2007 CHEVROLET COLORADO Owners Manual

Four-Wheel Drive
If your vehicle has four-wheel drive, you can send
your engine’s driving power to all four wheels for
extra traction. To get the best performance out of
four-wheel drive, you must be familiar with its
operation. Read the part that follows before using
four-wheel drive. You should use two-wheel-drive
high for most normal driving conditions.
Notice:Driving on clean, dry pavement in
four-wheel drive for an extended period of
time can cause premature wear on your
vehicle’s powertrain. Do not drive on clean,
dry pavement in Four-Wheel Drive for
extended periods of time.
Notice:If your vehicle has four-wheel drive
and the compact spare tire is installed on
your vehicle, do not drive in four-wheel drive
until you can have your at tire repaired and/or
replaced. You could damage your vehicle,
and the repair costs would not be covered
by your warranty. Never use four-wheel drive
when the compact spare tire is installed
on your vehicle.The transfer case buttons are located to the right
of the steering wheel on the instrument panel.
Recommended Transfer Case Settings
Driving ConditionsTransfer Case Settings
2m4m4nN
Normal YES
Severe YES
Extreme YES
Vehicle in Tow* YES
*SeeRecreational Vehicle Towing on page 300
orTowing Your Vehicle on page 299for further
information.
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Use these buttons to shift into and out of four-wheel
drive. You can choose from the following:
2
m(Two-Wheel High):This setting is for driving
in most street and highway situations. Your
front axle is not engaged in two-wheel drive.
{CAUTION:
Shifting the transfer case to NEUTRAL
can cause your vehicle to roll even if the
transmission is in PARK (P), or if you
have a manual transmission, even if you
are in gear. You or someone else could
be seriously injured. Be sure to set the
parking brake before placing the transfer
case in NEUTRAL. SeeParking Brake
on page 133.
N (NEUTRAL):Shift the vehicle’s transfer case
to NEUTRAL only when towing your vehicle.4
m(Four-Wheel High):This setting engages
your front axle to help drive your vehicle. Use
four-wheel high when you need extra traction,
such as on snowy or icy roads, or in most off-road
situations.
4
n(Four-Wheel Low):This setting also
engages your front axle to give you extra traction.
It sends the maximum power to all four wheels.
You might choose four-wheel low if you were
driving off-road in sand, mud, or deep snow and
while climbing or descending steep hills.
Indicator lights in the buttons show you which
setting you are in. The indicator lights will come
on briey when you turn on the ignition and
one will stay on the selected setting. If the lights
do not come on, you should take your vehicle in for
service. An indicator light will ash while shifting.
It will stay on when the shift is completed.
If for some reason the transfer case does not shift,
it will return to the last chosen setting.
Shifting from Two-Wheel High to
Four-Wheel High
Press and release the Four-Wheel High button.
This can be done at any speed, and the front
axle will lock automatically.
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Shifting from Four-Wheel High to
Two-Wheel High
Press and release the Two-Wheel High button.
This can be done at any speed, and the front
axle will unlock automatically.
It is normal to hear and feel your vehicle’s transfer
case shift into Four-Wheel High. If you shift with
the vehicle stopped, the indicator light may
still ash slowly. It may be necessary to shift the
transmission momentarily into REVERSE (R)
and DRIVE (D), for an automatic transmission,
or REVERSE (R) and FIRST (1) for a manual
transmission to have the light stop ashing.
Shifting from Two-Wheel High or
Four-Wheel High to Four-Wheel Low
To shift from Two-Wheel High or Four-Wheel High
to Four-Wheel Low, the vehicle must be stopped
or moving less than 3 mph (5 km/h) with the
transmission in NEUTRAL (N) for an automatic
transmission or the clutch pedal pressed for
a manual transmission. The preferred method for
shifting into Four-Wheel Low is to have your
vehicle moving 1 to 2 mph (1.6 to 3.2 km/h).Press and release the Four-Wheel Low button.
You must wait for the Four-Wheel Low indicator
light to stop ashing and stay on before shifting
the transmission into gear or releasing the
clutch pedal.
If the Four-Wheel Low button is pressed when
your vehicle is in gear and/or moving faster
than 3 mph (5 km/h), the four-wheel low indicator
light will ash for 30 seconds and not complete
the shift.
Shifting from Four-Wheel Low to
Two-Wheel High or Four-Wheel High
To shift from Four-Wheel Low to Two-Wheel
High or Four-Wheel High, your vehicle must be
stopped or moving less than 3 mph (5 km/h)
with the transmission in NEUTRAL (N) for
an automatic transmission or the clutch pedal
pressed for a manual transmission. The preferred
method for shifting out of four-wheel low is
to have your vehicle moving 1 to 2 mph
(1.6 to 3.2 km/h).
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Press and release the Four-Wheel High or
Two-Wheel High button. You must wait for the
Four-Wheel High or Two-Wheel High indicator light
to stop ashing and stay on before shifting the
transmission into gear or releasing the clutch pedal.
If the Four-Wheel High or Two-Wheel High button
is pressed when your vehicle is in gear and/or
moving faster than 3 mph (5km/h), the Four-Wheel
High or Two Wheel High indicator light will ash
for 30 seconds but not complete the shift.
Shifting to NEUTRAL
Use NEUTRAL when you plan to tow your vehicle.
SeeRecreational Vehicle Towing on page 300
for towing instructions. To shift the transfer case
into NEUTRAL do the following:
1. Set the parking brake.
2. Start the vehicle.
3. Press the regular brake pedal and shift
the transmission in NEUTRAL (N), or
press in the clutch for vehicles with a
manual transmission.4. Shift the transfer case to Two-Wheel High.
5. Press and hold the Two-Wheel High and
Four-Wheel Low buttons at the same time
for 10 seconds. The NEUTRAL (N) light
will come on when the transfer case shift to
NEUTRAL (N) is complete.
6. Press and hold the regular brake pedal and
shift the transmission to REVERSE (R) for
one second, then shift the transmission
to DRIVE (D) for one second, or FIRST (1) for
vehicles with manual transmissions, and let
out the clutch to insure the transfer case is in
NEUTRAL. If the vehicle is not in NEUTRAL,
repeat this procedure starting at Step 3.
7. Turn the engine off by turning the key to ACC.
8. Place the transmission shift lever in PARK (P),
or FIRST (1) for vehicles that have a manual
transmission.
9. Turn the ignition to LOCK.
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Shifting Out of NEUTRAL
After towing your vehicle, you will have to shift
out of NEUTRAL in order to drive. To shift out
of NEUTRAL, do the following:
1. Set the parking brake and apply the regular
brake pedal.
2. Start a vehicle with an automatic transmission
in PARK (P). Use FIRST (1) for vehicles with
a manual transmission.
3. Shift the transmission to NEUTRAL (N), or
press the clutch pedal for vehicles with a
manual transmission.
4. Press the button for the desired transfer case
shift position (Two-Wheel High, Four-Wheel
High, or Four-Wheel Low).
5. After the transfer case has shifted out of
NEUTRAL, the indicator light will go out.
6. Release the parking brake.
7. Shift the transmission to the desired position.
Parking Brake
The parking brake
pedal is located to
the left of the regular
brake pedal, near
the driver’s door.
To set the parking brake, hold the regular
brake pedal down with your right foot. Push the
parking brake pedal down to its fully-applied
position with your left foot.
A chime will activate and the brake warning
light, located on the instrument panel, will ash
when the parking brake is applied and the vehicle
is moving at least 3 mph (5 km/h) for at least
three seconds. The chime will deactivate and the
light will turn off when the parking brake is set
and the vehicle is moving below 3 mph (5 km/h).
SeeBrake System Warning Light on page 189.
133

To release the parking brake, hold the regular
brake pedal down. Pull the bottom edge of
the lever, located above the parking brake pedal,
with the parking brake symbol, directly rearward
to release the parking brake.If the ignition is on when the parking brake is
released, the brake system warning light will
go off.
Notice:Driving with the parking brake on
can overheat the brake system and cause
premature wear or damage to brake system
parts. Verify that the parking brake is fully
released and the brake warning light is
off before driving.
If you are towing a trailer and are parking on
any hill, seeTowing a Trailer on page 306.
134

Shifting Into Park (P)
(Automatic Transmission)
{CAUTION:
It can be 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. 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, use the steps that follow.
If you are pulling a trailer, seeTowing
a Trailer on page 306.
1. Hold the brake pedal down with your right
foot and set the parking brake.
SeeParking Brake on page 133for more
information.
{CAUTION:
If you have four-wheel drive, your vehicle
will be free to roll — even if your shift
lever is in PARK (P) — if your transfer
case is in NEUTRAL. So, be sure the
transfer case is in a drive gear, two-wheel
high (2H) or four-wheel high (4H) or
four-wheel low (4L) — not in NEUTRAL.
2. Move the shift lever into PARK (P) by
pulling the lever toward you and moving
it up as far as it will go.
3. Turn the ignition key to LOCK.
4. Remove the key and take it with you.
If you can leave your vehicle with the
key, your vehicle is in PARK (P).
135

Leaving Your Vehicle With the Engine
Running (Automatic Transmission)
{CAUTION:
It can be dangerous to leave your vehicle
with the engine running. Your vehicle
could move suddenly if the shift lever is
not fully in PARK (P) with the parking
brake rmly set. And, if you leave the
vehicle with the engine running, it could
overheat and even catch re. You or
others could be injured. Do not leave
your vehicle with the engine running.
If you have to leave your vehicle with the engine
running, be sure your vehicle is in PARK (P)
and your parking brake is rmly set before you
leave it. After you have moved the shift lever
into PARK (P), hold the regular brake pedal down.
Then, see if you can move the shift lever away
from PARK (P) without rst pulling it toward you.
If you can, it means that the shift lever was
not fully locked into PARK (P).
Torque Lock (Automatic Transmission)
If you are parking on a hill and you do not shift
your transmission into PARK (P) properly,
the weight of the vehicle may put too much
force on the parking pawl in the transmission.
You may nd it difficult to pull the shift lever out
of PARK (P). This is called torque lock. To prevent
torque lock, set the parking brake and then shift
into PARK (P) properly before you leave the
driver’s seat. To nd out how, seeShifting Into
Park (P) (Automatic Transmission) on page 135.
When you are ready to drive, move the shift
lever out of PARK (P) before you release the
parking brake.
If torque lock does occur, you may need to
have another vehicle push yours a little uphill to
take some of the pressure from the parking pawl
in the transmission, so you can pull the shift
lever out of PARK (P).
136