Saturn VUE 2008 Owner's Manual page 213

JOBNAME: 1st Edition PAGE: 19 SESS: 1 OUTPUT: Tue Jul 24 09:46:13 2007
PARK (P), or shift to NEUTRAL if you have a
manual transmission, and restart the engine. Then
shift to REVERSE (R), release the parking brake,
and slowly back down the hill as straight as possible
in REVERSE (R).
•
As you are backing down the hill, put your left hand
on the steering wheel at the 12 o'clock position.
This way you will be able to tell if the wheels
are straight and maneuver as you back down. It is
best that you back down the hill with the wheels
straight rather than in the left or right direction.
Turning the wheel too far to the left or right
will increase the possibility of a rollover.
There are also some things you must not do if you stall,
or are about to stall, when going up a hill:
•
Never attempt to prevent a stall by shifting into
NEUTRAL (N), or pressing the clutch if you
have a manual transmission, to rev-up the engine
and regain forward momentum. This will not
work. Your vehicle will roll backwards very quickly
and you could go out of control.
Instead, apply the regular brake to stop the vehicle.
Then apply the parking brake. Shift to REVERSE (R),
release the parking brake, and slowly back straight
down.
•
Never attempt to turn around if you are about to
stall when going up a hill. If the hill is steep
enough to stall your vehicle, it is steep enough to
2008 - Saturn VUE Owner Manual (July 23, 2007)
cause it to roll over if you turn around. If you cannot
make it up the hill you must back straight down
the hill.
If, after stalling, you try to back down the hill and decide
you just cannot do it, set the parking brake, put your
transmission in PARK (P), or FIRST (1) if your vehicle
has a manual transmission, and turn off the engine.
Leave the vehicle and go get some help. Exit on
the uphill side and stay clear of the path the vehicle
would take if it rolled downhill.
Driving Downhill
When off-roading takes you downhill, you will want to
consider a number of things:
•
How steep is the downhill? Will I be able to maintain
vehicle control?
•
What is the surface like? Smooth? Rough?
Slippery? Hard-packed dirt? Gravel?
•
Are there hidden surface obstacles? Ruts? Logs?
Boulders?
•
What is at the bottom of the hill? Is there a hidden
creek bank or even a river bottom with large
rocks?
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