steering wheel PONTIAC SOLSTICE 2007 Owner's Manual

The ESC/TCS light will be on and the traction
control system will not be operating. Adjust your
driving accordingly. This electronic stability control
mode is recommended only for use during closed
track events and competitive driving venues.
When you press the ESC button again, or restart
the vehicle, the ESC and TCS will be turned
back on.
Notice:When traction control is turned off,
or Competitive Driving Mode is active, it
is possible to lose traction. If you attempt to
shift with the rear wheels spinning with a loss
of traction, it is possible to cause damage
to the transmission. Do not attempt to shift
when the rear wheels do not have traction.
Damage caused by misuse of the vehicle is
not covered. See your warranty book for
additional information.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
It is important to take curves at a reasonable speed.
A lot of the “driver lost control” accidents
mentioned on the news happen on curves.
Here is 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 when you turn the front wheels. If there is
no traction, inertia will keep the vehicle going in the
same direction. If you have ever tried to steer a
vehicle on wet ice, you will understand this.
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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 are in a curve, speed is the
one factor you can control.
Suppose you are steering through a sharp curve.
Then you suddenly apply the brakes. Both
control systems — steering and braking — have
to do their work where the tires meet the road.
Unless you have four-wheel anti-lock brakes,
adding the hard braking can demand too much of
those places. You can lose control.
The same thing can happen if you are steering
through a sharp curve and you suddenly
accelerate. Those two control systems — steering
and acceleration — can overwhelm those
places where the tires meet the road and make
you lose control. SeeTraction Control System
(TCS) on page 198andElectronic Stability Control
on page 200.What should you do if this ever happens? Ease up
on the brake or 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 will
want to go slower.
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 “drive”
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.
Adding non-GM accessories can affect your
vehicle’s performance. SeeAccessories and
Modications on page 235.
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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 — if you can stop in time. But sometimes
you cannot; there is not room. That is the time for
evasive action — steering around the problem.
Your vehicle can perform very well in emergencies
like these. First apply your brakes — but, unless
you have anti-lock brakes, not enough to lock your
wheels.
SeeBraking on page 194. 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.
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Off-Road Recovery
You may nd that your right wheels have dropped
off the edge of a road onto the shoulder while
you are 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 — the head-on collision.
So here are some tips for passing:
Drive ahead. 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.
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Try not to pass more than one vehicle at a
time on two-lane roads. Reconsider before
passing the next vehicle.
Do not overtake a slowly moving vehicle too
rapidly. Even though the brake lamps are
not ashing, it may be slowing down or starting
to turn.
If you are being passed, make it easy for the
following driver to get ahead of you. Perhaps
you can ease a little to the right.
Loss of Control
Let us review what driving experts say about what
happens when the three control systems — brakes,
steering, and acceleration — do not have enough
friction where the tires meet the road to do what the
driver has asked.
In any emergency, do not give up. Keep trying to
steer and constantly seek an escape route or
area of less danger.
Skidding
In a skid, a driver can lose control of the vehicle.
Defensive drivers avoid most skids by taking
reasonable care suited to existing conditions, and
by not overdriving those conditions. But skids
are always possible.
The three types of skids correspond to your
vehicle’s three control systems. In the braking skid,
your wheels are not rolling. In the steering or
cornering skid, too much speed or steering in a
curve causes tires to slip and lose cornering force.
And in the acceleration skid, too much throttle
causes the driving wheels to spin.
A cornering skid and an acceleration skid
are best handled by easing your foot off the
accelerator pedal.
If your vehicle starts to slide, ease your foot off
the accelerator pedal and quickly steer the
way you want the vehicle to go. If you start
steering quickly enough, your vehicle may
straighten out. Always be ready for a second skid
if it occurs.
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Of course, traction is reduced when water,
snow, ice, gravel, or other material is on the
road. For safety, you will want to slow down and
adjust your driving to these conditions. It is
important to slow down on slippery surfaces
because stopping distance will be longer and
vehicle control more limited.
While driving on a surface with reduced traction,
try your best to avoid sudden steering, acceleration,
or braking, including reducing vehicle speed by
shifting to a lower gear. Any sudden changes could
cause the tires to slide. You may not realize the
surface is slippery until your vehicle is skidding.
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.
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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 195. 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, icepatches 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.
If You Are Caught in a Blizzard
If you are stopped by heavy snow, you could
be in a serious situation. You should probably
stay with your vehicle unless you know for
sure that you are near help and you can hike
through the snow. Here are some things to do
to summon help and keep yourself and your
passengers safe:
Turn on your hazard ashers.
Tie a red cloth to your vehicle to alert police
that you have been stopped by the snow.
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{CAUTION:
If you let your vehicle’s tires spin at high
speed, they can explode, and you or others
could be injured. And, the transmission or
other parts of the vehicle can overheat.
That could cause an engine compartment
re or other damage. When you are stuck,
spin the wheels as little as possible. Do not
spin the wheels above 35 mph (55 km/h)
as shown on the speedometer.
Notice:Spinning the wheels can destroy
parts of your vehicle as well as the tires. If you
spin the wheels too fast while shifting the
transmission back and forth, you can destroy
the transmission.
For information about using tire chains on your
vehicle, seeTire Chains on page 302.
Rocking Your Vehicle to Get It Out
First, turn the steering wheel left and right.
That will clear the area around the front wheels.
If your vehicle has traction control, you should
turn the traction control system off. SeeTraction
Control System (TCS) on page 198andElectronic
Stability Control on page 200. Then shift back
and forth between REVERSE (R) and a forward
gear, or with a manual transmission between
FIRST (1) or SECOND (2) and REVERSE (R),
spinning the wheels as little as possible. To
prevent transmission wear, allow the wheels to
stop spinning before shifting gears. Release
the accelerator pedal while you shift, and press
lightly on the accelerator pedal when the
transmission is in gear.
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Tire Chains
{CAUTION:
Do not use tire chains. There is not
enough clearance. Tire chains used on a
vehicle without the proper amount of
clearance can cause damage to the brakes,
suspension, or other vehicle parts. The
area damaged by the tire chains could
cause you to lose control of your vehicle
and you or others may be injured in a
crash. Use another type of traction device
only if its manufacturer recommends
it for use on your vehicle and tire size
combination and road conditions. Follow
that manufacturer’s instructions. To help
avoid damage to your vehicle, drive slowly,
re-adjust or remove the device if it is
contacting your vehicle, and do not spin
your wheels. If you do nd traction devices
that will t, install them on the rear tires.
If a Tire Goes Flat
Your vehicle has a tire inator kit. There is no
spare tire, no tire changing equipment, and
no place to store a tire.
It is unusual for a tire to blow out while you are
driving, especially if you maintain your tires
properly. SeeTires on page 284. If air goes out
of a tire, it is much more likely to leak out slowly.
But, if you should ever have a blow out, here are
a few tips about what to expect and what to do:
If a front tire fails, the at tire will create a drag that
pulls the vehicle toward that side. Take your
foot off the accelerator pedal and grip the steering
wheel rmly. Steer to maintain lane position,
and then gently brake to a stop well out of the
traffic lane.
A rear blow out, particularly on a curve, acts much
like a skid and may require the same correction
you would use in a skid. In any rear blow out,
remove your foot from the accelerator pedal. Get
the vehicle under control by steering the way
you want the vehicle to go. It may be very bumpy
and noisy, but you can still steer. Gently brake
to a stop, well off the road if possible.
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Fuses Usage
6 Amplier
7 Cluster
8 Ignition Switch, PassKey III+
9 Stoplamp
10Climate Control System,
PassKey III+
11 Empty
12 Spare
13 Airbag
14 Spare
15 Wiper
16Climate Control System,
Automatic Occupant Sensing
Module, Clutch Switch,
Crank Relay, Instrument
Panel Cluster
17 Empty
18 EmptyFuses Usage
19Electric Power Steering,
Steering Wheel Controls
20 Spare
21 Spare
22 Empty
23 Radio
24 Sensing and Diagnostic Module
25Engine Control Module,
Transmission Control Module
26 Door Locks
27 Interior Lamps
28 Steering Wheel Control Backlighting
29 Power Windows
30 Climate Control System
31 Empty
32 Retained Accessory Power
328