GMC Terrain 2010 Owner's Manual page 223

Things not to do when driving down
a hill:
When driving downhill, avoid
turns that take you across the
incline of the hill. A hill that is not
too steep to drive down might be
too steep to drive across. The
vehicle could roll over.
Never go downhill with the
transmission in N (Neutral),
called free-wheeling. The brakes
will have to do all the work and
could overheat and fade.
Vehicles are much more likely to
stall when going uphill, but if it
happens when going downhill:
1. Stop the vehicle by applying the
regular brakes and apply the
parking brake.
2. Shift to P (Park) and, while still
braking, restart the engine.
3. Shift back to a low gear, release
the parking brake, and drive
straight down.
4. If the engine will not start, get
out and get help.
Driving Across an Incline
An off-road trail will probably go
across the incline of a hill. To decide
whether to try to drive across the
incline, consider the following:
WARNING
Driving across an incline that is
too steep will make your vehicle
roll over. You could be seriously
injured or killed. If you have any
doubt about the steepness of the
incline, do not drive across it.
Find another route instead.
A hill that can be driven straight
up or down might be too steep to
drive across. When going
straight up or down a hill, the
length of the wheel base
distance from the front wheels to
the rear wheels reduces the
likelihood the vehicle will tumble
end over end. But when driving
across an incline, the narrower
Driving and Operating
track width
between the left and right
wheels might not prevent the
vehicle from tilting and rolling
over. Driving across an incline
puts more weight on the downhill
wheels which could cause a
downhill slide or a rollover.
Surface conditions can be a
problem. Loose gravel, muddy
spots, or even wet grass can
cause the tires to slip sideways,
downhill. If the vehicle slips
sideways, it can hit something
that will trip it
etc. and roll over.
Hidden obstacles can make the
steepness of the incline even
worse. If you drive across a rock
with the uphill wheels, or if the
the downhill wheels drop into a rut
or depression, the vehicle can tilt
even more.
For these reasons, carefully
consider whether to try to drive
across an incline. Just because the
8-15
the distance
a rock, a rut,