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144
Intelligent
technolog
y
Intelligent
technology
Notice
about
data
recorded
by vehicle
control
modules
Your veh icle is not equipped with an Event Da-
ta Recorder (EDR), inst alled by some manu-
facture rs fo r the express purpose of capturing
data for retrieval after an accident or crash
event . EDR's are sometimes cal led "crash re-
corders".
Some state laws restr ict the retr ieval or down-
loading of data stored by EDR's that were in-
stalled in a vehicle for the express purpose of
retrieving data after an accident or crash
event without the owner's consent.
Altho ugh your vehicle is not equipped wit h an
EDR, it is equipped with a number of electron-
ic control modules for various vehicle systems
such as, for examp le, eng ine f unction, em is-
sion control, as well as for the airbags and
safety belt s.
These electronic contro l modules also record
vehicle-re lated data during norma l vehicle op-
erat ion for diagnostic and repair purposes.
The recording capacity of the electronic con-
trol modules is limited to data (no sound is re-
corded) and only a small amount of data is ac-
tually recorded over a very limited period of
time and stored when a syst em faul t or ot her
cond ition is sensed by a cont rol unit. Some of
the data then stored may relate to vehicle
speed, direction, braking as we ll as restraint
system use and performance in the event of a
crash or other condit ion. Stored data can only
be read and downloaded w ith special equip-
ment .
Electronic
Stabilization
Control
(ESC)
Description
ESC helps to improve road holding and vehicle
dynamics to help reduce the probability of
skidd ing and loss of vehicle control. It works
only when the engine is running . ESC detects
certain difficult driving situat ions, including
when the vehicle is beginning to spin (yaw)
out of control and helps you to get the veh icle
back under control by selectively braking the
whee ls, and/or reducing engine power and
providing steer ing assistance to help hold the
vehicle on the dr iver's intended course . The in-
dicator light
G)
in the inst rument cluster
blinks when ESC is ta king action to help yo u
control the vehicle.
ESC has limitations.
It
is importa nt to remem-
ber that ESC cannot overcome the laws of
physics. It wi ll not always be able to help out
under all cond it ions you may come up against.
For example, ESC may not always be able to
help you master situations where there is a
sudden change in the coefficient of friction of
the road surface . When there is a section of
dry road that is sudden ly covered w ith water,
slush or snow, ESC cannot perform the same
way it wou ld on the dry surface . If the vehicle
hydroplanes (rides on a cushion of water in-
stead of the road surface), ESC will not be
able to help you steer the vehicle because con-
tact with the pavement has been int errupted
and the vehicle cannot be braked or steered .
During fast cornering, particularly on winding
roads, ESC cannot always deal as effectively
with difficult driving situations as at lower
speeds.
Always adjust your speed and driving style to
road, traffic and weather conditions. ESC can-
not override the vehicle's physical limits, in-
crease the available tract ion, or keep a vehicle
on t he road if road departure is a result of
driver inattent ion. Instead, ESC imp roves the
possibility of keeping the vehicle under con-
t rol and on the road during extreme maneu-
vers by using the driver 's steering inputs to
help keep the vehicle going in t he inte nded di-
rection . If you are t raveling at a speed tha t
causes you to run off the road before ESC can
provide any assistance, you may not experi-
ence the benefits of ESC.
ESC includes and/o r works togethe r with the
anti- lock brake system (ABS), brake assist sys-
tem and anti-slip regulation (ASR). ESC is
.,..
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