2006 Buick Rendezvous Owners Manual

Download PDF Manual
XL on the radio display, after the channel name, indicates content with explicit language. Updating encryption code No Signal Loss of signal Loading XM CH Off Air CH Unavail Acquiring channel audio (after 4 second delay) Channel not in service Channel no longer available Action Required These channels, or any others, can be blocked at a customer’s request, by calling 1-800-852-XMXM (9696). The encryption code in the receiver is being updated, and no action is required. This process should take no longer than 30 seconds. The system is functioning correctly, but the vehicle is in a location that is blocking the XM signal. When the vehicle is moved into an open area, the signal should return. The audio system is acquiring and processing audio and text data. No action is needed. This message should disappear shortly. This channel is not currently in service. Tune to another channel. This previously assigned channel is no longer assigned. Tune to another station. If this station was one of the presets, choose another station for that preset button. 3-107 XM™ Radio Messages (cont’d) Condition Artist Name/Feature not available Song/Program Title not available Category Name not available No Text/Informational message available No channel available for the chosen category Theft lock active Radio ID label (channel 0) Radio ID not known (should only be if hardware failure) Hardware failure Action Required No artist information is available at this time on this channel. The system is working properly. No song title information is available at this time on this channel. The system is working properly. No category information is available at this time on this channel. The system is working properly. No text or informational messages are available at this time on this channel. The system is working properly. There are no channels available for the selected category. The system is working properly. The XM receiver in the vehicle may have previously been in another vehicle. For security purposes, XM receivers cannot be swapped between vehicles. If this message is received after having your vehicle serviced, check with your dealer. If tuned to channel 0, this message will alternate with the XM Radio 8 digit radio ID label. This label is needed to activate the service. If this message is received when tuned to channel 0, there may be a receiver fault. Consult with your dealer. If this message does not clear within a short period of time, the receiver may have a fault. Consult with your dealer. Radio Display Message No Info No Info No Info No Info Not Found XM Locked Radio ID Unknown Chk XMRcvr 3-108 Playing a CD If the ignition or radio is turned off, with a CD in the player, it will stay in the player. When the ignition or radio is turned on, the CD will start playing where it stopped, if it was the last selected audio source. When a CD is inserted, the CD symbol will appear on the CD. As each new track starts to play, the track number will appear on the display. The CD player can play the smaller 3 inch (8 cm) single CDs with an adapter ring. Full-size CDs and the smaller CDs are loaded in the same manner. If playing a CD-R, the sound quality may be reduced due to CD-R quality, the method of recording, the quality of the music that has been recorded, and the way the CD-R has been handled. There may be an increase in skipping, difficulty in ﬁnding tracks, and/or difficulty in loading and ejecting. If these problems occur, check the bottom surface of the CD. If the surface of the CD is damaged, such as cracked, broken, or scratched, the CD will not play properly. If the surface of the CD is soiled, see “Care of Your CDs” later in this section. If there is no apparent damage, try a known good CD. If you add any label to a CD, insert more Do not add any label to a CD, it could get caught in the CD player. If a CD is recorded on a personal computer and a description label is needed, try labeling the top of the recorded CD with a soft marker instead. Notice: than one CD into the slot at a time, or attempt to play scratched or damaged CDs, you could damage the CD player. When using the CD player, use only CDs in good condition without any label, load one CD at a time, and keep the CD player and the loading slot free of foreign materials, liquids, and debris. If an error appears on the display, see “CD Messages” later in this section. LOAD CD Z: Press the LOAD side of this button to load CDs into the CD player. This CD player will hold up to six CDs. To insert one CD, do the following: 1. Turn the ignition on. 2. Press and release the LOAD button. 3. Wait for the light, located to the right of the slot, to turn green. 4. Load a CD. Insert the CD partway into the slot, label side up. The player will pull the CD in. 3-109 To insert multiple CDs, do the following: 1. Turn the ignition on. 2. Press and hold the LOAD button for two seconds. You will hear a beep and the light, located to the right of the slot, will begin to ﬂash. 3. Once the light stops ﬂashing and turns green, load a CD. Insert the CD partway into the slot, label side up. The player will pull the CD in. 4. Once the CD is loaded, the light will begin ﬂashing again. Press the LOAD button again. Once the light turns green, load the next disc. Repeat this procedure for each CD. The CD player takes up to six CDs. Do not try to load more than six. To load more than one CD but less than six, complete Steps 1 through 3. When ﬁnished loading CDs, the radio will begin to play the last CD loaded. If more than one CD has been loaded, a number for each CD will be displayed. Playing a Speciﬁc Loaded CD For every CD loaded, a number will appear on the display. To play a speciﬁc CD, ﬁrst press the CD AUX button, then press the numbered pushbutton that corresponds to the CD. A small bar will appear under the CD number that is playing and the track number will appear. If an error appears on the display, see “CD Messages” later in this section. LOAD CD Z (Eject): Press the CD eject side of this button to eject a CD(s). You will hear a beep and the indicator light will ﬂash to let you know when a CD is being ejected. REMOVE CD will appear on the display. The CD can be remove. If the CD is not removed, after 25 seconds, the CD will be automatically pulled back into the player. If the CD is pushed back into the player, before the 25 second time period is complete, the player will sense an error and will try to eject the CD several times before stopping. Do not repeatedly press the CD eject button to eject a CD after trying to push it in manually. The player’s 25-second eject timer will reset at each press of eject, causing the player to not eject the CD until the 25-second time period has elapsed. 3-110 Once the player stops and the CD is ejected, remove the CD. After removing the CD, push the PWR knob off and then on again, or wait for the system to reset. This will clear the CD-sensing feature and enable CDs to be loaded into the player again. { REV (Reverse): Press and hold this button to reverse quickly within a track. You will hear sound at a reduced volume. Release this button to play the passage. The elapsed time of the track will appear on the display. FWD | (Forward): Press and hold this button to advance quickly within a track. You will hear sound at a reduced volume. Release this button to play the passage. The elapsed time of the track will appear on the display. RPT (Repeat): With repeat, one track or an entire CD can be repeated. To use repeat, do the following: To repeat the track you are listening to, press and release the RPT button. RPT will appear on the display. Press RPT again to turn off repeat play. To repeat the CD you are listening to, press and hold the RPT button for two seconds. RPT will appear on the display. Press RPT again to turn off repeat play. RDM (Random): With random, you can listen to the tracks in random, rather than sequential, order, on one CD or on all of the CDs. To use random, do one of the following: To play the tracks on the CD you are listening to in random order, press and release the RDM button. RANDOM ONE will appear on the display. Press RDM again to turn off random play. To play the tracks on all of the CDs that are loaded in random order, press and hold RDM for more than two seconds. You will hear a beep and RANDOM ALL will appear on the display. Press RDM again to turn off random play. AUTO EQ (Automatic Equalization): Press AUTO EQ to select the desired equalization setting while playing a CD. The equalization will be set whenever a CD is played. For more information on AUTO EQ, see “AUTO EQ” listed previously in this section. sSEEK t: Press the left arrow to go to the start of the current track, if more than ten seconds have played. Press the right arrow to go to the next track. If either arrow is held or pressed more than once, the player will continue moving backward or forward through the CD. 3-111 (cid:127) (cid:127) (cid:127) (cid:127) sSCAN t: To scan one CD, press and hold either SCAN arrow for more than two seconds until SCAN appears on the display and you hear a beep. Use this feature to listen to 10 seconds of each track of the currently selected CD. Press either SCAN arrow again, to stop scanning. To scan all loaded CDs, press and hold either SCAN arrow for more than four seconds until CD SCAN appears on the display and you hear a beep. Use this feature to listen to 10 seconds of the ﬁrst track of each loaded CD. Press either SCAN arrow again, to stop scanning. RCL (Recall): Press this knob to see how long the current track has been playing. To change the default on the display, track and elapsed time, press the knob until you see the display you want, then hold the knob until the display ﬂashes. The selected display will now be the default. BAND: Press this button to play the radio when a CD is playing. The inactive CD(s) will remain safely inside the radio for future listening. CD AUX (Auxiliary): Press this button to play a CD when listening to the radio. 3-112 Using Song List Mode The six-disc CD changer has a feature called song list. This feature is capable of saving 20 track selections. To save tracks into the song list feature, perform the following steps: 1. Turn the CD player on and load it with at least one CD. See “LOAD CD” listed previously in this section for more information. 2. Check to see that the CD changer is not in song list mode. S-LIST should not appear in the display. If S-LIST is present, press the SONG LIST button to turn it off. 3. Select the desired CD by pressing the numbered pushbutton and then use the SEEK SCAN right arrow to locate the track to be saved. The track will begin to play. 4. Press and hold the SONG LIST button to save the track into memory. When SONG LIST is pressed, one beep will be heard immediately. After two seconds of continuously pressing the SONG LIST button, two beeps will be heard to conﬁrm that the track has been saved. 5. Repeat Steps 3 and 4 for saving other selections. S-LIST FULL will appear on the display if you try to save more than 20 selections. To play the song list, press the SONG LIST button. One beep will be heard and S-LIST will appear on the display. The recorded tracks will begin to play in the order they were saved. Seek through the song list by using the SEEK SCAN arrows. Seeking past the last saved track will return to the ﬁrst saved track. To delete tracks from the song list, perform the following steps: 1. Turn the CD player on. 2. Press the SONG LIST button to turn song list on. S-LIST will appear on the display. 3. Press the SEEK SCAN arrows to select the desired track to be deleted. 4. Press and hold the SONG LIST button for two seconds. When SONG LIST is pressed, one beep will be heard immediately. After two seconds of continuously pressing the SONG LIST button, two beeps will be heard to conﬁrm that the track has been deleted. After a track has been deleted, the remaining tracks are moved up the list. When another track is added to the song list, the track will be added to the end of the list. To delete the entire song list, perform the following steps: 1. Turn the CD player on. 2. Press the SONG LIST button to turn song list on. S-LIST will appear on the display. 3. Press and hold the SONG LIST button for more than four seconds. One beep will be heard, followed by two beeps after two seconds, and a ﬁnal beep will be heard after four seconds. S-LIST EMPTY will appear on the display indicating the song list has been deleted. If a CD is ejected, and the song list contains saved tracks from that CD, those tracks are automatically deleted from the song list. Any tracks saved to the song list again are added to the bottom of the list. To end song list mode, press the SONG LIST button. One beep will be heard and S-LIST will be removed from the display. 3-113 CD Messages CHECK CD: If this message appears on the display and/or the CD comes out, it could be for one of the following reasons: It is very hot. When the temperature returns to normal, the CD should play. (cid:127) You are driving on a very rough road. When the road becomes smoother, the CD should play. The CD is dirty, scratched, wet, or upside down. The air is very humid. If so, wait about an hour and try again. There may have been a problem while burning the CD. The label may be caught in the CD player. If the CD is not playing correctly, for any other reason, try a known good CD. If any error occurs repeatedly or if an error cannot be corrected, contact your dealer. If the radio displays an error message, write it down and provide it to your dealer when reporting the problem. Listening to a DVD Your vehicle may have a Rear Seat Entertainment System, see Rear Seat Entertainment System on page 3-115 for more information. If your vehicle has this system and a DVD is playing, the DVD symbol will appear on the radio display indicating that the DVD is available and can be listened through your vehicles speakers. To listen to the DVD, press the CD AUX button until RSE appears on the radio display. The current source will stop and the DVD sound will come through the speakers. To stop listening to the DVD press the CD AUX button, if a CD is loaded, or press the BAND button to select a different source. When the RSE system is turned off, the radio will display RSE OFF and the radio will return to the last radio source that you were listening to. Navigation/Radio System Your vehicle may have a navigation radio system. The navigation system has built-in features intended to minimize driver distraction. Technology alone, no matter how advanced, can never replace your own judgment. See the navigation system manual for some tips to help you reduce distractions while driving. 3-114 (cid:127) (cid:127) (cid:127) (cid:127) (cid:127) Rear Seat Entertainment System Your vehicle may have a DVD Rear Seat Entertainment (RSE) system. The RSE system includes a DVD player, a video display screen, two sets of wireless headphones, and a remote control. Parental Control This button is located behind the video screen, next to the auxiliary jacks, near the driver of the vehicle. Press this button while a DVD or CD is playing to freeze the video and mute the audio. The video screen will display Parental Control On and the power indicator light on the DVD player will ﬂash. It will also disable all other button operations from the remote control and the DVD player, with the exception of the eject button. The driver will then be able to gain the attention of the rear seat passengers. Press this button again to restore normal operation of the DVD player and remote control. This button may also be used to turn the DVD player power on and automatically resume play if the vehicle is in an enabled power mode. Before You Drive The RSE is designed for rear seat passengers only. The driver cannot safely view the video screen while driving and should not try to do so. The DVD system is designed to be inoperable when the vehicle is exposed to extremely low or high temperatures, in order to protect the system from damage. Operate the DVD system under normal or comfortable cabin temperature ranges. Headphones The RSE system includes two sets of wireless headphones. The wireless headphones have an ON/OFF switch and a volume control. To use the headphones, turn the switch to ON. An indicator light on the headphones will illuminate. If the light does not illuminate, the batteries may need to be replaced. See “Battery Replacement” later in this section for more information. Switch the headphones to OFF when not in use. 3-115 The transmitters are located below the overhead RSE control panel. The headphones will shut off automatically to save the battery power if the DVD system is shut off, or if the headphones are out of range of the transmitters for more than three minutes. If you move too far forward or step out of the vehicle, the headphones will lose the audio signal. To adjust the volume on the wireless headphones, use the volume control. You can listen to the RSE system through the wired headphone jacks on the Rear Seat Audio (RSA) system, if equipped when the following occurs: The RSA system is on (cid:127) A DVD or auxiliary device is playing (cid:127) RSE is displayed on the front audio system by pressing the TAPE/CD button on the RSA system See Rear Seat Audio (RSA) on page 3-129 for more information. If the front seat passengers are listening to the RSE system through the vehicle’s speakers and the rear seat passengers are using the wired headphones to listen to the RSA system, the BAND button will not access XM™ Satellite Radio Service. Notice: Do not store the headphones in heat or direct sunlight. This could damage the headphones and repairs will not be covered by your warranty. Keep the headphones stored in a cool, dry place. If there is a decreased audio signal during CD or DVD play, there may be a low hissing noise through the speakers and/or headphones. If the hissing sound in the wireless headphones seems excessive, make sure that the headphone batteries are fully charged. Some amount of hissing is normal. Battery Replacement To change the batteries, do the following: 1. Loosen the screw on the battery compartment door located on the left side of the headphone earpiece. 2. Replace the two AAA batteries in the compartment. Make sure that they are installed correctly using the diagram on the inside of the battery compartment. 3. Tighten the screw on the battery compartment door. If the headphones are to be stored for a long period of time, remove the batteries, and keep them in a cool, dry place. 3-116 (cid:127) Stereo RCA Jacks The RCA jacks are located behind the video screen on the DVD console. The RCA jacks allow audio and video signals to be connected from an auxiliary device such as a camcorder or a video game unit to the RSE. The yellow RCA jack is used for video inputs, the red RCA jack for right audio inputs, and the white RCA jack for left audio inputs. The system requires standard RCA cables, not included, to connect the auxiliary device to the RCA jacks. Refer to the manufacturer’s instructions for proper usage. To use the auxiliary audio and video inputs, connect an external auxiliary device such as a camcorder to the RCA jacks and turn on both the auxiliary device power and the power on the front of the RSE player. If a disc is present when the RSE power is turned on, the player will automatically begin playing the disc and the user will need to press the SRCE button on the remote control or on the DVD player faceplate to switch the system between the DVD player and the auxiliary device. See “DVD Player” and “Remote Control” later in this section for more information. Audio Output Audio from the DVD player or auxiliary devices can be heard through the following possible sources: (cid:127) Wireless Headphones (cid:127) Vehicle’s Speakers (cid:127) Rear Seat Audio (RSA) RCA Jacks, if equipped. Plug the wired headphones, not included into the jacks on the RSA system. Only one audio source can be heard through the vehicle’s speakers at a time. The RSE system or an auxiliary device can be heard through all of the vehicles speakers when the following occurs: The RSA system, if equipped is off (cid:127) A DVD or auxiliary device is playing The front audio system is on and either the CD, the CD TAPE, or the CD AUX button is pressed to enable the RSE system 3-117 (cid:127) (cid:127) RSE will appear on the radio display when the RSE system is on and RSE OFF, when it is off. To turn the vehicles speakers on and off, press either the CD, the CD TAPE, or the CD AUX button on the radio. The audio from the RSE system can be heard through the wireless headphones and the vehicles speakers at the same time. The volume on the radio may vary when switching between a radio station, CD, DVD, cassette, or auxiliary device. If there is a decreased audio signal during CD or DVD play, there may be a low hissing noise through the speakers and/or headphones. If the hissing sound in the wireless headphones seems excessive, make sure that the headphone batteries are fully charged. Some amount of hissing is normal. Video Screen The video screen is located in the overhead console. To use the video screen, do the following: 1. Push forward on the release button and the screen will fold down. 2. Push the screen away from you and adjust its position as desired. When the video screen is not in use, push it up into its stowed and latched position. The DVD player and display will continue to operate when the video screen is in either the up or down positions. The video screen contains the transmitters for the wireless headphones and the receiver for the remote control. If the screen is in the closed position, the signals will not be available for the operation of the headphones or the remote control. Notice: Avoid directly touching the video screen, as damage may occur. See “Cleaning the Video Screen” later in this section for more information. 3-118 DVD Player The DVD player is located in the overhead console. The DVD player can be controlled by the buttons on the DVD player, and/or by the buttons on the remote control. See “Remote Control” later in this section for more information. The RSE system DVD player is only compatible with DVDs of the appropriate region code for the country that the vehicle was sold in. The DVD region code is printed on the jacket of most DVDs. Standard audio CDs, CD-R, CD-RW, Video CD and Photo CD/CD-R media are fully supported by this DVD player. DVD-R and DVD-RW media is supported if formatted as DVD-Video. DVD+R and DVD+RW media may or may not be supported by the DVD player. The DVD player does not support DVD-RAM, DVD-ROM, and DVD Audio media. An error message will appear on the display if this type of media is inserted into the DVD player. If an error message appears on the video screen, see “DVD Messages” later in this section. DVD Player Buttons Y (Eject): Press this button to eject a DVD or CD. O (Power): Press this button to turn the DVD player on and off. SRCE (Source): Press this button to switch the system between the DVD player and an auxiliary source. c (Stop): Press this button to stop playing, rewinding, or fast forwarding. Press this button twice to return to the beginning of the DVD. s (Play/Pause): Press this button to start play of a DVD or CD. Press this button while a DVD or CD is playing to pause it. Press it again to continue play of a DVD or CD. 3-119 y (Main Menu): Press this button to view the media menu. The media menu is different on every DVD. Use the up, down, right, and left arrow buttons to move the cursor around the media menu. After making a selection press enter. This button only operates when using a DVD. z (Display Control Button): Press this button to adjust the color, tint, brightness, contrast, display mode, and dynamic range compression. The dynamic range compression feature can be used to reduce loud audio and increase low audio produced by some DVDs. To change a feature back to the factory default setting, press this button to display the feature, then press and hold this button. The default setting will appear on the display. While playing an Audio or DVD disc, press and hold this button to display and to remove the track and time information. n, q, p, o (Directional Control Circle): Press these buttons to move through menu choices, or to move forward or back in a movie. These controls can be used to move forward or backward through a CD. r (Enter): Press this button to select choices highlighted in any menu. 3-120 Playing a Disc To play a disc, gently insert the disc, label side up, into the loading slot. The DVD player will continue loading the disc and the player will automatically start if the vehicle is in ACCESSORY, ON, START, or RAP. If a disc is already in the player, make sure that the DVD player is on, then press the play/pause button on the player faceplate or on the remote control. Some DVDs will not allow fast forwarding or skipping of the copyright information or the previews. Some DVDs will begin playing after the previews have ﬁnished. If the DVD does not begin playing at the main title, refer to the on-screen instructions. Stopping and Resuming Playback To stop playing a disc, press and release the stop button on the DVD player faceplate or the remote control. To resume playback, press the play/pause button on the DVD player faceplate or the remote control. The movie should resume play from where it was last stopped if the disc has not been ejected and the stop button has not been pressed twice on the remote control or the DVD player faceplate. If the disc has been ejected or if the stop button has been pressed twice on the remote control or the DVD player faceplate, the disc will resume play at the beginning of the disc. Ejecting a Disc Press the eject button on the DVD player faceplate to eject the disc. There is not an eject button on the remote control. If a disc is ejected from the player, but not removed, the DVD player will reload the disc after a short period of time. The disc will be stored in the DVD player. The DVD player will not resume play of the disc automatically. Remote Control To use the remote control, aim it at the transmitter window below the video screen and press the desired button. Direct sunlight or very bright light may affect the ability of the transmitter to receive signals from the remote control. If the remote control does not seem to be working, the batteries may need to be replaced. See “Battery Replacement” later in this section. Objects blocking the line of sight will affect the function of the remote control. Notice: Storing the remote control in a hot area or in direct sunlight may damage it, and the repairs will not be covered by your warranty. Keep the remote control stored in a cool, dry place. To extend the life of the batteries, the remote control does not have a press and hold feature. 3-121 Remote Control Buttons O (Power): Press this button to turn the DVD player on and off. v (Title): Press this button to go back to the title screen, if there is one. 3-122 n, q, p, o (Directional Arrows): Press these buttons to move through DVD menus. The up arrow will skip to the next chapter or track, the down arrow will take you to the beginning of the current chapter or track. Press the down arrow twice to take you to the previous chapter or track. The right arrow will fast forward and the left arrow will reverse through a chapter or track. z (Display Control Button): Press this button to adjust the color, tint, brightness, contrast, display mode, and dynamic range compression. The dynamic range compression feature can be used to reduce loud audio and increase low audio produced by some DVDs. e (Sound): Press this button to move to the next language or commentary. Press this button to call up a menu that will operate only when a DVD is playing. The format and content of this function will vary for each disc. r (Rewind): Press this button to reverse the DVD. To stop reversing, press this button again. This button may not work when the DVD is playing the copyright information or the previews. SRCE (Source): Press this button to switch the system between the DVD player and an auxiliary source. c (Stop): Press this button to stop playing, rewinding, or fast forwarding a DVD or CD. Press this button twice to return to the beginning of the DVD. t (Prior Chapter/Track): Press this button to go to the beginning of the current chapter or track. Press this button again to return to the previous chapter or track. This button may not work when the DVD is playing the copyright information or previews. 1 through 0 (Numeric Keypad): The numeric keypad provides the capability of direct chapter, title, and track number selection. } 10 (Double Digit Entries): Press this button to select chapter, title, and track numbers greater than 9. Press this button before inputting the number. \ (Clear): Press this button within three seconds after inputting a numeric selection, to clear all numeric inputs. P (Backlight): Press this button to turn the remote control backlighting on. y (Main Menu): Press this button to view the media menu. The media menu is different on every disc. Use the up, down, right, and left arrow buttons to move the cursor around the media menu. After making a selection, press the enter button. r (Enter): Press this button to select the choice that is highlighted in any menu. q (Return): Press this button to go back one step in any menu. Press this button to exit the current menu and to move to the previous menu. This button will operate only when a DVD is playing and/or a menu is active. | (Camera): This button changes camera angles on DVDs that have this feature. Press this button to display a menu that will operate only when a DVD is being played. The format and content of this function will vary for each disc. 3-123 { (Subtitles): This button turns on subtitles and moves through subtitle options (English, Spanish, French, etc., if available). Press this button to call up a menu that will operate only when a DVD is being played. The format and content of this function will vary for each disc. [ (Fast Forward): Press this button to fast forward the DVD. To stop fast forwarding, press this button again. This button may not work when the DVD is playing the copyright information or the previews. s (Play/Pause): Press this button to start play of a DVD or CD. Press this button while a DVD is playing to pause it. Press it again to continue playing the DVD or CD. u (Next Chapter/Track): Press this button to go to the beginning of the next chapter or track. This button may not work when the DVD is playing the copyright information or the previews. Setup Menu To access the setup menu, ensure that a DVD is in the player and the video is stopped. Press the main menu button. Once the menu is activated, use the directional arrows and the enter button to navigate the screen. The setup menu allows the user to select default preferences for Menu Language, Subtitle Language, Audio Language, TV Aspect, TV Mode, and Dynamic Range Compression. Not all DVDs support all the feature defaults in the setup menus. In the event a particular feature is not supported, defaults will be provided by the DVD media. Exit the setup menu by pressing the return button on the remote control or the DVD player. If changes are made to the system setup defaults, the disc will resume play from the beginning and not where it previously left off. 3-124 Battery Replacement To change the remote control batteries, do the following: 1. Unclip the battery door located on the back of the remote control. 2. Replace the two AA batteries in the compartment. Make sure that they are installed correctly, using the diagram on the inside of the battery compartment. 3. Close the battery door. If the remote control is to be stored for a long period of time, remove the batteries and keep them in a cool, dry place. Tips and Troubleshooting Chart Problem Recommended Action No power. Disc will not play. The ignition may not be in ACCESSORY, ON, START, or RAP. The parental control button might have been pressed. The power indicator light will ﬂash. The system might be off. The parental control button might have been pressed. The power indicator light will ﬂash. The system might be in auxiliary source mode. Press the SRCE button to switch between the DVD player and the auxiliary source. The disc is upside down or is not compatible. 3-125 Problem Recommended Action Problem Recommended Action The volume on the headphones could be too low. Adjust the volume on the right earpiece on the wireless headphones. If the DVD system is being heard through the vehicle speakers, adjust the volume from the radio. The radio must have the RSE enabled by using the CD, CD TAPE, or CD AUX button. This is normal for this operation. Quickly press and release the display control button on the remote control or the DVD player and choose Display Mode. Then select Full. This will ﬁll the screen. If there are borders on the top and bottom, the movie may have been made that way for a standard screen. No sound. The picture is distorted during fast forward or reverse. The picture does not ﬁll the screen. There are black borders on the top and bottom or on both sides or it looks stretched out. 3-126 I ejected the disc and tried to take it out, but it was pulled back into the slot. The language in the audio or on the screen is wrong. The remote control does not work. How do I get subtitles on or off? Eject the disc again. Press the main menu button on the DVD player or the remote control and change the audio or language selection on the DVD menu. Point the remote control directly at the transmitter window. The batteries could be weak or put in wrong. The parental control button might have been pressed. The power indicator light will ﬂash. Press the subtitle button on the remote control to go to the DVDs main menu. Then follow the screen prompts. Problem Recommended Action Problem Recommended Action After stopping the player, I push the play button but sometimes the DVD starts where I left off, and sometimes at the beginning. The DVD is playing but there is no picture or sound. The auxiliary source is running but there is no picture or sound. Press the stop button on the remote control to resume where the DVD left off. Press the stop button twice to start the DVD at the beginning. If the power is off and the DVD is still in the player, press the play button. Press and release the SRCE button on the remote control or the DVD player to get to auxiliary input. Check to make sure that the auxiliary source is connected to the inputs properly. The audio or video skips or jumps. The DVD could be dirty or scratched. Try cleaning the DVD. When I return to the DVD from the system menu, sometimes it plays from the beginning and sometimes from where it left off. The fast forward, reverse, previous, and next functions do not work. If the stop button was pressed once, it resumes play from where it left off. If the stop button was pressed twice, it will start at the beginning of the DVD. However, if a change was made to the menu, the DVD will start from where it left off, even if the stop button was only pressed once. Some commands that do one thing for DVDs will not always work or perform the same function for audio, CDs, or games. These functions may also be disabled when the DVD is playing the copyright information or the previews. 3-127 Problem Recommended Action Problem Recommended Action DVD System inoperable. My disc is stuck in the player. The eject button does not work. Press the eject button on the DVD player. Turn the power off, then on again, then press the eject button on the DVD player. Do not attempt to force or remove the disc from the player. If the problem persists, return to your GM dealer for further assistance. I lost the remote control and/or the headphones. Contact your GM dealer for assistance. The wireless headphones have audio distortion. Sometimes the wireless headphone audio cuts out or buzzes for a moment, then it comes back. This could be caused by interference from cell towers or by using the cellular telephone or other radio transmitter device in the vehicle. In auxiliary mode, the picture moves or scrolls. In severe or extreme temperatures the DVD system might not be operable. Temperatures below −4°F (−20°C) or above 140°F (60°C) could damage the DVD system. Operate the DVD system under normal or comfortable cabin temperature ranges. Verify that the headphones are facing to the front of the vehicle, left and right sides are indicated on the headphones to ensure that the signal is received properly. Check the signal coming from the auxiliary device and make sure that the connection and the signal are good. 3-128 DVD Messages The following errors may be displayed on the video screen. Disc Format Error: This message will be displayed if a disc is inserted upside down, if the disc is not readable, or if the disc format is not compatible. Disc Play Error: This message will be displayed if the mechanism can not play the disc. Scratched or damaged discs will cause this error. Region Code Error: This message will be displayed if the region code of the DVD is not compatible with the region code of the DVD player. Load/Eject Error: This message will be displayed if the disc is not properly loaded or ejected. No Disc: This message will be displayed when the play button is pressed without a disc in the player. DVD Distortion There may be an experience with video distortion when operating cellular phones, scanners, CB radios, Global Position Systems (GPS)*, two-way radios, mobile fax, or walkie talkies. It may be necessary to turn off the DVD player when operating one of these devices in or near the vehicle. *Excludes the OnStar® System. Cleaning the DVD Player When cleaning the outside DVD faceplate and buttons, use only a clean cloth dampened with clean water. Cleaning the Video Screen When cleaning the video screen, use only a clean cloth dampened with clean water. Use care when directly touching or cleaning the screen, as damage may result. Rear Seat Audio (RSA) This feature allows rear seat passengers to listen to any of the sources: radio, cassette tapes, or CDs. However, the rear seat passengers can only control the sources that the front seat passengers are not listening to. For example, rear seat passengers may listen to and control cassette tapes or CDs through the headphones while the driver listens to the radio through the front speakers. The rear seat passengers have control of the volume for each set of headphones. 3-129 The front seat audio controls always have priority over the RSA controls. If the front seat passengers switch the source for the main radio to a remote source, the RSA will not be able to control the source. You can operate the rear seat audio when the main radio is off. If your vehicle has the Rear Seat Entertainment (RSE) system and the system is on, the rear seat passengers can listen to the DVDs through the wired headphone jacks on the RSA system. The RSE system cannot be controlled with the RSA system. If the front seat passengers are listening to the RSE system through the vehicle’s speakers and the rear seat passengers are using the wired headphones to listen to the RSA system, the BAND button will not access XM™ Satellite Radio Service. Primary Radio Controls The following function is controlled by the main radio: PWR (Power): Push this knob twice to turn RSA off. 3-130 Rear Seat Audio (RSA) Controls The following functions are controlled by the RSA system: w SEEK x: When listening to the radio, press the up or the down arrow to go to the next or the previous station and stay there. This function is inactive if the front seat passengers are listening to the radio. To scan stations, press and hold either SEEK arrow until the radio goes into scan mode. The radio will go to a station, play for a few seconds, then go on to the next station. Press either SEEK arrow again to stop scanning. This function is inactive if the front seat passengers are listening to the radio. When a cassette tape is playing, press the up or the down arrow to go to the next or the previous selection. This function is inactive if the front seat passengers are listening to a cassette tape. When a CD is playing, press the up arrow to go to the next track on the CD. Press the down arrow to go to the start of the current track if more than eight seconds have played. This function is inactive if the front seat passengers are listening to a CD. PWR (Power): Press this button to turn the system on or off. TAPE CD: Press this button to switch between playing a cassette tape, a CD, or a DVD when listening to the radio. The inactive tape, CD, or DVD will remain safely inside the radio for future listening. BAND: Press this button to switch between FM1, FM2, AM, or XM1 or XM2 (if equipped). If the front passengers are listening to the radio, the RSA will not switch between the bands or change the frequency. Press BAND to listen to the radio when a cassette tape or a CD is playing. The inactive cassette or CD will remain safely inside the radio for future listening. The BAND button will not access XM™ Satellite Radio service when the front seat passengers are listening to the RSE system through the vehicle’s speakers and the rear seat passengers are using the wired headphones to listen to the RSA system. P.SET PROG (Preset Program): Press this button to scan through the preset radio stations set on the pushbuttons on the main radio. The radio will go to a preset station stored on the pushbuttons, play for a few seconds, then go on to the next preset station. Press this button again to stop scanning presets. This function is inactive if the front seat passengers are listening to the radio. When a cassette tape is playing, press this button to go to the other side of the tape. This function is inactive if the front seat passengers are listening to a cassette tape. When a CD is playing, press this button to select the next CD, if multiple CDs are loaded. This function is inactive if the front seat passengers are listening to a CD. VOL # (Volume): Press this knob lightly so it extends. Turn the knob to increase or to decrease the volume. Push the knob back into its stored position when you are not using it. The upper knob controls the upper headphones and the lower knob controls the lower headphones. PHONES: To listen to the RSA sound, plug the wired headphones, into these RCA jacks. 3-131 Theft-Deterrent Feature THEFTLOCK® is designed to discourage theft of your vehicle’s radio. It works by using a secret code to disable all radio functions whenever battery power is removed and the radio is placed in a different vehicle. This feature requires no user input to be activated. The radio is automatically armed when it is put into the vehicle for the ﬁrst time. When the ignition is turned off, the blinking red light indicates that THEFTLOCK® is armed. If THEFTLOCK® is activated, the radio will not operate if stolen. The radio will display LOCKED and a red LED indicator light will come on above the key symbol to indicate a locked condition. If this occurs, the radio will need to be returned to your GM dealer. Audio Steering Wheel Controls If your vehicle has this feature, some audio controls can be adjusted at the steering wheel. They include the following: SOURCE: When listening to the radio, press this button to play a cassette tape, CD, or a DVD (if equipped). If a cassette tape, and CD, and/or DVD are loaded, the system will go to the tape play ﬁrst. The inactive tape, CD, or DVD will remain safely inside the player for future listening. 3-132 MUTE: Press this button to silence the system. Press it again, or any other radio button, to turn the sound on. Q VOL R (Volume): Press the up or down arrow to increase or decrease the volume. Q SEEK R: Press the up or the down arrow to go to the next or to the previous station and stay there. The sound will mute while seeking. The radio will only seek stations with a strong signal that are in the selected band. When playing a cassette tape or a CD, press the up arrow to go to the next selection. BAND: Press this button to switch between FM1, FM2, AM, or XM1 or XM2 (if equipped). SCAN: Press this button to scan the stations that are programmed on the radio preset pushbuttons. The radio will go to the ﬁrst preset station stored, play for a few seconds, then go on to the next preset station. Press this button again to stop scanning. The radio will only scan preset stations with a strong signal that are in the selected band. Radio Reception You may experience frequency interference and static during normal radio reception if items such as cellphone chargers, vehicle convenience accessories, and external electronic devices are plugged into the accessory power outlet. If there is interference or static, unplug the item from the accessory power outlet. AM The range for most AM stations is greater than for FM, especially at night. The longer range can cause station frequencies to interfere with each other. For better radio reception, most AM radio stations will boost the power levels during the day, and then reduce these levels during the night. Static can also occur when things like storms and power lines interfere with radio reception. When this happens, try reducing the treble on your radio. FM Stereo FM stereo will give the best sound, but FM signals will reach only about 10 to 40 miles (16 to 65 km). Tall buildings or hills can interfere with FM signals, causing the sound to fade in and out. 3-133 XM™ Satellite Radio Service XM™ Satellite Radio Service gives digital radio reception from coast-to-coast in the 48 contiguous United States, and in Canada (if available). Just as with FM, tall buildings or hills can interfere with satellite radio signals, causing the sound to fade in and out. In addition, traveling or standing under heavy foliage, bridges, garages, or tunnels may cause loss of the XM™ signal for a period of time. The radio may display NO SIGNAL to indicate interference. Care of the Cassette Tape Player A tape player that is not cleaned regularly can cause reduced sound quality, ruined cassettes, or a damaged mechanism. Cassette tapes should be stored in their cases away from contaminants, direct sunlight, and extreme heat. If they are not, they may not operate properly or they may cause failure of the tape player. The tape player should be cleaned regularly after every 50 hours of use. The radio may display CLEAN PLAYER to indicate that the tape player has been used for 50 hours without resetting the tape clean timer. If this message appears on the display, the cassette tape player needs to be cleaned. It will still play tapes, but it should be cleaned as soon as possible to prevent damage to the tapes and player. If there is a reduction in sound quality, try a known good cassette to see if the tape or the tape player is at fault. If this other cassette has no improvement in sound quality, clean the tape player. For best results, use a scrubbing action, non-abrasive cleaning cassette with pads which scrub the tape head as the hubs of the cleaner cassette turn. The recommended cleaning cassette is available through your dealer. The cut tape detection feature of the cassette tape player may identify the cleaning cassette tape as a damaged tape, in error. If the cleaning cassette ejects, insert the cassette at least three times to ensure thorough cleaning. A non-scrubbing action, wet-type cleaner which uses a cassette with a fabric belt to clean the tape head can be used. This type of cleaning cassette will not eject on its own. A non-scrubbing action cleaner may not clean as thoroughly as the scrubbing type cleaner. The use of a non-scrubbing action, dry-type cleaning cassette is not recommended. After the player is cleaned, press and hold the eject button for ﬁve seconds to reset the CLEAN PLAYER indicator. The radio will display --- to show the indicator was reset. Cassettes are subject to wear and the sound quality may degrade over time. Always make sure the cassette tape is in good condition before the tape player is serviced. 3-134 Care of Your CDs and DVDs Handle CDs carefully. Store them in their original cases or other protective cases and away from direct sunlight and dust. The CD player scans the bottom surface of the disc. If the surface of a CD is damaged, such as cracked, broken, or scratched, the CD will not play properly or not at all. If the surface of a CD is soiled, take a soft, lint free cloth or dampen a clean, soft cloth in a mild, neutral detergent solution mixed with water, and clean it. Make sure the wiping process starts from the center to the edge. Do not touch the bottom side of a CD while handling it; this could damage the surface. Pick up CDs by grasping the outer edges or the edge of the hole and the outer edge. Care of the CD and DVD Player The use of CD lens cleaners for CDs is not advised, due to the risk of contaminating the lens of the CD optics with lubricants internal to the CD mechanism. Fixed Mast Antenna The ﬁxed mast antenna can withstand most car washes without being damaged. If the mast should ever become slightly bent, straighten it out by hand. If the mast is badly bent, replace it. Check occasionally to make sure the mast is still tightened to the fender. If tightening is required, tighten by hand, then with a wrench one quarter turn. XM™ Satellite Radio Antenna System The XM™ Satellite Radio antenna is located on the roof of your vehicle. Keep this antenna clear of snow and ice build up for clear radio reception. If your vehicle has a sunroof, the performance of the XM™ system may be affected if the sunroof is open. Loading items onto the roof of your vehicle can interfere with the performance of the XM™ system. Make sure the XM™ Satellite Radio antenna is not obstructed. 3-135 ✍ NOTES 3-136 Section 4 Driving Your Vehicle Your Driving, the Road, and Your Vehicle ..........4-2 Driver Behavior ..............................................4-2 Driving Environment ........................................4-2 Vehicle Design ...............................................4-3 Defensive Driving ...........................................4-3 Drunken Driving .............................................4-4 Control of a Vehicle ........................................4-7 Braking .........................................................4-7 Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS) .........................4-8 Braking in Emergencies .................................4-10 Traction Control System (TCS) .......................4-10 All-Wheel Drive (AWD) System .......................4-12 Steering ......................................................4-12 Off-Road Recovery .......................................4-14 Passing .......................................................4-15 Loss of Control .............................................4-16 Driving at Night ............................................4-18 Driving in Rain and on Wet Roads ..................4-19 City Driving ..................................................4-21 Freeway Driving ...........................................4-22 Before Leaving on a Long Trip .......................4-23 Highway Hypnosis ........................................4-24 Hill and Mountain Roads ................................4-24 Winter Driving ..............................................4-26 If Your Vehicle is Stuck in Sand, Mud, Ice or Snow ..............................................4-30 Rocking Your Vehicle to Get It Out .................4-30 Loading Your Vehicle ....................................4-31 Towing ..........................................................4-36 Towing Your Vehicle .....................................4-36 Recreational Vehicle Towing ...........................4-36 Level Control ...............................................4-38 Towing a Trailer ...........................................4-38 4-1 In addition, avoiding excessive speed, sudden or abrupt turns, and drunken or aggressive driving can help make trips safer and avoid the possibility of a crash, especially a rollover crash. This section provides many useful tips to help you drive more safely. Driving Environment You can also help avoid a rollover or other type of crash by being prepared for driving in inclement weather, at night, or during other times where visibility or traction may be limited, such as on curves, slippery roads, or hilly terrain. Unfamiliar surroundings can also have hidden hazards. To help you learn more about driving in different conditions, this section contains information about city, freeway, and off-road driving, as well as other hints for driving in various weather conditions. Your Driving, the Road, and Your Vehicle Whenever we drive, we are taking on an important responsibility. This is true for any motor vehicle — passenger car, van, truck, sport utility. Driver behavior, the driving environment, and the vehicle’s design all affect how well a vehicle performs. But statistics show that the most important factor, by far, is how we drive. Knowing how these three factors work together can help you understand how your vehicle handles and what you can do to avoid many types of crashes, including a rollover crash. Driver Behavior The single most important thing is this: everyone in the vehicle, including the driver, should buckle up. See Safety Belts: They Are for Everyone on page 1-22. In fact, most serious injuries and fatalities to unbelted occupants can be reduced or prevented by the use of safety belts. In a rollover crash, an unbelted person is signiﬁcantly more likely to die than a person wearing a seat belt. 4-2 Vehicle Design According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, utility vehicles have a signiﬁcantly higher rollover rate than other types of vehicles. Utility vehicles do have higher ground clearance and a narrower track or shorter wheelbase than passenger cars, to make them more capable for off-road driving. Speciﬁc design characteristics like these give the driver a better view of the road, but also give utility vehicles a higher center of gravity than other types of vehicles. This means that you should not expect a utility vehicle to handle the same way a vehicle with a lower center of gravity, like a car, would in similar situations. But driver behavior factors are far more often the cause of a utility vehicle rollover than are environmental or vehicle factors. Safe driver behavior and understanding the environment in which you will be driving can help avoid a rollover crash in any type of vehicle, including utility vehicles. Defensive Driving The best advice anyone can give about driving is: Drive defensively. Please start with a very important safety device in your vehicle: Buckle up. See Safety Belts: They Are for Everyone on page 1-22. {CAUTION: Defensive driving really means “Be ready for anything.” On city streets, rural roads, or expressways, it means “Always expect the unexpected.” Assume that pedestrians or other drivers are going to be careless and make mistakes. Anticipate what they might do and be ready. Rear-end collisions are about the most preventable of accidents. Yet they are common. Allow enough following distance. Defensive driving requires that a driver concentrate on the driving task. Anything that distracts from the driving task makes proper defensive driving more difficult and can even cause a collision, with resulting injury. Ask a passenger to help do these things, or pull off the road in a safe place to do them. These simple defensive driving techniques could save your life. 4-3 Drunken Driving Death and injury associated with drinking and driving is a national tragedy. It is the number one contributor to the highway death toll, claiming thousands of victims every year. Alcohol affects four things that anyone needs to drive a vehicle: Judgment (cid:127) Muscular Coordination (cid:127) Vision (cid:127) Attentiveness Police records show that almost half of all motor vehicle-related deaths involve alcohol. In most cases, these deaths are the result of someone who was drinking and driving. In recent years, more than 16,000 annual motor vehicle-related deaths have been associated with the use of alcohol, with more than 300,000 people injured. Many adults — by some estimates, nearly half the adult population — choose never to drink alcohol, so they never drive after drinking. For persons under 21, it is against the law in every U.S. state to drink alcohol. There are good medical, psychological, and developmental reasons for these laws. 4-4 The obvious way to eliminate the leading highway safety problem is for people never to drink alcohol and then drive. But what if people do? How much is “too much” if someone plans to drive? It is a lot less than many might think. Although it depends on each person and situation, here is some general information on the problem. The Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) of someone who is drinking depends upon four things: The amount of alcohol consumed The drinker’s body weight The amount of food that is consumed before and during drinking The length of time it has taken the drinker to consume the alcohol According to the American Medical Association, a 180 lb (82 kg) person who drinks three 12 ounce (355 ml) bottles of beer in an hour will end up with a BAC of about 0.06 percent. The person would reach the same BAC by drinking three 4 ounce (120 ml) glasses of wine or three mixed drinks if each had 1-1/2 ounces (45 ml) of liquors like whiskey, gin, or vodka. (cid:127) (cid:127) (cid:127) (cid:127) (cid:127) There is a gender difference, too. Women generally have a lower relative percentage of body water than men. Since alcohol is carried in body water, this means that a woman generally will reach a higher BAC level than a man of her same body weight will when each has the same number of drinks. The law in most U.S. states, and throughout Canada, sets the legal limit at 0.08 percent. In some other countries, the limit is even lower. For example, it is 0.05 percent in both France and Germany. The BAC limit for all commercial drivers in the United States is 0.04 percent. The BAC will be over 0.10 percent after three to six drinks (in one hour). Of course, as we have seen, it depends on how much alcohol is in the drinks, and how quickly the person drinks them. 4-5 It is the amount of alcohol that counts. For example, if the same person drank three double martinis (3 ounces or 90 ml of liquor each) within an hour, the person’s BAC would be close to 0.12 percent. A person who consumes food just before or during drinking will have a somewhat lower BAC level. But the ability to drive is affected well below a BAC of 0.10 percent. Research shows that the driving skills of many people are impaired at a BAC approaching 0.05 percent, and that the effects are worse at night. All drivers are impaired at BAC levels above 0.05 percent. Statistics show that the chance of being in a collision increases sharply for drivers who have a BAC of 0.05 percent or above. A driver with a BAC level of 0.06 percent has doubled his or her chance of having a collision. At a BAC level of 0.10 percent, the chance of this driver having a collision is 12 times greater; at a level of 0.15 percent, the chance is 25 times greater! The body takes about an hour to rid itself of the alcohol in one drink. No amount of coffee or number of cold showers will speed that up. “I will be careful” is not the right answer. What if there is an emergency, a need to take sudden action, as when a child darts into the street? A person with even a moderate BAC might not be able to react quickly enough to avoid the collision. There is something else about drinking and driving that many people do not know. Medical research shows that alcohol in a person’s system can make crash injuries worse, especially injuries to the brain, spinal cord, or heart. This means that when anyone who has been drinking — driver or passenger — is in a crash, that person’s chance of being killed or permanently disabled is higher than if the person had not been drinking. {CAUTION: Drinking and then driving is very dangerous. Your reﬂexes, perceptions, attentiveness, and judgment 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 do not drink and drive or ride with a driver who has been drinking. Ride home in a cab; or if you are with a group, designate a driver who will not drink. 4-6 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. See Traction Control System (TCS) on page 4-10. Adding non-GM accessories can affect your vehicle’s performance. See Accessories and Modiﬁcations on page 5-3. Braking See Brake System Warning Light on page 3-44. 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 your brakes; the weight of the vehicle; and the amount of brake force applied. 4-7 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 are driving, brake normally but do not 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. Adding non-GM accessories can affect your vehicle’s performance. See Accessories and Modiﬁcations on page 5-3. Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS) Your vehicle may have anti-lock brakes. ABS is an advanced electronic braking system that will help prevent a braking skid. United States Canada If your vehicle has anti-lock brakes, this warning light on the instrument panel will come on brieﬂy when you start your vehicle. When you start your engine, or when you 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 or pulses a little. This is normal. 4-8 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 conditions. This can help you steer around the obstacle while braking hard. 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. As you brake, your computer keeps receiving updates on wheel speed and controls braking pressure accordingly. 4-9 Remember: Anti-lock 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 anti-lock brakes. Using Anti-Lock Do not pump the brakes. Just hold the brake pedal down ﬁrmly 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 anti-lock brakes, you can steer and brake at the same time. However, if you do not have anti-lock brakes, your ﬁrst 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 anti-lock brakes, 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 anti-lock brakes, it is different. See Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS) on page 4-8. 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. The TRACTION ACTIVE message will come on when the traction control system is limiting wheel spin. See Traction Active Message on page 3-52. You may feel or hear the system working, but this is normal. 4-10 If your vehicle is in cruise control when the traction control system begins to limit wheel spin, the cruise control will automatically disengage. When road conditions allow you to safely use it again, you may reengage the cruise control. See Cruise Control on page 3-10. United States Canada If this message comes on and stays on or comes on while you are driving, there’s a problem with your traction control system. See Service Traction System Warning Message on page 3-51. When this warning message is on, the TRAC OFF light will come on to remind you that the system will not limit wheel spin. Adjust your driving accordingly. 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 or snow and rocking the vehicle is required. See If Your Vehicle is Stuck in Sand, Mud, Ice or Snow on page 4-30. To turn the system off, press the TRAC OFF button located on the instrument panel switchbank. If the system is limiting wheel spin when you press the button, the message will go off, but the system will not turn off until there is no longer a current need to limit wheel spin. The TRAC OFF light will come on to remind you the system is off. You can turn the system back on at any time by pressing the button again. The traction control system warning message should go off. Adding non-GM accessories can affect your vehicle’s performance. See Accessories and Modiﬁcations on page 5-3 for more information. 4-11 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. See All-Wheel Drive Disable Warning Message on page 3-56. 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. 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. 4-12 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. See Traction Control System (TCS) on page 4-10. 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. See Accessories and Modiﬁcations on page 5-3. Steering in Emergencies There are times when steering can be more effective than braking. For example, you come over a hill and ﬁnd 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. See Braking on page 4-7. 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. 4-13 Off-Road Recovery You may ﬁnd that your right wheels have dropped off the edge of a road onto the shoulder while you are driving. 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. 4-14 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: (cid:127) 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. (cid:127) Watch for traffic signs, pavement markings and lines. If you can see a sign up ahead that might indicate a turn or an intersection, delay your pass. A broken center line usually indicates it is all right to pass, providing the road ahead is clear. Never cross a solid line on your side of the lane or a double solid line, even if the road seems empty of approaching traffic. (cid:127) Do not get too close to the vehicle you want to pass while you are awaiting an opportunity. For one thing, following too closely reduces your area of vision, especially if you are following a larger vehicle. Also, you will not have adequate space if the vehicle ahead suddenly slows or stops. Keep back a reasonable distance. (cid:127) When it looks like a chance to pass is coming up, start to accelerate but stay in the right lane and do not get too close. Time your move so you will be increasing speed as the time comes to move into the other lane. If the way is clear to pass, you will have a running start that more than makes up for the distance you would lose by dropping back. And if something happens to cause you to cancel your pass, you need only slow down and drop back again and wait for another opportunity. If other vehicles are lined up to pass a slow vehicle, wait your turn. But take care that someone is not trying to pass you as you pull out to pass the slow vehicle. Remember to glance over your shoulder and check the blind spot. 4-15 (cid:127) (cid:127) Check your mirrors, glance over your shoulder, and start your left lane change signal before moving out of the right lane to pass. When you are far enough ahead of the passed vehicle to see its front in your inside mirror, activate your right lane change signal and move back into the right lane. Remember that your passenger side outside mirror is convex. The vehicle you just passed may seem to be farther away from you than it really is. Try not to pass more than one vehicle at a time on two-lane roads. Reconsider before passing the next vehicle. (cid:127) Do not overtake a slowly moving vehicle too rapidly. Even though the brake lamps are not ﬂashing, 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. 4-16 (cid:127) (cid:127) A cornering skid is best handled by easing your foot off the accelerator pedal. If you have the Traction Control System (TCS), remember: It helps avoid only the acceleration skid. See Traction Control System (TCS) on page 4-10. If you do not have this system, or if the system is off, then an acceleration skid is also 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. 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 engine braking 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. 4-17 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. (cid:127) Drive defensively. (cid:127) Do not drink and drive. (cid:127) Adjust the inside rearview mirror to reduce the glare from headlamps behind you. (cid:127) Since you cannot see as well, you may need to slow down and keep more space between you and other vehicles. (cid:127) 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. 4-18 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. You can be temporarily blinded by approaching headlamps. It can take a second or two, or even several seconds, for your eyes to re-adjust to the dark. When you are faced with severe glare, as from a driver who does not lower the high beams, or a vehicle with misaimed headlamps, slow down a little. Avoid staring directly into the approaching headlamps. Keep the windshield and all the glass on your vehicle clean — inside and out. Glare at night is made much worse by dirt on the glass. Even the inside of the glass can build up a ﬁlm caused by dust. Dirty glass makes lights dazzle and ﬂash more than clean glass would, making the pupils of your eyes contract repeatedly. Remember that the headlamps light up far less of a roadway when you are in a turn or curve. Keep your eyes moving; that way, it is easier to pick out dimly lighted objects. Just as the headlamps should be checked regularly for proper aim, so should your eyes be examined regularly. Some drivers suffer from night blindness — the inability to see in dim light — and are not even aware of it. (cid:127) (cid:127) Driving in Rain and on Wet Roads Rain and wet roads can mean driving trouble. On a wet road, you cannot stop, accelerate, or turn as well because your tire-to-road traction is not as good as on dry roads. And, if your tires do not have much tread left, you will get even less traction. It is always wise to go slower and be cautious if rain starts to fall while you are driving. The surface may get wet suddenly when your reﬂexes are tuned for driving on dry pavement. The heavier the rain, the harder it is to see. Even if your windshield wiper blades are in good shape, a heavy rain can make it harder to see road signs and traffic signals, pavement markings, the edge of the road, and even people walking. It is wise to keep your wiping equipment in good shape and keep your windshield washer ﬂuid reservoir ﬁlled with washer ﬂuid. Replace your windshield wiper inserts when they show signs of streaking or missing areas on the windshield, or when strips of rubber start to separate from the inserts. {CAUTION: Wet brakes can cause accidents. They will not work as well in a quick stop and may cause pulling to one side. You could lose control of the vehicle. After driving through a large puddle of water or a car wash, apply your brake pedal lightly until your brakes work normally. Driving too fast through large water puddles or even going through some car washes can cause problems, too. The water may affect your brakes. Try to avoid puddles. But if you cannot, try to slow down before you hit them. 4-19 Hydroplaning Hydroplaning is dangerous. So much water can build up under your tires that they can actually ride on the water. This can happen if the road is wet enough and you are going fast enough. When your vehicle is hydroplaning, it has little or no contact with the road. Hydroplaning does not happen often. But it can if your tires do not have much tread or if the pressure in one or more is low. It can happen if a lot of water is standing on the road. If you can see reﬂections from trees, telephone poles, or other vehicles, and raindrops dimple the water’s surface, there could be hydroplaning. Hydroplaning usually happens at higher speeds. There just is not a hard and fast rule about hydroplaning. The best advice is to slow down when it is raining. Driving Through Deep Standing Water Notice: If you drive too quickly through deep puddles or standing water, water can come in through your engine’s air intake and badly damage your engine. Never drive through water that is slightly lower than the underbody of your vehicle. If you cannot avoid deep puddles or standing water, drive through them very slowly. 4-20 Driving Through Flowing Water {CAUTION: Flowing or rushing water creates strong forces. If you try to drive through ﬂowing water, as you might at a low water crossing, your vehicle can be carried away. As little as six inches of ﬂowing water can carry away a smaller vehicle. If this happens, you and other vehicle occupants could drown. Do not ignore police warning signs, and otherwise be very cautious about trying to drive through ﬂowing water. Some Other Rainy Weather Tips (cid:127) Besides slowing down, allow some extra following distance. And be especially careful when you pass another vehicle. Allow yourself more clear room ahead, and be prepared to have your view restricted by road spray. (cid:127) Have good tires with proper tread depth. See Tires on page 5-51. City Driving Here are ways to increase your safety in city driving: (cid:127) Know the best way to get to where you are going. Get a city map and plan your trip into an unknown part of the city just as you would for a cross-country trip. Try to use the freeways that rim and crisscross most large cities. You will save time and energy. See Freeway Driving on page 4-22. Treat a green light as a warning signal. A traffic light is there because the corner is busy enough to need it. When a light turns green, and just before you start to move, check both ways for vehicles that have not cleared the intersection or may be running the red light. One of the biggest problems with city streets is the amount of traffic on them. You will want to watch out for what the other drivers are doing and pay attention to traffic signals. 4-21 (cid:127) (cid:127) Freeway Driving Mile for mile, freeways — also called thruways, parkways, expressways, turnpikes, or superhighways — are the safest of all roads. But they have their own special rules. 4-22 The most important advice on freeway driving is: Keep up with traffic and keep to the right. Drive at the same speed most of the other drivers are driving. Too-fast or too-slow driving breaks a smooth traffic ﬂow. Treat the left lane on a freeway as a passing lane. At the entrance, there is usually a ramp that leads to the freeway. If you have a clear view of the freeway as you drive along the entrance ramp, you should begin to check traffic. Try to determine where you expect to blend with the ﬂow. Try to merge into the gap at close to the prevailing speed. Switch on your turn signal, check your mirrors, and glance over your shoulder as often as necessary. Try to blend smoothly with the traffic ﬂow. Once you are on the freeway, adjust your speed to the posted limit or to the prevailing rate if it is slower. Stay in the right lane unless you want to pass. Before changing lanes, check your mirrors. Then use your turn signal. Just before you leave the lane, glance quickly over your shoulder to make sure there is not another vehicle in your blind spot. Once you are moving on the freeway, make certain you allow a reasonable following distance. Expect to move slightly slower at night.

Boost Classifieds - Car Advice, Reviews, Events & Classifieds

2006 Buick Rendezvous Owners Manual