Seats and Restraints 2-39
steering wheel, instrument
panel, roof-rail airbag modules,
ceiling headliner or pillar garnish
trim, overhead console, front
sensors, side impact sensors,
rollover sensor module, or airbag
wiring can affect the operation of
the airbag system.
In addition, the vehicle has a
passenger sensing system for
the right front passenger
position, which includes sensors
that are part of the passenger
seat. The passenger sensing
system may not operate properly
if the original seat trim is
replaced with non-GM covers,
upholstery or trim, or with GM
covers, upholstery or trim
designed for a different vehicle.
Any object, such as an
aftermarket seat heater or a
comfort enhancing pad or
device, installed under or on top
of the seat fabric, could also
interfere with the operation of
the passenger sensing system.This could either prevent proper
deployment of the passenger
airbag(s) or prevent the
passenger sensing system
from properly turning off the
passenger airbag(s). See
Passenger Sensing System
on
page 2‑33.
If you have questions, call
Customer Assistance. The
phone numbers and addresses
for Customer Assistance are in
Step Two of the Customer
Satisfaction Procedure in this
manual. See Customer
Satisfaction Procedure
on
page 12‑1.
If the vehicle has rollover
roof-rail airbags, see Different
Size Tires and Wheels
on
page 9‑62for additional
important information. Q: Because I have a disability,
I have to get my vehicle
modified. How can I find out
whether this will affect my
airbag system?
A: If you have questions, call
Customer Assistance. The
phone numbers and addresses
for Customer Assistance are in
Step Two of the Customer
Satisfaction Procedure in this
manual. See Customer
Satisfaction Procedure
on
page 12‑1.
In addition, your dealer/retailer and
the service manual have information
about the location of the airbag
sensors, sensing and diagnostic
module and airbag wiring.
8-38 Driving and Operating
Fuel Economy Mode
The vehicle may have a Fuel
Economy Mode. When engaged,
fuel economy mode can improve the
vehicle's fuel economy.
Press the“eco”(economy) button by
the shift lever to turn this feature on
or off. The “eco”light in the
instrument cluster will come on
when engaged. See Fuel Economy
Light
on page 4‑23. For vehicles with a Driver Information Center
(DIC) an
“ECO Mode On” message
displays. See Fuel System
Messages
on page 4‑32for more
information.
When Fuel Economy Mode is on:
.The transmission will upshift
sooner and downshift later.
.The torque converter clutch will
apply sooner and stay on longer.
.The gas pedal will be less
sensitive.
.The vehicle's computer will more
aggressively shut off fuel to the
engine under deceleration.
.The engine idle speed will be
lower.
.Driving performance is more
conservative.
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 9‑76for more information.
9-2 Vehicle Care
Tire Pressure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-52
Tire Pressure MonitorSystem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-53
Tire Pressure Monitor Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-55
Tire Inspection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-58
Tire Rotation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-58
When It Is Time for New Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-59
Buying New Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-60
Different Size Tires and Wheels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-62
Uniform Tire Quality Grading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-62
Wheel Alignment and Tire Balance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-64
Wheel Replacement . . . . . . . . . 9-65
Tire Chains . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-66
If a Tire Goes Flat . . . . . . . . . . . 9-67
Tire Changing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-69
Compact Spare Tire . . . . . . . . . 9-76Jump Starting
Jump Starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-78
Towing
Towing the Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . 9-81
Recreational Vehicle Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-81
Appearance Care
Exterior Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-85
Interior Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-89
General Information
For service and parts needs, visit
your dealer/retailer. You will receive
genuine GM parts and GM-trained
and supported service people.
Genuine GM parts have one of
these marks:
9-48 Vehicle Care
Tire Designations
Tire Size
The following illustration shows
an example of a typical
passenger vehicle tire size.
(A) Passenger (P‐Metric) Tire:
The United States version of a
metric tire sizing system. The
letter P as the first character in
the tire size means a passenger
vehicle tire engineered to
standards set by the U.S. Tire
and Rim Association.(B) Tire Width
:The three‐digit
number indicates the tire section
width in millimeters from
sidewall to sidewall.
(C) Aspect Ratio
:A two‐digit
number that indicates the tire
height‐to‐width measurements.
For example, if the tire size
aspect ratio is 60, as shown in
item C of the illustration, it would
mean that the tire's sidewall is
60 percent as high as it is wide.
(D) Construction Code
:A
letter code is used to indicate
the type of ply construction in
the tire. The letter R means
radial ply construction; the
letter D means diagonal or
bias ply construction; and the
letter B means belted‐bias ply
construction. (E) Rim Diameter
:Diameter of
the wheel in inches.
(F) Service Description
:These
characters represent the load
index and speed rating of the
tire. The load index represents
the load carry capacity a tire is
certified to carry. The speed
rating is the maximum speed a
tire is certified to carry a load.
Vehicle Care 9-55
Tire Pressure Monitor
Operation
This vehicle may have a Tire
Pressure Monitor System (TPMS).
The TPMS is designed to warn the
driver when a low tire pressure
condition exists. TPMS sensors are
mounted onto each tire and wheel
assembly, excluding the spare tire
and wheel assembly. The TPMS
sensors monitor the air pressure in
the vehicle's tires and transmit the
tire pressure readings to a receiver
located in the vehicle.
When a low tire pressure condition
is detected, the TPMS illuminates
the low tire pressure warning light
located on the instrument panel
cluster. If the warning light comes
on, stop as soon as possible andinflate the tires to the recommended
pressure shown on the tire loading
information label. See
Vehicle Load
Limits on page 8‑22.
At the same time a message to
check the pressure in a specific tire
appears on the Driver Information
Center (DIC) display. The low tire
pressure warning light and the DIC
warning message come on at each
ignition cycle until the tires are
inflated to the correct inflation
pressure. Using the DIC, tire
pressure levels can be viewed by
the driver. For additional information
and details about the DIC operation
and displays see Driver Information
Center (DIC) on page 4‑25.
The low tire pressure warning light
may come on in cool weather when
the vehicle is first started, and then
turn off as you start to drive. This
could be an early indicator that the
air pressure in the tire(s) are getting
low and need to be inflated to the
proper pressure. A Tire and Loading Information
label, attached to your vehicle,
shows the size of your vehicle's
original equipment tires and the
correct inflation pressure for your
vehicle's tires when they are cold.
See
Vehicle Load Limits
on
page 8‑22, for an example of the
Tire and Loading Information label
and its location on your vehicle.
Also see Tire Pressure
on
page 9‑52.
Your vehicle's TPMS can warn you
about a low tire pressure condition
but it does not replace normal tire
maintenance. See Tire Inspection
on page 9‑58,Tire Rotationon
page 9‑58and Tires on page 9‑45.
Notice: Liquid tire sealants could
damage the Tire Pressure Monitor
System (TPMS) sensors. Sensor
damage caused by using a tire
sealant is not covered by your
warranty. Do not use liquid tire
sealants.
Vehicle Care 9-61
SeeTire Inspectionon page 9‑58
andTire Rotationon page 9‑58
for information on proper tire
rotation.
{WARNING
Mixing tires could cause you
to lose control while driving.
If you mix tires of different
sizes, brands, or types (radial
and bias-belted tires), the
vehicle may not handle
properly, and you could have
a crash. Using tires of different
sizes, brands, or types may
also cause damage to your
vehicle. Be sure to use the
correct size, brand, and type
of tires on all wheels. It is all
right to drive with your
compact spare temporarily, as
it was developed for use on
your vehicle. See Compact
Spare Tire
on page 9‑76.
{WARNING
If you use bias-ply tires on the
vehicle, the wheel rim flanges
could develop cracks after
many miles of driving. A tire
and/or wheel could fail
suddenly, causing a crash.
Use only radial-ply tires with
the wheels on the vehicle.
If you must replace your
vehicle's tires with those that do
not have a TPC Spec number,
make sure they are the same
size, load range, speed rating,
and construction type (radial and
bias‐belted tires) as your
vehicle's original tires. Vehicles that have a tire
pressure monitoring system
could give an inaccurate
low‐pressure warning if non‐TPC
Spec rated tires are installed
on your vehicle. Non‐TPC
Spec rated tires may give a
low‐pressure warning that is
higher or lower than the proper
warning level you would get with
TPC Spec rated tires. See
Tire
Pressure Monitor System
on
page 9‑53
.
Your vehicle's original
equipment tires are listed on the
Tire and Loading Information
Label. See Vehicle Load Limits
on page 8‑22, for more
information about the Tire and
Loading Information Label and
its location on your vehicle.
9-62 Vehicle Care
Different Size Tires and
Wheels
If you add wheels or tires that are a
different size than your original
equipment wheels and tires, this
could affect the way your vehicle
performs, including its braking, ride
and handling characteristics,
stability, and resistance to rollover.
Additionally, if your vehicle has
electronic systems such as anti‐lock
brakes, rollover airbags, traction
control, and electronic stability
control, the performance of these
systems can be affected.
{WARNING
If you add different sized wheels,
your vehicle may not provide an
acceptable level of performance
and safety if tires not
recommended for those wheels
are selected. You may increase
the chance that you will crash and
suffer serious injury. Only use GM
specific wheel and tire systems
developed for your vehicle, and
have them properly installed by a
GM certified technician.
See Buying New Tires
on
page 9‑60and Accessories and
Modificationson page 9‑3for
additional information.
Uniform Tire Quality
Grading
Quality grades can be found
where applicable on the tire
sidewall between tread shoulder
and maximum section width.
For example:
Treadwear 200 Traction AA
Temperature A
The following information relates
to the system developed by the
United States National Highway
Traffic Safety Administration
(NHTSA), which grades tires
by treadwear, traction, and
temperature performance. This
applies only to vehicles sold in
the United States. The grades
are molded on the sidewalls
of most passenger car tires.
9-66 Vehicle Care
Used Replacement Wheels
{WARNING
Putting a used wheel on the
vehicle is dangerous. You cannot
know how it has been used or
how far it has been driven.
It could fail suddenly and cause a
crash. If you have to replace a
wheel, use a new GM original
equipment wheel.
Tire Chains
{WARNING
Do not use tire chains. There is
not enough clearance. Tire chains
used on a vehicle without the
proper amount of clearance can
cause damage to the brakes,
suspension or other vehicle parts.
The area damaged by the tire
chains could cause you to lose
control of the vehicle and you or
others may be injured in a crash.(Continued)
WARNING (Continued)
Use another type of traction
device only if its manufacturer
recommends it for use on the
vehicle and tire size combination
and road conditions. Follow that
manufacturer's instructions. To
help avoid damage to the vehicle,
drive slowly, readjust or remove
the device if it is contacting the
vehicle, and do not spin the
vehicle's wheels. If you do find
traction devices that will fit, install
them on the front tires.