2003 CHEVROLET SILVERADO wheel

Instant Fuel Economy
Press the fuel information button until INST appears in
the display. Instant fuel economy is how many miles
per gallon your vehicle is at the particular moment
in time. The instant fuel economy cannot be reset.
GM Oil Life SystemŸ
Press the fuel information button until ENGINE OIL LIFE
appears in the display. The GM Oil Life SystemŸ
shows an estimate of the oil's remaining useful life. It
will show 100% when the system is reset after an
oil change. It will alert you to change your oil on a
schedule consistent with your driving conditions.
Always reset the engine oil life after and oil change. To
reset the Oil Life System press and hold the select
button while ENGINE OIL LIFE is displayed. OIL LIFE
RESET will appear on the display for 10 seconds
to let you know the system is reset.
The DIC does not replace the need to maintain your
vehicle as recommended in the Maintenance Schedule
in this manual. Also, the oil change reminder does
not measure how much oil you have in your engine. So,
be sure to check your oil level often. See
Engine Oil
on page 5-16.
Personalization Button
You can program certain features to a preferred setting
for up to two people. Press the personalization button to
scroll through the following personalization features. All of
the personalization options may not be available on your
vehicle. only the options available will be displayed on
your DIC.
If your vehicle is not equipped with the DIC steering
wheel buttons you will not have any of these
personalization options except for DISPLAY
LANGUAGE. See DISPLAY LANGUAGE later in this
section for more information.
·AUTOMATIC LOCKING
·AUTOMATIC UNLOCKING
·REMOTE LOCK FEEDBACK
·ALARM WARNING TYPE
·REMOTE UNLOCK FEEDBACK
·HEADLAMPS ON AT EXIT
·PERIMETER LIGHTING
·SEAT POSITION RECALL
·EASY EXIT DRIVER SEAT
3-58

{CAUTION:
Your brake system may not be working
properly if the SERVICE BRAKE BOOSTER
message is displayed.
If the brake system warning light is also on,
you should have the vehicle towed for service.
See ªBrake System Warning Lightº in the
Index.
If the brake system warning light isn't on, you
still have brakes, but the supplemental brake
assist system may not operate properly. In the
event of a vacuum loss, you may not have
vacuum power assist for braking. The brake
pedal will be harder to push and it will take
longer to stop. If you continue to drive with
this message displayed it can lead to a crash.
Have the brake system serviced as soon as
possible.
SERVICE 4 WHEEL STEER
If a problem occurs with the 4 wheel steer system, this
message will appear on the DIC. If this message
appears, stop as soon as possible, and turn off the
vehicle. Restart the vehicle and check for the message
on the DIC display. If the message is still displayed,
or appears again when you being driving, the four wheel
steer system needs service.
SERVICE 4WD
If a problem occurs with the four wheel drive system,
this message will appear on the DIC. If this message
appears, stop as soon as possible and turn off the
vehicle. Restart the vehicle and check for the message
on the DIC display. If the message is still displayed,
or appears again when you begin driving, the four wheel
drive system needs service.
SERVICE RIDE CONTROL
If a problem occurs with the suspension system, this
message will appear on the DIC. If this message
appears, stop and turn off the vehicle. Restart the
vehicle and check for the message on the DIC display.
If the message is still displayed, or appears again
when you begin driving, the air suspension system
needs service.
3-69

TIGHTEN FUEL CAP
If the vehicle's fuel cap is not tightened properly thsi
message may appear along with the check engine light
on the instrument panel. See
Malfunction Indicator
Lamp on page 3-49. Fully reinstall the fuel cap.
SeeFilling Your Tank on page 5-6. The diagnostic
system can determine if the fuel cap has been left off or
improperly installed. A loose or missing fuel cap will
allow fuel to evaporate into the atmosphere. A few
driving trips with the cap properly installed should turn
the light and message off.
TRACTION ACTIVE
When the traction control system had detected that any
of the vehicle's wheels are slipping, the traction
control system will activate and this message will appear
on the DIC. For more information see ªTraction Assistº
in the Index.
TRANSMISSION HOT
If the transmission ¯uid temperature becomes high, the
message center will display this message.
When the transmission enters the protection mode, you
may notice a change in the transmission shifting
patterns. When the transmission ¯uid temperature
returns to normal, the display will turn off and the
transmission shifting patterns will return to normal.
Notice:If you keep driving your vehicle with the
transmission TRANS FLUID HOT message
displayed, you can damage the transmission. This
could lead to costly repairs that may not be covered
under your warranty.
The following situations can cause the transmission to
operate at higher temperatures:
·Towing a trailer
·Hot outside air temperatures
·Hauling a large or heavy load
·Low transmission ¯uid level
·High transmission ¯uid level
·Restricted air ¯ow to the radiator and the auxiliary
transmission oil cooler.
A temporary solution to hotter transmission operating
temperatures may be to let the transmission cool down.
If the transmission is operated at higher temperatures
on a frequent basis, see
Scheduled Maintenance
on page 6-5for the proper transmission maintenance
intervals.
3-70

Audio Steering Wheel Controls
You can control certain radio functions using the buttons
on your steering wheel.
g(OnStar/Voice Recognition):If your vehicle has
OnStarž, you can press this button to interact with
the OnStaržsystem. See the OnStaržmanual provided
with your vehicle for more information.
IF your vehicle does not have OnStar
ž, pressing this
button will mute the audio system.
PROG (Program):Press this button to play a station
you have programmed on the radio preset pushbuttons
on the selected band. If a cassette tape is playing, press
this button to play the other side of the tape. If a CD is
playing, press this button to go to the next available CD.
QSOURCER:Press this button to select AM, FM1,
FM2, or XM1 or XM2, (USA only, if equipped), or a
cassette tape or CD. The cassette or CD must be loaded
to play. Available loaded sources are shown on the
display as a tape or a CD symbol.
QSEEKR:Press the up or the down arrow to seek
to the next or to the previous radio station and stay
there.
QVOLR:Press the up or the down arrow to increase
or to decrease volume.
DVD Distortion
You may experience audio distortion in the
IR headphones when operating cellular phones,
scanners, CB radios, Global Positioning Systems
(GPS)*, two-way radios, mobile fax, or walkie talkies.
It may be necessary to turn off the DVD player when
operating one of these devices in or near the vehicle.
* Excludes the OnStar
žSystem.
3-122

Your Driving, the Road, and Your Vehicle..........4-2
Defensive Driving...........................................4-2
Drunken Driving.............................................4-2
Control of a Vehicle........................................4-5
Braking.........................................................4-6
Traction Assist System (TAS).........................4-10
Manual Selectable Ride.................................4-12
Locking Rear Axle........................................4-13
Steering......................................................4-13
QUADRASTEERŸ........................................4-15
Off-Road Recovery.......................................4-19
Passing.......................................................4-19
Loss of Control.............................................4-21
Off-Road Driving with Your Four-Wheel-Drive
Vehicle....................................................4-22
Driving at Night............................................4-38
Driving in Rain and on Wet Roads..................4-39
City Driving..................................................4-42Freeway Driving...........................................4-43
Before Leaving on a Long Trip.......................4-44
Highway Hypnosis........................................4-45
Hill and Mountain Roads................................4-46
Winter Driving..............................................4-48
If You Are Stuck: In Sand, Mud, Ice or Snow . . .4-52
Towing..........................................................4-55
Towing Your Vehicle.....................................4-55
Recreational Vehicle Towing...........................4-55
Loading Your Vehicle....................................4-58
Adding a Snow Plow or Similar Equipment.......4-61
Truck-Camper Loading Information..................4-65
Trailer Recommendations...............................4-67
Pickup Conversion to Chassis Cab..................4-67
Towing a Trailer...........................................4-68
Power Take-Off (PTO)...................................4-95
Section 4 Driving Your Vehicle
4-1

If there is a problem with
the anti-lock brake system,
this warning light will
stay on. See
Anti-Lock
Brake System Warning
Light on page 3-45
.
Along with ABS, your vehicle has a Dynamic Rear
Proportioning (DRP) system. If there is a DRP problem,
both the brake and ABS warning lights will come on
accompanied by a 10-second chime. The lights
and chime will come on each time the ignition is turned
on until the problem is repaired. See your dealer for
service.
Let us say the road is wet and you are driving safely.
Suddenly, an animal jumps out in front of you. You slam
on the brakes and continue braking. Here's what
happens with ABS:
A computer senses that wheels are slowing down. If
one of the wheels is about to stop rolling, the computer
will separately work the brakes at each front wheel
and at both rear wheels.
4-7

The anti-lock system can change the brake pressure
faster than any driver could. The computer is
programmed to make the most of available tire and road
conditions. This can help you steer around the obstacle
while braking hard.
As you brake, your computer keeps receiving updates
on wheel speed and controls braking pressure
accordingly.Remember: Anti-lock does not change the time you
need to get your foot up to the brake pedal or always
decrease stopping distance. If you get too close to
the vehicle in front of you, you will not have time to apply
your brakes if that vehicle suddenly slows or stops.
Always leave enough room up ahead to stop, even
though you have anti-lock brakes.
Using Anti-Lock
Do not pump the brakes. Just hold the brake pedal
down ®rmly and let anti-lock work for you. You may feel
the brakes vibrate, or you may notice some noise,
but this is normal.
Braking in Emergencies
With anti-lock, you can steer and brake at the same
time. In many emergencies, steering can help you more
than even the very best braking.
4-8

Supplemental Brake Assist System
If your vehicle has vacuum assist power brakes, it is also
equipped with a supplemental brake assist system
that supplies additional vacuum to the vacuum brake
booster if engine vacuum is reduced. Under certain
conditions, the supplemental brake assist system may
run brie¯y after starting your vehicle or when you
apply and release the brake pedal and it may continue
to run even after you have removed your foot from
the brake pedal. When the supplemental brake assist
system is operating, you may hear a motor running
or feel a slight vibration in the steering wheel or brake
pedal. This indicates that the supplemental brake
assist system is working to supply additional vacuum for
your vacuum assist power brakes. This is a normal
operation of your brake system and does not require that
the brake system be serviced.Each time you start your vehicle and accelerate to
10 mph, the supplemental brake assist system
will perform a self-diagnostic check of the system and
you may hear or feel the supplemental brake assist
motor run brie¯y. While you are driving your vehicle, the
supplemental brake assist system monitors itself to
ensure that it is operating properly. If there is a problem
with the supplemental brake assist system, the
SERVICE BRAKE BOOSTER message will be displayed
on the Driver Information Center. See
DIC Warnings
and Messages on page 3-65.
If your supplemental brake assist system runs every
time you apply and release the brake pedal or you notice
that the brake pedal has suddenly become much
harder to push and the vehicle takes longer to stop, you
should have your vehicle serviced as soon as possible.
4-9