Black plate (5,1)Chevrolet Silverado Owner Manual - 2011
Introduction v
Vehicle Symbol Chart
Here are some additional symbols
that may be found on the vehicle
and what they mean. For more
information on the symbol, refer
to the Index.
0:Adjustable Pedals
9:Airbag Readiness Light
#:Air Conditioning
!:Antilock Brake System (ABS)
g:Audio Steering Wheel Controls
or OnStar®
$: Brake System Warning Light
":Charging System
I:Cruise Control
B: Engine Coolant Temperature
O:Exterior Lamps
#:Fog Lamps
.: Fuel Gauge
+:Fuses
3: Headlamp High/Low-Beam
Changer
j: LATCH System Child
Restraints
*: Malfunction Indicator Lamp
::Oil Pressure
g:Outside Power Foldaway
Mirrors
}: Power
/:Remote Vehicle Start
>:Safety Belt Reminders
7:Tire Pressure Monitor
_: Tow/Haul Mode
F:Traction Control
M:Windshield Washer Fluid
Black plate (1,1)Chevrolet Silverado Owner Manual - 2011
In Brief 1-1
In Brief
Instrument Panel
Instrument Panel (Base/UplevelVersion) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-2
Instrument Panel (Premium Version) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-6
Initial Drive Information
Initial Drive Information . . . . . . . . 1-8
Remote Keyless Entry (RKE)System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-8
Remote Vehicle Start . . . . . . . . . 1-9
Door Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-9
Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-10
Seat Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-11
Memory Features . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-13
Heated Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-14
Head Restraint Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-15
Safety Belt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-15 Sensing System for
Passenger Airbag . . . . . . . . . . 1-15
Mirror Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-16
Steering Wheel Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-17
Throttle and Brake Pedal Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-17
Interior Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-18
Exterior Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-19
Windshield Wiper/Washer . . . . 1-19
Climate Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-20
Transmission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-22
Four-Wheel Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-23
Vehicle Features
Radio(s) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-25
Satellite Radio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-26
Portable Audio Devices . . . . . . 1-27
Bluetooth
®. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-27
Steering Wheel Controls . . . . . 1-27
Navigation System . . . . . . . . . . . 1-28 Driver Information
Center (DIC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-28
Cruise Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-29
Rear Vision Camera (RVC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-30
Ultrasonic Parking Assist . . . . 1-30
Power Outlets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-30
Universal Remote System . . . 1-31
Sunroof . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-31
Performance and Maintenance
StabiliTrak®System . . . . . . . . . 1-32
Tire Pressure Monitor . . . . . . . . 1-33
Engine Oil Life System . . . . . . 1-34
Fuel E85 (85% Ethanol) . . . . . 1-34
Driving for Better Fuel Economy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-34
Roadside Assistance Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-35
OnStar
®. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-35
Black plate (28,1)Chevrolet Silverado Owner Manual - 2011
1-28 In Brief
Navigation System
The vehicle's navigation system
(if equipped) provides detailed maps
of most major freeways and roads
throughout the United States and
Canada. 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 at the
bottom of the instrument panel
cluster. It shows the status of
many vehicle systems and enables
access to the personalization menu.
The DIC buttons are located on
the instrument panel, next to the
steering wheel.
Some vehicles do not have the
buttons shown, however some of
the menus can be viewed by using
the trip odometer reset stem.
3:Press this button to display
the odometer, trip odometer, fuel
range, average economy, fuel used,
timer, transmission temperature,
and instantaneous economy and
Active Fuel Management™
indicator. The compass and outside air temperature will also be shown
in the display. The temperature will
be shown in °C or °F depending on
the units selected.
T:
Press this button to display
the oil life, units, tire pressure
readings for vehicles with the
Tire Pressure Monitor System
(TPMS), trailer brake gain and
output information for vehicles
with the Integrated Trailer Brake
Control (ITBC) system, engine
hours, compass zone setting, and
compass recalibration.
U: Press this button to customize
the feature settings on the vehicle.
See Vehicle Personalization (with
DIC Buttons)
on page 5‑53for
more information.
V: Press this button to set or reset
certain functions and to turn off or
acknowledge messages on the DIC.
For more information, see Driver
Information Center (DIC)
on
page 5‑34.
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 (18,1)Chevrolet Silverado Owner Manual - 2011
5-18 Instruments and Controls
Here are some situations owners
can experience with the fuel gauge.
None of these indicate a problem
with the fuel gauge.
.At the gas station, the fuel pump
shuts off before the gauge
reads full.
.It takes a little more or less fuel
to fill up than the fuel gauge
indicated. For example, the
gauge may have indicated the
tank was half full, but it actually
took a little more or less than
half the fuel tank's capacity to
fill it.
.The gauge goes back to empty
when the ignition is turned off.
If the vehicle has a diesel engine,
see the Duramax diesel supplement
for more information.
If the vehicle is a hybrid, see
the hybrid supplement for more
information.
Engine Oil Pressure
Gauge
Metric
English
For vehicles with an engine oil
pressure gauge, it shows the engine
oil pressure in kPa (kilopascals)
or psi (pounds per square inch)
when the engine is running.
Black plate (35,1)Chevrolet Silverado Owner Manual - 2011
Instruments and Controls 5-35
DIC Buttons
The buttons are the trip/fuel, vehicle
information, customization, and
set/reset buttons. The button
functions are detailed in the
following pages.
3(Trip/Fuel):Press this
button to display the odometer,
trip odometer, fuel range, average
economy, fuel used, timer,
transmission temperature, and
instantaneous economy and Active
Fuel Management™ indicator.The compass and outside
temperature will also be shown in
the display. The temperature will
be shown in °C or °F depending
on the units selected.
T(Vehicle Information):
Press
this button to display the oil life,
units, tire pressure readings for
vehicles with the Tire Pressure
Monitor System (TPMS), trailer
brake gain and output information
for vehicles with the Integrated
Trailer Brake Control (ITBC) system,
engine hours, compass zone
setting, and compass recalibration.
U(Customization): Press this
button to customize the feature
settings on the vehicle. See Vehicle
Personalization (with DIC Buttons)
on page 5‑53for more information.
V(Set/Reset): Press this button to
set or reset certain functions and to
turn off or acknowledge messages
on the DIC.
Trip/Fuel Menu Items
(with DIC Buttons)
3(Trip/Fuel): Press this button
to scroll through the following menu
items:
Odometer
Press the trip/fuel button until
ODOMETER displays. This display
shows the distance the vehicle has
been driven in either kilometers (km)
or miles. Pressing the trip odometer
reset stem will also display the
odometer.
To switch between metric and
English measurements, see “Units”
later in this section.
Black plate (27,1)Chevrolet Silverado Owner Manual - 2011
Driving and Operating 9-27
The label shows the size of
your vehicle's original tires
and the inflation pressures
needed to obtain the gross
weight capacity of your vehicle.
This is called Gross Vehicle
Weight Rating (GVWR). The
GVWR includes the weight of
the vehicle, all occupants, fuel,
and cargo.
The Certification/Tire label also
tells you the maximum weights
for the front and rear axles,
called Gross Axle Weight
Rating (GAWR). To find out the
actual loads on your front and
rear axles, you need to go to a
weigh station and weigh your
vehicle. Your dealer can help
you with this. Be sure to spread
out your load equally on both
sides of the centerline.Never exceed the GVWR for
your vehicle, or the GAWR for
either the front or rear axle.
The Certification/Tire label also
contains important information
about your Front Axle Reserve
Capacity. See
“What is front axle
reserve capacity, and how do
I calculate it?” underAdding a
Snow Plow or Similar Equipment
on page 9‑123.
{WARNING
In the case of a sudden stop
or collision, things carried in
the bed of your truck could
shift forward and come into
the passenger area, injuring
you and others. If you put
things in the bed of your truck,
you should make sure they
are properly secured.
{WARNING
Do not load the vehicle any
heavier than the Gross
Vehicle Weight Rating
(GVWR), or either the
maximum front or rear Gross
Axle Weight Rating (GAWR).
If you do, parts on the vehicle
can break, and it can change
the way the vehicle handles.
These could cause you to
lose control and crash. Also,
overloading can shorten the
life of the vehicle.
Notice :Overloading the
vehicle may cause damage.
Repairs would not be covered
by the vehicle warranty.
Do not overload the vehicle.
Black plate (116,1)Chevrolet Silverado Owner Manual - 2011
9-116 Driving and Operating
This indicator light on the instrument
panel cluster comes on when the
Tow/Haul Mode is on.
Tow/Haul is a feature that assists
when pulling a heavy trailer or a
large or heavy load. SeeTow/Haul
Mode
on page 9‑49for more
information.
Tow/Haul is designed to be most
effective when the vehicle and
trailer combined weight is at least
75 percent of the vehicle's Gross
Combined Weight Rating (GCWR).
See “Weight of the Trailer” under
Trailer Towing
on page 9‑94.
Tow/Haul is most useful under
the following driving conditions:
.When pulling a heavy trailer or
a large or heavy load through
rolling terrain.
.When pulling a heavy trailer
or a large or heavy load in
stop-and-go traffic.
.When pulling a heavy trailer or
a large or heavy load in busy
parking lots where improved low
speed control of the vehicle is
desired.
Operating the vehicle in Tow/Haul
when lightly loaded or with no
trailer at all will not cause damage.
However, there is no benefit to the
selection of Tow/Haul when the
vehicle is unloaded. Such a
selection when unloaded may
result in unpleasant engine and
transmission driving characteristics
and reduced fuel economy. Tow/
Haul is recommended only when
pulling a heavy trailer or a large
or heavy load.
Integrated Trailer Brake
Control System
The vehicle may have an Integrated
Trailer Brake Control (ITBC) system
for electric trailer brakes.
This symbol is located on the
Trailer Brake Control Panel on
vehicles with an Integrated Trailer
Brake Control system. The power
output to the trailer brakes is based
on the amount of brake pressure
being applied by the vehicle’s brake
system. This available power output
to the trailer brakes can be adjusted
to a wide range of trailering
situations.
The ITBC system is integrated
with the vehicle’s brake, antilock
brake, and StabiliTrak (if equipped)
systems. In trailering conditions that
cause the vehicle’s antilock brake or