traction control SATURN VUE 2009 Owner's Manual

{CAUTION
Coasting downhill in N (Neutral)
or with the ignition off is
dangerous. The brakes will have
to do all the work of slowing down
and they could get so hot that
they would not work well. You
would then have poor braking
or even none going down a hill.
You could crash. Always have the
engine running and the vehicle in
gear when going downhill.
Stay in your own lane. Do not
swing wide or cut across the
center of the road. Drive at
speeds that let you stay in your
own lane.
Top of hills: Be alert — something
could be in your lane (stalled car,
accident).
Pay attention to special road
signs (falling rocks area, winding
roads, long grades, passing or
no-passing zones) and take
appropriate action.
Winter Driving
Driving on Snow or Ice
Drive carefully when there is snow
or ice between the tires and the
road, creating less traction or grip.
Wet ice can occur at about 32°F
(0°C) when freezing rain begins to
fall, resulting in even less traction.
Avoid driving on wet ice or in
freezing rain until roads can be
treated with salt or sand.
Drive with caution, whatever the
condition. Accelerate gently so
traction is not lost. Accelerating too
quickly causes the wheels to spin
and makes the surface under the
tires slick, so there is even less
traction.
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.TheAntilock Brake System (ABS)
on page 4-6improves vehicle
stability during hard stops on a
slippery roads, but apply the brakes
sooner than when on dry pavement.
Allow greater following distance
on any slippery road and watch for
slippery spots. Icy patches can
occur on otherwise clear roads in
shaded areas. The surface of
a curve or an overpass can remain
icy when the surrounding roads
are clear. Avoid sudden steering
maneuvers and braking while on ice.
Turn off cruise control, if equipped,
on slippery surfaces.
Driving Your Vehicle 4-25
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Service
For service and parts needs,
visit your dealer/retailer. You will
receive genuine Saturn parts and
Saturn-trained and supported service
people.
Genuine Saturn parts have one of
these marks.
Accessories and
Modications
When non-dealer/non-retailer
accessories are added to the vehicle,
they can affect vehicle performance
and safety, including such things
as airbags, braking, stability, ride
and handling, emissions systems,
aerodynamics, durability, and
electronic systems like antilock
brakes, traction control, and stability
control. Some of these accessories
could even cause malfunction or
damage not covered by the vehicle
warranty.
Damage to vehicle components
resulting from the installation or use
of non-GM certied parts, including
control module modications, are
not covered under the terms of the
vehicle warranty and may affect
remaining warranty coverage for
affected parts.GM Accessories are designed to
complement and function with other
systems on the vehicle. Your GM
dealer/retailer can accessorize the
vehicle using genuine GM
Accessories. When you go to your
GM dealer/retailer and ask for GM
Accessories, you will know that
GM-trained and supported service
technicians will perform the work
using genuine GM Accessories.
Also, seeAdding Equipment to Your
Airbag-Equipped Vehicle on
page 1-57.
Service and Appearance Care 5-3
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Buying New Tires
GM has developed and matched
specic tires for your vehicle. The
original equipment tires installed
on your vehicle, when it was new,
were designed to meet General
Motors Tire Performance Criteria
Specication (TPC Spec) system
rating. If you need replacement
tires, GM strongly recommends
that you get tires with the same
TPC Spec rating. This way, your
vehicle will continue to have tires
that are designed to give the
same performance and vehicle
safety, during normal use, as the
original tires.
GM’s exclusive TPC Spec
system considers over a dozen
critical specications that impact
the overall performance of your
vehicle, including brake system
performance, ride and handling,
traction control, and tire pressuremonitoring performance. GM’s
TPC Spec number is molded
onto the tire’s sidewall near the
tire size. If the tires have an
all-season tread design, the TPC
Spec number will be followed by
an MS for mud and snow. See
Tire Sidewall Labeling on
page 5-44for additional
information.
GM recommends replacing tires
in sets of four. This is because
uniform tread depth on all tires
will help keep your vehicle
performing most like it did when
the tires were new. Replacing
less than a full set of tires can
affect the braking and handling
performance of your vehicle. See
Tire Inspection and Rotation on
page 5-56for information on
proper tire rotation.{CAUTION
Mixing tires could cause you
to lose control while driving. If
you mix tires of different sizes,
brands, or types (radial and
bias-belted tires), the vehicle
may not handle properly, and
you could have a crash. Using
tires of different sizes, brands,
or types may also cause
damage to your vehicle. Be
sure to use the correct size,
brand, and type of tires on all
wheels. It is all right to drive
with your compact spare
temporarily, as it was
developed for use on your
vehicle. SeeCompact Spare
Tire on page 5-71.
5-58 Service and Appearance Care
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{CAUTION
If you use bias-ply tires on the
vehicle, the wheel rim anges
could develop cracks after
many miles of driving. A tire
and/or wheel could fail
suddenly, causing a crash.
Use only radial-ply tires with
the wheels on the vehicle.
If you must replace your vehicle’s
tires with those that do not have
a TPC Spec number, make sure
they are the same size, load
range, speed rating, and
construction type (radial and
bias-belted tires) as your
vehicle’s original tires.
Vehicles that have a tire pressure
monitoring system could give an
inaccurate low-pressure warning
if non-TPC Spec rated tires
are installed on your vehicle.Non-TPC Spec rated tires may
give a low-pressure warning that
is higher or lower than the proper
warning level you would get with
TPC Spec rated tires. SeeTire
Pressure Monitor System on
page 5-51.
Your vehicle’s original equipment
tires are listed on the Tire and
Loading Information Label.
SeeLoading the Vehicle on
page 4-28, for more information
about the Tire and Loading
Information Label and its location
on your vehicle.
Different Size Tires and
Wheels
If you add wheels or tires that are
a different size than your original
equipment wheels and tires,
this may affect the way your vehicle
performs, including its braking,
ride and handling characteristics,
stability, and resistance to rollover.Additionally, if your vehicle has
electronic systems such as, anti-lock
brakes, rollover airbags, traction
control, and stability control, the
performance of these systems can
be affected.
{CAUTION
If you add different sized wheels,
your vehicle may not provide an
acceptable level of performance
and safety if tires not
recommended for those wheels
are selected. You may increase
the chance that you will crash and
suffer serious injury. Only use
Saturn specic wheel and tire
systems developed for your
vehicle, and have them properly
installed by a Saturn certied
technician.
SeeBuying New Tires on page 5-58
andAccessories and Modifications
on page 5-3for additional
information.
Service and Appearance Care 5-59
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Uniform Tire Quality
Grading
Quality grades can be found
where applicable on the
tire sidewall between tread
shoulder and maximum section
width. For example:
Treadwear 200 Traction AA
Temperature A
The following information relates
to the system developed by the
United States National Highway
Traffic Safety Administration
(NHTSA), which grades tires
by treadwear, traction, and
temperature performance. This
applies only to vehicles sold in
the United States. The grades
are molded on the sidewalls of
most passenger car tires. The
Uniform Tire Quality Grading
(UTQG) system does not apply to
deep tread, winter-type snow
tires, space-saver, or temporaryuse spare tires, tires with nominal
rim diameters of 10 to 12 inches
(25 to 30 cm), or to some
limited-production tires.
While the tires available on
General Motors passenger cars
and light trucks may vary
with respect to these grades,
they must also conform to
federal safety requirements and
additional General Motors
Tire Performance Criteria (TPC)
standards.
Treadwear
The treadwear grade is a
comparative rating based on
the wear rate of the tire when
tested under controlled
conditions on a specied
government test course.
For example, a tire graded 150
would wear one and a half (1.5)
times as well on the government
course as a tire graded 100.The relative performance of
tires depends upon the actual
conditions of their use, however,
and may depart signicantly from
the norm due to variations in
driving habits, service practices,
and differences in road
characteristics and climate.
Traction – AA, A, B, C
The traction grades, from highest
to lowest, are AA, A, B, and C.
Those grades represent the tire’s
ability to stop on wet pavement
as measured under controlled
conditions on specied
government test surfaces of
asphalt and concrete. A tire
marked C may have poor traction
performance.
5-60 Service and Appearance Care
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CAUTION (Continued)
The area damaged by the tire
chains could cause you to lose
control of the 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 the
vehicle and tire size combination
and road conditions. Follow that
manufacturer’s instructions. To
help avoid damage to the vehicle,
drive slowly, readjust or remove
the device if it is contacting the
vehicle, and do not spin the
vehicle’s wheels. If you do nd
traction devices that will t, install
them on the front tires.
If a Tire Goes Flat
It is unusual for a tire to blowout
while you are driving, especially if
you maintain your vehicle’s tires
properly. If air goes out of a tire, it is
much more likely to leak out slowly.
But if you should ever have a
blowout, here are a few tips about
what to expect and what to do:
If a front tire fails, the at tire creates
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 blowout, particularly on a
curve, acts much like a skid and may
require the same correction you
would use in a skid. In any rear
blowout 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.
{CAUTION
Lifting a vehicle and getting under
it to do maintenance or repairs is
dangerous without the appropriate
safety equipment and training. If a
jack is provided with the vehicle, it
is designed only for changing a
at tire. If it is used for anything
else, you or others could be badly
injured or killed if the vehicle slips
off the jack. If a jack is provided
with the vehicle, only use it for
changing a at tire.
If a tire goes at, the next part
shows how to use the jacking
equipment to change a at tire
safely.
Service and Appearance Care 5-63
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Lights (cont.)
Reduced Engine Power.....3-39
Safety Belt Reminders.......3-28
Security...........................3-38
Service Vehicle Soon........3-40
StabiliTrak
®Indicator.........3-33
Tire Pressure...................3-34
Traction Control System
(TCS) Warning..............3-33
Warning, Power Steering . . . 3-33
Loading Your Vehicle............4-28
Locks
Automatic Door Lock.......... 2-8
Automatic Door Unlock........ 2-8
Delayed Locking................. 2-8
Door ................................. 2-7
Lockout Protection.............. 2-8
Power Door ....................... 2-8
Rear Door Security Locks.... 2-8
Loss of Control....................4-12
Low Fuel Warning Light........3-41
Low Washer Fluid Warning
Light...............................3-40
Lower Anchors and Tethers
for Children......................1-31
Luggage Carrier...................2-43
Lumbar
Manual Controls................. 1-5
M
Maintenance
Footnotes.......................... 6-8
Maintenance Schedule
Additional Required
Services........................ 6-6
At Each Fuel Fill..............6-10
At Least Once a Month.....6-10
At Least Once a Year.......6-11
Maintenance Record.........6-17
Maintenance Replacement
Parts...........................6-15
Maintenance Requirements . . . 6-1
Owner Checks and
Services.......................6-10
Recommended Fluids and
Lubricants....................6-13
Scheduled Maintenance....... 6-3
Using............................... 6-2
Your Vehicle and the
Environment................... 6-1
Malfunction Indicator Lamp....3-35
Manual Lumbar Controls......... 1-5
Manual Seats........................ 1-3
Message
DIC Warnings and
Messages....................3-49Mirrors
Automatic Dimming
Rearview......................2-29
Manual Rearview Mirror.....2-29
Outside Convex Mirror.......2-30
Outside Heated Mirrors......2-30
Outside Power Mirrors.......2-29
MP3 ...................................3-75
N
Navigation System, Privacy . . . 7-17
Navigation/Radio System,
see Navigation Manual......3-81
Net
Convenience....................2-44
New Vehicle Break-In...........2-15
O
Odometer...........................3-28
Odometer, Trip.....................3-28
Off-Road .............................4-13
Driving............................4-13
Recovery.........................4-11
INDEX i-7
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Tire
Pressure Light..................3-34
Tires..................................5-43
Aluminum Wheels,
Cleaning......................5-77
Buying New Tires.............5-58
Chains............................5-62
Changing a Flat Tire.........5-64
Cleaning..........................5-77
Compact Spare................5-71
Different Size...................5-59
High-Speed Operation.......5-50
If a Tire Goes Flat............5-63
Ination - Tire Pressure.....5-49
Inspection and Rotation.....5-56
Installing the Spare Tire.....5-66
Pressure Monitor
Operation.....................5-53
Pressure Monitor System . . . 5-51
Removing the Flat Tire......5-66
Removing the Spare Tire
and Tools.....................5-65
Sidewall Labeling..............5-44
Storing a Flat or Spare
Tire and Tools...............5-70
Terminology and
Denitions....................5-46Tires (cont.)
Uniform Tire Quality
Grading.......................5-60
Wheel Alignment and
Tire Balance.................5-61
Wheel Replacement..........5-62
When It Is Time for
New Tires....................5-57
Towing
Recreational Vehicle..........4-32
Towing a Trailer................4-35
Your Vehicle.....................4-32
Traction
Control System (TCS)......... 4-8
Control System Warning
Light............................3-33
StabiliTrak
®System............ 4-7
Transmission
Fluid, Automatic................5-18
Transmission Operation,
Automatic................2-19, 2-22
Transportation, Courtesy......... 7-9
Trip Odometer.....................3-28
Turn and Lane-Change
Signals............................. 3-6
Turn Signal/Multifunction
Lever................................ 3-6
U
Uniform Tire Quality Grading . . . 5-60
Universal Home Remote
System...........................2-37
Operation........................2-37
V
Vehicle
Control............................. 4-4
Design.............................. 4-2
Loading...........................4-28
Running While Parked.......2-28
Service Soon Light...........3-40
Symbols.............................. iii
Vehicle Customization, DIC....3-57
Vehicle Data Recording and
Privacy............................7-16
Vehicle Data Recording,
Radio Frequency (RFID)....7-17
Vehicle Identication
Number (VIN)...................5-79
Service Parts
Identication Label.........5-79
Vehicle, Remote Start............. 2-5
Ventilation Adjustment...........3-24
Visors.................................2-11
INDEX i-11
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