{CAUTION:
Heavy braking when going down a hill can
cause your brakes to overheat and fade.
This could cause loss of control and a serious
accident. Apply the brakes lightly when
descending a hill and use a low gear to
keep vehicle speed under control.
There some things not to do when driving down a hill.
These are important because, if you ignore them,
you could lose control and have a serious accident:
• When driving downhill, avoid turns that take
you across the incline of the hill. A hill that is
not too steep to drive down may be too steep to
drive across. Your vehicle could roll over if you do
not drive straight down.
• Never go downhill with the transmission in
NEUTRAL (N). This is called “free wheeling.”
The brakes will have to do all the work and
could overheat and fade.
• Unless your vehicle has anti-lock brakes, avoid
braking so hard that you lock the wheels when
going downhill. If the wheels are locked, you cannot
steer your vehicle. If the wheels lock up during
downhill braking, you may feel the vehicle starting
to slide sideways. To regain your direction, just ease
off the brakes and steer to keep the front of the
vehicle pointing straight downhill.
Your vehicle is much more likely to stall when going
uphill. But if it happens when going downhill:
1. Stop your vehicle by applying the regular brakes.
Apply the parking brake.
2. Shift to PARK (P), or NEUTRAL if you have a
manual transmission, 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.
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