
Black plate (20,1)Chevrolet Aveo Owner Manual - 2011
1-20 In Brief
Power Outlets
Accessory power outlets can be
used to plug in electrical equipment,
such as a cell phone or MP3 player.
The accessory power outlet is
located next to the parking brake
on the center console.
Remove the cover to access and
replace when not in use.
The accessory power outlet is
operational when the ignition is
turned to ACC/ACCESSORY or
ON/RUN.
SeePower Outlets on page 5‑5.
Sunroof
On vehicles with this feature, the
switch is on the headliner between
the sun visors and can only be
operated when the ignition is turned
to ON/RUN. To vent the sunroof, open the
sunshade and then press and hold
the driver side switch. To close,
press the passenger side switch.
To fully open the sunroof, press and
hold the passenger side switch. The
sunshade will open with the sunroof.
To close, press the driver side
switch. Manually close the
sunshade.
See
Sunroof on page 2‑16.

Black plate (5,1)Chevrolet Aveo Owner Manual - 2011
Instruments and Controls 5-5
Rear Window
Wiper/Washer
{WARNING
In freezing weather, do not use
the washer until the windshield is
warmed. Otherwise the washer
fluid can form ice on the
windshield, blocking your vision.
The vehicle may have a rear
window wiper/washer.
Turn the rear wiper/washer
band to operate the rear window
wiper/washer.
OFF: Turns the rear window
wiper/washer off.
Z: Turns the rear wiper on for
intermittent wipes.
Y: Sprays washer fluid onto the
rear window and the wiper operates
continuously. The windshield washer reservoir is
used for the windshield and rear
window. Check the fluid level if
either washer is not working. See
Washer Fluid on page 10‑24.
Clock
There is a digital clock located in
the center of the instrument panel,
above the center air outlets. When
the ignition is turned to ACC/
ACCESSORY or ON/RUN, the time
is displayed in the digital clock.
There are three buttons for adjusting
the digital clock:
H (Hour):
Press once to go forward
one hour. To go forward more than
one hour, press and hold the button
until the correct hour is reached. M (Minute):
Press once to go
forward one minute. To go forward
more than one minute, press and
hold the button until the correct
minute is reached.
S (Set): Press to reset the time to
the nearest hour.
For example, if the set button is
pressed while the time is between
8:00 and 8:29, the display is set to
8:00. If this button is pressed while
the time is between 8:30 and 8:59,
the display is set to 9:00.
After disconnecting the battery or
replacing the fuse, reset the clock.
Power Outlets
Accessory power outlets can be
used to plug in electrical equipment,
such as a cell phone or MP3 player.
The accessory power outlet is
located next to the parking brake on
the center console.

Black plate (17,1)Chevrolet Aveo Owner Manual - 2011
Instruments and Controls 5-17
This light should come on briefly
when the ignition is turned to ON.
If it does not come on then, have it
fixed so it will be ready to warn if
there is a problem.
When the ignition is on, the brake
system warning light will also come
on when the parking brake is set.
The light will stay on if the parking
brake does not fully release. If it
stays on after the parking brake is
fully released, it means there is a
brake problem.
If the light comes on while driving,
carefully pull off the road and stop.
The pedal may be harder to push or
may go closer to the floor. It may
take longer to stop. If the light is still
on, have the vehicle towed for
service. SeeTowing the Vehicle on
page 10‑74.Antilock Brake System
(ABS) Warning Light
For vehicles with the Antilock Brake
System (ABS), this light comes on
briefly when the engine is started.
If the light stays on, turn the ignition
to LOCK/OFF or if the light comes
on, stop as soon as possible and
turn the ignition off. Then start the
engine again to reset the system.
If the light still stays on, or comes
on again while driving, the vehicle
needs service. See your dealer.
If the regular brake system warning
light is not on, the brakes will still
work, but the antilock brakes will not
work. If the regular brake system
warning light is also on, the antilock
brakes will not work and there is a problem with the regular brakes.
See
Brake System Warning Light on
page 5‑16.
The ABS warning light will come on
briefly when the ignition is turned to
ON/RUN. This is normal. If the light
does not come on then, have it fixed
so it will be ready to warn if there is
a problem.Up-Shift Light
The vehicle may have an up-shift
light.
When this light comes on, shift to
the next higher gear if weather,
road, and traffic conditions allow.
See Manual Transmission on
page 9‑29 for more information.

Black plate (2,1)Chevrolet Aveo Owner Manual - 2011
6-2 Lighting
Headlamp High/
Low-Beam Changer
The headlamps must be on for this
feature to work.
Push the turn signal lever away
from you to turn the high beams on.
The
3light comes on in instrument
panel cluster while the high beams
are on and the ignition is turned to
ON/RUN.
Pull the lever toward you to return to
low beams.
Flash-to-Pass
This feature is used to signal to the
vehicle ahead that you want
to pass.
Pull the turn signal/multifunction
lever toward you until the high-beam
headlamps come on, then release
the lever to turn them 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.
Fully functional daytime running
lamps are required on all vehicles
first sold in Canada.
The DRL system makes the
headlamps come on when the
following conditions are met:
.The ignition is on.
.The exterior lamp band is in
OFF or in the parking lamp
position.
.The parking brake is released.
An indicator light on instrument
panel cluster comes on when the
DRL system is on. When the DRL system is on, the
taillamps, sidemarker lamps,
parking lamps, and instrument panel
lights do not come on unless the
exterior lamps control is turned to
the parking lamp or headlamp
position.
The DRL system turns off when one
of the following conditions are met:
.The ignition is off.
.The parking brake is on.
.The high-beam headlamps
are on.
.The low-beam headlamps
are on.
.The flash-to-pass feature
is used.
The regular headlamp system
should be used when needed.

Black plate (1,1)Chevrolet Aveo Owner Manual - 2011
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 . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-8
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 . . . . . . . . 9-17
Ignition Positions . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-17
Starting the Engine . . . . . . . . . . 9-19
Engine Heater . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-20Shifting Into Park (Automatic
Transmission) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-21
Shifting Out of Park . . . . . . . . . . 9-23
Parking (Manual Transmission) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-23
Parking Over Things That Burn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-24
Engine Exhaust
Engine Exhaust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-24
Running the Vehicle WhileParked . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-25
Automatic Transmission
Automatic Transmission . . . . . 9-25
Manual Transmission
Manual Transmission . . . . . . . . 9-29
Brakes
Antilock BrakeSystem (ABS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-30
Parking Brake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-31
Cruise Control
Cruise Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-32
Fuel
Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-34
Recommended Fuel . . . . . . . . . 9-35
Gasoline Specifications (U.S. and Canada Only) . . . . . . . . . . 9-35
California Fuel
Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-35
Fuels in Foreign Countries . . . 9-36
Fuel Additives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-36
Filling the Tank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-37
Filling a Portable Fuel Container . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-39
Towing
General TowingInformation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-39
Conversions and Add-Ons
Add-On ElectricalEquipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-40

Black plate (18,1)Chevrolet Aveo Owner Manual - 2011
9-18 Driving and Operating
LOCK (STOPPING THE ENGINE/
LOCK/OFF):When the vehicle is
stopped, turn the ignition switch to
LOCK/OFF to turn the engine off.
This position locks the steering
wheel, ignition, shift lever and
transmission. This is the only
position in which you can insert or
remove the key.
Do not turn the engine off when the
vehicle is moving. This will cause a
loss of power assist in the brake
and steering systems and disable
the airbags.
In an emergency:
1. Brake using a firm and steady pressure. Do not pump the
brakes repeatedly. This may
deplete power assist, requiring
increased brake pedal force.
2. Shift the vehicle to neutral. This can be done while the vehicle is
moving. After shifting to neutral,
firmly apply the brakes and steer
the vehicle to a safe location. 3. Come to a complete stop. Shift
to P (Park) with an automatic
transmission, or neutral with a
manual transmission. Turn the
ignition to LOCK/OFF.
4. Set the parking brake. See Parking Brake on page 9‑31.
The steering can bind with the
wheels turned off center. If this
happens, move the steering wheel
from right to left while turning the
key to ACC/ACCESSORY. If this
doesn't work, then the vehicle needs
service.
ACC (ACC/ACCESSORY): This
position operates some of the
electrical accessories, such as the
radio, but not the climate control
system. ON (ON/RUN):
This position can
be used to operate the electrical
accessories, and to display some
instrument panel cluster warning
and indicator lights. The switch
stays in this position when the
engine is running. If you leave the
key in the ACC/ACCESSORY or
ON/RUN position with the engine
off, the battery could be drained.
You may not be able to start the
vehicle if the battery is allowed to
drain for an extended period of time.
START: This is the position that
starts the engine. When the engine
cranks, release the key. The ignition
switch returns to ON/RUN for
driving. Do not turn the key to
START if the engine is running.

Black plate (19,1)Chevrolet Aveo Owner Manual - 2011
Driving and Operating 9-19
Starting the Engine
Automatic Transmission
Move the shift lever to P (Park) or
N (Neutral). The engine will not start
in any other position. To restart the
engine when the vehicle is already
moving, use N (Neutral) only.
Notice:Do not try to shift to
P (Park) if the vehicle is moving.
If you do, you could damage the
transmission. Shift to P (Park)
only when the vehicle is stopped.
Manual Transmission
The shift lever should be in
N (Neutral) and the parking brake
engaged. Hold the clutch pedal to
the floor and start the engine. The
vehicle will not start if the clutch
pedal is not all the way down.
Starting Procedure
1. With your foot off the accelerator pedal, turn the ignition to START.
When the engine cranks, let go
of the key. The idle speed will go
down as the engine gets warm.
The vehicle has a Computer‐
Controlled Cranking System.
It assists in starting the engine
and protects components. If the
ignition key is turned to START
and then released when the
engine begins cranking, the
engine will continue cranking for
a few seconds or until the engine
starts. If the engine does not
start and the key is held in
START, cranking will be stopped
after 15 seconds to prevent
damage. To prevent gear
damage, cranking is not allowed
if the engine is running. Engine
cranking can be stopped by
turning the ignition key to ACC/
ACCESSORY or LOCK/OFF. Notice:
Holding the key in START
for longer than 15 seconds at a
time will cause the battery to be
drained much sooner. And the
excessive heat can damage
the starter motor. Wait about
15 seconds between each try to
help avoid draining the battery or
damaging the starter.
2. If the engine does not start, wait
about 15 seconds and try again.
Wait about 15 seconds between
each try.
When the engine has run about
10 seconds to warm up, the
vehicle is ready to be driven. Do
not run the engine at high speed
when it is cold.
If the weather is below freezing
(0°C or 32°F), let the engine run
for a few minutes to warm up.

Black plate (21,1)Chevrolet Aveo Owner Manual - 2011
Driving and Operating 9-21
3. Plug it into a normal, grounded110-volt AC outlet.
{WARNING
Plugging the cord into an
ungrounded outlet could cause an
electrical shock. Also, the wrong
kind of extension cord could
overheat and cause a fire. You
could be seriously injured. Plug
the cord into a properly grounded
three-prong 110-volt AC outlet.
If the cord will not reach, use a
heavy-duty three-prong extension
cord rated for at least 15 amps.
4. Before starting the engine, be sure to unplug and store the
cord as it was before to keep it
away from moving engine parts.
If you do not it could be
damaged. The length of time the heater should
remain plugged in depends on
several factors. Ask a dealer in the
area where you will be parking the
vehicle for the best advice on this.
Shifting Into Park
(Automatic Transmission)
{WARNING
It can be 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. If you have left the engine
running, the vehicle can move
suddenly. You or others could be
injured. To be sure the vehicle will
(Continued)
WARNING (Continued)
not move, even when you are on
fairly level ground, use the steps
that follow.
1. Hold the brake pedal down and set the parking brake. See
Parking Brake on page 9‑31 for
more information.
2. Move the shift lever into P (Park) by pressing the button on the
shift lever and pushing the lever
all the way toward the front of
the vehicle.
3. Turn the ignition key to LOCK/OFF.
4. Remove the key and take it with you. If you can leave the vehicle
with the ignition key in your
hand, the vehicle is in P (Park).