2008 CHEVROLET COLORADO Owners Manual

Emissions Inspection and Maintenance
Programs
Some state/provincial and local governments have or
might 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 the battery or if the
battery has run down. The diagnostic system is
designed to evaluate critical emission control systems
during normal driving. This can 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 dealer/retailer can prepare the
vehicle for inspection.
Oil Pressure Light
{CAUTION:
Do not keep driving if the oil pressure is low. If
you do, your engine can become so hot that it
catches re. You or others could be burned.
Check your oil as soon as possible and have
your vehicle serviced.
Notice:Lack of proper engine oil maintenance may
damage the engine. The repairs would not be covered
by your warranty. Always follow the maintenance
schedule in this manual for changing engine oil.
This light will come on
briey when you start your
engine as a check to be
sure it works. If it does not,
have your vehicle
serviced.
If the light comes on and stays on, it means that oil is not
owing through your engine properly. You could be low
on oil and you might have some other system problem.
3-35

Security Light
For information regarding
this light and the vehicle’s
security system, see
Content Theft-Deterrent on
page 2-15.
Cruise Control Light
This light comes on
whenever you set the
cruise control.
The light goes out when the cruise control is turned off.
SeeCruise Control on page 3-10for more information.
Highbeam On Light
This light comes on when
the high-beam headlamps
are in use.
SeeHeadlamp High/Low-Beam Changer on page 3-8
for more information.
Fuel Gage
When the ignition is on,
the fuel gage tells you
about how much fuel you
have remaining in the
fuel tank.
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Here are four things that some owners ask about. None
of these indicate a problem with your fuel gage:
At the gas station, the gas pump shuts off before
the gage reads full.
It takes a little more or less fuel to ll up than the
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 moves a little when you turn a corner or
speed up.
The gage does not go back to empty when you turn
off the ignition.
When the fuel in the fuel tank is low, you will see a
LOW FUEL message on the Driver Information
Center (DIC) display. SeeDIC Warnings and Messages
on page 3-40for more information.
Driver Information Center (DIC)
The Driver Information Center (DIC) displays information
such as the trip odometer, personalization features,
and warning messages. The DIC display is located on
the instrument panel cluster.
DIC Operation and Displays
The Driver Information Center (DIC) comes on when the
ignition is on.
If a problem is detected, a warning message appears
on the display. Pressing and releasing the trip odometer
reset stem on the DIC acknowledges some current
warnings or service messages. Some messages only
clear after the required action has been taken.
The DIC has different modes which can be accessed by
pressing the trip odometer reset stem on the DIC.
These modes are explained in the following section.
The DIC trip odometer reset stem is located on
the instrument panel cluster next to the DIC display. To
scroll through the available functions, press and
release the reset stem.
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Trip Information
Odometer
The odometer is automatically displayed on the DIC
when you start the vehicle. The odometer shows
the total distance the vehicle has been driven in either
miles for the United States or kilometers for Canada.
Trip Odometer
Press and release the reset stem until TRIP appears on
the DIC display. The trip odometer shows the current
distance traveled since the last reset of the trip odometer
in either miles for the United States or kilometers for
Canada.
To reset the trip odometer, press and hold the reset
stem until the display returns to zero.
Engine Oil Life System
With the engine off, turn the key to ON/RUN and
then press the reset stem until OIL LIFE RESET
appears — alternating between OIL LIFE and
RESET — on the DIC display. The CHANGE OIL
message alerts you to change the oil on a schedule
consistent with your driving conditions. Always reset the
OIL LIFE message after an oil change. To reset the
message, seeEngine Oil Life System on page 5-18.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 5-15andScheduled Maintenance on
page 6-4for more information.
Language
This feature allows you to choose the language in which
the DIC display shows information.
To set your choice for this feature:
1. With the engine off, turn the key to ON/RUN, but do
not start the engine.
2. Close all doors so the DOORS message does not
display in the DIC.
3. Momentarily press and release the reset stem until
the current language is displayed: English (default),
Spanish, or French.
4. To select a different language, press and hold the
reset stem until the next language appears.
5. Repeat Step 4 until the desired language is
displayed. Once the desired language is shown on
the DIC display, the language is set.
6. To exit the language selection, momentarily press
and release the reset stem. All DIC messages will
now display in the language selected.
3-38

Automatic Door Locks
This feature allows you to program the door locks to a
preferred setting.
To set your choice for this feature:
1. With the engine off, turn the key to LOCK/OFF. Do
not remove the key from the ignition.
2. Press and hold the power door lock button until the
DIC display shows the current door lock mode.
3. To view the next available mode, press and hold
the reset stem until the mode appears. Release
the reset stem and press and hold again to view the
next mode.
4. Once the desired mode is shown on the DIC
display, briey press the reset stem to set your
choice. The DIC display then clears.
The following are the available modes:
Lock 1 (default):On vehicles with an automatic
transmission, this mode locks all of the doors when the
vehicle is shifted out of PARK (P) and unlocks all of
the doors when the vehicle is shifted into PARK (P).On vehicles with a manual transmission, this mode
locks all of the doors when the vehicle speed is greater
than 15 mph (24 km/h) and unlocks all of the doors
when the key is removed from the ignition.
Lock 2:On vehicles with an automatic transmission,
this mode locks all of the doors when the vehicle
is shifted out of PARK (P) and unlocks the driver’s door
when the vehicle is shifted into PARK (P).
On vehicles with a manual transmission, this mode
locks all of the doors when the vehicle speed is greater
than 15 mph (24 km/h) and unlocks the driver’s door
when the key is removed from the ignition.
Lock 3:On vehicles with an automatic transmission,
this mode locks all of the doors when the vehicle
is shifted out of PARK (P). The doors will not
automatically unlock.
On vehicles with a manual transmission, this mode
locks all of the doors when the vehicle speed is greater
than 15 mph (24 km/h). The doors will not automatically
unlock.
3-39

Remote Keyless Entry (RKE) Feedback
This feature allows you to program the Remote
Keyless Entry (RKE) feedback to a preferred setting.
To set your choice for this feature:
1. With the engine off, turn the key to LOCK/OFF. Do
not remove the key from the ignition.
2. Press and hold the lock and unlock buttons on the
RKE transmitter at the same time. Hold both buttons
until the DIC display shows the current RKE
feedback mode.
3. To view the next available mode, press and hold
the reset stem until the mode appears. Release
the reset stem and press and hold again to view the
next mode.
4. Once the desired mode is shown on the DIC
display, briey press the reset stem to set your
choice. The DIC display then clears.
The following are the available modes:
RFA 1 (default):This mode ashes the parking lamps
when you press the lock or unlock buttons on the
RKE transmitter.
RFA 2:This mode ashes the parking lamps and
sounds the horn when you press the lock button on the
RKE transmitter. This mode also ashes the parking
lamps when you press the unlock button on the
RKE transmitter.RFA 3:This mode ashes the parking lamps and
sounds the horn when you press the lock or unlock
buttons on the RKE transmitter.
RFA 4:This mode disables RKE feedback. There will
be no feedback when you press the lock or unlock
buttons on the RKE transmitter.
DIC Warnings and Messages
Messages are displayed on the DIC to notify the
driver that the status of the vehicle has changed and
that some action may be needed by the driver to
correct the condition. Multiple messages may appear
one after another. The messages are displayed for
several seconds each.
Some messages may not require immediate action, but
you should press and release the trip odometer reset
stem to acknowledge that you received the messages
and to clear them from the display. Each message must
be acknowledged individually.
Some messages cannot be cleared from the DIC
display because they are more urgent. These messages
require action before they can be cleared. You should
take any messages that appear on the display seriously
and remember that clearing the messages only makes
the messages disappear, not correct the problem.
The following are the possible messages that can be
displayed and some information about them.
3-40

AC (Air Conditioning) OFF
This message displays when the engine coolant
temperature is too high and the air conditioning in your
vehicle needs to be turned off. SeeEngine Overheating
on page 5-30andClimate Control System on
page 3-19for more information. This message displays
along with the ENG HOT message.
ABS (Antilock Brake System) FAULT
This message displays if there is a problem with
the Antilock Brake System (ABS). Check the ABS as
soon as possible and have your vehicle serviced by your
dealer/retailer. SeeBrakes on page 5-39andAntilock
Brake System (ABS) Warning Light on page 3-31
for more information. Press and release the reset stem
to acknowledge the message and clear it from the
display.
BRAKES
This message displays if there is a problem with the
brakes. Check the brakes as soon as possible and have
your vehicle serviced by your dealer/retailer. See
Brakes on page 5-39andBrake System Warning Light
on page 3-30for more information. Press and release
the reset stem to acknowledge the message and clear it
from the display.
CHANGE OIL
This message displays when the oil needs to be
changed. Check the oil in your vehicle as soon as
possible and have your vehicle serviced by your
dealer/retailer. SeeEngine Oil on page 5-15and
Scheduled Maintenance on page 6-4for more
information. Press and release the reset stem to
acknowledge the message and clear it from the display.
DOORS
This message displays when one or more of the doors
is ajar. Check all the doors on your vehicle to make
sure they are closed. The message clears from
the display after all of the doors are closed.
ENG (Engine) HOT
This message displays when the engine coolant
temperature is hot. Check the engine coolant
temperature gage. SeeEngine Coolant Temperature
Gage on page 3-32. Have your vehicle serviced by your
dealer/retailer as soon as possible if you suspect the
engine is overheating. SeeEngine Overheating on
page 5-30for more information.
3-41

FLUID
This message displays if the brake uid is low. Check
the brake uid as soon as possible and have your
vehicle serviced by your dealer/retailer. SeeBrakes on
page 5-39for more information. Press and release
the reset stem to acknowledge the message and clear it
from the display.
FUEL CAP
This message displays if the vehicle’s fuel cap is either
off or loose. Pull over as soon as possible and check
to see if the fuel cap is secure. You may also see
the check engine light on the instrument panel cluster. If
the check engine light does come on when the fuel
cap was loose, it may take a few driving trips before the
light turns off. SeeMalfunction Indicator Lamp on
page 3-33for more information if the light still remains
on. Press and release the reset stem to acknowledge
the message and clear it from the display.
LOW FUEL
This message displays if the level of fuel in the vehicle
is low. Also check the fuel gage. SeeFuel Gage on
page 3-36for more information. Rell the fuel tank as
soon as possible.
LOW TIRE
This message displays if a low tire pressure is detected in
any of the vehicle’s tires. Press and release the reset
stem to acknowledge the message and clear it from the
display. The message appears at each ignition cycle until
the tires are inated to the correct ination pressure. See
Tires on page 5-59andInflation - Tire Pressure on
page 5-66for more information on tires and the correct
ination pressures.
LOW TRAC (Traction)
If your vehicle has the Traction Control System (TCS),
this message displays when a low traction condition
is detected. SeeTraction Control System (TCS)
on page 4-5for more information. Press and release the
reset stem to acknowledge the message and clear it
from the display.
OIL
This message displays when the oil pressure is low.
SeeOil Pressure Light on page 3-35andEngine Oil on
page 5-15for more information.
3-42