
Black plate (20,1)Chevrolet Cruze Owner Manual - 2011
1-20 In Brief
Performance and
Maintenance
Traction Control
System (TCS)
The traction control system limits
wheel spin. The system is on when
the vehicle is started.
.To turn off traction control, press
and release
glocated on the
console.
iilluminates and the
appropriate DIC message
displays. See Vehicle Messages
(Canada Base Level) on
page 5‑27 orVehicle Messages
(Canada Uplevel and United
States) on page 5‑28.
.Press and releasegagain to
turn traction control back on.
For more information, see Traction
Control System (TCS) on
page 9‑33.
StabiliTrak®System
The StabiliTrak system assists with
directional control of the vehicle in
difficult driving conditions. The
system is on when the vehicle is
started.
.To turn off both Traction Control
and StabiliTrak, press and hold
guntilgandiilluminate and
the appropriate DIC message
displays. See Vehicle Messages
(Canada Base Level) on
page 5‑27 orVehicle Messages
(Canada Uplevel and United
States) on page 5‑28.
.Pressgagain to turn on both
systems.
For more information, see
StabiliTrak
®System on page 9‑34.
Tire Pressure Monitor
This vehicle may have a Tire
Pressure Monitor System (TPMS).
The TPMS warning light alerts you
to a significant loss in pressure of
one of the vehicle's tires. If the
warning light comes on, stop as
soon as possible and inflate the
tires to the recommended pressure
shown on the Tire and Loading
Information label. See Vehicle Load
Limits on page 9‑12. The warning
light will remain on until the tire
pressure is corrected.

Black plate (21,1)Chevrolet Cruze Owner Manual - 2011
In Brief 1-21
During cooler conditions, the low tire
pressure warning light may appear
when the vehicle is first started and
then turn off. This may be an early
indicator that the tire pressures are
getting low and the tires need to be
inflated to the proper pressure.
The TPMS does not replace normal
monthly tire maintenance. It is the
driver’s responsibility to maintain
correct tire pressures.
See Tire Pressure Monitor System
on page 10‑52.
Tire Sealant and
Compressor Kit
This vehicle may come with a jack
and spare tire or a tire sealant and
compressor kit. The kit can be used
to temporarily seal small punctures
in the tread area of the tire.
See Tire Sealant and Compressor
Kit on page 10‑68 for complete
operating information. If the vehicle came with a jack and
spare tire, see
If a Tire Goes Flat on
page 10‑65.
Engine Oil Life System
The engine oil life system calculates
engine oil life based on vehicle use
and displays the CHANGE ENGINE
OIL SOON DIC message or
Code 82 DIC message when it is
necessary to change the engine oil
and filter.
Remember, the Oil Life display must
be reset after each oil change. It will
not reset itself. Also, be careful not
to reset the Oil Life display
accidentally at any time other than
when the oil has just been changed.
It cannot be reset accurately until
the next oil change. To reset the
engine oil life system press the SET
button while the Oil Life display is
active. Resetting the Oil Life System
1. Using the DIC MENU button and
thumbwheel, scroll until you
reach REMAINING OIL LIFE on
the DIC (oil can symbol with
% sign for Canada).
2. Press the SET button to reset the oil life at 100%. When
prompted, use the thumbwheel
to highlight YES or NO. Press
the SET/CLEAR button to
confirm.
Be careful not to reset the oil life
display accidentally at any time
other than after the oil is changed.
It cannot be reset accurately.
See Engine Oil Life System on
page 10‑12.

Black plate (24,1)Chevrolet Cruze Owner Manual - 2011
1-24 In Brief
hardware. The vehicle has to have a
working electrical system and
adequate battery power for the
OnStar equipment to operate.
OnStar service may not work if the
OnStar equipment isn’t properly
installed or you haven’t maintained
it and the vehicle is in good working
order and in compliance with all
government regulations. If you try to
add, connect, or modify any
equipment or software in the
vehicle, OnStar service may not
work. Other problems OnStar can’t
control may prevent service to you,
such as hills, tall buildings, tunnels,
weather, electrical system design
and architecture of the vehicle,
damage to important parts of the
vehicle in a crash, or wireless phone
network congestion or jamming.See
Radio Frequency Statement on
page 13‑16 for information
regarding Part 15 of the Federal
Communications Commission (FCC)
rules and Industry Canada
Standards RSS-210/220/310.
OnStar Steering Wheel
Controls
This vehicle may have ab g/$
i
Talk/Mute button that can be
used to interact with OnStar
Hands-Free calling. See Steering
Wheel Controls on page 5‑2 for
more information.
On some vehicles, the
$ ito dial
phone extensions. See the OnStar
Owner's Guide for more information.
Your Responsibility
Increase the volume of the radio if
the OnStar Advisor cannot be
heard.
If the light next to the OnStar
buttons is red, the system may not
be functioning properly. Push the
Q
button and request a vehicle
diagnostic. If the light appears clear
(no light appears), your OnStar
subscription has expired and all
services have been deactivated.
Push the
Qbutton to confirm that
the OnStar equipment is active.

Black plate (10,1)Chevrolet Cruze Owner Manual - 2011
3-10 Seats and Restraints
A few crashes are mild, and some
crashes can be so serious that even
buckled up, a person would not
survive. But most crashes are in
between. In many of them, people
who buckle up can survive and
sometimes walk away. Without
safety belts they could have been
badly hurt or killed.
After more than 40 years of safety
belts in vehicles, the facts are clear.
In most crashes buckling up does
matter ... a lot!Why Safety Belts Work
When you ride in or on anything,
you go as fast as it goes.
Take the simplest vehicle. Suppose
it is just a seat on wheels.
Put someone on it.

Black plate (25,1)Chevrolet Cruze Owner Manual - 2011
Seats and Restraints 3-25
Airbag System
The vehicle has the following
airbags:
.A frontal airbag for the driver.
.A frontal airbag for the right front
passenger.
.A knee airbag for the driver.
.A knee airbag for the right front
passenger.
.A seat-mounted side impact
airbag for the driver and the
passenger seated directly
behind the driver.
.A seat-mounted side impact
airbag for the right front
passenger and the passenger
seated directly behind the right
front passenger.
.A roof-rail airbag for the driver
and the passenger seated
directly behind the driver.
.A roof-rail airbag for the right
front passenger and the
passenger seated directly
behind the right front passenger.
All of the airbags in the vehicle will
have the word AIRBAG embossed
in the trim or on an attached label
near the deployment opening.
For frontal airbags, the word
AIRBAG will appear on the middle
part of the steering wheel for the
driver and on the instrument panel
for the right front passenger. With knee airbags, the word
AIRBAG will appear on the lower
portion of the instrument panel.
With seat-mounted side impact
airbags, the word AIRBAG will
appear on the side of the seatback
closest to the door.
With roof-rail airbags, the word
AIRBAG will appear along the
headliner or trim.
Airbags are designed to supplement
the protection provided by safety
belts. Even though today's airbags
are also designed to help reduce
the risk of injury from the force of an
inflating bag, all airbags must inflate
very quickly to do their job.

Black plate (27,1)Chevrolet Cruze Owner Manual - 2011
Seats and Restraints 3-27
There is an airbag readiness light
on the instrument panel cluster,
which shows the airbag symbol. The
system checks the airbag electrical
system for malfunctions. The light
tells you if there is an electrical
problem. SeeAirbag Readiness
Light on page 5‑11 for more
information.
Where Are the Airbags?
The driver frontal airbag is in the
middle of the steering wheel.
The right front passenger frontal
airbag is in the instrument panel on
the passenger side.
The driver knee airbag is below the
steering column. The front
passenger knee airbag is below the
glove box.

Black plate (28,1)Chevrolet Cruze Owner Manual - 2011
3-28 Seats and Restraints
Driver Side Shown, PassengerSide Similar
The seat-mounted side impact
airbags for the driver and right front
passenger are in the side of the
seatbacks closest to the door.
The roof-rail airbags for the driver,
right front passenger, and second
row outboard passengers are in the
ceiling above the side windows.Rear Seat Driver Side Shown, Passenger Side Similar
The second row seat‐mounted side
impact airbags are in the sides of
the rear seatback closest to
the door.
{WARNING
If something is between an
occupant and an airbag, the
airbag might not inflate properly
or it might force the object into
that person causing severe injury (Continued)
WARNING (Continued)
or even death. The path of an
inflating airbag must be kept
clear. Do not put anything
between an occupant and an
airbag, and do not attach or put
anything on the steering wheel
hub or on or near any other
airbag covering.
Do not use seat accessories that
block the inflation path of a
seat-mounted side impact airbag.
Never secure anything to the roof
of a vehicle with roof-rail airbags
by routing a rope or tie down
through any door or window
opening. If you do, the path of an
inflating roof-rail airbag will be
blocked.

Black plate (30,1)Chevrolet Cruze Owner Manual - 2011
3-30 Seats and Restraints
The vehicle has seat-mounted side
impact airbags and roof-rail airbags.
SeeAirbag System on page 3‑25.
Seat-mounted side impact and
roof-rail airbags are intended to
inflate in moderate to severe side
crashes. In addition, these roof‐rail
airbags are intended to inflate
during a rollover or in a severe
frontal impact. Seat-mounted side
impact and roof-rail airbags will
inflate if the crash severity is above
the system's designed threshold
level. The threshold level can vary
with specific vehicle design.
Roof‐rail airbags are not intended to
inflate in rear impacts.
A seat-mounted side impact airbag
is intended to deploy on the side of
the vehicle that is struck. Both roof‐
rail airbags will deploy when either
side of the vehicle is struck or if the
sensing system predicts that the
vehicle is about to roll over, or in a
severe frontal impact. In any particular crash, no one can
say whether an airbag should have
inflated simply because of the
damage to a vehicle or because of
what the repair costs were. For
frontal airbags, inflation is
determined by what the vehicle hits,
the angle of the impact, and how
quickly the vehicle slows down. For
seat-mounted side impact and
roof-rail airbags, deployment is
determined by the location and
severity of the side impact.
In a rollover event, roof‐rail airbag
deployment is determined by the
direction of the roll.What Makes an Airbag
Inflate?
In a deployment event, the sensing
system sends an electrical signal
triggering a release of gas from the
inflator. Gas from the inflator fills the
airbag causing the bag to break out
of the cover and deploy. The inflator,
the airbag, and related hardware are
all part of the airbag module.
Frontal airbag modules are located
inside the steering wheel and
instrument panel. For vehicles with
knee airbags, there are airbag
modules below the steering column
and below the glove box. For
vehicles with seat-mounted side
impact airbags, there are airbag
modules in the side of the
seatbacks closest to the door. For
vehicles with roof-rail airbags, there
are airbag modules in the ceiling of
the vehicle, near the side windows
that have occupant seating
positions.