Traction Control Operation - Pontiac Montana SV6 2008 Owner's Manual

The STABILITY CONTROL ACTIVE message will
appear on the DIC only when the system is both
on and activated. It means that an advanced
computer-controlled system has come on to help your
vehicle continue to go in the direction in which you
are steering. StabiliTrak
senses that your vehicle is just starting to spin, as it
might if you hit a patch of ice or other slippery spot on
the road. When the system activates, you may hear
a noise or feel a vibration in the brake pedal. This
is normal. When the STABILITY CONTROL ACTIVE
message is on, you should continue to steer in the
direction you want to go. The system is designed to help
you in bad weather or other difficult driving situations
by making the most of whatever road conditions
will permit. For more information on the stability
messages, see Driver Information Center (DIC) on
page 3-47.
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If the StabiliTrak system turns off, the traction control
system warning light will illuminate, and the STABILITY
CONTROL OFF message will appear on the DIC to
warn the driver that StabiliTrak
to assist you with directional control of the vehicle.
Adjust your driving accordingly.
To realize the full benefits of the stability enhancement
system, you should normally leave StabiliTrak
but it may be necessary to turn the system off if your
vehicle is stuck in sand, mud, ice or snow, and you want
to "rock" your vehicle to attempt to free it. See Rocking
4-8
®
activates when the computer
®
is no longer available
®
Your Vehicle to Get It Out on page 4-21 and If Your
Vehicle is Stuck in Sand, Mud, Ice, or Snow on
page 4-20.

Traction Control Operation

The traction control system is part of the StabiliTrak
system. Traction control limits wheel spin by reducing
engine power to the wheels (engine speed
management) and by applying brakes.
The traction control system is enabled automatically
when you start your vehicle. It will activate and display
the TRACTION CONTROL ACTIVE message in the
DIC if it senses that one or both of the front wheels are
spinning or beginning to lose traction while driving.
If the brake traction-control system activates constantly
or if the brakes have heated up due to high-speed
braking, brake traction-control will be disabled and the
TRACTION CONTROL ACTIVE message will be
displayed. In the limited mode, the traction control
system will only use engine traction-control and is limited
in its ability to provide optimal performance since the
system will not utilize brake traction-control to control
slip on the drive wheels. The system will return to normal
operation after the brakes have cooled. This can take
up to two minutes or longer depending on brake usage.
on,
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