
Black plate (98,1)Chevrolet Avalanche Owner Manual - 2011
10-98 Vehicle Care
Four-Wheel Drive Vehicles with a
Two Speed Automatic
Transfer Case
Use the following procedure to dolly
tow a four-wheel drive vehicle from
the rear:
1. Attach the dolly to the towvehicle following the dolly
manufacturer's instructions.
2. Drive the rear wheels onto the dolly.
3. Firmly set the parking brake. See Parking Brake on
page 9‑53.
4. Put the transmission in P (Park).
5. Secure the vehicle to the dolly following the manufacturer's
instructions.
6. Use an adequate clamping device designed for towing to
ensure that the front wheels are
locked into the straight position.{WARNING
Shifting a four-wheel-drive
vehicle's transfer case into
N (Neutral) can cause the vehicle
to roll even if the transmission is
in P (Park). The driver or others
could be injured. Make sure the
parking brake is firmly set before
the transfer case is shifted to
N (Neutral).
7. Shift the transfer case to N (Neutral). See “Shifting into
N (Neutral)” under“Four-Wheel
Drive”.
8. Turn the ignition to LOCK/OFF.
After towing, see “Shifting Out of
N (Neutral)” under“Four-Wheel
Drive”.
Appearance Care
Exterior Care
Silicone grease on weatherstrips will
make them last longer, seal better,
and not stick or squeak. Apply
silicone grease with a clean cloth.
During very cold, damp weather
frequent application may be
required. See Recommended Fluids
and Lubricants on page 11‑6.
Washing the Vehicle
The best way to preserve the
vehicle's finish is to keep it clean by
washing it often.
Notice: Certain cleaners contain
chemicals that can damage the
emblems or nameplates on the
vehicle. Check the cleaning
product label. If it states that it
should not be used on plastic
parts, do not use it on the vehicle
or damage may occur and it
would not be covered by the
warranty.

Black plate (3,1)Chevrolet Avalanche Owner Manual - 2011
Service and Maintenance 11-3
Reset the oil life system whenever
the oil is changed. SeeEngine Oil
Life System on page 10‑11.
Every Engine Oil Change
.Change engine oil and filter.
Reset oil life system. See
Engine Oil on page 10‑8 and
Engine Oil Life System on
page 10‑11. An Emission Control
Service.
.Engine coolant level check. See
Engine Coolant on page 10‑19.
.Engine cooling system
inspection. Visual inspection of
hoses, pipes, fittings, and
clamps and replacement,
if needed.
.Windshield washer fluid level
check. See Washer Fluid on
page 10‑26.
.Windshield wiper blade
inspection for wear, cracking,
or contamination and windshield
and wiper blade cleaning,
if contaminated. See Exterior
Care on page 10‑98. Worn or damaged wiper blade
replacement. See
Wiper Blade
Replacement on page 10‑34.
.Tire inflation pressures check.
See Tire Pressure on
page 10‑58.
.Tire wear inspection. See Tire
Inspection on page 10‑64.
.Rotate tires if necessary. See
Tire Rotation on page 10‑64.
.Fluids visual leak check
(or every 12 months, whichever
occurs first). A leak in any
system must be repaired and
the fluid level checked.
.Engine air cleaner filter
inspection. See Engine Air
Cleaner/Filter on page 10‑16.
.Brake system inspection
(or every 12 months, whichever
occurs first).
.Steering and suspension
inspection. Visual inspection for
damaged, loose, or missing
parts or signs of wear.
.Lubricate the front suspension,
steering linkage, and parking
brake cable guides. Control arm
ball joints are maintenance‐free.
.Body hinges and latches, key
lock cylinders, folding seat
hardware, midgate hinges, and
tailgate hinges, linkage, and
handle pivot points lubrication.
See Recommended Fluids and
Lubricants on page 11‑6. More
frequent lubrication may be
required when the vehicle is
exposed to a corrosive
environment. Applying silicone
grease on weatherstrips with a
clean cloth makes them last
longer, seal better, and not stick
or squeak.
.Restraint system components
check. See Safety System
Check on page 3‑27.
.Fuel system inspection for
damage or leaks.
.Exhaust system and nearby heat
shields inspection for loose or
damaged components.

Black plate (2,1)Chevrolet Avalanche Owner Manual - 2011
i-2 INDEX
Automatic Transmission . . . . . . . 9-39Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-12
Manual Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-42
Automatic Transmission Shift Lock Control
Function Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-33
Auxiliary Devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-30
Axle, Front . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-31
Axle, Rear . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-32
B
Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-29 Jump Starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-88
Load Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-7
Power Protection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-8
Voltage and Charging
Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-37
Blade Replacement, Wiper . . . 10-34
Bluetooth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-46 Brake
Pedal and Adjustable
Throttle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-30
Brake System Warning Light . . . 5-23
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-27 Antilock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-52
Assist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-53
Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-28
Parking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-53
System Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-37
Braking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-3
Break-In, New Vehicle . . . . . . . . . 9-30
Bulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-39
Fog Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-5
Halogen Bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-37
Headlamp Aiming . . . . . . . . . . . 10-35
Headlamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-37
License Plate Lamps . . . . . . . 10-39
Taillamps, Turn Signal,Sidemarker, Stoplamps,
and Backup Lamps . . . . . . . . 10-38
Buying New Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-66
C
Calibration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-6
California Fuel Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . 9-69
Perchlorate MaterialsRequirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-3
Warning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-3
Camera, Rear Vision . . . . . . . . . . 9-62
Canadian Vehicle Owners . . . . . . . . iii
Capacities and Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-2
Carbon Monoxide Engine Exhaust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-38
Midgate
®. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-10
Tailgate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-16
Winter Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-20
Cargo Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-2
Cover Panels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-6
Tie Downs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-13
Cautions, Danger, and Warnings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iii

Black plate (9,1)Chevrolet Avalanche Owner Manual - 2011
INDEX i-9
N
Navigation SystemVehicle Data Recordingand Privacy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-18
New Vehicle Break-In . . . . . . . . . . 9-30
O
Object Detection System Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-41
Odometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-12 Trip . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-12
Off-Road . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-7 Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-7
Recovery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-6
Oil Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-8
Engine Oil Life System . . . . . .10-11
Engine Oil PressureGauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-14
Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-40
Pressure Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-26
Older Children, Restraints . . . . . 3-46 Online Owner Center . . . . . . . . . . 13-6
OnStar
®System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-29
Operation, Infotainment System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-3
Outlets Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-9
Overheated Engine
Protection
Operating Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-24
Overheating, Engine . . . . . . . . . . 10-22
P
Park Shifting Into . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-35
Shifting Out of . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-36
Park Tilt Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-22
Parking Assist, Ultrasonic . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-60
Brake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-53
Brake and P (Park)
Mechanism Check . . . . . . . . 10-34
Over Things That Burn . . . . . . . 9-37
Passenger Airbag Status
Indicator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-18 Passenger Sensing System . . . 3-38
Perchlorate Materials
Requirements, California . . . . . 10-3
Phone Bluetooth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-46
Power Door Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-8
Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-20
Outlets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-9
Protection, Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-8
Retained Accessory (RAP) . . . 9-34
Seat Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-4
Steering Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-25
Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-24
Power Assist Steps . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-16
Pregnancy, Using Safety Belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-26
Privacy Radio FrequencyIdentification (RFID) . . . . . . . 13-19
Program
Courtesy Transportation . . . . 13-10
Proposition 65 Warning, California . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-3