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 234.
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 391 and
If Your Vehicle is Stuck in Sand, Mud, Ice, or
Snow on page 390.
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.
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