That is correct... TRACTION control only works with momentum on your side. If you were on black ice with a slight incline from a dead stop. You will not be able to get your car going with TC turned on. In fact, chances are, you will stall the car. The reason is that TC stops the wheels from ever spinning, hence a stall. In those cases you have to turn it OFF to get your tires to slip and move the car ever so slightly forward, at which point turning ON TC will help but only if you have built up enough speed.