the road conditions. See
Traction Control System (TCS)
(3800 V6 Engine) on page 4-9.
Unless you have the anti-lock braking system, you'll
want to brake very gently, too. (If you do have anti-lock,
see
Braking on page 4-6. This system improves your
vehicle's stability when you make a hard stop on a
slippery road.) Whether you have the anti-lock braking
system or not, you'll want to begin stopping sooner than
you would on dry pavement. Without anti-lock brakes,
if you feel your vehicle begin to slide, let up on the
brakes a little. Push the brake pedal down steadily to
get the most traction you can.Remember, unless you have anti-lock, if you brake
so hard that your wheels stop rolling, you'll just slide.
Brake so your wheels always keep rolling and you can
still steer.
·Whatever your braking system, allow greater
following distance on any slippery road.
·Watch for slippery spots. The road might be ®ne
until you hit a spot that's covered with ice. On
an otherwise clear road, ice patches may appear in
shaded areas where the sun can't reach: 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're actually on the ice, and avoid sudden
steering maneuvers.
4-27

If You Are Stuck: In Sand, Mud, Ice
or Snow
In order to free your vehicle when it is stuck, you will
need to spin the wheels, but you don't want to spin your
wheels too fast. The method known as ªrockingº can
help you get out when you're stuck, but you must
use caution.
{CAUTION:
If you let your tires spin at high speed, they
can explode, and you or others could be
injured. And, the transaxle or other parts of the
vehicle can overheat. That could cause an
engine compartment ®re or other damage.
When you're stuck, spin the wheels as little as
possible. Don't spin the wheels above 35 mph
(55 km/h) as shown on the speedometer.
Notice:Spinning your wheels can destroy parts of
your vehicle as well as the tires. If you spin the
wheels too fast while shifting your transaxle back
and forth, you can destroy your transaxle. See
ªRocking Your Vehicle To Get It Out.º
For information about using tire chains on your vehicle,
see
Tire Chains on page 5-71.
Rocking Your Vehicle To Get It Out
First, turn your steering wheel left and right. That will
clear the area around your front wheels. If your vehicle
has traction control, you should turn the system off.
See
Traction Control System (TCS) (3800 V6 Engine)
on page 4-9. Then shift back and forth between
REVERSE (R) and a forward gear, spinning the wheels
as little as possible. Release the accelerator pedal
while you shift, and press lightly on the accelerator pedal
when the transaxle is in gear. By slowly spinning your
wheels in the forward and reverse directions, you
will cause a rocking motion that may free your vehicle. If
that doesn't get you out after a few tries, you may
need to be towed out. If you do need to be towed out,
see ªTowing Your Vehicleº following.
4-30

Buying New Tires
To ®nd out what kind and size of tires you need, look at
the Tire-Loading Information label.
The tires installed on your vehicle when it was new had
a Tire Performance Criteria Speci®cation (TPC Spec)
number on each tire's sidewall. When you get new tires,
get ones with that same TPC Spec number. That way
your vehicle will continue to have tires that are designed
to give proper endurance, handling, speed rating,
traction, ride and other things during normal service on
your vehicle. If your tires have an all-season tread
design, the TPC number will be followed by an ªMSº (for
mud and snow).
If you ever replace your tires with those not having a
TPC Spec number, make sure they are the same size,
load range, speed rating and construction type (bias,
bias-belted or radial) as your original tires.{CAUTION:
Mixing tires could cause you to lose control
while driving. If you mix tires of different sizes
or types (radial and bias-belted tires), the
vehicle may not handle properly, and you
could have a crash. Using tires of different
sizes may also cause damage to your vehicle.
Be sure to use the same size and type tires on
all wheels. It's all right to drive with your
compact spare temporarily, it was developed
for use on your vehicle. See ªCompact Spare
Tireº in the index.
{CAUTION:
If you use bias-ply tires on your vehicle, the
wheel rim ¯anges could develop cracks after
many miles of driving. A tire and/or wheel
could fail suddenly, causing a crash. Use only
radial-ply tires with the wheels on your vehicle.
5-67

Uniform Tire Quality Grading
Quality grades can be found where applicable on the
tire sidewall between tread shoulder and maximum
section width. For example:
Treadwear 200 Traction AA Temperature A
The following information relates to the system
developed by the United States National Highway
Traffic Safety Administration, which grades tires by
treadwear, traction and temperature performance. (This
applies only to vehicles sold in the United States.)
The grades are molded on the sidewalls of most
passenger car tires. The Uniform Tire Quality Grading
system does not apply to deep tread, winter-type
snow tires, space-saver or temporary use spare tires,
tires with nominal rim diameters of 10 to 12 inches
(25 to 30 cm), or to some limited-production tires.
While the tires available on General Motors passenger
cars and light trucks may vary with respect to these
grades, they must also conform to federal safety
requirements and additional General Motors Tire
Performance Criteria (TPC) standards.
Treadwear
The treadwear grade is a comparative rating based on
the wear rate of the tire when tested under controlled
conditions on a speci®ed government test course.
For example, a tire graded 150 would wear one and
a half (1.5) times as well on the government course as
a tire graded 100. The relative performance of tires
depends upon the actual conditions of their use,
however, and may depart signi®cantly from the norm
due to variations in driving habits, service practices and
differences in road characteristics and climate.
Traction ± AA, A, B, C
The traction grades, from highest to lowest, are AA, A,
B, and C. Those grades represent the tire's ability
to stop on wet pavement as measured under controlled
conditions on speci®ed government test surfaces of
asphalt and concrete. A tire marked C may have poor
traction performance. Warning: The traction grade
assigned to this tire is based on straight-ahead braking
traction tests, and does not include acceleration,
cornering, hydroplaning, or peak traction characteristics.
5-68

Inspection (cont.)
Throttle System...........................................6-15
Instrument Panel Brightness.............................3-17
Instrument Panel.............................................3-29
Cluster.......................................................3-29
Overview..................................................... 3-4
Interior Lamps................................................3-17
J
Jump Stating..................................................5-49
Key Lock Cylinders Service..............................6-11
Keyless Entry System....................................... 2-3
Keys............................................................... 2-2
L
Lamps...........................................................3-14
Exterior......................................................3-14
Interior.......................................................3-17
Lap Belt........................................................1-24
Lap-Shoulder Belt...................................1-15, 1-26
LATCH System...............................................1-43
Child Restraints...........................................1-43
Securing a Child Restraint Designed
for the LATCH System..............................1-45
Leaving Your Vehicle With the Engine Running . . . 2-29Leaving Your Vehicle.......................................2-10
Light.............................................................3-33
Air Bag Readiness.......................................3-33
Anti-Lock Brake System Warning...................3-35
Brake System Warning.................................3-34
Cruise Control.............................................3-39
Malfunction Indicator....................................3-37
Safety Belt Reminder...................................3-32
TCS Warning Light......................................3-35
Traction Control System (TCS) Warning..........3-35
Loading Your Vehicle.......................................4-32
Lockout Protection..........................................2-10
Locks............................................................. 2-8
Door........................................................... 2-8
Leaving Your Vehicle....................................2-10
Lockout Protection.......................................2-10
Power Door.................................................. 2-9
Programmable Automatic Door Locks............... 2-9
Loss of Control...............................................4-14
Low Brake Fluid Warning Message....................3-47
Low Engine Oil Level Message.........................3-43
Low Fuel Warning Message.............................3-47
Low Oil Pressure Message...............................3-43
Low Tire Message..........................................3-44
Low Washer Fluid Warning Message.................3-46
LT DELAY (Delayed Headlamp Illumination)........2-47
Lumbar........................................................... 1-3
Manual Controls............................................ 1-3
8

M
Maintenance, Normal Replacement Parts..........5-105
Maintenance Schedule.....................................6-10
At Each Fuel Fill.........................................6-10
At Least Once a Month................................6-10
At Least Once a Year..................................6-11
At Least Twice a Year..................................6-11
Brake System Inspection..............................6-15
Engine Cooling System Inspection.................6-15
Exhaust System Inspection...........................6-14
Fuel System Inspection................................6-15
How This Section is Organized....................... 6-3
Introduction.................................................. 6-2
Maintenance Requirements............................. 6-2
Part A - Scheduled Maintenance Services......... 6-4
Part B - Owner Checks and Services.............6-10
Part C - Periodic MaintenanceInspections......6-14
Part D - Recommended Fluids and Lubricants . 6-16
Part E - Maintenance Record........................6-17
Scheduled Maintenance................................. 6-5
Steering, Suspension and Front Drive Axle
Boot and Seal Inspection..........................6-14
Throttle System Inspection............................6-15
Using Your................................................... 6-4
Your Vehicle and the Environment................... 6-2
Maintenance When Trailer Towing.....................4-40Making Turns.................................................4-38
Malfunction Indicator Light................................3-37
Manual Lumbar Controls.................................... 1-3
Manual Operation...........................................3-22
Manual Seats................................................... 1-2
Matching Transmitter(s) to Your Vehicle............... 2-6
Message.......................................................3-42
Battery Warning..........................................3-42
Center.......................................................3-40
Change Engine Oil......................................3-44
Door Ajar Warning.......................................3-45
Highbeam Out Warning................................3-48
Hot Coolant Temperature Warning..................3-42
Low Brake Fluid Warning..............................3-47
Low Engine Oil Level...................................3-43
Low Fuel Warning.......................................3-47
Low Oil Pressure.........................................3-43
Low Tire .....................................................3-44
Low Washer Fluid Warning...........................3-46
Security.....................................................3-46
Service Traction System Warning...................3-41
Service Vehicle Soon...................................3-48
Traction Active............................................3-41
Trunk Ajar Warning......................................3-45
Mexico, Central America and Caribbean Islands/
Countries (Except Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin
Islands) ± Customer Assistance....................... 7-5
9

Seat............................................................... 1-6
Head Restraints............................................ 1-6
Seats.............................................................. 1-4
Heated Seats............................................... 1-4
Manual Lumbar............................................. 1-3
Manual........................................................ 1-2
Reclining Seatbacks...................................... 1-4
Six-Way Power Seats.................................... 1-3
Split Folding Rear Seat.................................. 1-7
Securing a Child Restraint................................1-45
Designed for the LATCH System...................1-45
Rear Seat Position......................................1-45
Right Front Seat Position..............................1-48
Service Bulletins.............................................7-11
Service Manuals.............................................7-11
Service........................................................... 5-3
Adding Equipment to the Outside
of Your Vehicle.......................................... 5-4
Doing Your Own Work................................... 5-4
Engine Soon Light.......................................3-37
Message....................................................3-46
Publications Ordering Information...................7-11
Traction System Warning Message.................3-41
Vehicle Soon Message.................................3-48
Setting Preset Stations....................3-56, 3-66, 3-78
Setting the Time.............................................3-53
Setting the Tone (Bass/Treble)..........3-57, 3-67, 3-79
SETTINGS (Display Current Settings)................2-45
Sheet Metal Damage.......................................5-90
Shifting Into Park (P).......................................2-27Shifting Out of Park (P)...................................2-30
Shoulder Belt Height Adjuster...........................1-17
Skidding........................................................4-15
Some Other Rainy Weather Tips.......................4-19
Special Fabric Cleaning Problems.....................5-86
Speci®cations, Capacities...............................5-103
Speedometer..................................................3-31
Split Folding Rear Seat..................................... 1-7
Starter Switch Check.......................................6-12
Starting Your 3400 V6 Engine...........................2-20
Starting Your 3800 Series II V6 Engine..............2-21
Starting Your Engine.......................................2-19
Steering Column Shift Lever.............................2-28
Steering in Emergencies..................................4-11
Steering, Suspension and Front Drive Axle
Boot and Seal Inspection..............................6-14
Steering Tips..................................................4-10
Steering Wheel Controls, Audio.........................3-90
Steering........................................................4-10
Storage Areas................................................2-43
Center Console Storage Area........................2-43
Convenience Net.........................................2-43
Front Storage Area......................................2-43
Glove Box..................................................2-43
Rear Storage Area.......................................2-43
Storing the Flat Tire and Tools..........................5-81
Storing the Spare Tire and Tools.......................5-83
Stuck in Sand, Mud, Ice or Snow......................4-30
Sun Visors.....................................................2-15
Sunroof.........................................................2-44
13

T
Tachometer....................................................3-32
Taillamps.......................................................5-58
Turn Signal, Stoplamps and Sidemarker
Lamps....................................................5-58
TCS Warning Light..........................................3-35
Theft-Deterrent, Radio.....................................3-89
Theft-Deterrent Systems...................................2-16
Content Theft-Deterrent................................2-16
Passlock
ž...................................................2-17
Throttle System Inspection...............................6-15
Tilt Wheel........................................................ 3-7
Tire In¯ation Check.........................................6-10
TIRE MON (Tire In¯ation Monitor Reset)............2-46
Tire ...............................................................3-44
Low Message.............................................3-44
Tires.............................................................5-61
Buying New Tires........................................5-67
Chains.......................................................5-71
Changing a Flat Tire....................................5-72
Compact Spare Tire.....................................5-84
If a Tire Goes Flat.......................................5-71
In¯ation -- Tire Pressure...............................5-62
Inspection and Rotation................................5-65
Pressure Monitor System..............................5-63
Uniform Tire Quality Grading.........................5-68
Wheel Alignment and Tire Balance.................5-69
Wheel Replacement.....................................5-69
When It Is Time for New Tires......................5-66Tires (cont.)
To Use the Engine Coolant Heater....................2-22
Top Strap Anchor Location...............................1-42
Top Strap......................................................1-41
Torque Lock...................................................2-30
Total Weight on Your Vehicle's Tires..................4-37
Towing..........................................................4-31
Recreational Vehicle.....................................4-31
Towing a Trailer..........................................4-34
Your Vehicle...............................................4-31
Traction.........................................................3-41
Active Message...........................................3-41
Control System (TCS).................................... 4-9
Control System Warning Light.......................3-35
Service Traction System Warning Message.....3-41
Trailer Brakes.................................................4-37
Transaxle Operation, Automatic.........................2-23
Transaxle.......................................................5-24
Fluid, Automatic...........................................5-24
Transmission, Transaxle, Transfer Case Unit
Repair Manual............................................7-11
Transmitter Veri®cation...................................... 2-5
Transportation Options...................................... 7-8
Trip Computer................................................3-52
Trip Odometer................................................3-31
TRNKJAMB (Trunk Jamb)................................2-51
Trunk Ajar Warning Message............................3-45
Trunk Assist Handle........................................2-11
Trunk Lock....................................................2-11
Trunk............................................................2-10
14