brakes OLDSMOBILE AURORA 2003 Owners Manual

Ensure the shift lever is fully in PARK (P) before starting
the engine. Your vehicle has an automatic transaxle
shift lock control system. You have to fully apply
your regular brakes before you can shift from PARK (P)
when the ignition key is in ON.
REVERSE
(R): Use this gear to back up.
Notice: Shifting to REVERSE (R) while your vehicle
is moving forward could damage your transaxle.
Shift to REVERSE (R) only after your vehicle
is stopped.
To rock your vehicle back and forth to get out of snow.
ice or sand without damaging your transaxle, see
If
You Are Stuck: In Sand, Mud, Ice or Snow on
page 4-32.
NEUTRAL (N): In this position, your engine doesn’t
connect with the wheels. To restart when you’re already
moving, use NEUTRAL (N) only. Also, use
NEUTRAL (N) when your vehicle is being towed. Shifting into a
Glgde gear while
yo^ engllie is
“racing” (running at high speed) is dangerous.
Unless your foot
is firmly on the brake pedal,
your vehicle could move very rapidly.
You
could lose control and hit people or objects.
Don’t shift into a drive gear while your engine
is racing.
Notice: Damage to your transaxle caused by
shifting into
a drive gear with the engine racing isn’t
covered by your warranty.
AUTOMATIC OVERDRIVE
(a): This position is for
normal driving.
if you need more power for passing, and
you’re:
Going less than approximately
35 mph (55 km/h),
push your accelerator pedal about halfway down.
0 Going about 35 mph (55 km/h) or more, push the
accelerator all the way down.
You’ll shift down to the next gear and have more power.
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THIRD (3): This position is also used for normal driving,
however,
it offers more power and lower fuel economy
than AUTOMATIC OVERDRIVE
(a). Here are
some times you might choose THIRD
(3) instead of
AUTOMATIC OVERDRIVE (@ ):
When driving on hilly, winding roads,
when towing a trailer, so there is less shifting
when going down a steep hill.
between
gears, or
SECOND (2): This position gives you more power but
lower fuel economy than AUTOMATIC
OVERDRIVE (0 or THIRD (3). YOU can use
SECOND
(2) on hills. It can help control your speed as
you go down steep mountain roads, but then you
would also want
to use your brakes off and on.
FIRST (1): This position gives you even more power
but lower fuel economy than SECOND
(2). You can use
it on very steep hills, or in deep snow or mud. If the
shift lever is put in FIRST
(I), the transaxle won’t shift
into FIRST
(1) until the vehicle is going slowly enough.
Notice: If your front wheels won’t turn, don’t try
to drive. This might happen if you were stuck in very
deep sand or mud or were up against a solid
object. You could damage your transaxle.
Also, if
you stop when going uphill, don’t hold your vehicle
there with only the accelerator pedal. This could
overheat and damage the transaxle. Use your brakes
to hold your vehicle
in position on a hill.
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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. 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
Towing a Trailer on page 4-36. That section shows
what to do first to keep the trailer from moving.
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Cruise Control
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 is helpful on long trips.
Cruise control does not work at speeds below about
25 mph (40 km/h).
When you apply your brakes, the cruise control
shuts
off.
If your vehicle is in cruise control when the traction
control system begins to limit wheel spin, the cruise
control will automatically disengage. See
Traction
Control System
(TCS) on page 4-8. When road
conditions allow you to safely use it again, you may turn
the cruise control back on.
Setting Cruise Control
Cruise control can be dangerous where
you can’t drive safely at a steady speed.
So, don’t 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
lose control. Don’t use cruise control on
slippery roads.
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If you leave your cruise control on when you’re
not using cruise, you might hit a button and go
into cruise when you don’t want to. You could
be startled and even lose control. Keep the
cruise control switch off until you want to use
cruise control.
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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).
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
Towing
Your Vehicle
on page 4-33.
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.
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
Brake System Warning Light on page 3-35 earlier in this
section.
The anti-lock brake system warning light will come on
briefly when you turn the ignition key to
ON. This is
normal.
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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Traction Control System (TCS)
Warning Light
,
TRAC
OFF
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 ariving accordingiy. 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 Traction Control System (TCS) on
page 4-8 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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Drinking and t n d ing is very dangerous.
Your reflexes, perceptions, attentiveness and
judgement 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 don’t drink and drive or ride with a
driver who has been drinking. Ride home
in a
cab; or if you’re 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.
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Sometimes, as when you’re driving on snow or ice, it’s
easy to ask more of those control systems than the
tires and road can provide. That means you can lose
control of your vehicle. Also see
Traction Control System
(TCS) 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’s
perception time. Then you have to bring up your
foot and do it. That’s
reaction time.
Average reaction time is about 3/4 of a second. But
that’s 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’s 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
- 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.
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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
Anti-Lock
Brake System Warning
Light on page
3-36.
Let’s say the road is wet and you’re driving safely.
Suddenly, an animal jumps out in front of you. You slam
on the brakes and continue braking. Here’s what
happens with ABS:
A computer senses that wheels are slowing down. If
one of the wheels is about to stop rolling, the computer
will separately work the brakes at each front wheel
and at both rear wheels.
The anti-lock system can change the brake pressure
faster than any driver could. The computer is
programmed
to make the most of available tire and road
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conditions. This can help you steer around the obstacle
while braking hard.
As you brake, your computer keeps receiving updates
on wheel speed and controls braking pressure
accordingly.
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 nosie 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 (TCS)
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.
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