Page 2 of 588

Black plate (2,1)Chevrolet Silverado Owner Manual - 2011
2011 Chevrolet Silverado Owner ManualM
Vehicle Care. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-1
General Information . . . . . . . . . . 10-3
Vehicle Checks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-4
Headlamp Aiming . . . . . . . . . . . 10-40
Bulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . 10-43
Electrical System . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-47
Wheels and Tires . . . . . . . . . . . 10-55
Jump Starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-96
Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-101
Appearance Care . . . . . . . . . . 10-106
Service and Maintenance . . . 11-1
General Information . . . . . . . . . . 11-1
Scheduled Maintenance . . . . . . 11-2
Recommended Fluids,
Lubricants, and Parts . . . . . . . 11-8
Maintenance Records . . . . . . . 11-12 Technical Data
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-1
Vehicle Identification . . . . . . . . . 12-1
Vehicle Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-2
Customer Information . . . . . . . 13-1
Customer Information . . . . . . . . 13-1
Reporting Safety Defects . . . . 13-15
Vehicle Data Recording and
Privacy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-16
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . i-1
Page 5 of 588
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
Page 23 of 588

Black plate (17,1)Chevrolet Silverado Owner Manual - 2011
In Brief 1-17
Interior Mirror
Vehicles with a manual rearview
mirror can be adjusted to see
clearly behind the vehicle. Hold
the mirror in the center to move
it up or down and side to side.
To reduce headlamp glare during
nighttime use, pull the tab forward
for daytime use and push it for
nighttime use.
Vehicles with the automatic dimming
feature will automatically reduce
the glare of lights from behind the
vehicle. The dimming feature comes
on and the indicator light illuminates
each time the vehicle is started.
SeeAutomatic Dimming Rearview
Mirror
on page 2‑19for more
information.
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.
Throttle and Brake Pedal
Adjustment
On vehicles with this feature, you
can change the position of the
throttle and brake pedals.
The switch used to adjust the
pedals is located on the instrument
panel below the climate control
system.
Page 25 of 588

Black plate (19,1)Chevrolet Silverado Owner Manual - 2011
In Brief 1-19
Exterior Lighting
The exterior lamps control is located
on the instrument panel to the left of
the steering wheel.
O:Turns off the automatic
headlamps and daytime running
lamps (DRL). Turn the headlamp
control to the off position again to
turn the automatic headlamps or
DRL back on. For vehicles first sold in Canada,
the off position will only work when
the vehicle is shifted into P (Park).
AUTO:
Automatically turns on
the headlamps, parking lamps,
taillamps, instrument panel lights,
and license plate lamps.
;: Turns on the parking lamps,
taillamps, instrument panel lights,
and license plate lamps.
2: Turns on the headlamps,
parking lamps, taillamps, instrument
panel lights, and license plate
lamps.
For more information, see:
.Exterior Lamp Controlson
page 6‑1.
.Daytime Running Lamps (DRL)on page 6‑4.
.Fog Lamps on page 6‑6.
Windshield Wiper/Washer
8: Single wipe, turn to8, then
release. Several wipes, hold the
band on
8longer.
9: Turns the windshield
wipers off.
Page 57 of 588

Black plate (13,1)Chevrolet Silverado Owner Manual - 2011
Keys, Doors and Windows 2-13
If a locked driver door is opened
without using the RKE transmitter,
a 10 second pre-alarm will occur.
The horn will chirp and the lights
will flash. If the key is not placed
in the ignition and turned to START
or the door is not unlocked by
pressing the unlock button on
the RKE transmitter during the
10 second pre-alarm, the alarm
will go off. The vehicle's headlamps
will flash and the horn will sound
for about 30 seconds, then will turn
off to save the battery power.
The theft-deterrent system will not
activate if the doors are locked with
the key or the manual door lock.
It activates only if you use the
power door lock switch or the RKE
transmitter. The vehicle can be
started with the correct key if the
alarm is set off.To avoid setting off the alarm by
accident:
.If you do not want to activate
the theft-deterrent system, the
vehicle should be locked with
the door key after the doors are
closed.
.Always unlock a door with the
RKE transmitter.
If the alarm is set off, press unlock
on the RKE transmitter or place the
key in the ignition and turn it to
START.
Testing the Alarm
To test the alarm:
1. Lower the driver window and open the driver door.
2. Press lock on the RKE transmitter. 3. Close the door and wait for the
security light to go out.
4. Reach in through the window, unlock the door with the manual
door lock, and open the door.
This should set off the alarm.
If the alarm does not sound when
it should but the headlamps flash,
check to see if the horn works. The
horn fuse may be blown. To replace
the fuse, see Fuses and Circuit
Breakers on page 10‑48.
If the alarm does not sound or the
headlamps do not flash, see your
dealer for service.
Page 62 of 588

Black plate (18,1)Chevrolet Silverado Owner Manual - 2011
2-18 Keys, Doors and Windows
Fold and unfold the mirrors one
time using the mirror controls to
reset them to their normal position.
A popping noise may be heard
during the resetting of the power
foldaway mirrors. This sound is
normal after a manual folding
operation.
Manual Foldaway
Manually fold the mirrors inward
to prevent damage when going
through an automatic car wash.
To fold, pull the mirror toward the
vehicle. Push the mirror outward,
to return to its original position.
Automatic Dimming
If equipped with an automatic
dimming mirror. The driver
outside mirror adjusts for the
glare of the headlamps behind you.
SeeAutomatic Dimming Rearview
Mirror on page 2‑19.
Turn Signal Indicator
The vehicle may also have a
turn signal indicator on the mirror.
An arrow on the mirror flashes in the
direction of the turn or lane change.
Heated Mirrors
For vehicles with heated mirrors:
<(Rear Window Defogger):
Press to heat the mirrors. If the
vehicle has a towing mirror, only the
upper glass of the mirror is heated.
The lower convex part of the towing
mirror is not heated.
Depending on the vehicle's features,
see “Rear Window Defogger”
under Climate Control Systems
(with Air Conditioning)
on
page 8‑1or Climate Control
Systems (with Heater Only)on
page 8‑4or Dual Automatic
Climate Control Systemon
page 8‑5for more information.
Page 63 of 588

Black plate (19,1)Chevrolet Silverado Owner Manual - 2011
Keys, Doors and Windows 2-19
Park Tilt Mirrors
If the vehicle has the memory
package, the passenger and/or
driver mirror tilts to a preselected
position when the vehicle is in
R (Reverse). This feature lets the
driver view the curb when parallel
parking. The mirror(s) return to the
original position when the vehicle
is shifted out of R (Reverse),
or the ignition is turned off or to
OFF/LOCK.
Turn this feature on or off through
the Driver Information Center (DIC).
SeeVehicle Personalization (with
DIC Buttons)
on page 5‑53for
more information.
Interior Mirrors
Manual Rearview Mirror
Adjust manual rearview mirrors to
see clearly behind the vehicle. Hold
the mirror in the center to adjust it.
To reduce headlamp glare during
night use, pull the tab forward.
Push the tab back for daytime use.
Automatic Dimming
Rearview Mirror
The vehicle may have an automatic
dimming inside rearview mirror.
Automatic dimming reduces the
glare from the headlamps of the
vehicle behind you. The dimming
feature comes on and the indicator
light illuminates each time the
ignition is turned to start.
O(On/Off): Press to turn the
dimming feature on or off. The vehicle may also have a Rear
Vision Camera (RVC). See
Rear
Vision Camera (RVC)
on page 9‑78for more information.
If the vehicle has RVC,
the
Obutton for turning the
dimming feature on or off will
not be available.
Vehicles with OnStar have three
additional control buttons for the
OnStar system. See your dealer
for more information about OnStar
and how to subscribe to it. See the
OnStar Owner Guide for more
information about the services
OnStar provides.
Cleaning the Mirror
Do not spray glass cleaner directly
on the mirror. Use a soft towel
dampened with water.
Page 183 of 588

Black plate (33,1)Chevrolet Silverado Owner Manual - 2011
Instruments and Controls 5-33
This light comes on briefly while
starting the engine. If it does not,
have the vehicle serviced by your
dealer. If the system is working
normally the indicator light then
goes off.
If the light comes on and stays on, it
means that oil is not flowing through
the engine properly. The vehicle
could be low on oil and it might
have some other system problem.
If the vehicle is a hybrid, see
the hybrid supplement for more
information.
Low Fuel Warning Light
This light, under the fuel gauge,
comes on briefly while the engine
is being started.This light and a chime, if the vehicle
is equipped with a radio, comes on
when the fuel tank is low on fuel.
The Driver Information Center also
displays a
“FUEL LEVEL LOW”
message. See Fuel System
Messages
on page 5‑48for more
information. When fuel is added
this light and message should go
off. If it does not, have the vehicle
serviced by your dealer.
Security Light
For information regarding this light
and the vehicle's security system,
see Anti-Theft Alarm System
on
page 2‑12.
High-Beam on Light
This light comes on when the
high-beam headlamps are in use.
See Headlamp High/Low-Beam
Changer
on page 6‑3for more
information.
Front Fog Lamp Light
For vehicles equipped with fog
lamps, this light comes on when
the fog lamps are in use.