brake light OLDSMOBILE AURORA 2002 Owners Manual

2-
2-1
Section 2 Features and Controls
Here you can learn about the many standard and optional features on your vehicle, and information on starting,
shifting and braking. Also explained are the instrument panel and the warning systems that tell you if everything is
working properly
-- and what to do if you have a problem.
2
-2 Windows
2
-4 Keys
2
-6 Door Locks
2
-10 Remote Keyless Entry System
2
-15 Trunk
2
-17 Theft
2
-18 Universal Theft-Deterrent
2
-20 PASS-Key
III
2
-22 New Vehicle ªBreak-Inº
2
-22 Ignition Positions
2
-24 Starting Your Engine
2
-25 Engine Coolant Heater (If Equipped)
2
-26 Automatic Transaxle Operation
2
-29 Parking Brake
2
-30 Shifting Into PARK (P)
2
-32 Shifting Out of PARK (P)2
-32 Parking Over Things That Burn
2
-33 Engine Exhaust
2
-34 Tilt Wheel
2
-35 Turn Signal/Multifunction Lever
2
-43 Exterior Lamps
2
-47 Interior Lamps
2
-51 Mirrors
2
-55 Storage Compartments
2
-57 Accessory Power Outlet
2
-58 OnStar
System (If Equipped)
2
-62 Sunroof (Option)
2
-63 HomeLink
Transmitter (If Equipped)
2
-66 The Instrument Panel - Your
Information System
2
-70 Warning Lights, Gages and Indicators
2
-83 Driver Information Center (DIC)
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2-29
Parking Brake
Your vehicle has a PUSH
TO RELEASE parking
brake. To set the parking
brake, hold the regular
brake pedal down with your
right foot. Push down the
parking brake pedal with
your left foot.
If the ignition is on, the brake system warning light will
come on while the parking brake is set and a single
chime will be heard.To release the parking brake, hold the regular brake
pedal down with your right foot and push the parking
brake pedal with your left foot. This will release the
parking brake pedal. When you lift your left foot, the
parking brake pedal will follow it to the release position.
If you try to drive approximately 20 feet (6.1 m) with
the parking brake on, the brake light stays on and a
chime sounds until you release the parking brake.
NOTICE:
Driving with the parking brake on can cause
your rear brakes to overheat. You may have to
replace them, and you could also damage other
parts of your vehicle.
If you are towing a trailer and are parking on any hill,
see ªTowing a Trailerº in the Index. That section shows
what to do first to keep the trailer from moving.
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2-41
1. Push the cruise control switch, located on the right
side of the steering column at the end of the lever,
in to ON.
2. Get up to the speed you want.
3. Push the lever down to SET
-CST (Coast) and release
it. The CRUISE light on the instrument panel cluster
will come on.
4. Take your foot off the accelerator pedal.Resuming a Set Speed
Setting the cruise control at a desired speed and then
applying the brake will end the cruise control function.
Once you're going about 25 mph (40 km/h) or more,
you can briefly push the cruise control lever up to
RES
-ACC (Resume-Accelerate) to reset. This returns
you to the desired preset speed.
Remember, if you hold the lever up at RES
-ACC,
the vehicle will accelerate until you release the lever or
apply the brake. So unless you want to go faster, don't
hold the lever at RES
-ACC.
Increasing Speed While Using Cruise Control
There are three ways to go to a higher speed:

Use the accelerator pedal to go to a higher speed. Push
the lever down, then release the lever and the accelerator
pedal. You'll now cruise at the higher speed.

Move the cruise lever up to RES
-ACC. Hold it there until
you reach a desired speed and then release the lever.

To increase your speed in very small amounts, move
the lever up to RES
-ACC briefly and then release it.
Each time you do this, your vehicle will go about
1 mph (1.6 km/h) faster.
The accelerate feature will only work after you have set the
cruise control speed by pushing the lever down to SET
-CST.
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Reducing Speed While Using Cruise Control
There are two ways to reduce your speed while using
cruise control:

Push the lever down until you reach a desired lower
speed then release it.

To slow down in very small amounts, push the lever
down briefly. Each time you do this, you'll go about
1 mph (1.6 km/h) slower.
Passing Another Vehicle While Using Cruise Control
Use the accelerator pedal to increase your speed. When
you take your foot off the pedal, your vehicle will slow
down to the cruise control speed you set earlier.
Using Cruise Control on Hills
How well your cruise control will work on hills depends
upon your speed, load, and the steepness of the hills.
When going up steep hills, you may have to step on the
accelerator pedal to maintain your speed. When going
downhill, you may have to brake or shift to a lower gear
to keep your speed down. Of course, applying the brake
takes you out of cruise control. Many drivers find this to
be too much trouble and don't use cruise control on
steep hills.Ending Cruise Control Without Erasing the
Set Speed
There are two ways to turn off the cruise control:

Step lightly on the brake pedal, or

pull the cruise lever towards you to cancel cruise.
To resume the set speed see ªResuming a Set Speedº
earlier in this section.
Erasing Cruise Control Speed Memory
When you turn off the cruise control or the ignition,
your cruise control set speed memory is erased.
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2-73 Battery Warning Light
This light will come on
briefly when you start the
vehicle, as a check to show
you it is working; then it
should go out.
If it stays on, or comes on while you are driving, you
may have a problem with the electrical charging system.
Have it checked right away. Driving while this light is
on could drain your battery, and result in a vehicle that
may stall.
If you must drive a short distance with the light on, be
certain to turn off all your accessories, such as the radio
and climate control system.
On the DIC a CHECK CHARGE SYSTEM message
will be displayed and a warning chime will sound.
See ªDIC Warnings and Messagesº in the Index for
more information.
Brake System Warning Light
Your vehicle's hydraulic brake system is divided into
two parts. If one part isn't working, the other part can
still work and stop you. For good braking, though, you
need both parts working well.
If the warning light comes on, there is a brake problem.
Have your brake system inspected right away.
United States Canada
This light should come on briefly when you turn the
ignition key to ON. If it doesn't come on then, have it
fixed so it will be ready to warn you if there's a problem.
If the light comes on while you are driving, pull off the
road and stop carefully. You may notice that the pedal is
harder to push. Or, the pedal may go closer to the floor.
It may take longer to stop. If the light is still on, have the
vehicle towed for service. See ªTowing Your Vehicleº in
the Index.
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2-74
CAUTION:
Your brake system may not be working properly
if the brake system warning light is on. Driving
with the brake system warning light on can lead
to an accident. If the light is still on after you've
pulled off the road and stopped carefully, have
the vehicle towed for service.
When the ignition is on, the brake system warning light
will also come on when you set your parking brake. The
light will stay on if your parking brake doesn't release
fully. If you try to drive off with the parking brake set,
a chime will also come on until you release the parking
brake. If the light stays on after your parking brake is
fully released, it means you have a brake problem.
A PARK BRAKE SET message will be displayed on
the Driver Information Center (DIC) while the parking
brake is set and the vehicle is moving. The message will
not come on if the transaxle is in PARK (P).
Anti-Lock Brake System Warning Light
With the anti-lock
brake system, the light(s)
will come on when your
engine is started and may
stay on for several seconds.
That's normal.
If the light stays on, turn the ignition to OFF. Or, if
the light comes on when you're driving, stop as soon as
possible and turn the ignition off. Then start the engine
again to reset the system. If the light still stays on, or
comes on again while you're driving, your vehicle needs
service. If the regular brake system warning light isn't
on, you still have brakes, but you don't have anti
-lock
brakes. If the regular brake system warning light is also
on, you don't have anti
-lock brakes and there's a
problem with your regular brakes. See ªBrake System
Warning Lightº earlier in this section.
The anti
-lock brake system warning light should
come on briefly when you turn the ignition key to ON.
If the light doesn't come on then, have it fixed so it will
be ready to warn you if there is a problem.
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2-75 Traction Control System Warning Light
(If Equipped)
United States Canada
This warning light should come on briefly when the
engine is started.
If the warning light doesn't come on then, have it fixed
so it will be ready to warn you if there's a problem. If it
stays on, or comes on when you're driving, there may
be a problem with your traction control system and
your vehicle may need service. When this warning light
is on, the system will not limit wheel spin. Adjust your
driving accordingly.The traction control system warning light may come on
for the following reasons:

If you turn the system off by pressing the TC button
located on the center console, the warning light will
come on and stay on. To turn the system back on,
press the button again. The warning light should go
off. See ªTraction Control Systemº in the Index
for more information.

If there's a brake system problem that is specifically
related to traction control, the traction control system
will turn off and the warning light will come on. If
your brakes begin to overheat, the traction control
system will turn off and the warning light will come
on until your brakes cool down.

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 traction control system warning light comes on
and stays on for an extended period of time when the
system is turned on, your vehicle needs service.
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4-7
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. 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. 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 engine ever stops while you're driving, brake
normally but don't pump your brakes. If you do,
the pedal may get harder to push down. If your 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.
Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS)
Your vehicle has anti-lock brakes. ABS is an
advanced electronic braking system that will help
prevent a braking skid.
When you start your engine and begin to drive away,
your anti
-lock brake system will check itself. You may
hear a momentary motor or clicking noise while this test
is going on, and you may even notice that your brake
pedal moves a little. This is normal.
If there's a problem with
the anti
-lock brake system,
this warning light will stay
on. See ªAnti
-Lock Brake
System Warning Lightº in
the Index.
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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
firmly and let anti
-lock work for you. You may hear
a motor or clicking noise during a hard stop, 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 Control System (If Equipped)
Your vehicle may have a traction control system 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 front wheels are spinning or
beginning to lose traction. When this happens, the
system works the front brakes and reduces engine
power to limit wheel spin.
United States Canada
This light will come on when your traction control
system is limiting wheel spin. See ªTraction Control
System Active Lightº in the Index.
You may feel or hear the system working, but this
is normal.
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4-19
Driving too fast through large water puddles or even
going through some car washes can cause problems, too.
The water may affect your brakes. Try to avoid puddles.
But if you can't, try to slow down before you hit them.
CAUTION:
Wet brakes can cause accidents. They won't work
as well in a quick stop and may cause pulling to
one side. You could lose control of the vehicle.
After driving through a large puddle of water or
a car wash, apply your brake pedal lightly until
your brakes work normally.
Hydroplaning
Hydroplaning is dangerous. So much water can build up
under your tires that they can actually ride on the water.
This can happen if the road is wet enough and you're
going fast enough. When your vehicle is hydroplaning,
it has little or no contact with the road.
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