ESP CHEVROLET TRACKER 2004 2.G Owners Manual

or the safety belts!
With safety belts, you slow down as the vehicle does.
You get more time to stop. You stop over more distance,
and your strongest bones take the forces. That's why
safety belts make such good sense.
Questions and Answers About
Safety Belts
Q:Won't I be trapped in the vehicle after an
accident if I'm wearing a safety belt?
A:Youcouldbe ± whether you're wearing a safety
belt or not. But you can unbuckle a safety belt,
even if you're upside down. And your chance
of being conscious during and after an accident,
so you
canunbuckle and get out, ismuchgreater if
you are belted.
Q:If my vehicle has air bags, why should I have to
wear safety belts?
A:Air bags are in many vehicles today and will be in
most of them in the future. But they are
supplemental systems only; so they work
with
safety belts ± not instead of them. Every air bag
system ever offered for sale has required the
use of safety belts. Even if you're in a vehicle that
has air bags, you still have to buckle up to get
the most protection. That's true not only in frontal
collisions, but especially in side and other
collisions.
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{CAUTION:
If something is between an occupant and an
air bag, the bag might not in¯ate properly or it
might force the object into that person causing
severe injury or even death. The path of an
in¯ating air bag must be kept clear. Don't put
anything between an occupant and an air bag,
and don't attach or put anything on the
steering wheel hub or on or near any other air
bag covering.
When Should an Air Bag In¯ate?
An air bag is designed to in¯ate in a moderate to severe
frontal, or near-frontal crash. The air bag will in¯ate
only if the impact speed is above the system's designed
ªthreshold level.º If your vehicle goes straight into a
wall that doesn't move or deform, the threshold level is
about 9 to 13 mph (14 to 21 km/h). The threshold
level can vary, however, with speci®c vehicle design, so
that it can be somewhat above or below this range.If your vehicle strikes something that will move or
deform, such as a parked car, the threshold level will
be higher. The air bag is not designed to in¯ate in
rollovers, rear impacts, or in many side impacts because
in¯ation would not help the occupant.
In any particular crash, no one can say whether an air
bag should have in¯ated simply because of the damage
to a vehicle or because of what the repair costs were.
In¯ation is determined by the angle of the impact
and how quickly the vehicle slows down in frontal or
near-frontal impacts.
The air bag system is designed to work properly under
a wide range of conditions, including off-road usage.
Observe safe driving speeds, especially on rough
terrain. As always, wear your safety belt. See
Off-Road
Driving with Your Four-Wheel-Drive Vehicle on
page 4-16
for more tips on off-road driving.
What Makes an Air Bag In¯ate?
In an impact of sufficient severity, the air bag sensing
system detects that the vehicle is in a crash. The
sensing system triggers a release of gas from the
in¯ator, which in¯ates the air bag. The in¯ator, air bag,
and related hardware are all part of the air bag
modules inside the steering wheel and in the instrument
panel in front of the right front passenger.
1-55

Resynchronization
Your remote keyless entry system is equipped with a
security system that prevents anyone from recording and
playing back your signal. The transmitter does not
send the same signal twice to the receiver. The receiver
will not respond to a signal that has been sent to it
more than once.
To resynchronize your transmitter and receiver, follow
these directions:
1. Stand close to your vehicle.
2. Press and hold the LOCK and UNLOCK buttons on
the transmitter at the same time for at least seven
seconds.
During this time, the doors should lock and unlock
once. This con®rms the resynchronization. If
the doors do not lock and unlock, see your dealer
for service.
Doors and Locks
Door Locks
{CAUTION:
Unlocked doors can be dangerous.
·Passengers Ð especially children Ð can
easily open the doors and fall out of a
moving vehicle. When a door is locked, the
handle will not open it. You increase the
chance of being thrown out of the vehicle
in a crash if the doors are not locked. So,
wear safety belts properly and lock the
doors whenever you drive.
·Young children who get into unlocked
vehicles may be unable to get out. A child
can be overcome by extreme heat and can
suffer permanent injuries or even death
from heat stroke. Always lock your vehicle
whenever you leave it.
·Outsiders can easily enter through an
unlocked door when you slow down or
stop your vehicle. Locking your doors can
help prevent this from happening.
2-6

Windows
{CAUTION:
Leaving children, helpless adults, or pets in a
vehicle with the windows closed is dangerous.
They can be overcome by the extreme heat
and suffer permanent injuries or even death
from heat stroke. Never leave a child, a
helpless adult, or a pet alone in a vehicle,
especially with the windows closed in warm or
hot weather.
2-10

Daytime Running Lamps
Daytime Running Lamps (DRL) can make it easier for
others to see the front of your vehicle during the
day. DRL can be helpful in many different driving
conditions, but they can be especially helpful in the short
periods after dawn and before sunset. Fully functional
daytime running lamps are required on all vehicles
®rst sold in Canada.
The DRL system will make your headlamps come on at
a reduced brightness when the three following
conditions are met:
·The ignition is on with the engine running,
·the exterior lamps control is off or the parking lights
are on, and
·the parking brake is released.When the DRL are on, only your headlamps will be on
at a reduced brightness. The taillamps, sidemarker
and other lamps won't be on. Your instrument panel
won't be lit up either.
When you move the exterior lamps control to the
headlamp position, your DRL will go off and your
headlamps will come on. The other lamps that come on
with your headlamps will also come on.
When it begins to get dark, the headlamps will
automatically switch from DRL to the regular headlamps.
See ªAutomatic Headlamp Systemº following.
When you turn the exterior lamp control to off, the
regular lamps will go off and your headlamps will change
to the reduced brightness of DRL provided it is not
dark outside. DRL will also come on if only the parking
lamps are being used.
As with any vehicle, you should turn on the regular
headlamp system when you need it.
3-14

Radio Reception
AM
The range for most AM stations is greater than for FM,
especially at night. The longer range, however, can
cause stations to interfere with each other. AM can pick
up noise from things like storms and power lines. Try
reducing the treble to reduce this noise.
FM
FM stereo will give you the best sound, but FM signals
will reach only about 10 to 40 miles (16 to 65 km).
Tall buildings or hills can interfere with FM signals,
causing the sound to come and go.
Care of Your CDs
Handle CDs carefully. Store them in their original cases
or other protective cases and away from direct
sunlight and dust. If the surface of a CD is soiled,
dampen a clean, soft cloth in a mild, neutral detergent
solution and clean it, wiping from the center to the edge.Be sure never to touch the side without writing when
handling CDs. Pick up CDs by grasping the outer edges
or the edge of the hole and the outer edge.
Care of Your CD Player
The use of CD lens cleaners for CDs is not advised,
due to the risk of contaminating the lens of the CD optics
with lubricants internal to the CD mechanism.
Fixed Mast Antenna
The ®xed mast antenna can withstand most car washes
without being damaged. If the mast should ever
become slightly bent, you can straighten it out by hand.
If the mast is badly bent, you should replace it.
Check occasionally to be sure the mast is still tightened
to the fender. If tightening is required, tighten by
hand, then with a wrench one quarter turn.
3-45

Your Driving, the Road, and
Your Vehicle
Whenever we drive, we are taking on an
important responsibility. This is true for any motor
vehicle Ð passenger car, van, truck, sport utility. Driver
behavior, the driving environment, and the vehicle's
design all affect how well a vehicle performs. But
statistics show that the most important factor, by far, is
how we drive.
Knowing how these three factors work together can help
you understand how your vehicle handles and what
you can do to avoid many types of crashes, including a
rollover crash.
Driver Behavior
The single most important thing is this: everyone in the
vehicle, including the driver, should buckle up. See
Safety Belts: They Are for Everyone on page 1-9. In fact,
most serious injuries and fatalities to unbelted
occupants can be reduced or prevented by the use of
safety belts. In a rollover crash, an unbelted personis signi®cantly more likely to die than a person wearing
a seat belt. In addition, avoiding excessive speed,
sudden or abrupt turns and drunken or aggressive
driving can help make trips safer and avoid the
possibility of a crash, especially a rollover crash.
This section provides many useful tips to help you
drive more safely.
Driving Environment
You can also help avoid a rollover or other type of crash
by being prepared for driving in inclement weather, at
night, or during other times where visibility or traction
may be limited (such as on curves, slippery roads or hilly
terrain). Unfamiliar surroundings can also have hidden
hazards.
To help you learn more about driving in different
conditions, this section contains information about city,
freeway and off-road driving, as well as other hints
for driving in various weather conditions.
4-2

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 will be carefulº is not the
right answer. What if there is 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 is something else about drinking and driving that
many people do not 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
serious Ð or even fatal Ð collision if you
drive after drinking. Please do not drink and
drive or ride with a driver who has been
drinking. Ride home in a cab; or if you are with
a group, designate a driver who will not drink.
4-6

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 are driving on snow or ice, it
is easy to ask more of those control systems than
the tires and road can provide. That means you can lose
control of your vehicle.
Braking
Braking action involvesperception timeandreaction time.
First, you have to decide to push on the brake pedal.
That isperception time.Then you have to bring up your
foot and do it. That isreaction time.
Averagereaction timeis about 3/4 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 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 is 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.
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.
4-7

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 do not have anti-lock, your
®rst reaction Ð to hit the brake pedal hard and hold
it down Ð may be the wrong thing to do. Your wheels
can stop rolling. Once they do, the vehicle can not
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 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 is different. See ªAnti-Lock Brake Systemº
in this section.
In many emergencies, steering can help you more than
even the very best braking.
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 is important to take curves at a reasonable speed.
A lot of the ªdriver lost controlº accidents mentioned on
the news happen on curves.
Here is 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 is no traction, inertia
will keep the vehicle going in the same direction. If
you have ever tried to steer a vehicle on wet ice, you
will understand this.
4-10