
Black plate (1,1)Chevrolet Cruze Owner Manual - 2011
2011 Chevrolet Cruze Owner ManualM
In Brief. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-1
Instrument Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-2
Initial Drive Information . . . . . . . . 1-4
Vehicle Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-16
Performance and Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-20
Keys, Doors and Windows . . . 2-1
Keys and Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-2
Doors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-8
Vehicle Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-9
Exterior Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-11
Interior Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-12
Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-13
Roof . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-17
Seats and Restraints . . . . . . . . . 3-1
Head Restraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-2
Front Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-3
Rear Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-8
Safety Belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-9
Airbag System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-25
Child Restraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-40 Storage
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-1
Storage Compartments . . . . . . . . 4-1
Additional Storage Features . . . 4-2
Instruments and Controls . . . . 5-1
Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-2
Warning Lights, Gauges, and
Indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-7
Information Displays . . . . . . . . . . 5-24
Vehicle Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-27
Vehicle Personalization . . . . . . . 5-34
Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-1
Exterior Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-1
Interior Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-5
Lighting Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-6
Infotainment System . . . . . . . . . 7-1
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-1
Radio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-11
Audio Players . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-18
Phone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-23
Climate Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-1
Climate Control Systems . . . . . . 8-1
Air Vents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-6 Driving and Operating
. . . . . . . . 9-1
Driving Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-2
Starting and Operating . . . . . . . 9-17
Engine Exhaust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-24
Automatic Transmission . . . . . . 9-26
Manual Transmission . . . . . . . . . 9-29
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-31
Ride Control Systems . . . . . . . . 9-33
Cruise Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-36
Object Detection Systems . . . . 9-38
Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-40
Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-45
Conversions and Add-Ons . . . 9-52
Vehicle Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-1
General Information . . . . . . . . . . 10-2
Vehicle Checks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-4
Headlamp Aiming . . . . . . . . . . . 10-30
Bulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . 10-30
Electrical System . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-36
Wheels and Tires . . . . . . . . . . . 10-42
Jump Starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-84
Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-87
Appearance Care . . . . . . . . . . . 10-90 

Black plate (3,1)Chevrolet Cruze Owner Manual - 2011
In Brief 1-3
A.Exterior Lamp Controls on
page 6‑1.
Front Fog Lamps on page 6‑4
(If Equipped).
Instrument Panel Illumination
Control on page 6‑5.
B. Air Vents on page 8‑6.
C. Headlamps High-Low Beam. See Headlamps High-Low
Beam on page 6‑2.
Turn and Lane‐Change Lever.
See Turn and Lane-Change
Signals on page 6‑4.
Driver Information Center (DIC)
Buttons. See Driver Information
Center (DIC) on page 5‑24.
D. Instrument Cluster on page 5‑8.
E. Horn on page 5‑3.
F. Driver Information Center (DIC)
on page 5‑24.
G. Steering Wheel Controls on
page 5‑2. H.
Windshield Wiper/Washer on
page 5‑3.
I. Infotainment on page 7‑1.
Satellite Radio on page 7‑13
(If Equipped).
J. Infotainment Display Screen.
K. Light Sensor. See Automatic
Headlamp System on page 6‑3.
L. Passenger Airbag. See Where
Are the Airbags? on page 3‑27.
M. Hood Release. See Hood on
page 10‑4.
N. Data Link Connector (DLC). See Malfunction Indicator Lamp
on page 5‑13.
O. Instrument Panel Fuse Block on
page 10‑41.
P. Cruise Control on page 9‑36. Q.
Steering Wheel Adjustment on
page 5‑2.
R. Driver Airbag. See Where Are
the Airbags? on page 3‑27.
S. Ignition Switch. See Ignition
Positions on page 9‑18.
T. Driver Knee Airbag. See Where
Are the Airbags? on page 3‑27.
U. Power Door Locks on page 2‑7.
V. Hazard Warning Flashers on
page 6‑3.
W. Shift Lever. See Automatic
Transmission on page 9‑26 or
Manual Transmission on
page 9‑29.
X. Traction Control System (TCS)
on page 9‑33.
StabiliTrak
®System on
page 9‑34. 

Black plate (12,1)Chevrolet Cruze Owner Manual - 2011
1-12 In Brief
Instrument Panel Illumination
Control
This feature controls the brightness
of the instrument panel controls and
infotainment display screen. The
thumbwheel is located to the left of
the steering column on the
instrument panel.
D(Instrument Panel
Brightness): Turn the thumbwheel
up or down and hold, to brighten or
dim the instrument panel controls
and infotainment display screen.
Exterior Lighting
The exterior lamps control is located
on the instrument panel to the
outboard side of the steering
column.
O: Briefly turn to this position to
turn the automatic light control off or
on again.
AUTO: Turns the headlamps on
automatically at normal brightness,
together with the parking lamps,
taillamps, license plate lamps, side
marker lamps, and instrument panel
lights.
;: Turns on the parking lamps,
taillamps, license plate lamps, side
marker lamps, and instrument panel
lights.
5: Turns on the headlamps,
parking lamps, taillamps, license
plate lamps, side marker lamps, and
instrument panel lights. A warning
chime sounds if the driver door is
opened when the ignition switch is
off and the headlamps are on.
#: For vehicles with fog lamps,
press to turn the lamps on or off.
For more information, see:
.Exterior Lamp Controls on
page 6‑1.
.Daytime Running Lamps (DRL)
on page 6‑2.
.Front Fog Lamps on page 6‑4. 

Black plate (15,1)Chevrolet Cruze Owner Manual - 2011
In Brief 1-15
F. Driver and Passenger HeatedSeats (If Equipped)
G. Power
H. Recirculation
I. MODE (Air Delivery Mode)
J. AQS (Air Quality Sensor)
K. Air Conditioning
See Climate Control Systems on
page 8‑1 (If Equipped).Transmission
Driver Shift Control (DSC)
Driver Shift Control (DSC) allows
you to shift an automatic
transmission similar to a manual
transmission. To use the DSC
feature:
1. Move the shift lever from
D (Drive) to the left into the (+) or
(−) manual position.
2. Press the shift lever forward (+) to upshift or rearward (−) to
downshift. An M and the current
gear will be displayed in the
Driver Information Center (DIC).
See Manual Mode on page 9‑28.
Up‐Shift Light
If the vehicle has a manual
transmission, it will have an up-shift
light that indicates when to shift to
the next higher gear for the best fuel
economy.
SeeManual Transmission on
page 9‑29. 

Black plate (16,1)Chevrolet Cruze Owner Manual - 2011
1-16 In Brief
Vehicle Features
Radio(s)
O
:Press to turn the system on
and off. Turn to increase or
decrease the volume.
BAND: Press to choose between
FM, AM, or XM™, if equipped.
MENU or MENU/SEL: Turn to
select radio stations. Press to select
a menu.
g: Press to seek the previous
station or track.
l: Press to seek the next station
or track.
Buttons 1 to 6: Press to save and
select favorite stations.
INFO: Press to show available
information about the current station
or track.
For more information about these
and other radio features, see
Operation on page 7‑6.
Storing a Favorite Station
Stations from all bands can be
stored in the favorite lists in any
order. Up to six stations can be
stored in each favorite page and the
number of available favorite pages
can be set.
To store the station to a position in
the list, press the corresponding
numeric button 1 to 6 until a beep is
heard.
For more information, see “Storing a
Station as a Favorite” inAM-FM
Radio on page 7‑11.
Setting the Clock
Adjusting the Time
1. Press the CONFIG button and select Time Settings.
2. Select Set Time.
3. Turn the MENU or MENU/SEL knob to adjust the highlighted
number. 4. Press the MENU or MENU/SEL
knob to select the next number.
5. To save the time and return to the Time Settings menu, press
the BACK button at any time or
press the MENU or MENU/SEL
knob after adjusting the minutes.
Setting the 12/24 Hour Format
1. Press the CONFIG button and select Time Settings.
2. Highlight 12/24 Hour Format.
3. Press the MENU or MENU/SEL knob to select the 12 hour or
24 hour display format.
For detailed instructions on setting
the clock, see Clock on page 5‑5. 

Black plate (19,1)Chevrolet Cruze Owner Manual - 2011
In Brief 1-19
SeeCruise Control on page 9‑36.
Navigation System
If the vehicle has a navigation
system, there is a separate
navigation system manual that
includes information on the radio,
audio players, and navigation
system.
The navigation system provides
detailed maps of most major
freeways and roads. After a
destination has been set, the
system provides turn-by-turn
instructions for reaching the
destination. In addition, the system
can help locate a variety of points of
interest (POI), such as banks,
airports, restaurants, and more.
See the Navigation System manual
for more information.
Driver Information
Center (DIC)
The DIC display is located in the
center of the instrument panel
cluster. It shows the status of many
vehicle systems. The controls for
the DIC are located on the turn
signal lever.
A.SET/CLR: Press to set or clear
the menu item when it is
displayed.
B.
w x: Use the thumbwheel to
scroll through the items in
each menu. C.
MENU: Press to get to the Trip/
Fuel Menu and the Vehicle
Information Menu. This button is
also used to return to or exit the
last screen displayed on
the DIC.
For more information, see Driver
Information Center (DIC) on
page 5‑24.
Power Outlets
The accessory power outlets can be
used to plug in electrical equipment,
such as a cell phone or MP3 player.
There is one accessory power outlet
located on the center floor console
and one on the rear of the center
floor console. These outlets are
powered when the key is in ON/
RUN or ACC/ACCESSORY, or until
the driver door is opened within
10 minutes of turning off the vehicle.
See Retained Accessory Power
(RAP) on page 9‑21.
See Power Outlets on page 5‑5. 

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.