Black plate (28,1)Chevrolet Traverse Owner Manual - 2011
9-28 Driving and Operating
Brakes
Antilock Brake
System (ABS)
This vehicle has the Antilock Brake
System (ABS), an advanced
electronic braking system that helps
prevent a braking skid.
When the engine is started and the
vehicle begins to drive away, ABS
checks itself. A momentary motor or
clicking noise might be heard while
this test is going on, and it might
even be noticed that the brake
pedal moves a little. This is normal.
If there is a problem with ABS, this
warning light stays on. SeeAntilock
Brake System (ABS) Warning Light
on page 5‑20. If driving safely on a wet road and it
becomes necessary to slam on the
brakes and continue braking to
avoid a sudden obstacle, a
computer senses that the wheels
are slowing down. If one of the
wheels is about to stop rolling, the
computer will separately work the
brakes at each wheel.
ABS can change the brake pressure
to each wheel, as required, faster
than any driver could. This can help
the driver steer around the obstacle
while braking hard.
As the brakes are applied, the
computer keeps receiving updates
on wheel speed and controls
braking pressure accordingly.
Remember: ABS does not change
the time needed to get a foot up to
the brake pedal or always decrease
stopping distance. If you get too
close to the vehicle in front of you,
there will not be enough time to
apply the brakes if that vehicle
suddenly slows or stops. Always
leave enough room up ahead to
stop, even with ABS.
Using ABS
Do not pump the brakes. Just hold
the brake pedal down firmly and let
ABS work. You might hear the ABS
pump or motor operating and feel
the brake pedal pulsate, but this is
normal.
Braking in Emergencies
ABS allows the driver to steer and
brake at the same time. In many
emergencies, steering can help
more than even the very best
braking.
Black plate (30,1)Chevrolet Traverse Owner Manual - 2011
9-30 Driving and Operating
Ride Control Systems
StabiliTrak®System
The vehicle has the StabiliTrak
system which combines antilock
brake, traction and stability control
systems and helps the driver
maintain directional control of the
vehicle in most driving conditions.
When you first start the vehicle and
begin to drive away, the system
performs several diagnostic checks
to ensure there are no problems.
The system may be heard or felt
while it is working. This is normal
and does not mean there is a
problem with the vehicle. The
system should initialize before the
vehicle reaches 32 km/h (20 mph).
In some cases, it may take
approximately 3.2 km (2 miles) of
driving before the system initializes.
If the system fails to turn on or
activate, one of the following
messages will be displayed on the
Driver Information Center (DIC):
SERVICE TRACTION CONTROL,SERVICE STABILITRAK, the
StabiliTrak light will come on and
stay and four chimes are heard.
If these conditions are observed,
turn the vehicle off, wait
15 seconds, and then turn it back
on again to reset the system. If any
of these messages still appear on
the Driver Information Center (DIC),
the vehicle should be taken in for
service. For more information on the
DIC messages, see
Driver
Information Center (DIC) (With DIC
Buttons)
on page 5‑24or Driver
Information Center (DIC) (Without
DIC Buttons) on page 5‑29.
The StabiliTrak light will flash on the
instrument panel cluster when the
system is both on and activated.
The system may be heard or felt
while it is working; this is normal.
The traction control button is located
on the instrument panel.
The traction control part of
StabiliTrak can be turned off by
pressing and releasing the traction
control button.
Traction control can be turned on by
pressing and releasing the traction
control button and the appropriate
TRACTION CONTROL ON
message will be displayed, if not
automatically shut off for any other
reason.
When the traction control system is
turned off, the appropriate
TRACTION CONTROL OFF
message will be displayed on the
DIC. The vehicle will still have
brake-traction control when traction
control is off, but will not be able to
use the engine speed management
Black plate (40,1)Chevrolet Traverse Owner Manual - 2011
9-40 Driving and Operating
.The back of the vehicle is in
an accident, the position and
mounting angle of the camera
can change or the camera can
be affected. Be sure to have the
camera and its position and
mounting angle checked at
your dealer.
.There are extreme temperature
changes.
The rear vision camera system
display in the rearview mirror may
turn off or not appear as expected
due to one of the following
conditions. If this occurs the
left indicator light on the mirror
will flash.
.A slow flash may indicate a loss
of video signal, or no video
signal present during the
reverse cycle.
.A fast flash may indicate that the
display has been on for the
maximum allowable time during
a reverse cycle, or the display
has reached an Over
Temperature limit.
The fast flash conditions are
used to protect the video device
from high temperature
conditions. Once conditions
return to normal the device will
reset and the green indicator will
stop flashing.
During any of these fault conditions,
the display will be blank and the
indicator will continue to flash as
long as the vehicle is in R (Reverse)
or until the conditions return to
normal.
Pressing and holding
zwhen the
left indicator light is flashing will turn
off the video display along with the
left indicator light.
Fuel
Use of the recommended fuel is
an important part of the proper
maintenance of this vehicle. To help
keep the engine clean and maintain
optimum vehicle performance, we
recommend the use of gasoline
advertised as TOP TIER Detergent
Gasoline.
Look for the TOP TIER label on the
fuel pump to ensure gasoline meets
enhanced detergency standards
developed by auto companies. A list
of marketers providing TOP TIER
Detergent Gasoline can be found at
www.toptiergas.com.
Black plate (12,1)Chevrolet Traverse Owner Manual - 2011
10-12 Vehicle Care
3. Press and hold the set/resetbutton until “100%”is displayed.
Three chimes sound and the
CHANGE ENGINE OIL SOON
message goes off.
4. Turn the key to LOCK/OFF.
If the CHANGE ENGINE OIL SOON
message comes back on when the
vehicle is started, the engine oil life
system has not been reset. Repeat
the procedure.
Automatic Transmission
Fluid
It is not necessary to check the
transmission fluid level.
A transmission fluid leak is the only
reason for fluid loss. If a leak
occurs, take the vehicle to the
dealer and have it repaired as soon
as possible. Change the fluid at the intervals
listed in
Scheduled Maintenance
on
page 11‑2, and be sure to use the
transmission fluid listed in
Recommended Fluids and
Lubricants on page 11‑6.
Notice: Use of the incorrect
automatic transmission fluid may
damage the vehicle, and the
damages may not be covered by
the vehicle's warranty. Always
use the automatic transmission
fluid listed in Recommended
Fluids and Lubricants
on
page 11‑6.
The transmission fluid will not reach
the end of the dipstick unless the
transmission is at operating
temperature. If you need to check
the transmission fluid level, please
take the vehicle to your dealer.
Engine Air Cleaner/Filter
When to Inspect the Engine Air
Cleaner/Filter
Inspect the air cleaner/filter at the
scheduled maintenance intervals
and replace it at the first oil change
after each 80 000 km (50,000 mile)
interval. See Scheduled
Maintenance
on page 11‑2for
more information. If you are driving
in dusty/dirty conditions, inspect the
filter at each engine oil change.
See Engine Compartment Overview
on page 10‑6for the location of the
engine air cleaner/filter.
How to Inspect the Engine Air
Cleaner/Filter
To inspect the air cleaner/filter,
remove the filter from the vehicle
and lightly shake the filter (away
from vehicle) to release loose dust
and dirt. If the filter remains caked
with dirt, a new filter is required.
Black plate (1,1)Chevrolet Traverse Owner Manual - 2011
INDEX i-1
A
Accessories andModifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-3
Accessory Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-18
Add-On Electrical Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-57
Adding Equipment to the
Airbag-Equipped Vehicle . . . . . 3-45
Adjustments Lumbar, Front Seats . . . . . . . . . . . 3-6
Air Cleaner/Filter, Engine . . . . . 10-12
Air Vents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-12
Airbag System
Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-46
How Does an AirbagRestrain? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-37
Passenger Sensing System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-39
What Makes an Airbag Inflate? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-36
What Will You See After an Airbag Inflates? . . . . . . . . . . 3-38 Airbag System (cont.)
When Should an Airbag
Inflate? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-35
Where Are the Airbags? . . . . . . 3-33
Airbags Adding Equipment to theVehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-45
Passenger Status Indicator . . . 5-15
Readiness Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-15
Servicing Airbag-Equipped Vehicles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-44
System Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-31
Alarm System Anti-Theft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-12
All-Wheel Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-27
AM-FM Radio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-6
Antenna Multi-Band . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-12
Anti-Theft Alarm System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-12
Alarm System Messages . . . . . 5-37
Antilock Brake System (ABS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-28
Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-20 Appearance Care
Exterior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-89
Interior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-92
Armrest Storage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-1
Assistance Program, Roadside . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-8, 13-10
Audio Players . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-12
CD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-12
CD/DVD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-14
MP3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-21, 7-27
Audio System
Radio Reception . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-11
Rear Seat (RSA) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-44
Theft-Deterrent Feature . . . . . . . . 7-2
Automatic Door Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-8
Automatic Transmission . . . . . . . 9-24 Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-12
Manual Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-26
Automatic Transmission Shift Lock Control
Function Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-27
Auxiliary Devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-33
Black plate (2,1)Chevrolet Traverse Owner Manual - 2011
i-2 INDEX
B
Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-26Jump Starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-81
Load Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-6
Power Protection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-7
Voltage and ChargingMessages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-32
Blade Replacement, Wiper . . . 10-28
Blind Spot Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-16
Bluetooth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-46
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-23 Antilock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-28
Assist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-29
Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-24
Parking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-29
System Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-32
Braking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-3
Break-In, New Vehicle . . . . . . . . . 9-16
Bulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-31 Halogen Bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-29
Headlamp Aiming . . . . . . . . . . . 10-29
Headlamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-29
Taillamps, Turn Signal,
Sidemarker, and
Stoplamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-30
Buying New Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-52
C
Calibration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-6
California Fuel Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . 9-41
Perchlorate MaterialsRequirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-3
Warning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-2
Camera, Rear Vision . . . . . . . . . . 9-36
Canadian Vehicle Owners . . . . . . . . iii
Capacities and Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-2
Carbon Monoxide Engine Exhaust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-22
Liftgate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-9
Winter Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-9
Cargo
Cover . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-3
Management System . . . . . . . . . . 4-4
Tie Downs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-3
Cautions, Danger, and
Warnings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iv
CD DVD Player . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-14
CD Player . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-12
Center Console Storage . . . . . . . . 4-2
Chains, Tire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-58 Charging System Light . . . . . . . . 5-16
Check
Engine Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-16
IgnitionTransmission Lock . . . . . . . . 10-27
Child Restraints Infants and Young
Children . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-49
Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children . . . . . . . . . 3-56
Older Children . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-47
Securing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-63, 3-66
Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-52
Where to Put the Restraint . . . 3-54
Circuit Breakers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-32
Cleaning Exterior Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-89
Interior Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-92
Climate Control Systems . . . . . . . 8-1 Dual Automatic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-4
Rear . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-10, 8-11
Clock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-8
Cluster, IP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-11
Collision Damage Repair . . . . . 13-12
Compact Spare Tire . . . . . . . . . . 10-80
Compass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-6
Black plate (4,1)Chevrolet Traverse Owner Manual - 2011
i-4 INDEX
Driving for Better FuelEconomy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-23
Dual Automatic Climate Control System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-4
DVD Rear Seat EntertainmentSystem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-35
DVD/CD Player . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-14
E
Electrical Equipment, Add-On . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-57
Electrical System
Engine CompartmentFuse Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-32
Fuses and Circuit Breakers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-32
Instrument Panel Fuse
Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-35
Overload . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-31 Engine
Air Cleaner/Filter . . . . . . . . . . . 10-12
Check and Service Engine
Soon Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-16
Compartment Overview . . . . . . . 10-6
Coolant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-14
Coolant Temperature Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-13
Coolant Temperature Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-21
Cooling System . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-14
Cooling System Messages . . . 5-33
Cover . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-7
Drive Belt Routing . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-3
Exhaust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-22
Overheated Protection
Operating Mode . . . . . . . . . . . 10-20
Overheating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-18
Power Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-35
Pressure Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-22
Running While Parked . . . . . . . . 9-23
Starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-18 Engine Oil
Life System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10-11
Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-34
Entry Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-5
Equipment, Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-55
Event Data Recorders . . . . . . . . 13-17
Extender, Safety Belt . . . . . . . . . . 3-29
Exterior Lamp Controls . . . . . . . . . 6-1
F
Features Memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-7
Filter
Engine Air Cleaner . . . . . . . . . 10-12
Flash-to-Pass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-2
Flashers, Hazard Warning . . . . . . 6-3
Flat Tire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-58
Flat Tire, Changing . . . . . . . . . . . 10-69
Floor Console Storage . . . . . . . . . . 4-2
Floor Mats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-95
Black plate (6,1)Chevrolet Traverse Owner Manual - 2011
i-6 INDEX
Heated and Ventilated FrontSeats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-10
Heated Front Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-9
Heated Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-16
High Voltage Devices and Wiring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-31
High-Beam On Light . . . . . . . . . . . 5-23
Highway Hypnosis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-7
Hill and Mountain Roads . . . . . . . . 9-8
Hood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-5
Horn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-4
How to Wear Safety Belts
Properly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-19
I
Ignition Positions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-16
Ignition Transmission LockCheck . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-27
Immobilizer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-14
Infants and Young Children, Restraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-49
Instrument Cluster . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-11
Instrument Panel Storage Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-1
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .iii, 7-1
J
Jump Starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-81
K
Key and Lock Messages . . . . . . . 5-36
Keyless Entry Remote (RKE) System . . . . . . . . 2-3
Keyless Entry System . . . . . . . . . . 2-2
Keys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-2
L
Labeling, Tire Sidewall . . . . . . . . 10-39
Lamp Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-36
Lamps Courtesy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-5
Dome . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-5
Exterior Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-1
Malfunction Indicator . . . . . . . . . 5-16
Reading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-5
Lap-Shoulder Belt . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-24
LATCH System
Replacing Parts After aCrash . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-63
Latch, Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children . . . . . . . . . . 3-56 Liftgate
Carbon Monoxide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-9
Lighting Delayed Entry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-6
Delayed Exit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-6
Entry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-5
Illumination Control . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-4
Parade Dimming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-6
Lights Airbag Readiness . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-15
Antilock Brake System(ABS) Warning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-20
Charging System . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-16
Cruise Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-23
Engine Coolant Temperature Warning . . . . . . . 5-21
Engine Oil Pressure . . . . . . . . . . 5-22
Flash-to-Pass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-2
High-Beam On . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-23
High/Low Beam Changer . . . . . . 6-2
Safety Belt Reminders . . . . . . . . 5-14
Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-23
StabiliTrak
®Indicator . . . . . . . . . 5-21
Tire Pressure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-21
Tow/Haul Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-20