Circuit Protection - Circuit Breakers: Notes
WARNING: This page does not describe the selected car, but rather 7 other vehicles, including the 2002 GMC Yukon XL, 2002 GMC Yukon, 2002 Chevrolet Tahoe, 2002 Chevrolet Suburban, and 2002 Chevrolet Avalanche. However, it is still accessible from the selected car via links, so may be relevant.
A circuit breaker is a protective device that is designed to open the circuit when a current load is in excess of the rated breaker capacity. If there is a short or other type of overload condition in the circuit, the excessive current will open the circuit between the circuit breaker terminals. Two types of circuit breakers are used.