1999 GMC Sierra 1500 Pickup Owner's Manual - Page 210

Your Driving and the Road If youdecideyoucangodownahillsafely,then try to keepyourvehicle headedstraightdown,andusealowgear.Thisway,enginedragcanhelp all thework.Descendslowly,keeping yourbrakesandtheywon'thavetodo your vehicle under control at all times. CAUTION A Heavybrakingwhengoingdowna hill cancauseyourbrakes to overheatandfade.Thiscouldcause loss of controlandaserious accident.Applythebrakeslightlywhendescending a hill and use a low gear to keep vehicle speed under control. ' Q: Are theresomethings I shouldnot do when drivingdowna if youignorethemyoucouldlose hili? A: Yes!Theseareimportantbecause control and have a serious accident. Whendrivingdownhill,avoidturnsthattakeyouacrosstheinclineofthe too steep to drive hill. A hill that's not too steeptodrivedownmaybe across.Youcould roll over if youdon'tdrivestraightdown. Nevergodownhillwiththetransmissionin N (Neutral), or withtheclutch pedaldepressedinamanualshift.Thisiscalled"free-wheeling," Your brakes will have to do all the work and could overheat and fade. Avoidbraking so hardthatyoulockthewheelswhengoingdownhill. If your front wheels are locked, you can't steer your vehicle. Ifyourwheels lockupduringdownhillbraking,youmayfeelthevehiclestartingtoslide sideways. To regain your direction, just ease off the brakes and steer to keep the front of the vehicle pointing straight downhill. Q: Am I likely to stall whengoingdownhill? A: It'smuchmorelikelytohappengoinguphill.But if ithappensgoing downhill,here'swhat to do. Stopyourvehiclebyapplyingtheregularbrakes.Applytheparking brake. Shift to P (Park) (or to Neutralwiththemanualtransmission)and,while still braking,restarttheengine. Shiftback to a lowgear,releasetheparkingbrake, down. If theenginewon'tstart,getoutandgethelp. anddrivestraight 4-32