The vehicle has the StabiliTrak system which combines antilock brake, traction, and stability control systems and helps the driver maintain directional control of the vehicle in most driving conditions.

When you first start the vehicle and begin to drive away, the system performs several diagnostic checks to ensure there are no problems. The system may be heard or felt while it is working.

This is normal and does not mean there is a problem with the vehicle.

The system should initialize before the vehicle reaches 32 km/h (20 mph). In some cases, it may take approximately 3.2 km (2 mi) of driving before the system initializes.

If the system fails to turn on or activate, one of the following messages will be displayed on the Driver Information Center (DIC):

SERVICE TRACTION CONTROL, SERVICE STABILITRAK, the StabiliTrak light will come on and stay and four chimes are heard. If these conditions are observed, turn the vehicle off, wait 15 seconds, and then turn it back on again to reset the system. If any of these messages still appear on the Driver Information Center (DIC), the vehicle should be taken in for service. For more information on the DIC messages, see Ride Control System Messages .

The StabiliTrak light will flash on the instrument panel cluster when the system is both on and activated.

The system may be heard or felt while it is working; this is normal.

The traction control button is located on the instrument panel.

The traction control part of StabiliTrak can be turned off by pressing and releasing the traction control button.

Traction control can be turned on by pressing and releasing the traction control button and the appropriate TRACTION CONTROL ON message will be displayed, if not automatically shut off for any other reason.

When the traction control system is turned off, the appropriate TRACTION CONTROL OFF message will be displayed on the DIC. The vehicle will still have brake-traction control when traction control is off, but will not be able to use the engine speed management system. See “Traction Control Operation” following for more information.

When the traction control system has been turned off, system noises may be heard and felt as a result of the brake-traction control working.

It is recommended to leave the system on for normal driving conditions, but it may be necessary to turn the system off if the vehicle is stuck in sand, mud, ice, or snow, and you want to “rock” the vehicle to attempt to free it. It may also be necessary to turn off the system when driving in extreme off-road conditions where high wheel spin is required. See If the Vehicle Is Stuck .

Traction Control Operation The traction control system is part of the StabiliTrak system. Traction control limits wheel spin by reducing engine power to the wheels (engine speed management) and by applying the brakes as necessary.

The traction control system is enabled automatically when the vehicle is started. It will activate and the StabiliTrak light will flash if it senses that any of the wheels are spinning or beginning to lose traction while driving. If traction control is turned off, only the brake-traction control portion of traction control will work.

The engine speed management will be disabled. In this mode, engine power is not reduced automatically and the driven wheels can spin more freely. This can cause the brake-traction control to activate constantly.

Notice: If the wheel(s) of one axle is allowed to spin excessively while the StabiliTrak®, ABS, brake warning lights, and any relevant DIC messages are displayed, the transfer case could be damaged.

The repairs would not be covered by the vehicle warranty. Reduce engine power and do not spin the wheel(s) excessively while these lights and messages are displayed.

The traction control system may activate on dry or rough roads or under conditions such as heavy acceleration while turning or abrupt upshifts/downshifts of the transmission. When this happens, a reduction in acceleration may be noticed, or a noise or vibration may be heard. This is normal.

If cruise control is being used when the system activates, the StabiliTrak light will flash and cruise control will automatically disengage. Cruise control may be reengaged when road conditions allow. See Cruise Control .

StabiliTrak may also turn off automatically if it determines that a problem exists with the system.

If the problem does not clear itself after restarting the vehicle, see your dealer for service.