Chevrolet Spark Owners Manual: Braking
Braking action involves perception time and reaction time. Deciding to push the brake pedal is perception time. Actually doing it is reaction time.
Average driver reaction time is about three-quarters of a second. In that time, a vehicle moving at 100 km/h (60 mph) travels 20m (66 ft), which could be a lot of distance in an emergency.
Helpful braking tips to keep in mind include:
- Keep enough distance between you and the vehicle in front of you.
- Avoid needless heavy braking.
- Keep pace with traffic.
If the engine ever stops while the vehicle is being driven, brake normally but do not pump the brakes. Doing so could make the pedal harder to push down. If the engine stops, there will 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.
Drunk Driving
Death and injury associated with drinking and driving is a global tragedy.
Warning
Drinking and then driving is very dangerous. Your reflexes, perceptions,
attentiveness, and judgment can be affec ...
Steering
Electric Power Steering
The vehicle has electric power steering. It does not have power steering fluid.
Regular maintenance is not required.
If power steering assist is lost due to a system malfun ...
Other materials:
Electrical System Overload
The vehicle has fuses and circuit breakers to protect against an electrical system
overload.
When the current electrical load is too heavy, the circuit breaker opens and
closes, protecting the circuit until the current load returns to normal or the problem
is fixed. This greatly reduces the c ...
Manual Transmission
Caution
Shifting the vehicle initially into any gear other than 1 (First)
or R (Reverse) can damage the clutch. Shift the manual transmission in the proper
sequence, and time the gear shifting with the accelerator to avoid revving the engine
and damaging the clutch.
1 (First): Press the ...
Reporting Safety Defects to the United States Government
If you believe that your vehicle has a defect which could cause a crash or could
cause injury or death, you should immediately inform the National Highway Traffic
Safety Administration (NHTSA) in addition to notifying General Motors.
If NHTSA receives similar complaints, it may open an investig ...
