Black plate (25,1)Chevrolet Impala Owner Manual - 2011
Driving and Operating 9-25
{WARNING
It can be dangerous to get out of
the vehicle if the automatic
transmission shift lever is not fully
in P (Park) with the parking brake
firmly set. The vehicle can roll.
Do not leave the vehicle when the
engine is running unless you
have to. If you have left the
engine running, the vehicle can
move suddenly. You or others
could be injured. To be sure the
vehicle will not move, even when
you are on fairly level ground,
always set the parking brake and
move the shift lever to P (Park).
Follow the proper steps to be sure
the vehicle will not move. See
Shifting Into Park on page 9‑20.
If parking on a hill and pulling a
trailer, see Driving Characteristics
and Towing Tips on page 9‑41.
Automatic
Transmission
The automatic transmission has a
shift lever on the steering column or
on the console between the seats.
There is a display, located on the
instrument panel cluster, that will
indicate the gear the vehicle is in.
Maximum engine speed is limited on
automatic transmission vehicles
while in P (Park) or N (Neutral) to
protect driveline components from
improper operation.
There are several different positions
for the shift lever. P (Park):
This position locks the
front wheels. It is the best position
to use when the engine is started
because the vehicle cannot
move easily.
{WARNING
It can be dangerous to get out of
the vehicle if the shift lever is not
fully in P (Park) with the parking
brake firmly set. The vehicle can
roll. If you have left the engine
running, the vehicle can move
suddenly. You or others could be
injured. To be sure the vehicle will
not move, even when you are on
fairly level ground, use the steps
that follow. If you are pulling a
trailer, see Driving Characteristics
and Towing Tips on page 9‑41.
Make sure the shift lever is fully in
P (Park) before starting the engine.
Black plate (37,1)Chevrolet Impala Owner Manual - 2011
Vehicle Care 10-37
Instrument Panel Fuse
Block
The fuse block is on the passenger
side of the vehicle in the carpet
molding. Remove the fuse block
door to access the fuses.
The vehicle may not be equipped
with all of the fuses, relays, and
features shown.Fuses Usage
AIRBAG Airbags
AMP Amplifier
AUX Auxiliary Outlets
CNSTR Canister Fuses Usage
DR/LCK Door Locks
HTD/SEAT Heated Seats
PWR/MIR Power Mirrors
PWR/SEAT Power Seats
PWR/WNDW Power Window
RAP Retained
Accessory
Power
S/ROOF Sunroof
TRUNK Trunk
TRUNK Trunk Relay
XM XM™ Radio
Black plate (41,1)Chevrolet Impala Owner Manual - 2011
Vehicle Care 10-41
Tire Designations
Tire Size
The following illustration shows
an example of a typical
passenger vehicle tire size.
(A) Passenger (P‐Metric) Tire:
The United States version of a
metric tire sizing system. The
letter P as the first character in
the tire size means a passenger
vehicle tire engineered to
standards set by the
U.S. Tire and Rim Association.
(B) Tire Width
:The three‐digit
number indicates the tire section
width in millimeters from
sidewall to sidewall. (C) Aspect Ratio
:A two‐digit
number that indicates the tire
height‐to‐width measurements.
For example, if the tire size
aspect ratio is 60, as shown in
item C of the illustration, it would
mean that the tire's sidewall is
60 percent as high as it is wide.
(D) Construction Code
:A
letter code is used to indicate
the type of ply construction in
the tire. The letter R means
radial ply construction; the
letter D means diagonal or
bias ply construction; and the
letter B means belted‐bias
ply construction.
(E) Rim Diameter
:Diameter of
the wheel in inches.
(F) Service Description
:These
characters represent the load
index and speed rating of the
tire. The load index represents
the load carrying capacity a tire is certified to carry. The speed
rating is the maximum speed a
tire is certified to carry a load.
Tire Terminology and
Definitions
Air Pressure:The amount of
air inside the tire pressing
outward on each square inch of
the tire. Air pressure is
expressed in psi (pounds per
square inch) or kPa (kilopascal).
Accessory Weight
:This
means the combined weight
of optional accessories.
Some examples of optional
accessories are, automatic
transmission, power steering,
power brakes, power windows,
power seats, and air
conditioning.
Aspect Ratio
:The relationship
of a tire's height to its width.
Black plate (1,1)Chevrolet Impala Owner Manual - 2011
INDEX i-1
A
Accessories andModifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-3
Accessory Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-18
Add-On Electrical Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-47
Adding Equipment to the
Airbag-Equipped Vehicle . . . . . 3-39
Adjustments Lumbar, Front Seats . . . . . . . . . . . 3-4
Air Cleaner/Filter, Engine . . . . . 10-13
Air Filter, Passenger
Compartment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-6
Air Vents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-5
Airbag System Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-40
How Does an Airbag
Restrain? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-31
Passenger Sensing System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-34
What Makes an Airbag Inflate? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-31 Airbag System (cont.)
What Will You See After
an Airbag Inflates? . . . . . . . . . . 3-32
When Should an Airbag
Inflate? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-30
Where Are the Airbags? . . . . . . 3-28
Airbags Adding Equipment to theVehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-39
Passenger Status Indicator . . . 5-16
Readiness Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-15
Servicing Airbag-Equipped Vehicles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-38
System Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-26
Alarm System Anti-Theft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-12
AM-FM Radio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-6
Antenna Satellite Radio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-13
Anti-Theft Alarm System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-12
Alarm System Messages . . . . . 5-34
Antilock Brake
System (ABS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-27
Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-20 Appearance Care
Exterior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-76
Interior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-80
Armrest Storage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-1
Ashtrays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-10
Assistance Program, Roadside . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-7
Audio Players . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-14 CD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-14
Audio System Backglass Antenna . . . . . . . . . . . 7-13
Radio Reception . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-12
Theft-Deterrent Feature . . . . . . . . 7-1
Automatic Door Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-8
Automatic Transmission . . . . . . . 9-25
Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10-11
Automatic Transmission Shift Lock Control
Function Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-26
Auxiliary Devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-19
Black plate (4,1)Chevrolet Impala Owner Manual - 2011
i-4 INDEX
E
E85 Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-37
Electrical Equipment,Add-On . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-47
Electrical System Engine CompartmentFuse Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-34
Fuses and Circuit Breakers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-34
Instrument Panel Fuse Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-37
Overload . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-33
Electronic Stability Control . . . . . 9-31
Electronic Stability Control Indicator Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-21
Engine
Air Cleaner/Filter . . . . . . . . . . . 10-13
Check and Service EngineSoon Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-17
Compartment Overview . . . . . . . 10-6
Coolant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-16
Coolant Temperature
Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-13 Engine (cont.)
Coolant Temperature
Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-22
Cooling System . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-15
Cooling System Messages . . . 5-30
Drive Belt Routing . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-3
Exhaust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-24
Overheated Protection Operating Mode . . . . . . . . . . . 10-21
Overheating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-19
Power Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-31
Pressure Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-23
Running While Parked . . . . . . . . 9-24
Starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-18
Engine Oil Life System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-10
Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-31
Entry Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-6
Equipment, Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-46
Event Data Recorders . . . . . . . . 13-16
Extender, Safety Belt . . . . . . . . . . 3-24
Exterior Lamp Controls . . . . . . . . . 6-2
F
Filter
Engine Air Cleaner . . . . . . . . . 10-13
Flash-to-Pass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-3
Flashers, Hazard Warning . . . . . . 6-4
Flat Tire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-59
Flat Tire, Changing . . . . . . . . . . . 10-61
Floor Mats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-84
Fluid Automatic Transmission . . . . .10-11
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-24
Power Steering . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-21
Washer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-22
Fog Lamps Bulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-5
Front Fog Lamps
Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-24
Front Seats Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-3
Heated . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-7
Black plate (5,1)Chevrolet Impala Owner Manual - 2011
INDEX i-5
Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-35Additives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-36
E85 (85% Ethanol) . . . . . . . . . . . 9-37
Filling a Portable Fuel
Container . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-40
Filling the Tank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-38
Fuels in Foreign Countries . . . . 9-36
Gasoline Specifications . . . . . . . 9-36
Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-12
Recommended . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-35
Requirements, California . . . . . 9-36
System Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-32
Fuel Economy Driving for Better . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-19
Fuses Engine Compartment
Fuse Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-34
Fuses and Circuit Breakers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-34
Instrument Panel Fuse Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-37G
Garage Door Opener . . . . . . . . . . 5-42
Programming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-42
Gasoline Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-36
Gauges Engine Coolant
Temperature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-13
Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-12
Odometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-12
Speedometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-12
Tachometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-12
Warning Lights and Indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-10
General Information Service and Maintenance . . . . . 11-1
Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-41
Vehicle Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-2
Glove Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-1
GM Mobility Reimbursement Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-6
H
Halogen Bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-29
Hazard Warning Flashers . . . . . . . 6-4
Head Restraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-2
HeadlampsAiming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-29
Bulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . 10-29
Daytime Running Lamps/Automatic Headlamp
System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-4
Flash-to-Pass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-3
Headlamps, Front Turn
Signal, Sidemarker, and
Parking Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-30
High-Beam On Light . . . . . . . . . . 5-24
High/Low Beam Changer . . . . . . 6-3
Heated Front Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-7
Heated Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-15
Heating and Air Conditioning . . . 8-1
High-Beam On Light . . . . . . . . . . . 5-24
Black plate (7,1)Chevrolet Impala Owner Manual - 2011
INDEX i-7
Lights (cont.)Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-23
Tire Pressure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-22
Traction Control System
(TCS) Warning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-21
Locks Automatic Door . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-8
Delayed Locking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-8
Door . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-6
Lockout Protection . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-9
Power Door . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-7
Safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-9
Loss of Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-5
Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children (LATCH
SYSTEM) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-50
Lumbar Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-4 Front Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-4M
Maintenance
Records . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-9
Maintenance Schedule Recommended Fluids andLubricants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-6
Scheduled Maintenance . . . . . . 11-2
Malfunction Indicator Lamp . . . . 5-17
Messages Airbag System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-33
Anti-Theft Alarm System . . . . . . 5-34
Battery Voltage andCharging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-29
Brake System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-29
Door Ajar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-29
Engine Cooling System . . . . . . . 5-30
Engine Oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-31
Engine Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-31
Fuel System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-32
Key and Lock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-32
Lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-32 Messages (cont.)
Ride Control System . . . . . . . . . . 5-32
Service Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-34
Tire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-34
Transmission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-35
Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-28
Vehicle Reminder . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-36
Washer Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-36
Mirrors
Automatic DimmingRearview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-16
Convex . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-14
Heated . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-15
Manual Rearview . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-15
Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-15
Monitor System, Tire Pressure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-46
Black plate (9,1)Chevrolet Impala Owner Manual - 2011
INDEX i-9
R
Radio FrequencyIdentification (RFID) . . . . . . . . 13-17
Statement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-17
Radios AM-FM Radio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-6
Reception . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-12
Satellite . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-8
Reading Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-6
Rear Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-8
Rear Storage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-2
Rearview Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-15 Automatic Dimming . . . . . . . . . . . 2-16
Reclining Seatbacks . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-5
Recommended Fluids and Lubricants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-6
Recommended Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . 9-35
Records Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-9
Recreational Vehicle
Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-74
Reimbursement Program, GM Mobility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-6 Remote Keyless Entry
(RKE) System . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-2, 2-3
Remote Vehicle Start . . . . . . . . . . . 2-5
Replacement Bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . 10-33
Replacement Parts Airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-40
Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-8
Replacing Airbag System . . . . . . 3-40
Replacing LATCH System Parts After a Crash . . . . . . . . . . . 3-55
Replacing Safety Belt
System Parts After a
Crash . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-25
Reporting Safety Defects Canadian Government . . . . . . 13-15
General Motors . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-15
U.S. Government . . . . . . . . . . . 13-14
Restraints Where to Put . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-48
Retained Accessory Power (RAP) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-18
Ride Control Systems . . . . . . . . . 9-31 Electronic Stability (ESC) . . . . . 9-31
Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-32 Roadside Assistance
Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-7
Roof Sunroof . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-19
Rotation, Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-51
Routing, Engine Drive Belt . . . . . 12-3
Running the Vehicle While Parked . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-24
S
Safety Belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-10Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-25
Extender . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-24
How to Wear Safety BeltsProperly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-13
Lap Belt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-24
Lap-Shoulder Belt . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-19
Reminders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-14
Replacing After a Crash . . . . . . 3-25
Use During Pregnancy . . . . . . . . 3-23
Safety Defects Reporting Canadian Government . . . . . . 13-15
General Motors . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-15
U.S. Government . . . . . . . . . . . 13-14
Safety Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-9