traction control GMC YUKON 2005 Owner's Manual

Instrument Panel Overview...............................3-4
Hazard Warning Flashers................................3-6
Other Warning Devices...................................3-6
Horn.............................................................3-6
Tilt Wheel.....................................................3-6
Turn Signal/Multifunction Lever.........................3-7
Turn and Lane-Change Signals........................3-8
Headlamp High/Low-Beam Changer..................3-8
Flash-to-Pass.................................................3-9
Windshield Wipers..........................................3-9
Windshield Washer.......................................3-10
Cruise Control..............................................3-11
Headlamps..................................................3-14
Headlamps on Reminder................................3-15
Daytime Running Lamps (DRL).......................3-15
Automatic Headlamp System..........................3-16
Fog Lamps..................................................3-17
Auxiliary Roof Mounted Lamp.........................3-17
Instrument Panel Brightness...........................3-18
Dome Lamps...............................................3-18
Dome Lamp Override....................................3-18
Entry Lighting...............................................3-18
Exit Lighting.................................................3-18
Front Reading Lamps....................................3-19
Battery Run-Down Protection..........................3-19
Accessory Power Outlets...............................3-20
Ashtrays and Cigarette Lighter........................3-20Climate Controls............................................3-21
Climate Control System.................................3-21
Dual Climate Control System..........................3-22
Dual Automatic Climate Control System...........3-24
Outlet Adjustment.........................................3-30
Rear Air Conditioning System.........................3-30
Rear Air Conditioning and Heating System.......3-31
Rear Air Conditioning and Heating System and
Electronic Climate Controls.........................3-34
Warning Lights, Gages, and Indicators............3-36
Instrument Panel Cluster................................3-37
Speedometer and Odometer...........................3-38
Trip Odometer..............................................3-38
Tachometer.................................................3-38
Safety Belt Reminder Light.............................3-39
Airbag Readiness Light..................................3-39
Passenger Airbag Status Indicator...................3-40
Battery Warning Light....................................3-42
Voltmeter Gage............................................3-42
Brake System Warning Light..........................3-43
Anti-Lock Brake System Warning Light.............3-44
Traction Off Light..........................................3-45
Engine Coolant Temperature Gage..................3-46
Transmission Temperature Gage.....................3-46
Tire Pressure Light.......................................3-48
Malfunction Indicator Lamp.............................3-48
Oil Pressure Gage........................................3-51
Section 3 Instrument Panel
3-1

A. Dome Lamp Override Button. SeeDome Lamp
Override on page 3-18.
B. Headlamp Controls. SeeHeadlamps on page 3-14.
C. Air Outlets. SeeOutlet Adjustment on page 3-30.
D. Automatic Transfer Case Buttons. SeeFour
Wheel-Drive on page 2-27.
E. Turn Signal/Multifunction Lever. SeeTurn
Signal/Multifunction Lever on page 3-7.
F. Instrument Panel Cluster. SeeInstrument Panel
Cluster on page 3-37.
G. Gearshift Lever. SeeAutomatic Transmission
Operation on page 2-23.
H. Tow/Haul Selector Button (If Equipped).
SeeTow/Haul Mode on page 2-26.
I. Audio System. SeeAudio System(s) on page 3-74.
J. Dual Climate Control System or Dual Automatic
Climate Control System (If Equipped). See
Dual Climate Control System on page 3-22 or Dual
Automatic Climate Control System on page 3-24.
K. Instrument Panel Fuse Block. SeeInstrument Panel
Fuse Block on page 5-106.L. Hood Release. SeeHood Release on page 5-11.
M. Steering Wheel Control Buttons (If Equipped).
SeeDriver Information Center (DIC) on page 3-54
andAudio Steering Wheel Controls on page 3-131.
N. Center Instrument Panel Utility Block. SeeCenter
Instrument Panel Fuse Block on page 5-108.
O. Tilt Wheel Lever. SeeTilt Wheel on page 3-6.
P. Parking Brake Release. SeeParking Brake on
page 2-35.
Q. Cigarette Lighter. SeeAshtrays and Cigarette
Lighter on page 3-20. Accessory Power Outlets.
SeeAccessory Power Outlets on page 3-20.
R. Storage Area (If Equipped). SeeCenter Console
Storage Area on page 2-56.
S. Ashtray. SeeAshtrays and Cigarette Lighter on
page 3-20.
T. StabiliTrak
®or Traction Assist System (TAS) Button.
SeeStabiliTrak®System on page 4-10orTraction
Assist Sytem (TAS) System System on page 4-8.
U. Glovebox. SeeGlove Box on page 2-56.
3-5

Cruise Control
9(Off):This position
turns the system off.
R(On):This position activates the system.
+ (Resume/Accelerate):Push the lever to this symbol
to make the vehicle accelerate or resume to a
previously set speed.
T(Set):Press this button to set the speed.
With cruise control, you can maintain a speed of about
25 mph (40 km/h) or more without keeping your foot
on the accelerator. This can really help on long
trips. Cruise control does not work at speeds below
about 25 mph (40 km/h).
If you apply your brakes, the cruise control will shut off.
{CAUTION:
Cruise control can be dangerous where you
cannot drive safely at a steady speed. So, do
not use your 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 needless wheel spinning,
and you could lose control. Do not use cruise
control on slippery roads.
3-11

If an engine or vehicle related problem has been
detected and the vehicle needs service, the
message will appear. See your GM dealer.
The message will also appear if the vehicle is
shifted into 4LO.
The message will turn off as soon as the conditions that
caused the message to be displayed are no longer
present.
TIGHTEN FUEL CAP
If the vehicle’s fuel cap is not tightened properly, this
message may appear along with the check engine light
on the instrument panel. SeeMalfunction Indicator Lamp
on page 3-48. Reinstall the fuel cap, making sure to fully
install the cap. SeeFilling the Tank on page 5-8. The
diagnostic system can determine if the fuel cap has been
left off or improperly installed. A loose or missing fuel cap
will allow fuel to evaporate into the atmosphere. A few
driving trips with the cap properly installed should turn the
light and message off.
TRACTION ACTIVE
When the traction control system has detected that any
of the vehicle’s wheels are spinning, the traction
control system will activate and this message will appear
on the DIC. For more information, seeTraction Assist
System (TAS) on page 4-8.
TRACTION SYS LIMITED
If the brake traction control system activates constantly
or if the brakes have heated up due to high-speed
braking, brake traction control will be displayed and the
TRACTION SYS LIMITED message will be displayed.
The system will return to normal operation after the
brakes have cooled.
TRANS HOT IDLE ENGINE
If the transmission uid in the vehicle gets hot, this
message will appear on the DIC and you will hear a
chime. The chime will stop when the transmission uid
temperature is less that 265°F (129°C). 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 will
clear when the uid temperature reaches a safe level.
SeeTransmission Temperature Gage on page 3-46.
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 transmission
temperature warning is displayed.
3-67

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
Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS).........................4-6
Braking in Emergencies...................................4-8
Traction Assist System (TAS)...........................4-8
Locking Rear Axle........................................4-10
StabiliTrak
®System......................................4-10
Steering......................................................4-13
QUADRASTEER™........................................4-15
Off-Road Recovery.......................................4-18
Passing.......................................................4-18
Loss of Control.............................................4-19
Off-Road Driving...........................................4-21
Driving at Night............................................4-36
Driving in Rain and on Wet Roads..................4-37
City Driving..................................................4-40Freeway Driving...........................................4-41
Before Leaving on a Long Trip.......................4-42
Highway Hypnosis........................................4-42
Hill and Mountain Roads................................4-43
Winter Driving..............................................4-45
If Your Vehicle is Stuck in Sand, Mud,
Ice or Snow..............................................4-49
Rocking Your Vehicle to Get It Out.................4-50
Recovery Hooks...........................................4-50
Loading Your Vehicle....................................4-51
Adding a Snow Plow or Similar Equipment.......4-57
Towing..........................................................4-62
Towing Your Vehicle.....................................4-62
Recreational Vehicle Towing...........................4-62
Level Control...............................................4-65
Autoride
®.....................................................4-66
Trailer Recommendations...............................4-66
Towing a Trailer...........................................4-67
Section 4 Driving Your Vehicle
4-1

{CAUTION:
Drinking and then driving is very dangerous.
Your reexes, perceptions, attentiveness, and
judgment can be affected by even a small
amount of alcohol. You can have a
serious — or even fatal — 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.
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. SeeTraction Assist System (TAS)
on page 4-8.
Braking
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 your brakes;
the weight of the vehicle; and the amount of brake
force applied.
4-5

Remember: Anti-lock 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
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
Do not 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 brakes, 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 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 traction control system is enabled every time your
vehicle is started. The system will activate if it senses
that any of the wheels are spinning or beginning to lose
traction.
You may hear or feel the system working or notice a
lack of accelerator response, 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.
SeeCruise Control on page 3-11.
When the traction off light
is on, the TAS is off and
will not limit wheel
spin. Adjust your driving
accordingly.
4-8

3. Apply the brake pedal, shift into NEUTRAL (N),
press the accelerator pedal to the oor and then
press the TAS on/off button and hold it down for at
least six seconds.
4. Release the TAS button and both pedals.
5. Turn off the ignition and wait a few seconds.
The next time you start your vehicle, the TAS will not
automatically come on. You can restore the automatic
feature by using the same procedure. Whether the TAS is
set to come on automatically or not, you can always turn
the system on or off by pressing the TAS on/off button.
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.
StabiliTrak®System
Your vehicle may be equipped with 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 your vehicle and begin to drive away,
the system performs several diagnostic checks to ensure
there are no problems. You may hear or feel the system
working. This is normal and does not mean there is a
problem with your 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.
If the system fails to turn on or activate, the STABILITY
SYS DISABLED or SERVICE STABILITY message
will be displayed. If the vehicle has gone through heavy
acceleration or braking during the rst two miles after
starting your vehicle, the STABILITY SYS DISABLED
message may appear. If this is the case, your
vehicle does not need servicing. Turn your vehicle off
and back on again to reset the system. If either message
appears on the Driver Information Center (DIC), and
your vehicle hasn’t gone through hard acceleration
or braking in the rst two miles, your vehicle should be
taken in for service.
The STABILITY SYS ACTIVE message will appear on
the Driver Information Center (DIC) only when the
system is both on and activated. You may also feel or
hear the system working; this is normal. For more
information on the stability messages, seeDriver
Information Center (DIC) on page 3-54.
4-10

The StabiliTrak®button is
located on the instrument
panel.
StabiliTrak
®and part of the traction control system can
be turned off or back on by pressing the StabiliTrak®
button. All-wheel drive vehicles must be in all-wheel
drive mode to turn the system on or off.
Four-wheel-drive vehicles must be in 2HI, 4HI
or AUTO 4WD to turn the system on or off.
When the system is turned off, the traction off light will
illuminate, and the STABILITY SYS DISABLED
message will appear on the DIC to warn the driver that
both the stability system and part of the traction
control system are disabled. Your vehicle will still have
brake-traction control when StabiliTrak
®is off, but
will not be able to use the engine speed management
system. See “Traction Control Operation” next for
more information.
When the StabiliTrak
®system has been turned off, you
may still hear system noises as a result of the
brake-traction control coming on.It is recommended to leave the system on for normal
driving conditions, but it may be necessary to turn the
system off if your vehicle is stuck in sand, mud, ice or
snow, and you want to “rock” your vehicle to attempt to
free it. It may also be 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 4-49.
When the transfer case is in 4LO, the stability system is
automatically disabled, and the STABILITY SYS
DISABLED message will appear on the DIC. In 4LO,
the StabiliTrak
®button only turns the traction control
system on and off.
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 you start your vehicle, and it will activate
and display the TRACTION ACTIVE message in the
Driver Information Center (DIC) if it senses that any of
the wheels are spinning or beginning to lose traction
while driving. If you turn off StabiliTrak
®, only the
brake-traction control portion of traction control will work.
4-11

The engine speed management will be disabled. In this
state, engine power is not reduced automatically and
the driven wheels can spin more freely. This can cause
the brake-traction control to activate constantly. For
more information on the traction active message, see
Driver Information Center (DIC) on page 3-54.
Notice:If the traction off light comes on due to
heavy braking and/or because the traction control
system has been continuously active, do not
allow the wheel(s) of one axle to spin excessively.
If you do, you may be causing damage to the
transfer case. This could lead to costly repairs not
covered by your warranty.
If the brake traction-control system activates constantly
or if the brakes have heated up due to high speed
braking, brake traction-control will be disabled and the
TRACTION SYS LIMITED message will be displayed. In
the limited mode, the traction-control system will only
use engine traction-control and is limited in it’s ability to
provide optimal performance since the system will
not utilize brake traction-control to control slip on the
drive wheels. The system will return to normal operation
after the brakes have cooled. This can take up to two
minutes or longer depending on brake usage.Notice:If you allow the wheel(s) of one axle to spin
excessively while the traction off, ABS and brake
warning lights and the SERVICE STABILITY
message are displayed, you could damage the
transfer case. The repairs would not be covered by
your warranty. Reduce engine power and do not
spin the wheel(s) excessively while these lights and
this message 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, you may
notice a reduction in acceleration, or may hear a noise
or vibration. This is normal.
If your vehicle is in cruise control when the system
activates, the STABILITY SYS ACTIVE message will
appear on the Driver Information Center (DIC), and the
cruise control will automatically disengage. When road
conditions allow you to use cruise again, you may
re-engage the cruise control. SeeCruise Control on
page 3-11.
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, you should see your dealer for service.
4-12