Brakes Driving
– 67 –
The parking brake control operates the
spring brake actuators to apply the rear
brakes on the vehicle.
Move the control lever (1) fully rearward
to apply the parking brakes; a locking
sleeve (2) will lock the control lever in
position. To release the parking brake,
lift the locking sleeve and move the con-
trol lever fully forward to the off position.
A red warning light in the instrument
panel will illuminate whenever the park-
ing brake is applied; refer to the “
Instru-
ments and controls
” section of this
handbook.
In the event of a failure in the service
brakes, the parking brake can be used
as an emergency brake. Gradually
move the parking brake control lever
rearward to slowly apply the rear brakes
on the vehicle. Braking effort will be
proportional to the control lever move-
ment.
WARNING! Do not drive this
vehicle with malfunctioning
brakes. If one of the brake
circuits should become
inoperative, braking distances will
increase substantially and handling
characteristics while braking will be
affected. You could lose control of
your vehicle, be severely injured, or
cause an accident. Have it towed to
the nearest dealer or qualified work-
shop for repair.
Engine Exhaust Brake
(option)
An engine exhaust brake may be
installed (as an option) to create a brak-
ing effect on the drive wheels. This
device uses your engine's power to
slow your vehicle down. Because it can
help keep your vehicle's brakes from
overheating, it can save wear and tear
on the service brakes. However, the
engine exhaust brake is not an emer-
gency brake.
Ideally (on normal road surfaces), you
should slow your vehicle with the
engine exhaust brake (where permitted
by law) and use the service brakes only
for stopping completely. Operating this
way will greatly prolong the life of the
service brakes.
WARNING! The service
brakes must be used in an
emergency. The engine
exhaust brake alone might
not stop you fast enough to
prevent an accident. You
could be badly hurt if you
relied only on the engine
exhaust brake.
• The engine exhaust brake is NOT
intended as the primary brake
for the vehicle, nor is it an emer-
gency brake. The engine
PB1340A.book Page 67 Friday, September 1, 2000 7:40 AM
