ABS PONTIAC GRAND PRIX 2007 Owners Manual

6. Remove the two air inlet grille retainers using
a at tool to rst pry up on the center post
and then the remainder of the fastener can be
pulled out.
7. Remove the air inlet grille by sliding it down to
disengage the two tabs that hold it to the
bottom of the windshield glass. Place the grille
on the windshield while you remove the
lter. Do not try to remove the grille from the
vehicle because it is still attached on the
right side of the vehicle by a fastener.8. Remove the water deector.
9. Remove the passenger compartment air lter
by pulling on the tab.
10. Install a new passenger compartment air lter.
Make sure it slides under the compartment
retainers. Be sure the long rubber water
deector above the lter stays in place.
11. Reverse steps 1 through 8.
167

{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 have pulled
off the road and stopped carefully, have
the vehicle towed for service.
Anti-Lock Brake System
Warning Light
If the vehicle has the
Anti-lock Brake System
(ABS), this light will
come on when the
engine is started and
may stay on for several
seconds. That is normal.If the ABS warning light comes on and stays on,
there may be a problem with the anti-lock
portion of the brake system. If the brake system
warning light is not on, the vehicle still has brakes,
but it does not have anti-lock brakes. SeeBrake
System Warning Light on page 176.
If the light stays on, the vehicle needs service.
If the light comes on while the vehicle is being
driven, stop as soon as possible and turn the
ignition off. Then start the vehicle again to reset the
system. If the light still stays on, or comes on again
while driving, the vehicle needs service. If the
regular brake system warning light is not on, the
vehicle still has brakes, but it does not have
anti-lock brakes. If the brake system warning light is
also on, the vehicle does not have anti-lock brakes
and there is a problem with the regular brakes. See
Brake System Warning Light on page 176. If both
the brake system warning light and the anti-lock
brake system light is on, pull off the road and have
the vehicle towed for service.
The anti-lock brake system warning light will come
on briey when the ignition key is turned to
RUN. This is normal. If the light does not come on
then, have it xed so it will be ready to warn
you if there is a problem.
177

SERVICE ABS SYSTEM
This symbol comes on
with this message.
If the vehicle has the Anti-lock Brake System (ABS),
this message displays when the vehicle’s brakes
are not functioning properly. Have the brake system
serviced by your dealer as soon as possible.
This message displays only while the ignition is in
RUN. A chime sounds for two seconds while
this message is displayed. Press the set/reset
button to acknowledge this message and to clear
it from the screen.
This message continues to display if it has not
been acknowledged when the engine is turned off.
It also re-displays for three seconds if the
message has been acknowledged, but the
condition still exists when the engine is turned off.
If the condition still exists, the message
re-appears when the engine is turned on.
SERVICE BRAKE SYSTEM
This symbol comes on
with this message.
This message displays when the vehicle’s brakes
are not functioning properly. Have the brake
system serviced by your dealer as soon as
possible.
This message displays only while the ignition is in
RUN. A chime sounds for two seconds while
this message is displayed. Press the set/reset
button to acknowledge this message and to clear
it from the screen.
This message continues to display if it has not
been acknowledged when the engine is turned off.
It also re-displays for three seconds if the
message has been acknowledged, but the
condition still exists when the engine is turned off.
If the condition still exists, the message
re-appears when the engine is turned on.
217

Your Driving, the Road, and Your
Vehicle..................................................... 284
Defensive Driving...................................... 284
Drunken Driving........................................ 285
Control of a Vehicle.................................. 288
Braking...................................................... 288
Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS).................. 289
Braking in Emergencies............................. 291
Traction Control System (TCS).................. 292
Enhanced Traction System (ETS).............. 293
StabiliTrak
®Plus System........................... 295
Steering.................................................... 296
Off-Road Recovery.................................... 299
Passing..................................................... 299
Loss of Control.......................................... 301
Driving at Night......................................... 302Driving in Rain and on Wet Roads............ 303
City Driving............................................... 306
Freeway Driving........................................ 307
Before Leaving on a Long Trip.................. 308
Highway Hypnosis..................................... 309
Hill and Mountain Roads........................... 309
Winter Driving........................................... 311
If Your Vehicle is Stuck in Sand, Mud,
Ice, or Snow.......................................... 316
Rocking Your Vehicle to Get It Out........... 316
Loading Your Vehicle................................ 317
Towing........................................................ 322
Towing Your Vehicle ................................. 322
Recreational Vehicle Towing...................... 322
Towing a Trailer........................................ 324
Section 4 Driving Your Vehicle
283

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. The brakes may not have
time to cool between hard stops. The 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 vehicle’s engine ever stops while you are
driving, brake normally but do not pump the
brakes. If you do, the pedal may get harder to
push down. If the 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.
Adding non-GM accessories can affect your
vehicle’s performance. SeeAccessories and
Modications on page 336.Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS)
Your vehicle may have the Anti-Lock Brake
System (ABS), an advanced electronic braking
system that will help prevent a braking skid.
If your vehicle has ABS,
this warning light on the
instrument panel will
come on briey when
you start your vehicle.
When you start your engine, or when you begin to
drive away, your ABS 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 or pulses a little. This is normal.
289

Let us say the road is wet and you are driving
safely. Suddenly, an animal jumps out in front of
you. You slam on the brakes and continue braking.
Here is 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 wheel.ABS can change the brake pressure faster than
any driver could. The computer is programmed
to make the most of available tire and road
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.
290

Remember: ABS 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 ABS.
Using ABS
Do not pump the brakes. Just hold the brake
pedal down rmly and let anti-lock work for you.
You may feel a slight brake pedal pulsation
or notice some noise, but this is normal.
Braking in Emergencies
At some time, nearly every driver gets into a
situation that requires hard braking.
If you have ABS, you can steer and brake at the
same time. However, if you do not have ABS, your
rst reaction — to hit the brake pedal hard and
hold it down — may be the wrong thing to do. Your
wheels can stop rolling. Once they do, the
vehicle cannot 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 ABS, use a “squeeze” 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 do have ABS, it is different. SeeAnti-Lock
Brake System (ABS) on page 289.
In many emergencies, steering can help you more
than even the very best braking.
291

Learn to recognize warning clues — such as
enough water, ice, or packed snow on the road to
make a mirrored surface — and slow down when
you have any doubt.
If you have the Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS),
remember: It helps avoid only the braking skid. If
you do not have ABS, then in a braking skid,
where the wheels are no longer rolling, release
enough pressure on the brakes to get the wheels
rolling again. This restores steering control.
Push the brake pedal down steadily when you
have to stop suddenly. As long as the wheels are
rolling, you will have steering control.
Driving at Night
Night driving is more dangerous than day driving.
One reason is that some drivers are likely to
be impaired — by alcohol or drugs, with night
vision problems, or by fatigue.
Here are some tips on night driving.
Drive defensively.
Do not drink and drive.
Adjust the inside rearview mirror to reduce the
glare from headlamps behind you.
Since you cannot see as well, you may need
to slow down and keep more space between
you and other vehicles.
Slow down, especially on higher speed roads.
Your vehicle’s headlamps can light up only so
much road ahead.
In remote areas, watch for animals.
If you are tired, pull off the road in a safe
place and rest.
No one can see as well at night as in the daytime.
But as we get older these differences increase.
A 50-year-old driver may require at least twice as
much light to see the same thing at night as a
20-year-old.
What you do in the daytime can also affect your
night vision. For example, if you spend the
day in bright sunshine you are wise to wear
sunglasses. Your eyes will have less trouble
adjusting to night. But if you are driving, do not
wear sunglasses at night. They may cut down on
glare from headlamps, but they also make a
lot of things invisible.
302

But wet ice can be even more trouble because it
may offer the least traction of all. You can get
wet ice when it is about freezing, 32°F (0°C), and
freezing rain begins to fall. Try to avoid driving
on wet ice until salt and sand crews can get there.
Whatever the condition — smooth ice, packed,
blowing, or loose snow — drive with caution.
If you have the Traction Control System (TCS) or
the Enhanced Traction System (ETS), it will
improve your ability to accelerate when driving on
a slippery road. Even though your vehicle has a
traction system you will want to slow down and
adjust your driving to the road conditions. Under
certain conditions, you may want to turn the TCS or
ETS off, such as when driving through deep snow
and loose gravel, to help maintain vehicle motion at
lower speeds. SeeTraction Control System (TCS)
on page 292orEnhanced Traction System (ETS)
on page 293.
If you do not have TCS or ETS, accelerate gently.
Try not to break the fragile traction. If you
accelerate too fast, the drive wheels will spin and
polish the surface under the tires even more.
Unless you have the Anti-Lock Brake System
(ABS), you will want to brake very gently, too.If you do have ABS, seeAnti-Lock Brake System
(ABS) on page 289. This system improves your
vehicle’s stability when you make a hard stop on a
slippery road. Whether you have ABS or not, you
will want to begin stopping sooner than you would
on dry pavement. Without ABS, if you feel your
vehicle begin to slide, let up on the brakes a little.
Push the brake pedal down steadily to get the most
traction you can.
Remember, unless you have ABS, if you brake so
hard that your wheels stop rolling, you will just
slide. Brake so your wheels always keep rolling
and you can still steer.
Whatever your braking system, allow greater
following distance on any slippery road.
Watch for slippery spots. The road might be
ne until you hit a spot that is covered with ice.
On an otherwise clear road, ice patches may
appear in shaded areas where the sun cannot
reach, such as around clumps of trees, behind
buildings, or under bridges. Sometimes the
surface of a curve or an overpass may remain
icy when the surrounding roads are clear. If you
see a patch of ice ahead of you, brake before
you are on it. Try not to brake while you are
actually on the ice, and avoid sudden steering
maneuvers.
313

Driving On Grades
Reduce speed and shift to a lower gear before
starting down a long or steep downgrade. If
the vehicle is not shifted down, the brakes may
have to be used so much that they would get hot
and no longer work well.
On a long uphill grade, shift down and reduce the
vehicle’s speed to around 45 mph (70 km/h) to
reduce the possibility of engine and transaxle
overheating.
If the vehicle has overdrive, it may be driven in
THIRD (3) instead of DRIVE (D).
Parking on Hills
{CAUTION:
You really should not park your vehicle,
with a trailer attached, on a hill. If
something goes wrong, your rig could
start to move. People can be injured, and
both your vehicle and the trailer can be
damaged.
But if the rig ever has to be parked on a hill, here
is how to do it:
1. Apply the regular brakes, but do not shift into
PARK (P) yet.
2. Have someone place chocks under the trailer
wheels.
3. When the wheel chocks are in place, release
the regular brakes until the chocks absorb
the load.
4. Reapply the regular brakes. Then apply the
parking brake, and then shift to PARK (P).
5. Release the regular brakes.
330