2011 CHEVROLET SILVERADO steering wheel

Black plate (37,1)Chevrolet Silverado Owner Manual - 2011
Seats and Restraints 3-37
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 distribute the force of
the impact more evenly over the
occupant's upper 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 and 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 3‑34for 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 3‑36.
The parts of the airbag that come
into contact with you may be
warm, but not too hot to touch.

Black plate (48,1)Chevrolet Silverado Owner Manual - 2011
3-48 Seats and Restraints
Servicing the
Airbag-Equipped Vehicle
Airbags affect how the vehicle
should be serviced. There are
parts of the airbag system in
several places around the vehicle.
Your dealer and the service manual
have information about servicing
the vehicle and the airbag system.
To purchase a service manual,
seeService Publications Ordering
Information on page 13‑14.
{WARNING
For up to 10 seconds after the
ignition is turned off and the
battery is disconnected, an airbag
can still inflate during improper
service. You can be injured if you
are close to an airbag when it
inflates. Avoid yellow connectors.
They are probably part of the
airbag system. Be sure to follow
(Continued)
WARNING (Continued)
proper service procedures, and
make sure the person performing
work for you is qualified to do so.
Adding Equipment to the
Airbag-Equipped Vehicle
Q: Is there anything I might addto or change about the vehicle
that could keep the airbags
from working properly?
A: Yes. If you add things that
change your vehicle's frame,
bumper system, height, front end
or side sheet metal, they may
keep the airbag system from
working properly. Changing or
moving any parts of the front
seats, safety belts, the airbag
sensing and diagnostic module,
steering wheel, instrument
panel, roof-rail airbag modules, ceiling headliner or pillar garnish
trim, overhead console, front
sensors, side impact sensors,
or airbag wiring can affect the
operation of the airbag system.
In addition, the vehicle may have
a passenger sensing system
for the right front passenger's
position, which includes sensors
that are part of the passenger's
seat. The passenger sensing
system may not operate properly
if the original seat trim is
replaced with non-GM covers,
upholstery or trim, or with
GM covers, upholstery or
trim designed for a different
vehicle. Any object, such as
an aftermarket seat heater or
a comfort enhancing pad or
device, installed under or on top
of the seat fabric, could also
interfere with the operation of
the passenger sensing system.

Black plate (1,1)Chevrolet Silverado Owner Manual - 2011
Instruments and Controls 5-1
Instruments and
Controls
Controls
Steering Wheel Adjustment . . . 5-2
Steering Wheel Controls . . . . . . 5-3
Horn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-5
Windshield Wiper/Washer . . . . . 5-5
Compass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-6
Clock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-8
Power Outlets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-10
Cigarette Lighter . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-11
Ashtrays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-12
Warning Lights, Gauges, and
Indicators
Warning Lights, Gauges, andIndicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-12
Instrument Cluster . . . . . . . . . . . 5-13
Speedometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-16
Odometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-16
Trip Odometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-16
Tachometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-17
Fuel Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-17
Engine Oil Pressure Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-18 Engine Coolant Temperature
Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-19
Voltmeter Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-20
Safety Belt Reminders . . . . . . . 5-21
Airbag Readiness Light . . . . . . 5-22
Airbag On-Off Light . . . . . . . . . . 5-23
Passenger Airbag Status Indicator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-25
Charging System Light . . . . . . 5-26
Malfunction Indicator Lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-27
Brake System Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-29
Antilock Brake System (ABS) Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-30
Four-Wheel-Drive Light . . . . . . 5-31
Tow/Haul Mode Light . . . . . . . . 5-31
StabiliTrak
®Indicator Light . . . 5-31
Tire Pressure Light . . . . . . . . . . 5-32
Engine Oil Pressure Light . . . . 5-32
Low Fuel Warning Light . . . . . . 5-33
Security Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-33
High-Beam on Light . . . . . . . . . 5-33
Front Fog Lamp Light . . . . . . . . 5-33
Cruise Control Light . . . . . . . . . 5-34
Information Displays
Driver Information Center (DIC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-34
Vehicle Messages
Vehicle Messages . . . . . . . . . . . 5-43
Battery Voltage and ChargingMessages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-43
Brake System Messages . . . . 5-44
Door Ajar Messages . . . . . . . . . 5-45
Engine Cooling System Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-46
Engine Oil Messages . . . . . . . . 5-47
Engine Power Messages . . . . 5-47
Fuel System Messages . . . . . . 5-48
Key and Lock Messages . . . . . 5-48
Lamp Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-48
Object Detection System Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-48
Ride Control System Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-49
Airbag System Messages . . . . 5-50
Anti-Theft Alarm System Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-50
Starting the Vehicle Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-50
Tire Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-51
Transmission Messages . . . . . 5-52
Vehicle Reminder Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-52
Washer Fluid Messages . . . . . 5-53

Black plate (2,1)Chevrolet Silverado Owner Manual - 2011
5-2 Instruments and Controls
Vehicle Personalization
Vehicle Personalization (withDIC Buttons) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-53
Universal Remote System
Universal Remote System . . . 5-61
Universal Remote SystemProgramming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-61
Universal Remote System Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-66
Controls
Steering Wheel
Adjustment
The tilt lever is located on the lower
left side of the steering column. To adjust the steering wheel:
1. Hold the steering wheel and pull
the lever.
2. Move the steering wheel up or down.
3. Release the lever to lock the wheel in place.
Do not adjust the steering wheel
while driving.

Black plate (3,1)Chevrolet Silverado Owner Manual - 2011
Instruments and Controls 5-3
Steering Wheel Controls
For vehicles with audio steering
wheel controls, some audio controls
can be adjusted at the steering
wheel.
w/x(Next/Previous):Press
to select preset or favorite radio
stations, select tracks on a
CD/DVD, or navigate an iPod
®
or USB device. Radio
To select preset or favorite radio
stations:
Press and release
worxto go to
the next or previous radio station
stored as a preset or favorite.
CD/DVD
To select tracks on a CD/DVD:
Press and release
worxto go to
the next or previous track.
Selecting Tracks on an iPod or
USB Device (Vehicles without a
Navigation System)
1. Press and hold
worxwhile
listening to a song until the
contents of the current folder
display on the radio display.
2. Press and release
worxto
scroll up or down the list, then
press and hold
w, or press¨to
play the highlighted track. Navigating Folders on an iPod or
USB Device (Vehicles without a
Navigation System):
1. Press and hold
worxwhile
listening to a song until the
contents of the current folder
display on the radio display.
2. Press and hold
xto go back to
the previous folder list.
3. Press and release
worxto
scroll up or down the list.
.To select a folder, press
and hold
w, or press¨
when the folder is
highlighted.
.To go back further in the
folder list, press and
hold
x.

Black plate (5,1)Chevrolet Silverado Owner Manual - 2011
Instruments and Controls 5-5
For vehicles with a navigation
system:
1. Press and hold
¨until a beep is
heard, to place the radio into
SCAN mode. A station will play
for five seconds before moving
to the next station.
2. To stop the SCAN function, press
¨again.
While listening to a CD/DVD, press
and hold
¨to quickly move forward
through the tracks. Release to stop
on the desired track.
+
e−e(Volume): Press to
increase or to decrease the volume.
Horn
To sound the horn, press the center
pad on the steering wheel.
Windshield Wiper/Washer
Turn the band with the wiper symbol
to control the windshield wipers.
8(Mist): Single wipe, turn to8,
then release. Several wipes, hold
the band on
8longer.
9(Off): Turns the windshield
wipers off.
6(Adjustable Interval Wipes):
Turn the band up for more frequent
wipes or down for less frequent
wipes.
](Low Speed): Slow
wipes.
?(High Speed): Fast wipes.
Clear ice and snow from the wiper
blades before using them. If frozen
to the windshield, carefully loosen or
thaw them. Damaged wiper blades
should be replaced. See Wiper
Blade Replacement on page 10‑39.
Heavy snow or ice can overload the
wiper motor. A circuit breaker will
stop the motor until it cools down.

Black plate (29,1)Chevrolet Silverado Owner Manual - 2011
Instruments and Controls 5-29
Emissions Inspection and
Maintenance Programs
Some state/provincial and
local governments may have
programs to inspect the on-vehicle
emission control equipment.
For the inspection, the emission
system test equipment is connected
to the vehicle’s Data Link
Connector (DLC).
The DLC is under the instrument
panel to the left of the steering
wheel. See your dealer if assistance
is needed.The vehicle may not pass
inspection if:
.The malfunction indicator lamp is
on with the engine running, or if
the light does not come on when
the ignition is turned to ON/RUN
while the engine is off.
.The critical emission control
systems have not been
completely diagnosed by
the system. This can happen
if the battery has recently been
replaced or if the battery has
run down. The diagnostic
system evaluates critical
emission control systems during
normal driving. This can take
several days of routine driving.
If this has been done and the
vehicle still does not pass the
inspection, your dealer can
prepare the vehicle for
inspection.
Brake System Warning
Light
With the ignition on, the brake
system warning light comes on
when the parking brake is set.
If the vehicle is driven with the
parking brake engaged, a chime
sounds when the vehicle speed is
greater than 8 km/h (5 mph).
The vehicle brake system consists
of two hydraulic circuits. If one
circuit is not working, the remaining
circuit can still work to stop the
vehicle. For normal braking
performance, both circuits need
to be working
If the warning light comes on and
a chime sounds there could be a
brake problem. Have the brake
system inspected right away.

Black plate (34,1)Chevrolet Silverado Owner Manual - 2011
5-34 Instruments and Controls
The light goes out when the fog
lamps are turned off. SeeFog
Lamps
on page 6‑6for more
information.
Cruise Control Light
For vehicles equipped with
cruise control, this light comes on
whenever the cruise control is set.
The light goes out when the cruise
control is turned off. See Cruise
Control
on page 9‑73for more
information.
Information Displays
Driver Information
Center (DIC)
The vehicle has a Driver Information
Center (DIC).
The DIC displays information about
this vehicle. It also displays warning
messages if a system problem is
detected.
All messages will appear in
the DIC display located below the
tachometer in the instrument panel
cluster.
The DIC comes on when the ignition
is on. After a short delay, the DIC
will display the information that was
last displayed before the engine
was turned off. The DIC has different displays
which can be accessed by pressing
the DIC buttons located on the
instrument panel, next to the
steering wheel. If the vehicle does
not have DIC buttons, the trip
odometer reset stem can be used
to access some of the menu items.
The DIC displays trip, fuel, and
vehicle system information, and
warning messages if a system
problem is detected.
The DIC also allows some features
to be customized. See
Vehicle
Personalization (with DIC Buttons)
on page 5‑53for more information.