
If the Light is Flashing
The following may prevent more serious damage to
your vehicle:
Reducing vehicle speed
Avoiding hard accelerations
Avoiding steep uphill grades
If you are towing a trailer, reduce the amount of
cargo being hauled as soon as it is possible
If the light stops ashing and remains on steady, see
“If the Light Is On Steady” following.
If the light continues to ash, when it is safe to do so,
stop the vehicle. Find a safe place to park your vehicle.
Turn the key off, wait at least 10 seconds and restart
the engine. If the light remains on steady, see “If
the Light Is On Steady” following. If the light is still
ashing, follow the previous steps, and see your dealer
for service as soon as possible.
If the Light Is On Steady
You may be able to correct the emission system
malfunction by considering the following:
Did you recently put fuel into your vehicle?
If so, reinstall the fuel cap, making sure to fully install
the cap. SeeFilling Your Tank on page 5-7. 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 off.
Did you just drive through a deep puddle of water?
If so, your electrical system may be wet. The condition
will usually be corrected when the electrical system
dries out. A few driving trips should turn the light off.
Have you recently changed brands of fuel?
If so, be sure to fuel your vehicle with quality fuel. See
Gasoline Octane on page 5-5. Poor fuel quality will
cause your engine not to run as efficiently as designed.
You may notice this as stalling after start-up, stalling
when you put the vehicle into gear, mis ring, hesitation
on acceleration, or stumbling on acceleration. (These
conditions may go away once the engine is warmed up.)
This will be detected by the system and cause the
light to turn on.
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If you experience one or more of these conditions,
change the fuel brand you use. It will require at least
one full tank of the proper fuel to turn the light off.
If none of the above steps have made the light turn off,
your dealer can check the vehicle. Your dealer has
the proper test equipment and diagnostic tools to x any
mechanical or electrical problems that may have
developed.
Emissions Inspection and Maintenance
Programs
Some state/provincial and local governments have or
may begin programs to inspect the emission control
equipment on your vehicle. Failure to pass this
inspection could prevent you from getting a vehicle
registration.
Here are some things you need to know to help your
vehicle pass an inspection:
Your vehicle will not pass this inspection if the check
engine light is on or not working properly.Your vehicle will not pass this inspection if the OBD
(on-board diagnostic) system determines that critical
emission control systems have not been completely
diagnosed by the system. The vehicle would be
considered not ready for inspection. This can happen if
you have recently replaced your battery or if your
battery has run down. The diagnostic system is
designed to evaluate critical emission control systems
during normal driving. This may take several days
of routine driving. If you have done this and your vehicle
still does not pass the inspection for lack of OBD
system readiness, your GM dealer can prepare the
vehicle for inspection.
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Tow/Haul Mode Light
This light is displayed
when the tow/haul mode
has been activated.
For more information, see “Tow/Haul Mode” under
Towing a Trailer on page 4-68.
Fuel Gage
When the ignition is on, the fuel gage tells you about
how much fuel you have left in your tank.
The gage will rst indicate empty before you are out of
fuel, and you should get more fuel as soon as
possible.
United StatesCanada
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Here are some situations you may experience with your
fuel gage. None of these indicate a problem with the
fuel gage.
At the gas station, the fuel pump shuts off before
the gage reads full.
It takes a little more or less fuel to ll up than the
fuel gage indicated. For example, the gage may
have indicated the tank was half full, but it actually
took a little more or less than half the tank’s
capacity to ll the tank.
The gage goes back to empty when you turn off the
ignition.
Low Fuel Warning Light
The light next to the fuel gage will come on brie y when
you are starting the engine.
This light comes on when the fuel tank is low on fuel.
To turn it off, add fuel to the fuel tank. SeeFuel on
page 5-5.
Driver Information Center (DIC)
The Driver Information Center (DIC) display is located
on the instrument panel cluster, below the speedometer.
The DIC buttons are located on the steering wheel.
The DIC can display information such as the trip
odometer, fuel economy, personalization features and
warning/status messages.
A
3(Trip Information):Press this button to display
the odometer, trip odometers, tire pressure (for
vehicles equipped with a tire pressure monitor), timer
and engine hours.
B
t(Fuel Information):Press this button to display
the current range, fuel used, average fuel economy and
engine oil life.
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C4(Personalization):Press this button to access the
vehicle settings menu and customize the personal
settings on your vehicle.
D
r(Select):Press this button to reset certain DIC
functions and set your personalization settings.
Pressing any of the four DIC buttons or the trip odometer
reset stem will acknowledge DIC messages and clear
them from the DIC display.
DIC Operation and Displays
The Driver Information Center (DIC) comes on when the
ignition is on. After a short delay, the DIC will display
the information that was last displayed before the engine
was turned off.
If a problem is detected, a warning message will appear
on the display. Pressing any of the four DIC buttons
or the trip odometer reset stem will acknowledge or clear
most current warnings or service messages. Some
warnings that cannot be acknowledged or cleared are:
ENGINE OVERHEATED, OIL PRESSURE LOW,
REDUCED ENGINE POWER, TRANS HOT IDLE
ENGINE. These warnings must be dealt with
immediately and therefore cannot be cleared until the
problem has been corrected.You should take any message that appears on the
display seriously and remember that clearing the
message will only make the message disappear, not
correct the problem.
The DIC has different modes which can be accessed by
pressing the four DIC buttons located on the steering
wheel. These buttons are trip information, fuel
information, personalization and select. The button
functions are detailed in the following pages.
Trip Information Button
Press the trip information button to scroll through the
ODOMETER, TRIP A, TRIP B, TIRE PRESSURES,
TIMER and ENGINE HOURS.
Odometer:Press the trip information button until
ODOMETER appears on the display. This mode shows
the total distance the vehicle has been driven in
either miles or kilometers. Pressing the reset stem
located on the instrument cluster with the vehicle off will
also display the odometer.
Trip A:Press the trip information button until TRIP A
appears on the display. This mode shows the current
distance traveled since the last reset for TRIP A in either
miles or kilometers.
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Fuel Information Button
Press the fuel information button to scroll through the
range, fuel used, average fuel economy and the Engine
Oil Life System.
Fuel Range:Press the fuel information button until
RANGE appears on the display. This mode shows the
remaining distance you can drive without refueling. It is
based on fuel economy and the fuel remaining in the
tank. The display will show LOW if the fuel level is low.
The fuel economy data used to determine fuel range is an
average of recent driving conditions. As your driving
conditions change, this data is gradually updated. Fuel
range cannot be reset.
Fuel Used:Press the fuel information button until
FUEL USED appears on the display. This mode shows
the number of gallons or liters of fuel used since the
last reset of this menu item. To reset the fuel used
information, press and hold the select button for one
second while FUEL USED is displayed.
Average Fuel Economy:Press the fuel information
button until AVG ECON appears on the display.
This mode shows how many miles per gallon (MPG) or
liters per 100 kilometers (L/100 km) your vehicle is
getting based on current and past driving conditions.Press and hold the select button for one second while
AVG ECON is displayed to reset the average fuel
economy. Average fuel economy will then be calculated
starting from that point. If the average fuel economy is not
reset, it will be continually updated each time you drive.
Engine Oil Life System:Press the fuel information
button until ENGINE OIL LIFE appears on the display.
The Engine Oil Life System 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 an oil change. To
reset the Engine Oil Life System, use the fuel button
to reach the ENGINE OIL LIFE screen and then press
and hold the select button for ve seconds 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. SeeEngine Oil Life System on
page 5-16for more information.
In addition to the Engine Oil Life System monitoring the
oil life, additional maintenance is recommended in
the Maintenance Schedule in this manual. SeeEngine
Oil on page 5-13andScheduled Maintenance on
page 6-4.
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ENGINE OVERHEATED
If the engine cooling system reaches unsafe
temperatures for operation, this message will appear in
the DIC and you will hear a chime. Stop and turn off
the vehicle as soon as it is safe to do so to avoid severe
damage. This message will clear when the engine
has cooled to a safe operating temperature.
FUEL LEVEL LOW
If the fuel level is low, this message will appear on the
DIC and you will hear a chime. Refuel as soon as
possible. Pressing any of the four DIC buttons or the
trip odometer reset stem will clear the message from the
DIC display. It will also clear itself after 10 seconds.
The low fuel light near the fuel gage will still remain on
in either case.
KEYFOB X BATTERY LOW
If a remote keyless entry transmitter battery is low, this
message will appear on the DIC. The battery needs
to be replaced in the transmitter. See “Battery
Replacement” underRemote Keyless Entry System
Operation on page 2-5. Pressing any of the four
DIC buttons or the trip odometer reset stem will clear
the message from the DIC display.
LEFT REAR DOOR AJAR
If the driver’s side rear door is not fully closed and the
vehicle is in a drive gear, this message will appear
on the display and you will hear a chime. Stop and turn
off the vehicle, check the door for obstacles, and
close the door again. Check to see if the message still
appears on the DIC. Pressing any of the four DIC
buttons or the trip odometer reset stem will clear the
message from the DIC display.
LOW COOLANT LEVEL
If your vehicle has a low coolant sensor and the engine
coolant level is low, this message will appear on the
DIC. Adding coolant will clear the message. This
message will clear itself after 10 seconds until the next
ignition cycle.
OIL LIFE RESET
This message will appear on the display for about
10 seconds after resetting the change engine oil
message.
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SERVICE CHARGING SYSTEM
On some vehicles, if there is a problem with the battery
charging system, this message will appear on the
DIC. The battery will not be charging at an optimal rate
and the vehicle will lose the ability to enter the fuel
economy mode. The vehicle is safe to drive, however
you should have the electrical system checked by
your GM dealer. Pressing any of the four DIC buttons or
the trip odometer reset stem will clear the message
from the DIC display.
TIGHTEN FUEL CAP
If the vehicle’s fuel cap is not tightened properly, this
message may appear along with the check engine light
on the instrument panel cluster. SeeMalfunction Indicator
Lamp on page 3-37. Reinstall the fuel cap, making sure
to fully install the cap. SeeFilling Your Tank on page 5-7.
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 has detected that any
of the vehicle’s wheels are slipping, the traction
control system will activate and this message will appear
on the DIC. SeeTraction Control System (TCS) on
page 4-9for more information.
TRANS HOT IDLE ENGINE
If the transmission uid gets hot, this message will
appear on the DIC along with a continuous chime.
Driving with the transmission uid temperature high can
cause damage to the vehicle. Stop the vehicle and
let it idle to allow the transmission to cool. This message
will clear and the chime will stop when the uid
temperature reaches a safe level.
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