StabiliTrak is General Motors' trademarked name for its electronic stability control (ESC) system. It's a computerized safety feature designed to help you maintain control of your vehicle during extreme steering maneuvers or on slippery road surfaces. Essentially, it detects when the car begins to skid or slide unintentionally and automatically applies brakes to individual wheels to help steer the vehicle back onto your intended path.
The system works by constantly monitoring data from sensors that check your steering wheel angle, wheel speed, and the vehicle's yaw rate (the rate at which the car is spinning around its vertical axis). If the system detects a loss of traction or that the car is not turning as you are steering—for instance, the rear end is sliding out (oversteer) or the car is plowing straight ahead in a turn (understeer)—it intervenes. It can reduce engine power and apply precise braking to specific wheels to counteract the skid. This happens in milliseconds, often before the driver can even react.
StabiliTrak is an evolution of anti-lock brakes (ABS) and traction control. While traction control only prevents drive-wheel spin during acceleration, stability control manages overall sideways skidding. Since the 2012 model year, electronic stability control has been a mandatory safety feature on all new passenger vehicles sold in the United States. It's a critical component of modern vehicle safety, significantly reducing the risk of single-vehicle and rollover crashes.
