
Black plate (1,1)Chevrolet Impala Owner Manual - 2011
2011 Chevrolet Impala Owner ManualM
In Brief. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-1
Instrument Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-2
Initial Drive Information . . . . . . . . 1-4
Vehicle Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-14
Performance and Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-17
Keys, Doors and Windows . . . 2-1
Keys and Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-2
Doors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-10
Vehicle Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-12
Exterior Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-14
Interior Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-15
Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-16
Roof . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-19
Seats and Restraints . . . . . . . . . 3-1
Head Restraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-2
Front Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-3
Rear Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-8
Safety Belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-10
Airbag System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-26
Child Restraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-41 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 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-10
Information Displays . . . . . . . . . . 5-24
Vehicle Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-28
Vehicle Personalization . . . . . . . 5-36
Universal Remote System . . . . 5-42
Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-1
Exterior Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-2
Interior Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-6
Lighting Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-6
Infotainment System . . . . . . . . . 7-1
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-1
Radio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-6
Audio Players . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-14
Phone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-20 Climate Controls
. . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-1
Climate Control Systems . . . . . . 8-1
Air Vents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-5
Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-6
Driving and Operating . . . . . . . . 9-1
Driving Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-2
Starting and Operating . . . . . . . 9-16
Engine Exhaust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-24
Automatic Transmission . . . . . . 9-25
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-27
Ride Control Systems . . . . . . . . 9-29
Cruise Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-32
Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-35
Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-41
Conversions and Add-Ons . . . 9-47
Vehicle Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-1
General Information . . . . . . . . . . 10-2
Vehicle Checks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-4
Headlamp Aiming . . . . . . . . . . . 10-29
Bulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . 10-29
Electrical System . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-33

Black plate (1,1)Chevrolet Impala Owner Manual - 2011
In Brief 1-1
In Brief
Instrument Panel
Instrument Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-2
Initial Drive Information
Initial Drive Information . . . . . . . . 1-4
Remote KeylessEntry (RKE) System . . . . . . . . 1-4
Remote Vehicle Start . . . . . . . . . 1-5
Door Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-5
Trunk Release . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-5
Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-6
Seat Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-6
Second Row Seats . . . . . . . . . . . 1-7
Head Restraint Adjustment . . . . 1-7
Safety Belt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-8 Sensing System for
Passenger Airbag . . . . . . . . . . . 1-8
Mirror Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-9
Steering Wheel Adjustment . . . 1-9
Interior Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-10
Exterior Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-10
Windshield Wiper/Washer . . . . 1-11
Climate Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-12
Vehicle Features
Radio(s) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-14
Satellite Radio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-15
Portable Audio Devices . . . . . . 1-15
Bluetooth
®. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-15
Steering Wheel Controls . . . . . 1-16
Cruise Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-16
Power Outlets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-17
Performance and Maintenance
Traction Control System (TCS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-17
Electronic Stability Control (ESC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-18
Tire Pressure Monitor . . . . . . . . 1-18
Engine Oil Life System . . . . . . 1-19
Fuel E85 (85% Ethanol) . . . . . 1-19
Driving for Better Fuel
Economy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-19
Roadside Assistance Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-19
OnStar
®. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-20

Black plate (2,1)Chevrolet Impala Owner Manual - 2011
1-2 In Brief
Instrument Panel

Black plate (3,1)Chevrolet Impala Owner Manual - 2011
In Brief 1-3
A.Air Vents on page 8‑5.
B. Remote Trunk Release Button. See Trunk on page 2‑10.
C. Turn and Lane-Change Signals
on page 6‑5.
D. Instrument Cluster on
page 5‑11.
E. Hazard Warning Flashers on
page 6‑4.
F. Driver Information Center (DIC)
on page 5‑24.
G. Passenger Airbag Status
Indicator on page 5‑16.
H. AM-FM Radio on page 7‑6.
I. Exterior Lamp Controls on
page 6‑2. J.
Instrument Panel Illumination
Control on page 6‑6.
K. Traction Control System (TCS)
on page 9‑29 (If Equipped).
L. Steering Wheel Adjustment on
page 5‑2.
M. Cruise Control on page 9‑32.
N. Hood Release. See Hood on
page 10‑5.
O. Data Link Connector. See Malfunction Indicator Lamp on
page 5‑17.
P. Horn on page 5‑3.
Q. Steering Wheel Controls on
page 5‑3 (If Equipped). R.
Ignition Positions on page 9‑16.
S. Climate Control Systems on
page 8‑1.
T. Power Outlets on page 5‑9.
U. Center Console Shift Lever (If Equipped). See Shifting Into
Park on page 9‑20.
V. Glove Box on page 4‑1.

Black plate (5,1)Chevrolet Impala Owner Manual - 2011
In Brief 1-5
Remote Vehicle Start
With this feature the engine can be
started from outside of the vehicle.
Starting the Vehicle
1. Aim the RKE transmitter at thevehicle.
2. Press
Q.
3. Immediately after completing Step 2, press and hold
/until
the turn signal lamps flash.
When the vehicle starts, the parking
lamps will turn on and remain on as
long as the engine is running. The
doors will be locked and the climate
control system may come on.
The engine will continue to run for
10 minutes. Repeat the steps for a
10-minute time extension. Remote
start can be extended only once.
Canceling a Remote Start
To cancel a remote start:
.Aim the RKE transmitter at the
vehicle and press and hold
/
until the parking lamps turn off.
.Turn on the hazard warning
flashers.
.Turn the ignition on and then
back off.
See Remote Vehicle Start on
page 2‑5.
Door Locks
Manual Locks
From outside the vehicle, use the
key in the door or the Remote
Keyless Entry (RKE) transmitter to
lock or unlock the vehicle. From the
inside, pull up or push down on the
manual door lock knobs.
See Door Locks on page 2‑6.
Power Door Locks
Power door lock switches are
located on the front doors near the
handle.
Q:Press the bottom of the switch
to lock all doors.
K: Press the top of the switch to
unlock all doors.
For more information, see:
.Power Door Locks on page 2‑7.
.Delayed Locking on page 2‑8.
Trunk Release
In addition to the trunk release
button on the RKE transmitter, there
is a remote release
Vbutton
located on the left side of the
instrument panel.
For more information, see Trunk on
page 2‑10.

Black plate (8,1)Chevrolet Impala Owner Manual - 2011
1-8 In Brief
Safety Belt
Refer to the following sections for
important information on how to use
safety belts properly.
.Safety Belts on page 3‑10.
.How to Wear Safety Belts
Properly on page 3‑13.
.Lap-Shoulder Belt on page 3‑19.
.Lap Belt on page 3‑24.
.Lower Anchors and Tethers for
Children (LATCH System) on
page 3‑50.
Sensing System for
Passenger Airbag
The passenger sensing system will
turn off the right front passenger
frontal airbag under certain
conditions. The driver airbags,
seat‐side impact airbags, and
roof‐rail airbags are not affected
by this.
The passenger airbag status
indicator will be visible on the
instrument panel when the vehicle
is started.
United States
Canada
See Passenger Sensing System on
page 3‑34 for important information.

Black plate (10,1)Chevrolet Impala Owner Manual - 2011
1-10 In Brief
Do not adjust the steering wheel
while driving.
Interior Lighting
Dome Lamp
The center mounted dome lamp
overhead comes on when a door is
opened. This lamp can also be
turned on by turning the instrument
panel brightness control clockwise.
Reading Lamps
The vehicle has reading lamps that
also act as the dome lamp. Press
the button near each lamp to turn
them on and off.Map Lamps
The vehicle has map lamps on the
rearview mirror. Push the button
near each lamp to turn the map
lamps on and off.
For more information on interior
lighting, see:
.Exterior Lighting on page 1‑10.
.Courtesy Lamps on page 6‑6.
.Delayed Entry Lighting on
page 6‑7.
.Delayed Exit Lighting on
page 6‑7.
.Parade Dimming on page 6‑7.
Exterior Lighting
The exterior lamps control is located
on the instrument panel to the left of
the steering wheel.
P:
Briefly turn to this position to
manually turn the automatic lamp
control and Daytime Running
Lamps (DRL) off or on. For vehicles
first sold in Canada, the off position
only works when the vehicle is
shifted into the P (Park) position.

Black plate (17,1)Chevrolet Impala Owner Manual - 2011
In Brief 1-17
[:Press to disengage cruise
control without erasing the set
speed from memory.
For more information, see Cruise
Control on page 9‑32.
Power Outlets
The vehicle has three 12‐volt outlets
which can be used to plug in
electrical equipment, such as a cell
phone or MP3 player.
On vehicles with a center console,
one outlet is located inside the
center floor console and two outlets
are located at the front of the
console bin under the instrument
panel.
On vehicles without a center
console, two are located under the
climate controls and another outlet
for the rear seat passengers is at
the rear of the center front seat.
Remove the cover to access and
replace when not in use.
See Power Outlets on page 5‑9.
Performance and
Maintenance
Traction Control
System (TCS)
The vehicle may have a traction
control system which limits wheel
spin. The system turns on
automatically every time the vehicle
is started.
.For vehicles with traction control,
press and release
ion the
instrument panel to turn off
traction control.
Filluminates
and the appropriate DIC
message displays. See Ride
Control System Messages on
page 5‑32.
.For vehicles with traction control
and electronic stability control,
press and release
5on the
instrument panel to turn off
traction control.
Filluminates
and the appropriate DIC
message displays. See Ride
Control System Messages on
page 5‑32.
.Press and release the button
again to turn on traction control.
For more information, see Traction
Control System (TCS) on
page 9‑29.