steering wheel GMC ENVOY 2003 User Guide

Rear Window Washer/Wiper
This control is located to
the right of the steering
wheel on the instrument
panel.
To turn the rear wiper on, turn the control to either 1, 2,
or 3. For delayed wiping, turn the control to 1 or 2.
For steady wiping, turn the control to 3. To turn the wiper
off, turn the control to 0.
To wash the rear window, press the washer symbol
located in the center of the control.
The rear window washer uses the same ¯uid bottle as
the windshield washer. However, the rear window
washer will run out of ¯uid before the windshield washer.
If you can wash your windshield but not your rear
window, check the ¯uid level.
Headlamp Washer
Your vehicle may be
equipped with a headlamp
washer system. The
button to operate this
feature is located on the
instrument panel and
functions separately from
your other washer
systems.
To wash your headlamps, press the headlamp washer
button brie¯y and release to activate the system.
Two pressurized bursts of washer ¯uid will then be
applied to the headlamps.
3-11

Exterior Lamps
Your exterior lamps knob
is located on your
instrument panel to the left
of the steering wheel.
c(Off):Turn the knob to this symbol and release it to
turn off the Daytime Running Lamps (DRL) and the
automatic headlamps. An indicator will illuminate when
the position is selected. This position is not available
for vehicles ®rst sold in Canada.
i(Automatic DRL/AHS):Turning the knob to this
symbol puts the system into automatic headlamp mode.
An indicator will illuminate when the position is
selected.
;(Parking Lamps):Turn the knob to this symbol to
manually turn on the following:
·Parking Lamps
·Sidemarker Lamps
·Taillamps
·License Plate Lamps
·Instrument Panel Lights
2(Headlamps):Turn the knob to this symbol to turn
on all the lamps listed as well as the headlamps.
Automatic Headlamp System
When it is dark enough outside, your Automatic
Headlamp System will turn on your headlamps at the
normal brightness along with other lamps such as
the taillamps, sidemarker, parking lamps and the
instrument panel lights. The radio lights will also be on.
Your vehicle is equipped with a light sensor on the
top of the instrument panel. Be sure it is not covered or
the system will be on whenever the ignition is on.
The system may also turn on your lights when driving
through a parking garage, heavy overcast weather
or a tunnel. This is normal.
3-15

Steering Wheel Climate Controls
You can adjust the fan
speed and temperature of
the front climate control
system by using the
buttons located on your
steering wheel.
9(Fan):Press the up or down arrow on this switch to
increase or decrease the fan speed.
B(Temperature):Press the up or down arrow on this
switch to increase or decrease the temperature of
the air ¯owing through the system.
Climate Controls Personalization
If your vehicle is equipped with the Driver Information
Center (DIC), you can store and recall the climate
control settings for temperature, air delivery mode and
fan speed for two different drivers. The personal
choice settings recalled are determined by the
transmitter used to enter the vehicle. After the button
with the unlock symbol on a remote keyless entry
transmitter is pressed, the climate control will adjust to
the last settings of the identi®ed driver. The settings
can also be changed by pressing one of the memory
buttons (1 or 2) located on the driver's door. When
adjustments are made, the new settings are
automatically saved for the driver.
3-33

Here are four things that some owners ask about. None
of these show a problem with your fuel gage:
·At the gas station, the gas pump shuts off before
the gage reads full.
·It takes a little more or less fuel to ®ll up than the
gage indicated. For example, the gage may have
indicated the tank was half full, but it actually took a
little more or less than half the tank's capacity to
®ll the tank.
·The gage moves a little when you turn a corner or
speed up.
·The gage doesn't go back to empty when you turn
off the ignition.
Low Fuel Warning Light
The light next to the fuel gage will come on brie¯y when
you are starting the engine.
This light comes on when the fuel tank is low on fuel.
To turn it off, add fuel to the fuel tank. See
Fuel on
page 5-4.
Driver Information Center (DIC)
Your vehicle may have this feature. The DIC display
is located on the instrument panel cluster above
the steering wheel. The DIC can display information
such as the trip odometer, fuel economy and
personalization features. The DIC buttons are located
on the steering wheel.
A.Trip Information:Press this button to display the
odometer, trip odometer and the timer.
B.Fuel Information:Press this button to display the
current range, average fuel economy, instant
fuel economy and engine oil life.
3-50

Audio Steering Wheel Controls
If your vehicle has this
feature, certain radio
functions can be operated
by using the controls
on your steering wheel.
AM/FM:Press this button to switch between AM, FM1
and FM2. When playing a cassette tape or compact
disc, press this button to listen to the radio.
n(Program):Press this button to tune to the next
preset radio station. When playing a cassette tape,
press this button to play the other side of the tape. When
using the CD changer, this button will seek to the
next track.
u(Volume):Press the up or the down arrow to
increase or to decrease volume.
DVD Distortion
You may experience audio distortion in the
IR headphones when operating cellular phones,
scanners, CB radios, Global Positioning Systems
(GPS)*, two-way radios, mobile fax, or walkie talkies.
It may be necessary to turn off the DVD player
when operating one of these devices in or near the
vehicle.
* Excludes the OnStar
žSystem.
Understanding 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 if you ever get it.
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.
3-105

Your Driving, the Road, and Your Vehicle..........4-2
Defensive Driving...........................................4-2
Drunken Driving.............................................4-2
Control of a Vehicle........................................4-5
Braking.........................................................4-5
Traction Assist System (TAS)...........................4-8
Locking Rear Axle........................................4-10
Steering......................................................4-10
Off-Road Recovery.......................................4-12
Passing.......................................................4-12
Loss of Control.............................................4-14
Off-Road Driving with Your Four-Wheel-Drive
Vehicle....................................................4-15
Driving at Night............................................4-28
Driving in Rain and on Wet Roads..................4-30City Driving..................................................4-33
Freeway Driving...........................................4-34
Before Leaving on a Long Trip.......................4-35
Highway Hypnosis........................................4-36
Hill and Mountain Roads................................4-37
Winter Driving..............................................4-39
If You Are Stuck: In Sand, Mud,
Ice or Snow..............................................4-44
Towing..........................................................4-45
Towing Your Vehicle.....................................4-45
Recreational Vehicle Towing...........................4-45
Loading Your Vehicle....................................4-47
Adding a Snow Plow or Similar Equipment.......4-50
Towing a Trailer...........................................4-50
Section 4 Driving Your Vehicle
4-1

Remember: Anti-lock doesn't 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 won't have time to apply
your brakes if that vehicle suddenly slows or stops.
Always leave enough room up ahead to stop, even
though you have anti-lock brakes.
Using Anti-Lock
Don't pump the brakes. Just hold the brake pedal down
®rmly and let anti-lock work for you. You may feel
the brakes vibrate, or you may notice some noise, but
this is normal.
Braking in Emergencies
With anti-lock, you can steer and brake at the same
time. In many emergencies, steering can help you more
than even the very best braking.
Traction Assist System (TAS)
Your two-wheel drive vehicle may have a Traction
Assist System (TAS) 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
rear wheels are spinning or beginning to lose traction.
When this happens, the system reduces engine
power to limit wheel spin.
The low traction symbol next to the button will come on
when the TAS is limiting wheel spin. You may feel or
hear the system working, but this is normal.
The Traction Assist System may operate on dry roads
under some conditions. When this happens, you
may notice a reduction in acceleration. This is normal
and doesn't mean there's a problem with your vehicle.
Examples of these conditions include a hard
acceleration in a turn, an abrupt upshift or downshift of
the transmission or driving on rough roads.
If your vehicle is in cruise control when the TAS begins
to limit wheel spin, the cruise control will automatically
disengage. When road conditions allow you to safely
use it again, you may re-engage the cruise control. See
ªCruise Controlº under
Turn Signal/Multifunction
Lever on page 3-7. When the traction control off symbol
on the button is on, the TAS is off and will not limit
wheel spin. Adjust your driving accordingly.
4-8

Locking Rear Axle
If your vehicle has this feature, your locking rear axle
can give you additional traction on snow, mud, ice, sand
or gravel. It works like a standard axle most of the
time, but when one of the rear wheels has no traction
and the other does, this feature will allow the wheel with
traction to move the vehicle.
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 whenyou 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.
Suppose you're steering through a sharp curve.
Then you suddenly accelerate. Both control
systems Ð steering and acceleration Ð have to do their
work where the tires meet the road. Adding the
sudden acceleration can demand too much of those
places. You can lose control. See
Traction Assist
System (TAS) on page 4-8.
What should you do if this ever happens? Ease up on
the 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'll want to go slower.
4-10

If you need to reduce your speed as you approach a
curve, do it before you enter the curve, while your front
wheels are straight ahead.
Try to adjust your speed so you can ªdriveº 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.
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 Ð if you can stop
in time. But sometimes you can't; there isn't room.
That's the time for evasive action Ð steering around the
problem.
Your vehicle can perform very well in emergencies like
these. First apply your brakes.
See
Braking on page 4-5. 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.
4-11

Off-Road Recovery
You may ®nd that your right wheels have dropped off
the edge of a road onto the shoulder while you're
driving.
If the level of the shoulder is only slightly below the
pavement, recovery should be fairly easy. Ease off the
accelerator and then, if there is nothing in the way,
steer so that your vehicle straddles the edge of
the pavement. You can turn the steering wheel up to
one-quarter turn until the right front tire contacts
the pavement edge. Then turn your steering wheel to go
straight down the roadway.
Passing
The driver of a vehicle about to pass another on a
two-lane highway waits for just the right moment,
accelerates, moves around the vehicle ahead, then
goes back into the right lane again. A simple maneuver?
Not necessarily! Passing another vehicle on a two-lane
highway is a potentially dangerous move, since the
passing vehicle occupies the same lane as oncoming
traffic for several seconds. A miscalculation, an error in
judgment, or a brief surrender to frustration or anger
can suddenly put the passing driver face to face with the
worst of all traffic accidents Ð the head-on collision.
So here are some tips for passing:
·ªDrive ahead.º Look down the road, to the sides
and to crossroads for situations that might affect
your passing patterns. If you have any doubt
whatsoever about making a successful pass, wait
for a better time.
·Watch for traffic signs, pavement markings and
lines. If you can see a sign up ahead that might
indicate a turn or an intersection, delay your pass.
A broken center line usually indicates it's all
right to pass (providing the road ahead is clear).
Never cross a solid line on your side of the lane or
a double solid line, even if the road seems empty
of approaching traffic.
4-12