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OPERATING YOUR VEHICLE
Braking
EXAMPLE
60G165A
The distance needed to bring any vehicle to
a halt increases with the speed of the vehi-
cle. The braking distance needed, for exam-
ple, at 60 km/h will be approximately 4
times greater than the braking distance
needed at 30 km/h. Start to depress the
brake pedal when there is plenty of distance
between your vehicle and the stopping
point, and slow down gradually.
WARNING
If water gets into the brake devices,
brake performance may become poor
and
unpredictable.
After
driving
through water or washing the under
side of the vehicle, test the brakes
while driving at a slow speed to see if
they have maintained their normal
effectiveness. If the brakes are less
effective than normal, dry them by
driving slowly until the brakes have
regained their normal effectiveness.
3-31
Power-Assisted Brakes
Your vehicle has power-assisted brakes. If
power assistance is lost due to a stalled
engine or other failures, the system is still
fully operational on reserve power and you
can bring the vehicle to a complete stop by
pressing the brake pedal once and holding
it down. The reserve power is partly used
up when you depress the brake pedal and
reduces each time the pedal is pressed.
Apply smooth and even pressure to the
pedal. Do not pump the pedal.
WARNING
Even without reserve power in the
brake system, you can still stop the
vehicle by pressing the brake pedal
harder than normally required. How-
ever, the stopping distance may be
longer.
Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS)
ABS will help you avoid skidding by elec-
tronically controlling braking pressure. It
will also help you maintain steering control
when braking on slippery surfaces or when
braking hard.
The ABS works automatically, so you do
not need any special braking technique.
Just push the brake pedal down without
pumping. The ABS will operate whenever
it senses that the wheels are locking up.
You may feel the brake pedal move a little
while the ABS is operating.
NOTE:
• The ABS will not work if vehicle speed is
under about 9 km/h.
• If the ABS system is activated, you may
hear a clunking noise and/or feel pulsat-
ing in the brake pedal. This is normal
and indicates that the brake fluid pres-
sure is being controlled properly.
• You may hear an operation sound when
you start the engine or after the vehicle
begins to move. This means that the
above systems are in the self-check
mode. This sound does not indicate a
malfunction.
WARNING
• On some types of loose surfaces
(such as gravel, snow-covered
roads, etc.) the stopping distance
required for a vehicle with ABS
may be slightly greater than for a
comparable vehicle with a conven-
tional brake system. With a conven-
tional brake system, skidding tires
are able to plow the gravel or snow
layer, shortening the stopping dis-
tance. ABS minimizes this resis-
tance
effect.
Allow
for
extra
stopping distance when driving on
loose surfaces.
(Continued)
64MS0-74E
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