Pontiac 2003 Vibe - Manual (Page 177)

4-9
Remember: Anti - lock doesn’t change the time you need
to get your foot up to the brake pedal or always decrease
stopping distance. If you get too close to the vehicle in
front of you, you won’t have time to apply your brakes
if that vehicle suddenly slows or stops. Always leave
enough room up ahead to stop, even though you have
anti
- lock brakes.
Using Anti - Lock
Don’t pump the brakes. Just hold the brake pedal down
firmly and let anti
- lock work for you. You may feel a
slight brake pedal pulsation or notice some noise, but
this is normal.
Braking in Emergencies
At some time, nearly every driver gets into a situation
that requires hard braking.
If you have anti - lock, you can steer and brake at the
same time. However, if you don’t have anti - lock, your
first reaction -- to hit the brake pedal hard and hold it
down -- may be the wrong thing to do. Your wheels can
stop rolling. Once they do, the vehicle can’t respond to
your steering. Momentum will carry it in whatever
direction it was headed when the wheels stopped rolling.
That could be off the road, into the very thing you were
trying to avoid, or into traffic.
If you don’t have anti - lock, use a “squeeze” braking
technique. This will give you maximum braking while
maintaining steering control. You do this by pushing on
the brake pedal with steadily increasing pressure.
In an emergency, you will probably want to squeeze the
brakes hard without locking the wheels. If you hear or
feel the wheels sliding, ease off the brake pedal. This
will help you retain steering control. If you do have
anti
- lock, it’s different. See “Anti - Lock Brakes” in
the Index.
In many emergencies, steering can help you more than
even the very best braking.
All - Wheel Drive (AWD) System
(Option)
If your vehicle has all - wheel drive (AWD), the AWD
system operates automatically without any action
required by the driver. If the front drive wheels begin to
slip, the rear wheels will automatically begin to drive
the vehicle as required. There may be a slight
engagement noise during hard use but this is normal.