2008 CHEVROLET SILVERADO ESP

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. Turn the transfer case dial to Two-Wheel-Drive High.
After the transfer case has shifted out of NEUTRAL
the NEUTRAL light will go out.
4. Release the parking brake prior to moving the
vehicle.
Notice:Shifting the transmission into gear
before the requested mode indicator light has
stopped ashing could damage the transfer case.
To help avoid damaging your vehicle, always
wait for the mode indicator lights to stop ashing
before shifting the transmission into gear.
5. 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.
Automatic Transfer Case
The transfer case knob
is located next to the
steering column.
For information on StabiliTrak
®, seeStabiliTrak®
System on page 4-6.
Use the dial to shift into and out of Four-Wheel Drive.
You can choose among ve driving settings:
Indicator lights in the dial show which setting you are in.
The indicator lights will come on briey when you turn on
the ignition and one will stay on. If the lights do not come
on, you should take your vehicle to your dealer for
service. An indicator light will ash while shifting the
transfer case. It will remain illuminated when the shift is
complete. If for some reason the transfer case cannot
make a requested shift, it will return to the last chosen
setting.
2
m(Two-Wheel-Drive High):This setting is used
2-45

How OnStar Service Works
Your vehicle’s OnStar system has the capability
of recording and transmitting vehicle information.
This information is automatically sent to an OnStar
Call Center at the time of an OnStar button press,
Emergency button press or if your airbags or AACN
system deploys. The vehicle information usually includes
your GPS location and, in the event of a crash, additional
information regarding the accident that your vehicle has
been involved in (e.g. the direction from which your
vehicle was hit). When you use the Virtual Advisor feature
of OnStar Hands-Free Calling, your vehicle also sends
OnStar your GPS location so that we can provide you
with location-based services.
OnStar service cannot work unless your vehicle is in a
place where OnStar has an agreement with a wireless
service provider for service in that area. OnStar service
also cannot work unless you are in a place where the
wireless service provider OnStar has hired for that area
has coverage, network capacity and reception when the
service is needed, and technology that is compatible
with the OnStar service. Not all services are available
everywhere, particularly in remote or enclosed areas,
or at all times.Location information about your vehicle is only available
if the GPS satellite signals are unobstructed and
available.
Your vehicle must have a working electrical system
(including adequate battery power) for the OnStar
equipment to operate. There are other problems OnStar
cannot control that may prevent OnStar from providing
OnStar service to you at any particular time or place.
Some examples are damage to important parts of your
vehicle in an accident, hills, tall buildings, tunnels,
weather or wireless phone network congestion.
Your Responsibility
Increase the radio volume if you cannot hear the OnStar
advisor. If the light next to the OnStar buttons is red,
this means that your system is not functioning properly
and should be checked by your dealer/retailer. If the
light appears clear (no light is appearing), your OnStar
subscription has expired. You can always press the
OnStar button to conrm that your OnStar equipment
is active.
2-70

2(Headlamps):Turn the control to this position to
turn on the headlamps together with the following:
Parking Lamps
Instrument Panel Lights
Taillamps
License Plate Lamps
When the headlamps are turned on while the vehicle is
on, the headlamps turn off automatically 10 minutes
after the ignition is turned off. When the headlamps are
turned on while the vehicle is off, the headlamps will
stay on for 10 minutes before automatically turning off to
prevent the battery from being drained. Turn the
headlamp control to off and then back to the headlamp
on position to make the headlamps stay on for an
additional 10 minutes.
Push the turn signal/multifunction lever toward the
instrument panel to change the headlamps from low
beam to high beam.
Headlamps on Reminder
A reminder chime will sound when the headlamps or
parking lamps are manually turned on and your ignition
is off and a door is open. To disable the chime, turn
the light off.
Daytime Running Lamps (DRL)
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 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 in AUTO.
The transmission is not in PARK (P).
The light sensor determines it is daytime.
When the DRL are on, only the DRL lamps will be on.
The taillamps, sidemarker, and other lamps will not
be on. The instrument panel will not be lit up either.
When it begins to get dark, the automatic headlamp
system will switch from DRL to the headlamps.
To turn off the DRL lamps, turn the exterior lamps
control to the OFF position and then release. For
vehicles rst sold in Canada, the transmission must be
in the PARK (P) position, before the DRL lamps can
be turned off.
3-18

Language
This display allows you to select the language in which
the DIC messages will appear. To select a language:
1. Press the trip odometer reset stem until
ODOMETER displays.
2. While in the ODOMETER display, press and hold
the trip odometer reset stem for three seconds until
the currently set language displays.
3. Continue to press and hold the trip odometer reset
stem to scroll through all of the available languages.
The available languages are ENGLISH (default),
FRANCAIS (French), ESPANOL (Spanish), and
NO CHANGE.
4. Once the desired language is displayed, release
the trip odometer reset stem to set your choice.
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.
Some messages may not require immediate action, but
you can press any of the DIC buttons on the instrument
panel or the trip odometer reset stem on the instrument
panel cluster to acknowledge that you received the
messages and to clear them from the display.
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 will only
make the messages disappear, not correct the problem.
The following are the possible messages that can be
displayed and some information about them.
If your vehicle has the DURAMAX
®Diesel engine, see
the DURAMAX®Diesel manual for more information.
3-66

DISPLAY LANGUAGE
This feature allows you to select the language in which
the DIC messages will appear.
Press the customization button until the DISPLAY
LANGUAGE screen appears on the DIC display.
Press the set/reset button once to access the settings
for this feature. Then press the customization button
to scroll through the following settings:
ENGLISH (default):All messages will appear in
English.
FRANCAIS:All messages will appear in French.
ESPANOL:All messages will appear in Spanish.
NO CHANGE:No change will be made to this feature.
The current setting will remain.
To select a setting, press the set/reset button while the
desired setting is displayed on the DIC.
You can also change the language by pressing the trip
odometer reset stem. See “Language” under DIC
Operation and Displays (Without DIC Buttons) earlier in
this section for more information.
AUTO DOOR LOCK
This feature allows you to select when the vehicle’s
doors will automatically lock. SeeProgrammable
Automatic Door Locks on page 2-11for more
information.
Press the customization button until AUTO DOOR
LOCK appears on the DIC display. Press the set/reset
button once to access the settings for this feature.
Then press the customization button to scroll through
the following settings:
SHIFT OUT OF PARK (default):The doors will
automatically lock when the vehicle is shifted out of
PARK (P).
AT VEHICLE SPEED:The doors will automatically lock
when the vehicle speed is above 8 mph (13 km/h) for
three seconds.
NO CHANGE:No change will be made to this feature.
The current setting will remain.
To select a setting, press the set/reset button while the
desired setting is displayed on the DIC.
3-77

If your vehicle has the navigation system, press and
hold this button for longer than one second to initiate
voice recognition. See “Voice Recognition” in the
Navigation System manual for more information.
If your vehicle has OnStar
®, press and hold this button
for longer than one second to interact with the
OnStar
®system. If your vehicle also has the navigation
system, press and hold this button for longer than
one second to initiate voice recognition and say “OnStar”
to enter OnStar
®mode. See theOnStar®System on
page 2-67in this manual for more information.
SRCE (Source):Press this button to switch between
the radio (AM, FM), XM™ (if equipped), CD, and if your
vehicle has these features, DVD, front auxiliary, and
rear auxiliary.
+
e−e(Volume):Press the plus or minus volume
button to increase or to decrease the radio volume.
¨(Seek):Press the seek arrow to go to the next
radio station while in AM, FM, or XM™ (if equipped).
Press the seek arrow to go to the next track or chapter
while sourced to the CD or DVD slot.
Press the seek arrow to go to the next disc while
sourced to a six-disc CD player, if multiple discs
are loaded.
Radio Reception
Frequency interference and static can occur during
normal radio reception if items such as cell phone
chargers, vehicle convenience accessories, and external
electronic devices are plugged into the accessory
power outlet. If there is interference or static, unplug the
item from the accessory power outlet.
AM
The range for most AM stations is greater than for FM,
especially at night. The longer range can cause
station frequencies to interfere with each other.
For better radio reception, most AM radio stations
boost the power levels during the day, and then reduce
these levels during the night. Static can also occur
when things like storms and power lines interfere with
radio reception. When this happens, try reducing
the treble on the radio.
FM Stereo
FM stereo gives the best sound, but FM signals only
reach about 10 to 40 miles (16 to 65 km). Tall buildings
or hills can interfere with FM signals, causing the
sound to fade in and out.
3-133

For persons under 21, it is against the law in every
U.S. state to drink alcohol. There are good medical,
psychological, and developmental reasons for
these laws.
The obvious way to eliminate the leading highway
safety problem is for people never to drink alcohol and
then drive.
Medical research shows that alcohol in a person’s
system can make crash injuries worse, especially
injuries to the brain, spinal cord, or heart. This means
that when anyone who has been drinking — driver
or passenger — is in a crash, that person’s chance of
being killed or permanently disabled is higher than if the
person had not been drinking.
Control of a Vehicle
The following three systems help to control your vehicle
while driving — brakes, steering, and accelerator. At
times, as when driving on snow or ice, it is easy to ask
more of those control systems than the tires and
road can provide. Meaning, you can lose control of your
vehicle. SeeStabiliTrak
®System on page 4-6.
Adding non-dealer/non-retailer accessories can affect
your vehicle’s performance. SeeAccessories and
Modifications on page 5-4.
Braking
SeeBrake System Warning Light on page 3-46.
Braking action involves perception time and reaction
time. First, you have to decide to push on the brake
pedal. That is perception time. Then you have to bring
up your foot and do it. That is reaction time.
Average reaction time is about three-fourths of a
second. But that is only an average. It might be less
with one driver and as long as two or three seconds or
more with another. Age, physical condition, alertness,
coordination, and eyesight all play a part. So do alcohol,
drugs, and frustration. But even in three-fourths of a
second, a vehicle moving at 60 mph (100 km/h) travels
66 feet (20 m). That could be a lot of distance in an
emergency, so keeping enough space between
your vehicle and others is important.
And, of course, actual stopping distances vary greatly
with the surface of the road, whether it is pavement or
gravel; the condition of the road, whether it is wet, dry, or
icy; tire tread; the condition of the brakes; the weight of
the vehicle; and the amount of brake force applied.
4-3

Passing
Passing another vehicle on a two-lane road can be
dangerous. To reduce the risk of danger while passing:
Look down the road, to the sides, and to crossroads
for situations that might affect a successful pass. If
in doubt, wait.
Watch for traffic signs, pavement markings, and
lines that could indicate a turn or an intersection.
Never cross a solid or double-solid line on your side
of the lane.
Do not get too close to the vehicle you want to
pass. Doing so can reduce your visibility.
Wait your turn to pass a slow vehicle.
When you are being passed, ease to the right.
Loss of Control
Let us review what driving experts say about what
happens when the three control systems — brakes,
steering, and acceleration — do not have enough friction
where the tires meet the road to do what the driver has
asked.
In any emergency, do not give up. Keep trying to steer
and constantly seek an escape route or area of less
danger.
Skidding
In a skid, a driver can lose control of the vehicle.
Defensive drivers avoid most skids by taking reasonable
care suited to existing conditions, and by not overdriving
those conditions. But skids are always possible.
The three types of skids correspond to your vehicle’s
three control systems. In the braking skid, the wheels are
not rolling. In the steering or cornering skid, too much
speed or steering in a curve causes tires to slip and lose
cornering force. And in the acceleration skid, too much
throttle causes the driving wheels to spin.
A cornering skid is best handled by easing your foot off
the accelerator pedal.
Remember: StabiliTrak
®helps avoid only the
acceleration skid. SeeStabiliTrak®System on page 4-6.
If the StabiliTrak®System is off, then an acceleration
skid is also best handled by easing your foot off
the accelerator pedal.
If your vehicle starts to slide, ease your foot off the
accelerator pedal and quickly steer the way you want
the vehicle to go. If you start steering quickly enough,
your vehicle may straighten out. Always be ready
for a second skid if it occurs.
4-11