2003 CHEVROLET TAHOE Owners Manual

Passing Another Vehicle While Using
Cruise Control
Use the accelerator pedal to increase your speed.
When you take your foot off the pedal, your vehicle will
slow down to the cruise control speed you set earlier.
Using Cruise Control on Hills
How well your cruise control will work on hills depends
upon your speed, load and the steepness of the
hills. When going up steep hills, you may want to step
on the accelerator pedal to maintain your speed.
When going downhill, you may have to brake or shift to
a lower gear to keep your speed down. Of course,
applying the brake takes you out of cruise control. Many
drivers ®nd this to be too much trouble and don't use
cruise control on steep hills.
Ending Cruise Control
There are four ways cruise control can be turned off:
·Step lightly on the brake pedal.
·Move the cruise control switch to off.
·Shift the transmission to NEUTRAL (N), or
·If your vehicle has the Stabilitrakžfeature, cruise
control will automatically deactivate if road
conditions cause Stabilitrak
žto activate.
Erasing Speed Memory
When you turn off the cruise control or the ignition, your
cruise control set speed memory is erased.
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Exterior Lamps
The control on the driver's side of your instrument panel
operates the exterior lamps.
Turn the control clockwise to operate the lamps.
The exterior lamp control has four positions:
9(Off):Turning the control to this position turns off
the Daytime Running Lamps (DRL) and the automatic
headlamps. An indicator light will illuminate when
selected.AUTO (Automatic):Turning the control to this position
puts the system into automatic headlamp mode.
An indicator light will illuminate when this position is
selected.
;(Parking Lamps):Turning the control to this
position turns on the parking lamps, together with the
following:
·Sidemarker Lamps
·Taillamps
·License Plate Lamps
·Instrument Panel Lights
·Roof Marker Lamps (If Equipped)
5(Headlamps):Turning the control to this position
turns on the headlamps, together with the previously
listed lamps and lights.
You can switch your headlamps from high to low-beam
by pushing the turn signal/high-beam lever towards
the instrument panel.
A circuit breaker protects your headlamps. If you have
an electrical overload, your headlamps will ¯icker on and
off. Have your headlamp wiring checked right away if
this happens.
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Automatic Headlamp System
When it is dark enough outside, your automatic
headlamp system will turn on your headlamps at the
normal brightness along with other lamps such as
the taillamps, sidemarker, parking lamps and the
instrument panel lights. The radio lights will also be dim.
Your vehicle is equipped with a light sensor located
on the top of the instrument panel in the defroster grille.
Be sure it is not covered, or the system will be on
whenever the ignition is on.
The system may also turn on your headlamps when
driving through a parking garage, heavy overcast
weather or a tunnel. This is normal.
There is a delay in the transition between the daytime
and nighttime operation of the Daytime Running
Lamps (DRL) and the automatic headlamp systems so
that driving under bridges or bright overhead street
lights does not affect the system. The DRL and
automatic headlamp system will only be affected when
the light sensor sees a change in lighting lasting
longer than the delay.
If you start your vehicle in a dark garage, the automatic
headlamp system will come on immediately. Once
you leave the garage, it will take approximately
one minute for the automatic headlamp system to
change to DRL if it is bright enough outside. During that
delay, your instrument panel cluster may not be asbright as usual. Make sure your instrument panel
brightness control is in the full bright position. See
ªInstrument Panel Brightness Controlº underInterior
Lamps on page 3-17.
To idle your vehicle with the automatic headlamp
system off, turn the control to the off position.
You may be able to turn off your Automatic Headlamp
System. See²Daytime Running Lamps (DRL)²later
in this section for more information.
Your headlamps will also stay on after you exit the
vehicle. You can program this feature using the Driver
Information Center. See
Driver Information Center (DIC)
on page 3-53.
As with any vehicle, you should turn on the regular
headlamp system when you need them.
Lamps On Reminder
A reminder chime will sound when your headlamps or
parking lamps are manually turned on and your ignition is
off, in LOCK, ACCESSORY, or your door is open.
To disable the chime, turn the light off then back on.
Daytime Running Lamps
Daytime Running Lamps (DRL) can make it easier for
others to see the front of your vehicle during the
day. DRL can be helpful in many different driving
conditions, but they can be especially helpful in the short
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periods after dawn and before sunset. Fully functional
daytime running lamps are required on all vehicles
®rst sold in Canada.
The DRL system will come on when the following
conditions are met:
·the ignition is on,
·the exterior lamps control is AUTO,
·the automatic transmission is not in PARK (P),
·the light sensor determines it is daytime and
When the DRL are on, only your DRL lamps will be on.
The taillamps, sidemarker and other lamps won't be
on. The instrument panel won't be lit up either.
When it begins to get dark, the automatic headlamp
system will switch from DRL to the headlamps or the last
chosen headlamp setting that was used.
When you turn the headlamp switch off, the headlamps
will go off, and your DRL lamps will illuminate,
provided it is not dark outside.
Shifting the transmission into PARK (P) will allow you to
idle the vehicle with the DRL off. The DRL will stay
off until you shift the transmission out of PARK (P).
This procedure applies only to vehicles ®rst sold in the
United States.
Fog Lamps
If your vehicle has fog lamps, use them for better vision
in foggy or misty conditions.
The fog lamp button is
located on the left side of
the instrument panel.
Your parking lamps and/or low-beam headlamps must
be on for your fog lamps to work.
Press the button to turn the fog lamps on. Press the
button again to turn them off. An indicator light will glow
in the button when the fog lamps are on.
Remember, fog lamps alone will not give off as much
light as your headlamps. Never use your fog lamps
in the dark without turning on your headlamps.
The fog lamps will go off whenever your high-beam
headlamps come on. When the high beams go off, the
fog lamps will come on again.
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The fog lamps will be cancelled after the ignition is
turned off. If you still want to use the fog lamps after you
restart the vehicle, you will need to press the fog
lamp button again.
Auxiliary Roof Mounted Lamp Switch
If your vehicle has this feature, this switch includes
wiring provisions for a dealer or a quali®ed service
center to install an auxiliary roof lamp.
This switch is located on
the center of the
instrument panel near the
comfort controls.
When the switch wiring is connected to an auxiliary roof
mounted lamp, pressing the switch will activate the
lamp and illuminate an indicator light near the switch.
Pressing the switch again will turn off the roof
mounted lamp.
Interior Lamps
Instrument Panel Brightness
D
:This feature controls the brightness of the
instrument panel lights.
The thumbwheel for this feature is located next to the
headlamp control.
Turn the thumbwheel up to adjust the instrument panel
lights. Turn the thumbwheel up to return the radio
display to full brightness when the headlamps or parking
lamps are on. To turn on the dome lamps, turn the
thumbwheel all the way up.
Exit Lighting
With exit lighting, the interior lamps will come on when
you remove the key from the ignition. The lights will
not come on if the dome override button is pressed in.
Entry Lighting
Your vehicle is equipped with an illuminated entry
feature.
When the doors are opened, the dome lamps will come
on if the dome override button is in the out position.
If the dome override button is pressed in, the lamps will
not come on.
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Front Reading Lamps
The reading lamps are
located on the overhead
console.
To turn on the reading lamps, press the button located
next to each lamp. To turn them off, press the button
again.
The lamps can be adjusted to point in the direction
you want.Your vehicle may also have reading lamps in other
locations. To turn the lamps on or off, press the button
located next to the lamp. The lamps are ®xed and
cannot be adjusted.
Dome Lamps
The dome lamps will come on when you open a door.
You can also turn the dome lamps on by turning
the thumbwheel, located next to the exterior lamps
control, all the way up. In this position, the dome lamps
will remain on whether a door is opened or closed.
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E:You can use the dome override button, located
below the exterior lamps control, to set the dome lamps
to come on automatically when a door is opened, or
to remain off. To turn the lamps off, press the button into
the in position. With the button in this position, the
dome lamps will remain off when the doors are open.
To return the lamps to automatic operation, press
the button again and return it to the out position. With
the button in this position, the dome lamps will come on
when you open a door.
Battery Run-Down Protection
This feature shuts off the dome,and reading lamps if
they are left on for more than 10 minutes when the
ignition is off. This will keep the battery from
running down.
Accessory Power Outlets
With accessory power outlets you can plug in auxiliary
electrical equipment such as a cellular telephone or
CB radio.
Your vehicle may have two accessory power outlets, or
may have one accessory power outlet located near
the cigarette lighter, if equipped. The cigarette lighter is
designed to ®t only in the receptacle to the right of
the accessory power outlet.To use the outlet, lift the cover. When not using it,
always close the cover.
Certain power accessory plugs may not be compatible
to the accessory power outlet and could result in
blown vehicle or adapter fuses. If you experience a
problem, see your dealer for additional information on
the accessory power plugs.
Notice:Adding some electrical equipment to your
vehicle can damage it or keep other things from
working as they should. This wouldn't be covered by
your warranty. Check with your dealer before
adding electrical equipment, and never use anything
that exceeds the amperage rating.
When adding electrical equipment, be sure to follow the
proper installation instructions included with the
equipment.
Notice:Power outlets are designed for accessory
plugs only. Do not hang any type of accessory
or accessory bracket from the plug. Improper use of
the power outlet can cause damage not covered
by your warranty.
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Ashtrays and Cigarette Lighter
The front ashtray is located near the center of the
instrument panel or on the front console, if equipped.
Pull on the ashtray door to open it.
Notice:Don't put papers or other ¯ammable
items into your ashtrays. Hot cigarettes or other
smoking materials could ignite them, causing
a damaging ®re.
To remove the front ashtray pull the ashtray up.
To use the cigarette lighter, push it in all the way, and
let go. When it's ready, it will pop back out by itself.
Notice:Holding a cigarette lighter in while it
is heating will not allow the lighter to back away
from the heating element when it is hot. Damage
from overheating may occur to the lighter or heating
element, or a fuse could be blown. Do not hold a
cigarette lighter in while it is heating.
Climate Controls
Climate Control System
Fan Knob
The fan knob on the left side of the control panel
adjusts the fan speed. To increase air¯ow, turn the knob
clockwise. To decrease air¯ow, turn it counterclockwise.
To turn the fan off, turn the knob to the off position.
9(Off):If the fan is off, outside air will still enter the
vehicle, and will be directed based on the position of
the mode knob. The temperature can also be adjusted
using the temperature knob.
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