2010 CHEVROLET TRAVERSE automatic transmission

2010 Chevrolet Traverse Owner ManualM
In Brief. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-1
Instrument Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-2
Initial Drive Information . . . . . . . . 1-4
Vehicle Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-15
Performance and Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-20
Keys, Doors and Windows . . . 2-1
Keys and Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-2
Doors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-9
Vehicle Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-13
Exterior Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-16
Interior Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-19
Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-20
Roof . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-22
Seats and Restraints . . . . . . . . . 3-1
Head Restraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-2
Front Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-3
Rear Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-10
Safety Belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-14
Airbag System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-30
Child Restraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-46 Storage
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-1
Storage Compartments . . . . . . . . 4-1
Additional Storage Features . . . 4-3
Roof Rack System . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-4
Instruments and Controls . . . . 5-1
Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-2
Warning Lights, Gauges, and
Indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-10
Information Displays . . . . . . . . . . 5-22
Vehicle Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-31
Vehicle Personalization . . . . . . . 5-40
Universal Remote System . . . . 5-47
Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-1
Exterior Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-1
Interior Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-4
Lighting Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-5
Infotainment System . . . . . . . . . 7-1
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-1
Radio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-6
Audio Players . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-12
Rear Seat Infotainment . . . . . . . 7-35
Phone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-45 Climate Controls
. . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-1
Climate Control Systems . . . . . . 8-1
Air Vents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-12
Driving and Operating . . . . . . . . 9-1
Driving Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-2
Starting and Operating . . . . . . . 9-16
Engine Exhaust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-22
Automatic Transmission . . . . . . 9-23
Drive Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-26
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-27
Ride Control Systems . . . . . . . . 9-29
Cruise Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-31
Object Detection Systems . . . . 9-33
Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-40
Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-44
Conversions and Add-Ons . . . 9-55

5-22 Instruments and Controls
Security Light
This light flashes when the security
system is activated.
For more information, seeAnti-Theft
Alarm System on page 2‑13.
High-Beam on Light
The high-beam on light comes on
when the high-beam headlamps are
in use.
See Headlamp High/Low-Beam
Changer
on page 6‑2for more
information.
Cruise Control Light
This light comes on whenever the
cruise control is set.
The light goes out when the cruise
control is turned off. See Cruise
Control
on page 9‑31for more
information.
Information Displays
Driver Information Center
(DIC) (With DIC Buttons)
If your vehicle has DIC buttons, the
information below explains the
operation of this system.
The DIC displays information about
your vehicle. It also displays
warning messages if a system
problem is detected.
All messages will appear in the DIC
display located at the top of the
instrument panel cluster.
The 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.
The DIC also displays a shift lever
position indicator on the bottom line
of the display. See Automatic
Transmission
on page 9‑23for
more information.

Driving and Operating 9-1
Driving and
Operating
Driving Information
Defensive Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-2
Drunk Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-2
Control of a Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . 9-3
Braking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-3
Steering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-4
Off-Road Recovery . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-5
Loss of Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-5
Driving on Wet Roads . . . . . . . . . 9-7
Highway Hypnosis . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-7
Hill and Mountain Roads . . . . . . 9-8
Winter Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-9
If the Vehicle is Stuck . . . . . . . . 9-11
Vehicle Load Limits . . . . . . . . . . 9-12
Starting and Operating
New Vehicle Break-In . . . . . . . . 9-16
Ignition Positions . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-16
Retained AccessoryPower (RAP) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-17
Starting the Engine . . . . . . . . . . 9-18
Engine Heater . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-19 Shifting Into Park . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-20
Shifting Out of Park . . . . . . . . . . 9-21
Parking Over Things
That Burn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-21
Engine Exhaust
Engine Exhaust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-22
Running the Vehicle WhileParked . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-22
Automatic Transmission
Automatic Transmission . . . . . 9-23
Manual Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-25
Tow/Haul Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-26
Drive Systems
All-Wheel Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-26
Brakes
Antilock BrakeSystem (ABS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-27
Parking Brake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-28
Brake Assist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-28
Ride Control Systems
StabiliTrak System . . . . . . . . . . . 9-29
Cruise Control
Cruise Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-31
Object Detection Systems
Ultrasonic Parking Assist . . . . 9-33
Rear Vision Camera (RVC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-35
Fuel
Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-40
Recommended Fuel . . . . . . . . . 9-40
Gasoline Specifications . . . . . . 9-40
California FuelRequirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-41
Fuels in Foreign Countries . . . 9-41
Fuel Additives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-41
Filling the Tank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-42
Filling a Portable Fuel Container . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-44
Towing
General TowingInformation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-44
Driving Characteristics and Towing Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-45
Trailer Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-50
Towing Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . 9-53
Conversions and Add-Ons
Add-On Electrical Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-55

Driving and Operating 9-23
{WARNING
It can be dangerous to get out of
the vehicle if the automatic
transmission shift lever is not fully
in P (Park) with the parking brake
firmly set. The vehicle can roll. Do
not leave the 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 the
vehicle will not move, even when
you are on fairly level ground,
always set the parking brake and
move the shift lever to P (Park).
Follow the proper steps to be sure
the vehicle will not move. See
Shifting Into Park on page 9‑20.
If parking on a hill and pulling a
trailer, see Driving Characteristics
and Towing Tips on page 9‑45.
Automatic
Transmission
The automatic transmission has a
shift lever located on the console
between the seats.
P (Park): This position locks the
front wheels. It is the best position
to use when starting the engine
because the vehicle cannot move
easily.
{WARNING
It is dangerous to get out of the
vehicle if the shift lever is not fully
in P (Park) with the parking brake
firmly set. The vehicle can roll.
Do not leave the 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 the
vehicle will not move, even when
you are on fairly level ground,
always set the parking brake and
move the shift lever to P (Park).
See Shifting Into Park
on
page 9‑20
. If you are pulling a
trailer, see Driving Characteristics
and Towing Tips on page 9‑45.
Make sure the shift lever is fully in
P (Park) before starting the engine.
The vehicle has an automatic
transmission shift lock control
system. You must fully apply the
regular brake first and then press

Driving and Operating 9-25
and performance. Use the brake to
hold the vehicle on a hill. Do not use
the accelerator pedal.
L (Low):This position gives you
access to gear ranges. This
provides more engine braking but
lower fuel economy than D (Drive).
You can use it on very steep hills,
or in deep snow or mud.
Manual Mode
Electronic Range Select
(ERS) Mode
ERS mode allows you to choose the
top-gear limit of the transmission
and the vehicle's speed while
driving down hill or towing a trailer.
The vehicle has an electronic shift
position indicator within the
instrument panel cluster. When
using the ERS Mode a number will
display next to the L, indicating the
current gear that has been selected. To use this feature:
1. Move the shift lever to L (Low).
2. Press the plus/minus button
located on the shift lever, to
increase or decrease the gear
range available.
When you shift from D (Drive) to
L (Low), the transmission will shift to
a pre-determined lower gear range .
The highest gear available for this
pre-determined range is displayed
next to the L in the DIC. See Driver
Information Center (DIC) (With DIC
Buttons)on page 5‑22or Driver
Information Center (DIC) (Without
DIC Buttons)
on page 5‑28for
more information. The number
displayed in the DIC is the highest
gear that the transmission will be
allowed to operate in. This means
that all gears below that number are
available. For example, when
4 (Fourth) is shown next to the L,
1 (First) through 4 (Fourth) gears are
automatically shifted by the vehicle. The transmission will not shift into
5 (Fifth) until the + (Plus) button is
used or you shift back into D (Drive).
While in L (Low), the transmission
will prevent shifting to a lower gear
range if the engine speed is too
high. You have a brief period of time
to slow the vehicle. If vehicle speed
is not reduced within the time
allowed, the lower gear range shift
will not be completed. You must
further slow the vehicle, then press
the
−(Minus) button to the desired
lower gear range.
Automatic Engine Grade braking is
not available when the ERS is
active. It is available in D (Drive) for
both normal and Tow/Haul mode.
While using the ERS, cruise control
and the tow/haul mode can be used.
See Tow/Haul Mode following.

9-26 Driving and Operating
Tow/Haul Mode
_
(Tow/Haul):The vehicle may
have a Tow/Haul mode.
The button is located on the
instrument panel under the climate
controls.
Push the button to activate the
system. Push it again to deactivate
the system. You can use this feature
to assist when towing or hauling a
heavy load.
When Tow/Haul is activated the
Tow/Haul symbol will come on the
instrument panel cluster. See
“Tow/Haul Mode” underDriving
Characteristics and Towing Tips
on
page 9‑45for more information.
Automatic Engine Grade
Braking
Automatic Engine Grade Braking
assists when driving on a downhill
grade. It maintains vehicle speed by
automatically implementing a shift
schedule that uses the engine and
the transmission to slow the vehicle.
The system will automatically
command downshifts to reduce
vehicle speed, until the brake pedal
is no longer being pressed.
While in the Electronic Range
Select (ERS) mode, grade braking
is deactivated, allowing the driver to
select a range and limiting the
highest gear available. Grade
braking is available for normal
driving and in Tow/Haul mode.
See Automatic Transmission
on
page 9‑23.
Drive Systems
All-Wheel Drive
With this feature, engine power is
always sent to all four wheels. It is
fully automatic, and adjusts itself as
needed for road conditions.
When using a compact spare tire on
an AWD vehicle, the system
automatically detects the compact
spare and disables AWD. To restore
AWD operation and prevent
excessive wear on system, replace
the compact spare with a full-size
tire as soon as possible. See
Compact Spare Tire
on page 10‑77for more information.

9-30 Driving and Operating
Traction control can be turned on by
pressing and releasing the traction
control disable button if not
automatically shut off for any other
reason.
When the traction control system is
turned off, the StabiliTrak light and
the appropriate traction control off
message will be displayed on the
DIC to warn the driver. The vehicle
will still have brake-traction control
when traction control is off, but will
not be able to use the engine speed
management system. See“Traction
Control Operation” next for more
information.
When the traction control system
has been turned off, system noises
may be heard and felt as a result of
the brake-traction control working.
It is recommended to leave the
system on for normal driving
conditions, but it may be necessary
to turn the system off if the vehicle
is stuck in sand, mud, ice or snow,
and you want to “rock”the vehicle to
attempt to free it. It may also be necessary to turn off the system
when driving in extreme off-road
conditions where high wheel spin is
required. See
If the Vehicle is Stuck
on page 9‑11.
Traction Control Operation
The traction control system is part of
the StabiliTrak system. Traction
control limits wheel spin by reducing
engine power to the wheels (engine
speed management) and by
applying brakes to each individual
wheel (brake-traction control) as
necessary.
The traction control system is
enabled automatically when the
vehicle is started. It will activate and
the StabiliTrak light will flash if it
senses that any of the wheels are
spinning or beginning to lose
traction while driving. If traction
control is turned off, only the
brake-traction control portion of
traction control will work. The
engine speed management will be
disabled. In this mode, engine
power is not reduced automatically and the driven wheels can spin
more freely. This can cause the
brake-traction control to activate
constantly.
Notice:
If the wheel(s) of one axle
is allowed to spin excessively
while the StabiliTrak, ABS and
brake warning lights and any
relevant DIC messages are
displayed, the transfer case could
be damaged. The repairs would
not be covered by the vehicle
warranty. Reduce engine power
and do not spin the wheel(s)
excessively while these lights and
messages are displayed.
The traction control system may
activate on dry or rough roads or
under conditions such as heavy
acceleration while turning or abrupt
upshifts/downshifts of the
transmission. When this happens, a
reduction in acceleration may be
noticed, or a noise or vibration may
be heard. This is normal.

Driving and Operating 9-47
Tow/Haul Mode
Tow/Haul assists when pulling a
heavy trailer or a large or heavy
load. The purpose of the Tow/Haul
mode is to:
.Reduce the frequency and
improve the predictability of
transmission shifts.
.Provide the same solid shift feel
as when the vehicle is unloaded.
.Improve control of vehicle speed
while requiring less throttle pedal
activity.
.Increase the charging system
voltage to assist in recharging a
battery installed in a trailer.
Press this button located on the
console to turn on and turn off the
Tow/Haul mode. SeeTow/Haul
Mode on page 9‑26.
The Tow/Haul light on the
instrument panel comes on to
indicate that Tow/Haul mode has
been selected.
Tow/Haul may be turned off by
pressing the button again, at which
time the indicator light on the
instrument panel will turn off. The
vehicle will automatically turn off
Tow/Haul every time it is started. Tow/Haul is designed to be most
effective when the vehicle and
trailer combined weight is at least
75 percent of the vehicle's Gross
Combined Weight Rating (GCWR).
See
Trailer Towing
on page 9‑50.
Tow/Haul is most useful when
pulling a heavy trailer or a large or
heavy load under the following
driving conditions:
.Travelling through rolling terrain.
.Travelling in stop and go traffic.
.Travelling in busy parking lots
where improved low speed
control of the vehicle is desired.
Operating the vehicle in Tow/Haul
when lightly loaded or with no trailer
will not cause damage but there is
no benefit. Such a selection when
unloaded may result in unpleasant
engine and transmission driving
characteristics and reduced fuel
economy.