1996 Pontiac Sunfire Owner's Manual - Page 155

Avoid needless heavy braking. Some people drive in spurts -- heavy acceleration foUowed by heavy braking -- rather than keeping pace with traffic. This is a mistake. Your brakes may not have time to cool between hard stups. Yuur brakes will wear out much faster if you do a lot of heavy braking. If you keep pace with the traffic and allow realistic following distances, you will eliminate a lotof unnecessary braking. That means better braking and longer brake life. If your engine ever stops while you're driving, brake normally but don't pump your brakes. If you do, the pedal may get harder to push down. If your engine stops, you will still have some power brake assist. But you will use it when you brake. Once the power assist is used up, it may take longer to stop and the brake pedal will be harder to push. Anti-Lock Brakes Your vehicle has anti-lock brakes (ABS). ABS is an advanced electronicbraking system that will help prevent a braking skid. When you start your engine, orwhen you begin to drive away, your anti-lock brakesystem will check itself. You may hear a momentarymotor or clicking noise while this test is going on,and you may even notice that your brake pedal moves a little. This isnormal. If there's a problem with the anti-lock brake system, this warning light will stay on. See "Anti-Lock Brake System Warning Light" in the Index. 4-6