warning light SATURN VUE 2007 User Guide

Brake System Warning Light
Your vehicle’s hydraulic brake system is divided
into two parts. If one part is not working, the
other part can still work and stop you. For good
braking, though, you need both parts working well.
If the brake system warning light comes on,
there is a brake problem. Have your brake system
inspected right away.
The brake light is located in the instrument
panel cluster.
This light should come on briey when you turn
the ignition key to RUN. If it does not come
on then, have it xed so it will be ready to
warn you if there is a problem.
When the ignition is on, the brake light will come
on when you set your parking brake. The light
will stay on if your parking brake does not releasefully. A chime will also sound if the parking brake
is not fully released and the vehicle is moving.
If it stays on after your parking brake is fully
released, it means you have a brake problem.
The brake light will also come on to indicate a
low brake uid level. SeeBrakes on page 343
for more information.
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 oor. It may take longer to stop. If the light is
still on, have the vehicle towed for service. See
Towing Your Vehicle on page 284.
{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.
United StatesCanada
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Anti-Lock Brake System
Warning Light
If your vehicle has anti-lock brakes, the anti-lock
brake system (ABS) warning light will come
on briey, as a check, when you start your vehicle.
If it does not, have your vehicle serviced so that
the light works properly when it needs to.
The ABS light is located
in the instrument panel
cluster, to the left of
the engine coolant
temperature gage.
If the light stays on longer than a few seconds
after you start your engine, or comes on and stays
on while you are driving, try resetting the system.To reset the system, do the following:
1. If you are driving, pull over when it is safe
to do so.
2. Be sure the vehicle is in PARK (P).
3. Turn off the ignition.
4. Then restart the engine.
If the light remains on after resetting the system
or comes on again while driving, your vehicle
needs service. If the ABS light is on, but the
regular brake system warning light is not on, the
anti-lock brakes are not working properly, but
the regular brakes are still functioning. Have your
vehicle serviced right away. If both brake lights
are on, you do not have anti-lock brakes, and
there’s a problem with your regular brakes as well.
Have your vehicle towed for service. SeeTowing
Your Vehicle on page 284.
The anti-lock brake system warning light should
come on briey when you turn the ignition key to
RUN. If the light does not come on then, have it
xed so it will be ready to warn you if there is a
problem.
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Traction Control System (TCS)
Warning Light
Your vehicle may have
a traction control system
warning light. The
traction control system
warning light may
come on for the
following reasons:
For vehicles equipped with the 2.2L L4
engine, turn the system off by pressing
the traction control button located on the
instrument panel above the audio system.
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.
SeeTraction Control System (TCS) on
page 238for more information.
For vehicles equipped with the
3.5L V6 engine, the traction control system
will be turned off when the shift lever is
in REVERSE (R) or LOW (L). The traction
control system warning light will be displayed
on the instrument panel. The traction
control system can be activated again by
selecting DRIVE (D) or INTERMEDIATE (I).
If there is an engine-related and brake system
problem that is specically related to traction
control, the traction control 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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Low Traction Light
If your vehicle has the
Traction Control System
(TCS), this light will
come on when the
system is limiting
wheel spin.
You may feel or hear the system working, but this
is normal. The roads may be slippery if this
light comes on. Adjust your driving accordingly.
The light will stay on for a few seconds after the
system stops limiting wheel spin. This light should
also come on for a few seconds when you start your
vehicle. If it does not, have your vehicle serviced.
Engine Coolant Temperature
Warning Light
The engine coolant
temperature warning
light will come on
when the engine
has overheated.If this happens you should pull over and see
Engine Overheating on page 334for more
information.
Notice:Driving with the engine coolant
temperature warning light on could cause your
vehicle to overheat. SeeEngine Overheating
on page 334. Your vehicle could be damaged,
and it might not be covered by your warranty.
Never drive with the engine coolant
temperature warning light on.
This light will come on and ash when the
temperature of the automatic transmission uid is
too high. If this happens you should pull over,
shift into PARK (P) and let the engine idle until
the light goes out.
This light will also come on briey when
starting your vehicle. If it does not, have
your vehicle serviced.
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Engine Coolant Temperature Gage
This gage displays the
temperature of the
vehicle’s engine.
If the indicator needle moves into the shaded
area, the engine is too hot. The engine coolant
temperature warning light will also come on when
the engine has overheated. SeeEngine Coolant
Temperature Warning Light on page 173for more
information.
If you have been operating your vehicle under
normal driving conditions, and the engine coolant
temperature warning light comes on, you should
pull off the road, stop your vehicle and turn off the
engine as soon as possible.
Low Coolant Warning Light
This light comes on
briey when you turn
your ignition on.
If this light comes on and stays on, the coolant level
in your vehicle is low. If the light is on along with
an overheat warning, you may have a serious
overheating problem. SeeEngine Coolant
Temperature Gage on page 174.
Notice:Driving with the low coolant warning
light on could cause your vehicle to overheat.
See “Engine Overheating” underEngine
Coolant on page 331. Your vehicle could be
damaged and the damages might not be
covered by your warranty.
SeeEngine Coolant on page 331for information
on what to do. Your vehicle should be serviced as
soon as possible.
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Fuel Gage
When the ignition is on,
the fuel gage tells you
about how much
fuel you have left in
your tank.
When the indicator nears empty, the low fuel light
will come on. You still have a little fuel left, but
you should get more soon. SeeLow Fuel Warning
Light on page 181for more information.
Here are four things that some owners ask about.
None of these mean a condition exists with
your fuel gage:
At the service station, the fuel pump shuts off
before the gage reads full.
It takes a little more or less fuel to ll up than
the gage indicated. For example, the gage
may have indicated the tank was half full,
but it actually took a little more or less than
half the tank’s capacity to ll the tank.
The gage moves a little when you turn a
corner or speed up.
The gage takes a few seconds to stabilize
after the ignition is turned on, and will go
back to empty when you turn the ignition off.
For your fuel tank capacity, seeCapacities and
Specications on page 414.
Low Fuel Warning Light
The light next to the fuel
gage will come on
briey when you are
starting the engine.
This light also comes on when the fuel tank is low
on fuel. When you add fuel the light should go
off. If it doesn’t, have your vehicle serviced.
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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
Control System (TCS) on page 238.
Adding non-Saturn accessories can affect your
vehicle’s performance. SeeAccessories and
Modications on page 304.
Braking
SeeBrake System Warning Light on page 170.
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 the brakes; the weight of the vehicle;
and the amount of brake force applied.
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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-Saturn accessories can affect your
vehicle’s performance. SeeAccessories and
Modications on page 304.Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS)
Your vehicle might 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 the engine, or when you begin
to drive away, ABS will check itself. You might hear
a momentary motor or clicking noise while this test
is going on, and you might even notice that the
brake pedal moves or pulses a little. This is normal.
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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 reduces engine power to
limit wheel spin.
This light will come on
when your traction
control system is
limiting wheel spin.
SeeLow Traction Light on page 173. You may
feel or hear the system working, but this is normal.
The traction control system automatically comes
on whenever you start your vehicle. To limit
wheel spin, especially in slippery road conditions,
you should always leave the system on.But you can turn the traction control system off if
you ever need to. You should turn the system
off if your vehicle ever gets stuck in sand, mud,
ice or snow and rocking the vehicle is required.
SeeRocking Your Vehicle to Get It Out on
page 277andIf Your Vehicle is Stuck in Sand,
Mud, Ice, or Snow on page 276for more
information.
If your vehicle is
equipped with the
2.2L L4 engine, the
traction control system
can be turned off by
pressing the traction
control button.
It is located on the instrument panel above the
audio system.
If your vehicle is equipped with the 3.5L V6 engine,
the traction control system will be turned off when
the shift lever is in REVERSE (R) or LOW (L).
The traction control system warning light will be
displayed on the instrument panel. SeeTraction
Control System (TCS) Warning Light on page 172
for more information.
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The traction control system can be activated again
by pressing the traction control button for the
2.2L L4 engine, or by selecting DRIVE (D)
or INTERMEDIATE (I) for the 3.5L V6 engine.
If the system is limiting wheel spin when you press
the button, the system will not turn off until there
is no longer a current need to limit wheel spin.
You can turn the system back on at any time by
pressing the button again. If the traction control
warning light does not come on, you may not have
traction control and your vehicle should be
serviced at a retailer.
Adding non-Saturn accessories can affect your
vehicle’s performance. SeeAccessories and
Modications on page 304for more information.All-Wheel Drive (AWD) System
If your vehicle has all-wheel drive (AWD), the
AWD system operates automatically without any
action required by the driver. If the front drive
wheels begin to slip, the rear wheels will
automatically begin to drive the vehicle as
required. There may be a slight engagement
noise during hard use but this is normal.
During heavy AWD applications, the engine
torque may be reduced to protect AWD system
components. If the vehicle is exposed to extended
heavy AWD usage, the AWD system will shut
itself off to protect the system from overheating.
When the system cools down, the AWD system
will activate itself again automatically; this
cool-down can take up to 20 minutes depending
on outside temperature and vehicle use.
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