Buick 2007 Terraza Owner's Manual page 356

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 223.
®
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 is no longer available 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 on, 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
Your Vehicle to Get It Out on page 378 and If
Your Vehicle is Stuck in Sand, Mud, Ice, or Snow
on page 377.
356
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.