Suzuki VITARA Series Manual page 349

OPERATING YOUR VEHICLE
WARNING
If water gets into the brake devices,
brake performance may become poor
and unpredictable. After
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
repeatedly applying the brakes while
driving slowly until the brakes have
regained their normal effectiveness.
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.
3-151
Even without reserve power in the
brake system, you can still stop the
driving vehicle by pressing the brake pedal
harder than normally required. How-
ever, the stopping distance may be
longer.
Brake assist system
When you slam the brakes on, the brake
assist system determines it to be an emer-
gency stop and provides more powerful
braking for a driver who cannot hold down
the brake pedal firmly.
NOTE:
If you quickly and forcefully depress the
brakes, you may hear a clicking sound in
the brake pedal. This is normal and indi-
cates that the brake assist system is acti-
vated properly.
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
WARNING
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 (6 mph).
• 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 the
one required for a comparable vehi-
cle with a conventional brake sys-
tem. With a conventional brake
system, skidding tires are able to
plow the gravel or snow layer,
shortening the stopping distance.
ABS minimizes this
effect. Allow for extra stopping dis-
tance when driving on loose sur-
faces.
resistance
(Continued)