Retained Accessory Power (RAP)
Your vehicle may be equipped with a Retained
Accessory Power (RAP) feature which will allow certain
features on your vehicle to continue to work up to
10 minutes after the ignition key is turned to OFF.
Your radio, power windows, sunroof (if equipped), and
OnStar
®System (if equipped) will work when the ignition
key is in RUN or ACCESSORY. Once the key is
turned from RUN to LOCK, these features will continue
to work for up to 10 minutes or until a door is opened.
Starting the Engine
Your vehicle is equipped with Starter Motor Control.
This feature assists in starting the engine and protects
the electrical system. This feature may cause the
engine to crank even after the ignition key is not
in START.
Move your shift lever to PARK (P) or NEUTRAL (N).
Your engine will not start in any other position — that
is a safety feature. To restart when you are already
moving, use NEUTRAL (N) only.Notice:Do not try to shift to PARK (P) if your
vehicle is moving. If you do, you could damage the
transmission. Shift to PARK (P) only when your
vehicle is stopped.
1. With your foot off the accelerator pedal, turn the
ignition key to START. When the engine starts,
let go of the key. The idle speed will go down as
your engine gets warm.
Notice:Holding your key in START for longer than
15 seconds at a time will disengage the starter
motor, cause your battery to be drained much
sooner, and add excessive heat that can damage
your starter motor. Try not to hold the key in
START for longer than 15 seconds and wait about
15 seconds between each try to help avoid draining
your battery or damaging your starter.
2. If it does not start within 10 seconds, push the
accelerator pedal all the way to the oor, while
you hold the ignition key in START. When
the engine starts, let go of the key and let up
on the accelerator pedal. Wait about 15 seconds
between each try.
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Automatic Transmission Operation
There are several different positions for your shift lever.
Your vehicle is equipped with an automatic transmission
and features an electronic shift position indicator
within the instrument panel cluster. This display must
be powered anytime the shift lever is capable of
being moved out of PARK (P).
PARK (P):This position locks your rear wheels.
It is the best position to use when you start your
engine because your vehicle cannot move easily.{CAUTION:
It is dangerous to get out of your vehicle if
the shift lever is not fully in PARK (P) with the
parking brake rmly set. Your vehicle can roll.
Do not leave your vehicle when the engine
is running unless you have to. If you have
left the engine running, the vehicle can move
suddenly. You or others could be injured.
To be sure your vehicle will not move, even
when you are on fairly level ground, always
set your parking brake and move the shift
lever to PARK (P). SeeShifting Into Park (P)
on page 2-36. If you are pulling a trailer, see
Towing a Trailer on page 4-67.
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Four-Wheel Drive
If your vehicle has four-wheel drive, you will see the
buttons shown below. You can send your engine’s
driving power to all four wheels for extra traction.
To get the most satisfaction out of four-wheel drive,
you must be familiar with its operation. Read the part
that follows before using four-wheel drive.
Notice:Driving on clean, dry pavement in
four-wheel drive for an extended period of time may
cause premature wear on your vehicle’s powertrain.
Do not drive on clean, dry pavement in four-wheel
drive for extended periods of time.
Front Axle Locking Feature
The front axle locks and unlocks automatically when
you shift the transfer case. Some delay for the axle to
lock or unlock is normal.
Automatic Transfer Case
The transfer case buttons
are located to the left of
the instrument panel
cluster.
For four-wheel drive vehicles with StabiliTrak
®,
seeStabiliTrak®System on page 4-11.
Use these buttons to shift into and out of four-wheel drive.
You can choose among four driving settings:
AUTO 4WD (Automatic Four-Wheel Drive):
This setting is ideal for use when road surface traction
conditions are variable. When driving your vehicle in
AUTO 4WD, the front axle is engaged, but the vehicle’s
power is sent only to the rear wheels. When the
vehicle senses a loss of traction, the system will
automatically engage four-wheel drive. Driving in this
mode results in slightly lower fuel economy than
Two-Wheel High.
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Shifting into NEUTRAL
To shift the transfer case to NEUTRAL do the following:
1. Make sure the vehicle is parked so that it will
not roll.
2. Set the parking brake.
3. Start the vehicle or turn the ignition to RUN.
4. Put the transmission in NEUTRAL (N).
5. Shift the transfer case to Two-Wheel High.
6. Simultaneously press and hold the Two-Wheel High
and Four-Wheel Low buttons for 10 seconds. The
NEUTRAL light will come on when the transfer case
shift to NEUTRAL is complete.
7. If the engine is running, verify that the transmission
is in NEUTRAL (N) by shifting the transmission to
REVERSE (R) for one second, then shift the
transmission to DRIVE (D) for one second.
8. Turn the ignition to ACCESSORY, which will turn
the engine off.
9. Place the transmission shift lever in PARK (P).
10. Turn the ignition to LOCK.
Shifting Out of NEUTRAL
To shift out of NEUTRAL do the following:
1. Set the parking brake and apply the regular
brake pedal.
2. Shift the transmission to NEUTRAL (N) and turn
the ignition to RUN with the engine off.
3. Press the button for the desired transfer case
shift position (Two-Wheel High, Four-Wheel
High, AUTO 4WD, or Four-Wheel Low).
4. After the transfer case has shifted out of NEUTRAL
the NEUTRAL light will go out.
5. Release the parking brake.
6. Start the engine and shift the transmission to the
desired position.
Excessively shifting the transfer case into or out of
the different modes may cause the transfer case to
enter the shift protection mode. This will protect
the transfer case from possible damage and will
only allow the transfer case to respond to one shift
per 10 seconds. The transfer case may stay in this
mode for up to three minutes.
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Shifting Out of Four Wheel-Low
To shift from Four-Wheel Low to All-Wheel Drive,
your vehicle must be stopped or moving less than
3 mph (5 km/h) with the transmission in NEUTRAL (N)
and the ignition in RUN. Press and release the all-wheel
drive button. You must wait for the All-Wheel Drive
indicator light to stop ashing and remain illuminated
before shifting your transmission into gear.
If the All-Wheel Drive button is pressed when your
vehicle is in gear and/or moving, the All-Wheel Drive
indicator light will ash for 30 seconds but will not
complete the shift unless your vehicle is moving less
than 3 mph (5 km/h) and the transmission is in
NEUTRAL (N).
Shifting Into NEUTRAL
To shift the transfer case to NEUTRAL, do the following:
1. Make sure the vehicle is parked so that it will
not roll.
2. Set the parking brake.
3. Start the vehicle or turn the ignition to RUN.
4. Put the transmission in NEUTRAL (N).
5. Shift the transfer case to All-Wheel Drive.6. Simultaneously press and hold the StabiliTrak
®
and four-wheel low buttons for 10 seconds. The
red NEUTRAL light will come on when the transfer
case shift to NEUTRAL is complete.
7. If the engine is running, verify that the transmission
is in NEUTRAL (N) by shifting the transmission to
REVERSE (R) for one second, then shift the
transmission to DRIVE (D) for one second.
8. Place the transmission shift lever in PARK (P).
9. Turn the ignition to LOCK.
Shifting Out of NEUTRAL
To shift out of NEUTRAL do the following:
1. Set the parking brake and apply the regular
brake pedal.
2. Shift the transmission to NEUTRAL (N) and turn the
ignition to RUN with the engine off.
3. Press the button for the desired transfer case shift
position (All-Wheel Drive or Four-Wheel Low).
4. After the transfer case has shifted out of NEUTRAL
the NEUTRAL light will go out.
5. Release the parking brake.
6. Start the engine and shift the transmission to the
desired position.
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