• The brake pedal is released.
• The hazard warning flasher switch is
pressed.
• The system judges that it was not sudden
braking from the vehicle deceleration and
the operating condition of the anti-lock
brake system (ABS).
Anti-lock brake system (ABS)
E00607100834
Environmental conditions can have an effect on
braking. During sudden braking when there is
snow, ice, oil, water etc. on the road surface, a skid
may occur. In this situation, steering control and
braking effectiveness is reduced and the stopping
distance is increased. The vehicle may also go into
an uncontrolled spin.
The ABS helps prevent the wheels from locking dur-
ing braking, thus maintaining directional stability,
ensuring controllability and providing optimum
braking force.
Operating hints
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Always maintain the same distance from the
vehicle in front of you as you would for a ve-
hicle not equipped with ABS.
Compared with vehicles not fitted with ABS,
your vehicle may require a longer stopping
distance in the following cases:
• Driving on gravel or snow-covered roads.
• Driving with tyre chains installed.
• Driving on roads where the road surface
is pitted or has other differences in sur-
face height.
• Driving on bumpy roads or other poor driv-
ing surfaces.
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Operation of ABS is not restricted to situa-
tions where brakes are applied suddenly.
This system may also operate to prevent
wheel lock when you are driving over man-
holes, steel road-work plates, or the vehicle
is driven over steps or level differences in
the road, road markings, or other surfaces
which are difficult for the wheels to grip.
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When the ABS is activated, you may feel the
brake pedal pulsation and the vibrations of
the vehicle body and steering wheel. You
may also hear a characteristic noise. At this
time, you may feel as if the pedal attempts to
resist being depressed.
This is a normal result of the ABS operation,
and does not indicate a problem.
If this situation occurs, depress the brake
pedal more firmly in order to operate the
ABS. Do not pump the brake. This will re-
sult in reduced braking performance.
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You will hear the operation sound of the mo-
tor coming from the engine compartment im-
mediately after starting the engine. If the
brake pedal is depressed at that moment, you
can feel the brake pedal pulsating.
This pulsation is due to the self-diagnosis op-
eration of the ABS and does not indicate a
malfunction.
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The ABS will operate after the vehicle has ac-
celerated to a speed in excess of approximate-
ly 10 km/h (6 mph). It stops operating when
the vehicle decelerates to a speed below
about 5 km/h (3 mph).
CAUTION
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Even the ABS cannot prevent the natural
laws of physics from acting on the vehi-
cle. It cannot for instance avoid accidents
that may result from excessive speed on
bends or following another vehicle too
closely or aquaplaning. It should remain
the driver’s task to observe safety precau-
tions to judge speeds and brake applica-
tions correctly in such conditions.
Starting and driving
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