
Black plate (3,1)Chevrolet Cruze Owner Manual - 2011
Introduction iii
The names, logos, emblems,
slogans, vehicle model names, and
vehicle body designs appearing in
this manual including, but not limited
to, GM, the GM logo, CHEVROLET,
the CHEVROLET Emblem, and
CRUZE are trademarks and/or
service marks of General Motors
LLC, its subsidiaries, affiliates,
or licensors.This manual describes features that
may or may not be on your specific
vehicle either because they are
options that you did not purchase or
due to changes subsequent to the
printing of this owner manual.
Please refer to the purchase
documentation relating to your
specific vehicle to confirm each of
the features found on your vehicle.
For vehicles first sold in Canada,
substitute the name
“General
Motors of Canada Limited” for
Chevrolet Motor Division wherever it
appears in this manual.
Keep this manual in the vehicle for
quick reference.
Canadian Vehicle Owners
Propriétaires Canadiens
A French language copy of this
manual can be obtained from your
dealer or from:
On peut obtenir un exemplaire de
ce guide en français auprès du
concessionnaire ou à l'adresse
suivante:
Helm, Incorporated
P.O. Box 07130
Detroit, MI 48207
1-800-551-4123
Numéro de poste 6438 de langue
française
www.helminc.com
Litho in U.S.A.
Part No. 20883227 A First Printing©2010 General Motors LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Black plate (14,1)Chevrolet Cruze Owner Manual - 2011
1-14 In Brief
Climate Controls
The heating, cooling, defrosting, and
ventilation for the vehicle can be
controlled with these systems.
Vehicles Without Air Conditioning
A. Temperature Control
B. Bi-level Air Mode
C. Floor Air Mode
D. Vent Air Mode
E. Fan Control
F. Driver and Passenger HeatedSeats (If Equipped) G. Rear Window Defogger
H. Defog
I. Defrost
Vehicles With Air ConditioningA. Temperature Control
B. Bi-level Air Mode
C. Floor Air Mode
D. Vent Air Mode
E. Fan Control
F. Driver and Passenger Heated
Seats (If Equipped) G. Rear Window Defogger
H. Recirculation
I. Defog
J. Air Conditioning
K. Defrost
Automatic Climate Control System
A. Temperature Control
B. Rear Window Defogger
C. AUTO
D. Defrost
E. Fan Control

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 (5,1)Chevrolet Cruze Owner Manual - 2011
Keys, Doors and Windows 2-5
Remote Vehicle Start
The vehicle may have this feature
that allows you to start the engine
from outside the vehicle.
/(Remote Vehicle Start):This
button will be on the RKE
transmitter if the vehicle has remote
start.
Vehicles with an automatic climate
control system will default to a
heating or cooling mode depending
on the outside temperature during a
remote start. A vehicle without
automatic climate control will default
to the last used heating or cooling
mode. Once the key is turned to
ON/RUN, the climate control system
will turn on at the setting the vehicle
was last set to. If the vehicle has
heated seats, they may come on
during a remote start. See Heated
Front Seats on page 3‑7 for more
information. Laws in some local communities
may restrict the use of remote
starters. For example, some laws
require a person using remote start
to have the vehicle in view. Check
local regulations for any
requirements.
There are other conditions which
can affect the performance of the
transmitter. See
Remote Keyless
Entry (RKE) System on page 2‑3 for
additional information.
Starting the Engine Using Remote
Start
To start the engine using the remote
start feature:
1. Press
Qon the RKE transmitter.
2. Press and hold /for about
two seconds. The turn signal
lamps will briefly flash to confirm
the command was received.
When the engine starts, the
parking lamps will turn on and
remain on as long as the engine
is running. The vehicle's doors
will be locked. The engine will shut off after
10 minutes unless a time
extension is done or the key is
inserted and turned to ON/RUN.
3. The key must be inserted and turned to ON/RUN before
driving.
Extending Engine Run Time
For a 10-minute extension, repeat
Steps 1 and 2 while the engine is
still running. The remote start can
be extended once.
When the remote start is extended,
the second 10 minutes will start
immediately.
For example, if the engine has been
running for 5 minutes, and
10 minutes are added, the engine
will run for a total of 15 minutes.
A maximum of two remote starts,
or a single start with an extension,
are allowed between ignition cycles.

Black plate (20,1)Chevrolet Cruze Owner Manual - 2011
3-20 Seats and Restraints
Shoulder Belt Height Adjuster
The vehicle has a shoulder belt
height adjuster for the driver and
right front passenger seating
positions.
Adjust the guide so the shoulder
portion of the belt is on the shoulder
and not falling off of it. The belt
should be close to, but not
contacting, the neck. Improper
shoulder belt height adjustment
could reduce the effectiveness of
the safety belt in a crash. SeeHow
to Wear Safety Belts Properly on
page 3‑13.
Press the release button (A) and
move the height adjuster to the
desired position. The adjuster can
be moved up by pushing the slide/
trim up. After the adjuster is set to
the desired position, try to move it
down without pushing the release
button to make sure it has locked
into position.
Safety Belt Pretensioners
This vehicle has safety belt
pretensioners for front outboard
occupants. Although the safety belt
pretensioners cannot be seen, they
are part of the safety belt assembly.
They can help tighten the safety
belts during the early stages of a
moderate to severe frontal and near
frontal crash if the threshold
conditions for pretensioner
activation are met.
Pretensioners work only once. If the
pretensioners activate in a crash,
they will need to be replaced, and
probably other new parts for the
vehicle's safety belt system. See
Replacing Safety Belt System Parts
After a Crash on page 3‑24.

Black plate (29,1)Chevrolet Cruze Owner Manual - 2011
Seats and Restraints 3-29
When Should an Airbag
Inflate?
Frontal airbags are designed to
inflate in moderate to severe frontal
or near-frontal crashes to help
reduce the potential for severe
injuries mainly to the driver's or right
front passenger's head and chest.
However, they are only designed to
inflate if the impact exceeds a
predetermined deployment
threshold. Deployment thresholds
are used to predict how severe a
crash is likely to be in time for the
airbags to inflate and help restrain
the occupants.
Whether the frontal airbags will or
should deploy depends largely on
what you hit, the direction of the
impact, and how quickly your
vehicle slows down.Frontal airbags may inflate at
different crash speeds. For
example:.If the vehicle hits a stationary
object, the airbags could inflate
at a different crash speed than if
the vehicle hits a moving object.
.If the vehicle hits an object that
deforms, the airbags could
inflate at a different crash speed
than if the vehicle hits an object
that does not deform.
.If the vehicle hits a narrow object
(like a pole), the airbags could
inflate at a different crash speed
than if the vehicle hits a wide
object (like a wall).
.If the vehicle goes into an object
at an angle, the airbags could
inflate at a different crash speed
than if the vehicle goes straight
into the object.
Thresholds can also vary with
specific vehicle design. Frontal airbags are not intended to
inflate during vehicle rollovers, rear
impacts, or in many side impacts.
In addition, the vehicle has
dual-stage frontal airbags.
Dual-stage airbags adjust the
restraint according to crash severity.
Frontal knee airbags are designed
to inflate in moderate to severe
frontal or near frontal impacts that
exceed a predetermined
deployment threshold.
The vehicle has electronic frontal
sensors, which help the sensing
system distinguish between a
moderate frontal impact and a more
severe frontal impact. For moderate
frontal impacts, dual-stage airbags
inflate at a level less than full
deployment. For more severe frontal
impacts, full deployment occurs.

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.

Black plate (31,1)Chevrolet Cruze Owner Manual - 2011
Seats and Restraints 3-31
How Does an Airbag
Restrain?
In moderate to severe frontal or
near frontal collisions, even belted
occupants can contact the steering
wheel or the instrument panel. In
moderate to severe side collisions,
even belted occupants can contact
the inside of the vehicle.
Airbags supplement the protection
provided by safety belts. Frontal
airbags with knee airbags distribute
the force of the impact more evenly
over the occupant's body, stopping
the occupant more gradually.
Seat-mounted side impact and
roof-rail airbags distribute the force
of the impact more evenly over the
occupant's upper body.Rollover capable roof‐rail airbags
are designed to help contain the
head an chest of occupants in the
outboard seating positions in the
first and second rows. The rollover
capable roof‐rail airbags are
designed to help reduce the risk of
full or partial ejection in rollover
events, although no system can
prevent all such ejections.
But airbags would not help in many
types of collisions, primarily
because the occupant's motion is
not toward those airbags. See
When
Should an Airbag Inflate? on
page 3‑29 for more information.
Airbags should never be regarded
as anything more than a supplement
to safety belts.
What Will You See After
an Airbag Inflates?
After the frontal airbags and
seat-mounted side impact airbags
inflate, they quickly deflate, so
quickly that some people may not
even realize an airbag inflated.
Roof-rail airbags may still be at least
partially inflated for some time after
they deploy. Some components of
the airbag module may be hot for
several minutes. For location of the
airbag modules, see What Makes
an Airbag Inflate? on page 3‑30.