Black plate (5,1)Chevrolet Colorado Owner Manual - 2011
Introduction v
Vehicle Symbol Chart
Here are some additional symbols
that may be found on the vehicle
and what they mean. For more
information on the symbol, refer to
the Index.
9:Airbag Readiness Light
#:Air Conditioning
!:Antilock Brake System (ABS)
g:Audio Steering Wheel Controls
or OnStar®
$: Brake System Warning Light
":Charging System
I:Cruise Control
B: Engine Coolant Temperature
O:Exterior Lamps
#:Fog Lamps
.: Fuel Gauge
+:Fuses
3: Headlamp High/Low-Beam
Changer
j: LATCH System Child
Restraints
*: Malfunction Indicator Lamp
::Oil Pressure
}:Power
/:Remote Vehicle Start
>:Safety Belt Reminders
7:Tire Pressure Monitor
d:Traction Control
M:Windshield Washer Fluid
Black plate (3,1)Chevrolet Colorado Owner Manual - 2011
In Brief 1-3
A.Air Vents on page 8‑3.
B. Turn and Lane‐Change Lever. See Turn and Lane-Change
Signals on page 6‑4.
Windshield Wiper/Washer on
page 5‑2.
C. Instrument Cluster on page 5‑7.
D. Hazard Warning Flashers on
page 6‑3.
E. Passenger Side Airbag. See Airbag System on page 3‑26.
F. Exterior Lamp Controls on
page 6‑1.
Fog Lamps on page 6‑4
(If Equipped).
Exterior Cargo Lamps on
page 6‑4.
G. Parking Brake on page 9‑44. H. Data Link Connector (DLC).
See Malfunction Indicator Lamp
on page 5‑12.
I. Horn on page 5‑2.
J. StabiliTrak
®System on
page 9‑47.
Four-Wheel Drive on
page 10‑30.
K. AM-FM Radio on page 7‑7.
L. Cigarette Lighter (If Equipped). See Ashtrays on page 5‑6 and
Cigarette Lighter on page 5‑5.
M. Climate Control Systems on
page 8‑1.
N. Power Outlets on page 5‑5.
O. Passenger Airbag Status
Indicator on page 5‑11.
P. Glove Box on page 4‑1.
Initial Drive
Information
This section provides a brief
overview about some of the
important features that may or may
not be on your specific vehicle.
For more detailed information, refer
to each of the features which can be
found later in this owner manual.
Black plate (11,1)Chevrolet Colorado Owner Manual - 2011
In Brief 1-11
Exterior Lighting
O:Turns off all exterior lamps
including the Daytime Running
Lamps (DRL).
AUTO: Automatic operation of the
headlamps and other exterior lamps
at normal brightness.
;: Manual operation of the parking
lamps and other exterior lamps.
2: Manual operation of the
headlamps and other exterior
lamps. For more information, see:
.Exterior Lamp Controls on
page 6‑1.
.Daytime Running Lamps (DRL)
on page 6‑2.
.Automatic Headlamp System on
page 6‑3.
.Fog Lamps on page 6‑4.
.Exterior Cargo Lamps on
page 6‑4.
Windshield Wiper/Washer
8:
Single wipe, move the band to
and then release it. Several wipes,
hold the band on longer.
N: For a delayed wiping cycle.
Turn the band up for more frequent
wipes or down for less frequent
wipes.
6 :Slow wipes, turn the band
to the first solid position past the
delay settings.
1 :Fast wipes, turn the band to
the second solid position past the
delay settings.
9: Turns the wipers off.
Windshield Washer: Push the
paddle on top of the multifunction
lever to spray washer fluid on the
windshield.
See Windshield Wiper/Washer on
page 5‑2.
Black plate (1,1)Chevrolet Colorado Owner Manual - 2011
Lighting 6-1
Lighting
Exterior Lighting
Exterior Lamp Controls . . . . . . . . 6-1
Exterior Lamps OffReminder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-2
Headlamp High/Low-Beam Changer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-2
Flash-to-Pass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-2
Daytime Running Lamps (DRL) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-2
Automatic Headlamp System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-3
Hazard Warning Flashers . . . . . 6-3
Turn and Lane-Change Signals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-4
Fog Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-4
Exterior Cargo Lamps . . . . . . . . . 6-4
Interior Lighting
Instrument Panel Illumination Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-5
Dome Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-5
Lighting Features
Exit Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-6
Battery Load Management . . . . 6-6
Battery Power Protection . . . . . . 6-6
Exterior Lighting
Exterior Lamp Controls
The exterior lamp control is located
on the instrument panel on the left
side of the steering wheel.
O(Exterior Lamps): Turn the
knob, located to the right of this
symbol, to choose one of the four
exterior lamp positions.
O(Off): Turns off all exterior lamps
including the Daytime Running
Lamps (DRL). AUTO:
Turns the headlamps on
automatically at normal brightness,
together with the following:
.Sidemarker Lamps
.Taillamps
.Parking Lamps
.Instrument Panel Lights
See Automatic Headlamp System
on page 6‑3 for more information.
;(Parking Lamps): Turns on the
parking lamps, together with the
following:
.Sidemarker Lamps
.Taillamps
.License Plate Lamps
.Instrument Panel Lights
2(Headlamps): Turns on the
headlamps, together with the
previously listed lamps and lights.
Black plate (4,1)Chevrolet Colorado Owner Manual - 2011
6-4 Lighting
Turn and Lane-Change
Signals
Move the lever all the way up or
down to signal a turn.
Raise or lower the lever until the
arrow starts to flash to signal a lane
change. Hold it there until the lane
change is complete.
The lever returns to its starting
position when it is released.If after signaling a turn or a lane
change the arrows flash rapidly or
do not come on, a signal bulb may
be burned out.
Have the bulbs replaced. If the bulb
is not burned out, check the fuse.
For bulb replacement, see
Taillamps, Turn Signal, Stoplamps,
and Back-Up Lamps on page 10‑37.
For a blown fuse or circuit breaker,
see
Fuses and Circuit Breakers on
page 10‑40.
Turn Signal On Chime
If a turn signal is left on for more
than 1.2 km (3/4 of a mile), a chime
will sound at each flash of the turn
signal and the message TURN
SIGNAL will also appear in the DIC.
To turn the chime and message off,
move the turn signal lever to the off
position.
See “TURN SIGNAL” underLamp
Messages on page 5‑25 for more
information.
Fog Lamps
The fog lamp button is located near
the exterior lamps control.
#: For vehicles with fog lamps,
press to turn the fog lamps on or off.
An indicator light will turn on in the
button when the fog lamps are on.
The parking lamps or low‐beam
headlamps must be on for the fog
lamps to work. The fog lamps will go
off whenever the high-beam
headlamps come on. When the high
beams go off, the fog lamps come
on again.
Some localities have laws that
require the headlamps to be on
along with the fog lamps.
Exterior Cargo Lamps
The cargo lamps (if equipped) can
be used if more light is needed in
the cargo area of the vehicle or in
the top-box storage units.
Black plate (6,1)Chevrolet Colorado Owner Manual - 2011
6-6 Lighting
Lighting Features
Exit Lighting
The interior lamps will come on
when the key is removed from the
ignition. The lamps will not come on
if the dome override button is
pressed in.
Battery Load
Management
The vehicle has Electric Power
Management (EPM) that estimates
the battery's temperature and state
of charge. It then adjusts the voltage
for best performance and extended
life of the battery.
When the battery's state of charge
is low, the voltage is raised slightly
to quickly bring the charge back up.
When the state of charge is high,
the voltage is lowered slightly to
prevent overcharging. If the vehicle
has a voltmeter gauge or a voltage
display on the Driver Information
Center (DIC), you may see thevoltage move up or down. This is
normal. If there is a problem, an
alert will be displayed.
The battery can be discharged at
idle if the electrical loads are very
high. This is true for all vehicles.
This is because the generator
(alternator) may not be spinning fast
enough at idle to produce all the
power that is needed for very high
electrical loads.
A high electrical load occurs when
several of the following are on, such
as: headlamps, high beams, fog
lamps, rear window defogger,
climate control fan at high speed,
heated seats, engine cooling fans,
trailer loads, and loads plugged into
accessory power outlets.
EPM works to prevent excessive
discharge of the battery. It does this
by balancing the generator's output
and the vehicle's electrical needs.
It can increase engine idle speed to
generate more power, whenever
needed. It can temporarily reduce
the power demands of some
accessories.
Normally, these actions occur in
steps or levels, without being
noticeable. In rare cases at the
highest levels of corrective action,
this action may be noticeable to the
driver. If so, a Driver Information
Center (DIC) message might be
displayed, such as BATTERY
SAVER ACTIVE, BATTERY
VOLTAGE LOW, or LOW BATTERY.
If one of these messages displays, it
is recommended that the driver
reduce the electrical loads as much
as possible. See
Driver Information
Center (DIC) on page 5‑19.
Battery Power Protection
This feature shuts off the dome
lamp if it is left on for more than
20 minutes when the ignition is in
LOCK/OFF. This helps to prevent
the battery from running down.
Black plate (2,1)Chevrolet Colorado Owner Manual - 2011
8-2 Climate Controls
If the knob is set on“0”(zero), some
outside air will still enter the vehicle
and will be directed according to the
position of the mode knob.
Air Delivery Mode Control: Turn
the knob clockwise or
counterclockwise to change the
current airflow mode.
Select from the following modes:
H(Vent): Air is directed to the
instrument panel outlets.
\(Bi-Level): Air is divided
between the instrument panel
outlets and floor and side window
outlets. Cooler air is directed to the
upper outlets and warmer air to the
floor outlets.
[(Floor): Air is directed to the
floor outlets. Recirculation cannot
be selected while in floor mode
because this could cause the
interior window to fog.
/(Floor/Defog): This mode
clears the windows of fog or
moisture. Air is directed to the floor,
windshield, and side window outlets.
When this mode is selected, the
system runs the air conditioning
compressor unless the outside
temperature is near freezing or
below. Recirculation is not available
in this mode.
0(Defrost): This mode clears
the windshield of fog or frost more
quickly. Air is directed to the
windshield and side window outlets.
When this mode is selected, the
system runs the air conditioning
compressor unless the outside
temperature is near, or below
freezing. Recirculation is not
available in this mode.
Do not drive the vehicle until all the
windows are clear.
#(Air Conditioning): Press to
turn the air conditioning system on
or off. An indicator light on the
button comes on to show that the air
conditioning is on.
The fan control must be on to use
the air conditioning.
There might be a slight change in
engine performance when the air
conditioning compressor shuts off
and turns on again. This is normal.
The system is designed to make
adjustments to help with fuel
economy while still maintaining the
selected temperature.
The air conditioning system
removes moisture from the air, so a
small amount of water might drip
under the vehicle while idling or
after turning off the engine. This is
normal.
Black plate (3,1)Chevrolet Colorado Owner Manual - 2011
Climate Controls 8-3
@(Recirculation):Press to turn
the recirculation mode on or off. An
indicator light on the button comes
on to show that the recirculation
mode is on. This mode recirculates
and helps to quickly cool the air
inside the vehicle. It can be used to
prevent outside air and odors from
entering the vehicle.
The recirculation mode cannot be
used with floor/defog, defrost,
or defogging modes. If recirculation
is selected in these modes, the
indicator will flash or not come on.Air Vents
Use the thumbwheel on the outlets
to change the direction of the
air flow.
Lift up or push down on the
thumbwheel located in the center of
the outlet to direct the air up or
down, or slide the thumbwheel to
the left or right to direct the airflow
from side‐to‐side. Operation Tips.Clear away any ice, snow or
leaves from the air inlets at the
base of the windshield that may
block the flow of air into the
vehicle.
.Use of non-GM approved hood
deflectors may adversely affect
the performance of the system.
.Keep the path under the front
seats clear of objects to help
circulate the air inside of the
vehicle more effectively.