Antilock Brake System (Abs) - GMC Acadia 15919282 Owner's Manual

4-4 Driving Your Vehicle
And, of course, actual stopping
distances vary greatly with the
surface of the road, whether it is
pavement or gravel; the condition of
the road, whether it is wet, dry, or icy;
tire tread; the condition of the brakes;
the weight of the vehicle; and the
amount of brake force applied.
Avoid needless heavy braking. Some
people drive in spurts — heavy
acceleration followed by heavy
braking — rather than keeping pace
with traffic. This is a mistake.
The brakes might not have time to
cool between hard stops. The brakes
will wear out much faster with a lot of
heavy braking. Keeping pace with
the traffic and allowing realistic
following distances eliminates a lot of
unnecessary braking. That means
better braking and longer brake life.
If the engine ever stops while the
vehicle is being driven, brake
normally but do not pump the brakes.
If the brakes are pumped, the pedal
could get harder to push down.
If the engine stops, there will still be
some power brake assist but it will be
used when the brake is applied.
Once the power assist is used up, it
can take longer to stop and the brake
pedal will be harder to push.
Adding non-dealer/non-retailer
accessories can affect vehicle
performance. See Accessories
and Modifications on page 5-3.
Antilock Brake
System (ABS)
This vehicle has the Antilock Brake
System (ABS), an advanced
electronic braking system that helps
prevent a braking skid.
When the engine is started and the
vehicle begins to drive away,
ABS checks itself. A momentary
motor or clicking noise might be
heard while this test is going on,
and it might even be noticed that
the brake pedal moves a little.
This is normal.
If there is a problem with ABS,
this warning light stays on.
See Antilock Brake System (ABS)
Warning Light on page 3-39.
Let us say the road is wet and you
are driving safely. Suddenly, an
animal jumps out in front of you.
You slam on the brakes and
continue braking. Here is what
happens with ABS:
A computer senses that the wheels
are slowing down. If one of the
wheels is about to stop rolling,
the computer will separately work
the brakes at each wheel.
ABS can change the brake pressure
to each wheel, as required, faster
than any driver could. This can
help the driver steer around
the obstacle while braking hard.