2011 CHEVROLET TRAVERSE Owners Manual

Black plate (17,1)Chevrolet Traverse Owner Manual - 2011
Instruments and Controls 5-17
emissions are at acceptable levels
for the life of the vehicle, helping to
produce a cleaner environment.
This light should come on when the
ignition is on, but the engine is not
running, as a check to show it is
working. If it does not, have the
vehicle serviced by your dealer.
If the Malfunction Indicator Lamp
comes on and stays on while the
engine is running, this indicates that
there is an OBD II problem and
service is required.
Malfunctions often are indicated by
the system before any problem is
apparent. Being aware of the light
can prevent more serious damage
to the vehicle. This system assists
the service technician in correctly
diagnosing any malfunction.Notice:
If the vehicle is
continually driven with this light
on, after a while, the emission
controls might not work as well,
the vehicle fuel economy might
not be as good, and the engine
might not run as smoothly. This
could lead to costly repairs that
might not be covered by the
vehicle warranty.
Notice: Modifications made to the
engine, transmission, exhaust,
intake, or fuel system of the
vehicle or the replacement
of the original tires with other
than those of the same Tire
Performance Criteria (TPC) can
affect the vehicle's emission
controls and can cause this light
to come on. Modifications to
these systems could lead to
costly repairs not covered by the
vehicle warranty. This could also
result in a failure to pass a
required Emission Inspection/
Maintenance test. See
Accessories and Modifications
on
page 10‑3. This light comes on during a
malfunction in one of two ways:
Light Flashing:
A misfire condition
has been detected. A misfire
increases vehicle emissions and
could damage the emission control
system on the vehicle. Diagnosis
and service might be required.
To prevent more serious damage to
the vehicle:
.Reduce vehicle speed.
.Avoid hard accelerations.
.Avoid steep uphill grades.
.If towing a trailer, reduce the
amount of cargo being hauled as
soon as it is possible.
If the light continues to flash, when
it is safe to do so, stop the vehicle.
Find a safe place to park the
vehicle. Turn the vehicle off, wait at
least 10 seconds, and restart the
engine. If the light is still flashing,
follow the previous steps and see
your dealer for service as soon
as possible.

Black plate (18,1)Chevrolet Traverse Owner Manual - 2011
5-18 Instruments and Controls
Light On Steady:An emission
control system malfunction has
been detected on the vehicle.
Diagnosis and service might be
required.
An emission system malfunction
might be corrected:
.Make sure the fuel cap is fully
installed. See Filling the Tankon
page 9‑44. The diagnostic
system can determine if the
fuel cap has been left off or
improperly installed. A loose or
missing fuel cap allows fuel to
evaporate into the atmosphere.
A few driving trips with the cap
properly installed should turn the
light off.
.If the vehicle has been driven
through a deep puddle of water,
the vehicle's electrical system
might be wet. The condition is
usually corrected when the
electrical system dries out.
A few driving trips should turn
the light off.
.Make sure to fuel the vehicle
with quality fuel. Poor fuel quality
causes the engine not to run as
efficiently as designed and can
cause: stalling after start-up,
stalling when the vehicle is
changed into gear, misfiring,
hesitation on acceleration,
or stumbling on acceleration.
These conditions might go away
once the engine is warmed up.
If one or more of these
conditions occurs, change the
fuel brand used. It will require at
least one full tank of the proper
fuel to turn the light off.
See Recommended Fuel
on
page 9‑41.
If none of the above have made the
light turn off, your dealer can check
the vehicle. The dealer has the
proper test equipment and
diagnostic tools to fix any
mechanical or electrical problems
that might have developed.
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.

Black plate (19,1)Chevrolet Traverse Owner Manual - 2011
Instruments and Controls 5-19
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
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, there
is a brake problem. Have the brake
system inspected right away.
EnglishMetric
If the vehicle has antilock brakes,
this light should come on when the
key is turned to START. If it does
not come on, have it fixed so it will
be ready to warn if there is a
problem.
When the ignition is on, the brake
system warning light also comes
on when the parking brake is set.
The light stays on if the parking
brake does not fully release. If it
stays on after the parking brake is
fully released, it means the vehicle
has a brake problem.

Black plate (20,1)Chevrolet Traverse Owner Manual - 2011
5-20 Instruments and Controls
If, while driving, the light comes on
and a brake message comes on the
Driver Information Center (DIC), pull
off the road and stop carefully. The
pedal could be harder to push or the
pedal can go closer to the floor.
It could take longer to stop. If the
light is still on, have the vehicle
towed for service. SeeAntilock
Brake System (ABS) Warning Light
on page 5‑20and Towing the
Vehicle on page 10‑85.
{WARNING
The brake system might not be
working properly if the brake
system warning light is on.
Driving with the brake system
warning light on can lead to a
crash. If the light is still on after
the vehicle has been pulled off
the road and carefully stopped,
have the vehicle towed for
service. The brake message remains on until
the menu button is pressed. The
brake light remains until the problem
is fixed. See
Brake System
Messages
on page 5‑32for more
information.
Antilock Brake System
(ABS) Warning Light
The ABS warning light comes on
briefly when the ignition key is
turned to ON/RUN. This is normal.
If the light does not come on then,
have it fixed so it will be ready to
warn you if there is a problem.
If the light stays on, turn the ignition
to LOCK/OFF. If the light comes on
while driving, stop as soon as
possible and turn the ignition off. Then start the engine again to reset
the system. If the light still stays on,
or comes on again while driving, the
vehicle needs service. If the regular
brake system warning light is not
on, there are still brakes, but no
antilock brakes. If the regular brake
system warning light is also on,
there are no antilock brakes and
there is a problem with the regular
brakes. See
Brake System Warning
Light on page 5‑19.
Tow/Haul Mode Light
This light comes on when the Tow/
Haul mode has been activated.
For more information, see Tow/Haul
Mode on page 9‑27.

Black plate (21,1)Chevrolet Traverse Owner Manual - 2011
Instruments and Controls 5-21
StabiliTrak®Indicator
Light
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 goes off.
If it stays on, or comes on while
driving, there could be a problem
with the StabiliTrak system and the
vehicle might need service. When
this warning light is on, the system
is off and will not limit wheel spin.
This light flashes when the
StabiliTrak system is active.
See StabiliTrak
®Systemon
page 9‑30for more information.
Engine Coolant
Temperature Warning
Light
The engine coolant temperature
warning light comes on briefly
when the engine is started.
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
while driving, the vehicle may have
a problem with the cooling system.
Stop the vehicle and turn off the
engine to avoid damage to the
engine. A warning chime sounds
when this light is on.
See Engine Overheating
on
page 10‑18for more information.
Tire Pressure Light
For vehicles with a Tire Pressure
Monitor System, this light comes on
briefly when the engine is started.
It provides information about tire
pressures and the Tire Pressure
Monitor System.
When the Light is On Steady
This indicates that one or more of
the tires are significantly
underinflated.
A tire pressure message can
accompany the light. See Tire
Messages
on page 5‑38for more
information. Stop as soon as
possible, and inflate the tires to the
pressure value shown on the Tire
and Loading Information Label. See
Tire Pressure
on page 10‑44for
more information.

Black plate (22,1)Chevrolet Traverse Owner Manual - 2011
5-22 Instruments and Controls
When the Light Flashes First and
Then is On Steady
This indicates that there may be a
problem with the Tire Pressure
Monitor System. The light flashes
for about a minute and stays on
steady for the remainder of the
ignition cycle. This sequence
repeats with every ignition cycle.
SeeTire Pressure Monitor
Operation
on page 10‑47for more
information.
Engine Oil Pressure Light
{WARNING
Do not keep driving if the oil
pressure is low. The engine can
become so hot that it catches fire.
Someone could be burned. Check
the oil as soon as possible and
have the vehicle serviced.
Notice: Lack of proper engine oil
maintenance can damage the
engine. The repairs would not be
covered by the vehicle warranty.
Always follow the maintenance
schedule for changing engine oil.
The oil pressure light should come
on briefly as the engine is started.
If it does not come on have the
vehicle serviced by your dealer.
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 might have
some other system problem.

Black plate (23,1)Chevrolet Traverse Owner Manual - 2011
Instruments and Controls 5-23
Security Light
This light flashes when the security
system is activated.
For more information, seeAnti-Theft
Alarm System on page 2‑12.
High-Beam on Light
The high-beam on light comes on
when the high-beam headlamps are
in use.
See Headlamp High/Low-Beam
Changer
on page 6‑2for more
information.
Cruise Control Light
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 9‑32for more
information.

Black plate (24,1)Chevrolet Traverse Owner Manual - 2011
5-24 Instruments and Controls
Information Displays
Driver Information Center
(DIC) (With DIC Buttons)
If your vehicle has DIC buttons, the
information below explains the
operation of this system.
The DIC displays information about
your vehicle. It also displays
warning messages if a system
problem is detected.
All messages will appear in the
DIC display located at the top of
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 also displays a shift lever
position indicator on the bottom line
of the display. SeeAutomatic
Transmission
on page 9‑24for
more information. The outside air temperature and
compass, if equipped, also display
on the DIC when viewing the trip
and fuel information. The outside air
temperature automatically appears
in the top right corner of the
DIC display. If there is a problem
with the system that controls the
temperature display, the numbers
will be replaced with dashes. If this
occurs, have the vehicle serviced.
The compass will be shown in
the bottom right corner of the
DIC display. See
Compass
on
page 5‑6for more information.
The DIC has different displays
which can be accessed by pressing
the DIC buttons located on the
instrument panel.
The DIC also allows some features
to be customized. See Vehicle
Personalization (With DIC Buttons)
on page 5‑41for more information.
If your vehicle has DIC buttons, you
can also use the trip odometer reset
stem to view the odometer and trip
odometers. DIC Buttons
The DIC buttons are located in the
center of the instrument panel.
The buttons are the set/reset,
customization, vehicle information,
and trip/fuel buttons. The button
functions are detailed in the
following pages.
V(Set/Reset):
Press this button to
set or reset certain functions and to
turn off or acknowledge messages
on the DIC.
U(Customization): Press this
button to customize the feature
settings on your vehicle. See
Vehicle Personalization (With DIC
Buttons)
on page 5‑41for more
information.