
Black plate (13,1)Chevrolet Colorado Owner Manual - 2011
Instruments and Controls 5-13
This light should come on when the
ignition is on, but the engine is not
running, as a check to show it is
working. If it does not, have the
vehicle serviced by your dealer.
If the Malfunction Indicator Lamp
comes on and stays on while the
engine is running, this indicates that
there is an OBD II problem and
service is required.
Malfunctions often are indicated by
the system before any problem is
apparent. Being aware of the light
can prevent more serious damage
to the vehicle. This system assists
the service technician in correctly
diagnosing any malfunction.Notice:
If the vehicle is
continually driven with this light
on, after a while, the emission
controls might not work as well,
the vehicle fuel economy might
not be as good, and the engine
might not run as smoothly. This
could lead to costly repairs that
might not be covered by the
vehicle warranty.
Notice: Modifications made to the
engine, transmission, exhaust,
intake, or fuel system of the
vehicle or the replacement of the
original tires with other than
those of the same Tire
Performance Criteria (TPC) can
affect the vehicle's emission
controls and can cause this light
to come on. Modifications to
these systems could lead to
costly repairs not covered by the
vehicle warranty. This could also
result in a failure to pass a
required Emission Inspection/
Maintenance test. See
Accessories and Modifications on
page 10‑4. This light comes on during a
malfunction in one of two ways:
Light Flashing:
A misfire condition
has been detected. A misfire
increases vehicle emissions and
could damage the emission control
system on the vehicle. Diagnosis
and service might be required.
To prevent more serious damage to
the vehicle:
.Reduce vehicle speed.
.Avoid hard accelerations.
.Avoid steep uphill grades.
.If towing a trailer, reduce the
amount of cargo being hauled as
soon as it is possible.
If the light continues to flash, when
it is safe to do so, stop the vehicle.
Find a safe place to park the
vehicle. Turn the vehicle off, wait at
least 10 seconds, and restart the
engine. If the light is still flashing,
follow the previous steps and see
your dealer for service as soon as
possible.

Black plate (14,1)Chevrolet Colorado Owner Manual - 2011
5-14 Instruments and Controls
Light On Steady:An emission
control system malfunction has
been detected on the vehicle.
Diagnosis and service might be
required.
The following may correct an
emissions system malfunction:
.Make sure the fuel cap is fully
installed. See Filling the Tank on
page 9‑54. The diagnostic
system can determine if the fuel
cap has been left off or
improperly installed. A loose or
missing fuel cap allows fuel to
evaporate into the atmosphere.
A few driving trips with the cap
properly installed should turn the
light off.
.Make sure the electrical system
is not wet. The system could be
wet if the vehicle was driven
through a deep puddle of water.
The condition is usually
corrected when the electrical
system dries out. A few driving
trips should turn the light off.
.Make sure to fuel the vehicle
with quality fuel. Poor fuel quality
causes the engine not to run as
efficiently as designed and can
cause: stalling after start-up,
stalling when the vehicle is
changed into gear, misfiring,
hesitation on acceleration,
or stumbling on acceleration.
These conditions might go away
once the engine is warmed up.
If one or more of these
conditions occurs, change the
fuel brand used. It will require at
least one full tank of the proper
fuel to turn the light off.
See Recommended Fuel on
page 9‑51.
If none of the above have made the
light turn off, your dealer can check
the vehicle. The dealer has the
proper test equipment and
diagnostic tools to fix any
mechanical or electrical problems
that might have developed.Emissions Inspection and
Maintenance Programs
Some state/provincial and local
governments may have programs to
inspect the on-vehicle emission
control equipment. For the
inspection, the emission system test
equipment is connected to the
vehicle’s Data Link
Connector (DLC).
The DLC is under the instrument
panel to the left of the steering
wheel. See your dealer if assistance
is needed.

Black plate (15,1)Chevrolet Colorado Owner Manual - 2011
Instruments and Controls 5-15
The vehicle may not pass
inspection if:
.The malfunction indicator lamp is
on with the engine running, or if
the light does not come on when
the ignition is turned to ON/RUN
while the engine is off.
.The critical emission control
systems have not been
completely diagnosed by the
system. This can happen if the
battery has recently been
replaced or if the battery has run
down. The diagnostic system
evaluates critical emission
control systems during normal
driving. This can take
several days of routine driving.
If this has been done and the
vehicle still does not pass the
inspection, your dealer can
prepare the vehicle for
inspection.
Brake System Warning
Light
The vehicle brake system consists
of two hydraulic circuits. If one
circuit is not working, the remaining
circuit can still work to stop the
vehicle. For normal braking
performance, both circuits need to
be working
If the warning light comes on, there
could be a brake problem. Have the
brake system inspected right away.
EnglishMetric
This light comes on briefly when the
ignition key is turned to ON/RUN.
If it does not, 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 comes on
when the parking brake is set. See
Parking Brake on page 9‑44 for
more information. The light stays on
if the parking brake does not
release fully. If it stays on after the
parking brake is fully released, it
means there is a brake problem.

Black plate (16,1)Chevrolet Colorado Owner Manual - 2011
5-16 Instruments and Controls
If the light comes on while driving,
pull off the road and stop. The brake
pedal might be harder to push, or it
might go closer to the floor. It can
take longer to stop. If the light is still
on, have the vehicle towed for
service. SeeTowing the Vehicle on
page 10‑90.
{WARNING
The brake system might not be
working properly if the brake
system warning light is on.
Driving with the brake system
warning light on can lead to a
crash. If the light is still on after
the vehicle has been pulled off
the road and carefully stopped,
have the vehicle towed for
service.
Antilock Brake System
(ABS) Warning Light
The Antilock Brake System (ABS)
light comes on briefly when the
engine is started.
If it does not, have the vehicle
serviced by your dealer. If the
system is working normally the
indicator light then goes off.
If the ABS light stays on, turn the
ignition off. If the light comes on
while driving, stop as soon as it is
safely possible and turn the ignition
off. Then start the engine again to
reset the system. If the ABS light
stays on, or comes on again while
driving, the vehicle needs service.
If the regular brake system warning
light is not on, the vehicle still has
brakes, but not antilock brakes. If the regular brake system warning
light is also on, the vehicle does not
have antilock brakes and there is a
problem with the regular brakes.
See
Brake System Warning Light on
page 5‑15.
See Brake System Messages on
page 5‑23 for all brake related DIC
messages.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 9‑37 for more information.

Black plate (17,1)Chevrolet Colorado Owner Manual - 2011
Instruments and Controls 5-17
Traction Control System
(TCS)/StabiliTrak®Light
The StabiliTrak and Traction Control
System (TCS) indicator/warning light
comes on briefly while starting the
engine.
If it does not, have the vehicle
serviced by your dealer. If the
system is working normally the
indicator light then goes off.
The light flashes while the
StabiliTrak system and TCS are
working to assist the driver with
directional control of the vehicle in
difficult driving conditions.If the StabiliTrak system and TCS
light comes on and stays on while
driving and a TRACTION FAULT or
SERVICE STAB SYS message
displays on the DIC, the vehicle
needs service.
The light also comes on steady
when the StabiliTrak system and/or
TCS are turned off. The DIC also
displays a TRAC OFF and/or STAB
SYS OFF message. If the TCS is
off, wheel spin is not limited. If the
StabiliTrak system is off, the system
does not assist the driver with
directional control of the vehicle.
The light turns off when the TCS
and StabiliTrak system are turned
back on.
See
StabiliTrak
®System on
page 9‑47, Traction Control System
(TCS) on page 9‑46 andRide
Control System Messages on
page 5‑25 for more information.
Tire Pressure Light
For vehicles with a Tire Pressure
Monitor System (TPMS), this light
comes on briefly when the engine is
started. It provides information
about tire pressures and the TPMS.
When the Light is On Steady
This indicates that one or more of
the tires are significantly
underinflated.
A tire pressure message can
accompany the light. See Tire
Messages on page 5‑26 for more
information. Stop as soon as
possible, and inflate the tires to the
pressure value shown on the Tire
and Loading Information Label. See
Tire Pressure on page 10‑53 for
more information.

Black plate (18,1)Chevrolet Colorado Owner Manual - 2011
5-18 Instruments and Controls
When the Light Flashes First and
Then is On Steady
This indicates that there may be a
problem with the Tire Pressure
Monitor System. The light flashes
for about a minute and stays on
steady for the remainder of the
ignition cycle. This sequence
repeats with every ignition cycle.
SeeTire Pressure Monitor
Operation on page 10‑56 for more
information.Engine Oil Pressure Light
{WARNING
Do not keep driving if the oil
pressure is low. The engine can
become so hot that it catches fire.
Someone could be burned. Check
the oil as soon as possible and
have the vehicle serviced.
Notice: Lack of proper engine oil
maintenance can damage the
engine. The repairs would not be
covered by the vehicle warranty.
Always follow the maintenance
schedule for changing engine oil. This light comes on briefly while
starting the engine. If it does not,
have the vehicle serviced by your
dealer. If the system is working
normally, the indicator light then
goes off.
If the light comes on and stays on, it
means that oil is not flowing through
the engine properly. The vehicle
could be low on oil and it might
have some other system problem.
Security Light
For information regarding this light
and the vehicle's security system,
see
Anti-Theft Alarm System on
page 2‑9.

Black plate (20,1)Chevrolet Colorado Owner Manual - 2011
5-20 Instruments and Controls
such as the odometer and trip
odometer, engine oil life reset, and
personalization features that are
explained in the following
information. The DIC trip odometer
reset stem is located on the
instrument panel cluster next to the
DIC display.
Trip Information
Odometer
The odometer is automatically
displayed on the DIC when you start
the vehicle. The odometer shows
the total distance the vehicle has
been driven in either miles for the
United States or kilometers for
Canada.
Trip Odometer
Press and release the reset stem
until TRIP appears on the DIC
display. The trip odometer shows
the current distance traveled since
the last reset of the trip odometer in
either miles for the United States or
kilometers for Canada.To reset the trip odometer, press
and hold the reset stem until the
display returns to zero.
Engine Oil Life System
With the engine off, turn the key
to ON/RUN and then press the
reset stem until OIL LIFE RESET
appears
—alternating between OIL
LIFE and RESET —on the DIC
display. The CHANGE OIL message
alerts you to change the oil on a
schedule consistent with your
driving conditions. Always reset the
OIL LIFE message after an oil
change. To reset the message, see
Engine Oil Life System on
page 10‑12.
In addition to the engine oil life
system monitoring the oil life,
additional maintenance is
recommended in the Maintenance
Schedule in this manual. See
Engine Oil on page 10‑9 and
Scheduled Maintenance on
page 11‑2 for more information.
Personalization Features
Language
This feature allows you to choose
the language in which the DIC
display shows information.
To set your choice for this feature:
1. With the engine off, turn the key
to ON/RUN, but do not start the
engine.
2. Close all doors so the DOORS message does not display in
the DIC.
3. Momentarily press and release the reset stem until the current
language is displayed: English
(default), Spanish, or French.
4. To select a different language, press and hold the reset stem
until the next language appears.
5. Repeat Step 4 until the desired language is displayed. Once the
desired language is shown on
the DIC display, the language
is set.

Black plate (21,1)Chevrolet Colorado Owner Manual - 2011
Instruments and Controls 5-21
6. To exit the language selection,momentarily press and release
the reset stem. All DIC
messages will now display in the
language selected.
Automatic Door Locks
This feature allows you to program
the door locks to a preferred setting.
To set your choice for this feature:
1. With the engine off, turn the key to LOCK/OFF. Do not remove
the key from the ignition.
2. Press and hold the power door lock button until the DIC display
shows the current door
lock mode.
3. To view the next available mode, press and hold the reset stem
until the mode appears. Release
the reset stem and press and
hold again to view the
next mode. 4. Once the desired mode is shown
on the DIC display, briefly press
the reset stem to set your
choice. The DIC display then
clears.
The following are the available
modes:
Lock 1 (default): On vehicles with
an automatic transmission, this
mode locks all of the doors when
the vehicle is shifted out of P (Park)
and unlocks all of the doors when
the vehicle is shifted into P (Park).
On vehicles with a manual
transmission, this mode locks all of
the doors when the vehicle speed is
greater than 24 km/h (15 mph) and
unlocks all of the doors when the
key is removed from the ignition. Lock 2:
On vehicles with an
automatic transmission, this mode
locks all of the doors when the
vehicle is shifted out of P (Park) and
unlocks the driver's door when the
vehicle is shifted into P (Park).
On vehicles with a manual
transmission, this mode locks all of
the doors when the vehicle speed is
greater than 24 km/h (15 mph) and
unlocks the driver's door when the
key is removed from the ignition.
Lock 3: On vehicles with an
automatic transmission, this mode
locks all of the doors when the
vehicle is shifted out of P (Park).
The doors will not automatically
unlock.
On vehicles with a manual
transmission, this mode locks all of
the doors when the vehicle speed is
greater than 24 km/h (15 mph). The
doors will not automatically unlock.