
Black plate (4,1)Chevrolet Traverse Owner Manual - 2011
6-4 Lighting
Turn and Lane-Change
Signals
An arrow on the instrument panel
cluster flashes in the direction of the
turn or lane change.
Move the lever all the way up or
down to signal a turn.Raise or lower the lever until the
arrow starts to flash to signal a lane
change. Hold it there until the lane
change is completed. If the lever is
briefly pressed and released, the
turn signal flashes three times.
The lever returns to its starting
position whenever it is released.
If after signaling a turn or lane
change the arrow flashes rapidly or
does not come on, a signal bulb
might be burned out.
Have the bulbs replaced. If the bulb
is not burned out, check the fuse.
See
Fuses and Circuit Breakerson
page 10‑32.
Turn Signal On Chime
If either one of the turn signals are
left on and the vehicle has been
driven more than 1.2 km (3/4 mile), a
chime will sound.
Interior Lighting
Instrument Panel
Illumination Control
D
(Instrument Panel
Brightness): The knob with this
symbol on it is next to the exterior
lamps control to the left of the
steering wheel. Push the knob in
all the way until it extends out and
then turn the knob clockwise or
counterclockwise to brighten or
dim the lights. Push the knob back
in when finished.

Black plate (50,1)Chevrolet Traverse Owner Manual - 2011
9-50 Driving and Operating
Turn Signals When Towing a
Trailer
The turn signal indicators on the
instrument panel flash whenever
signaling a turn or lane change.
Properly hooked up, the trailer
lamps also flash, telling other
drivers the vehicle is turning,
changing lanes or stopping.
When towing a trailer, the arrows on
the instrument panel flash for turns
even if the bulbs on the trailer are
burned out. Check occasionally to
be sure the trailer bulbs are still
working.
Driving On Grades
Reduce speed and shift to a
lower gear before starting down a
long or steep downgrade. If the
transmission is not shifted down, the
brakes might have to be used so
much that they would get hot and no
longer work well. See“Automatic
Engine Grade Braking” within
Tow/Haul Mode on page 9‑27.
The vehicle can tow in D (Drive).
Use a lower gear if the transmission
shifts too often.
When towing at high altitude on
steep uphill grades, engine coolant
will boil at a lower temperature than
at normal altitudes. If the engine is
turned off immediately after towing
at high altitude on steep uphill
grades, the vehicle may show
signs similar to engine overheating. To avoid this, let the engine run
while parked, preferably on level
ground, with the transmission in
P (Park) for a few minutes before
turning the engine off. If the
overheat warning comes on, see
Engine Overheating on page 10‑18.
On a long uphill grade, shift down
and reduce the vehicle speed to
around 88 km/h (55 mph) to reduce
the possibility of the engine and the
transmission overheating.

Black plate (1,1)Chevrolet Traverse Owner Manual - 2011
Vehicle Care 10-1
Vehicle Care
General Information
General Information . . . . . . . . . . 10-2
California Proposition65 Warning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-2
California Perchlorate Materials Requirements . . . . 10-3
Accessories and Modifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-3
Vehicle Checks
Doing Your OwnService Work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-4
Hood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-5
Engine Compartment Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-6
Engine Cover . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-7
Engine Oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-8
Engine Oil Life System . . . . . 10-11
Automatic Transmission Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-12
Engine Air Cleaner/Filter . . . . 10-12
Cooling System . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-14
Engine Coolant . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-14
Engine Overheating . . . . . . . . 10-18 Overheated Engine
Protection
Operating Mode . . . . . . . . . . . 10-20
Power Steering Fluid . . . . . . . 10-21
Washer Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-22
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-23
Brake Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-24
Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-26
Starter Switch Check . . . . . . . 10-26
Automatic Transmission Shift Lock Control Function
Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-27
Ignition Transmission Lock Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-27
Park Brake and P (Park) Mechanism Check . . . . . . . . 10-28
Wiper Blade Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-28
Headlamp Aiming
Headlamp Aiming . . . . . . . . . . 10-29
Bulb Replacement
Bulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . 10-29
Halogen Bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-29
Taillamps, Turn Signal,Sidemarker, and
Stoplamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-30
Replacement Bulbs . . . . . . . . . 10-31
Electrical System
High Voltage Devices and
Wiring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-31
Electrical System Overload . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-31
Fuses and Circuit
Breakers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-32
Engine Compartment Fuse Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-32
Instrument Panel Fuse Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-35
Wheels and Tires
Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-38
Tire Sidewall Labeling . . . . . . 10-39
Tire Designations . . . . . . . . . . . 10-41
Tire Terminology andDefinitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-41
Tire Pressure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-44
Tire Pressure Monitor System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-45
Tire Pressure Monitor Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-47
Tire Inspection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-50
Tire Rotation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-50
When It Is Time for New Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-52
Buying New Tires . . . . . . . . . . . 10-52

Black plate (30,1)Chevrolet Traverse Owner Manual - 2011
10-30 Vehicle Care
Taillamps, Turn Signal,
Sidemarker, and
Stoplamps
A. Sidemarker Lamp
B. TaillampTo replace one of these bulbs:
1. Open the liftgate. See
Liftgate
on page 2‑9.
2. Remove the convenience net, if the vehicle has one.
3. Remove the two taillamp nutcovers.
4. Remove the two nuts holding thetaillamp assembly in place.
5. Pull out the taillamp assembly.
6. Turn the bulb socket counterclockwise and pull it
straight out to remove it from the
taillamp assembly.
7. Pull the old bulb straight out of the bulb socket.
8. Push the new bulb straight into the bulb socket until it connects.

Black plate (31,1)Chevrolet Traverse Owner Manual - 2011
Vehicle Care 10-31
9. Push the taillamp assembly backinto its original location.
When reinstalling the taillamp
assembly, make sure the pin on
the taillamp assembly lines up
and is inserted correctly into the
opening of the vehicle.
10. Reinstall the two nuts that hold the taillamp assembly in place.
11. Reinstall the two taillamp nut covers.
Replacement Bulbs
Exterior Lamp Bulb
Number
Rear
Sidemarker Lamp 194LL
Rear Turn Signal
and Taillamps 7443
(W21/5W)
For replacement bulbs not listed
here, contact your dealer.
Electrical System
High Voltage Devices and
Wiring
{WARNING
Exposure to high voltage can
cause shock, burns, and even
death. The high voltage systems
in your vehicle can only be
serviced by technicians with
special training.
High voltage devices are
identified by labels. Do not
remove, open, take apart,
or modify these devices. High
voltage cable or wiring has
orange covering. Do not probe,
tamper with, cut, or modify high
voltage cable or wiring.
Electrical System
Overload
The vehicle has fuses and circuit
breakers to protect against an
electrical system overload.
When the current electrical load is
too heavy, the circuit breaker opens
and closes, protecting the circuit
until the current load returns to
normal or the problem is fixed. This
greatly reduces the chance of circuit
overload and fire caused by
electrical problems.
Fuses and circuit breakers protect
the following in the vehicle:
.Headlamp Wiring
.Windshield Wiper Motor
.Power Windows and Other
Power Accessories
Replace a bad fuse with a new one
of the identical size and rating.
If there is a problem on the road and
a fuse needs to be replaced, the
same amperage fuse can be

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 (10,1)Chevrolet Traverse Owner Manual - 2011
i-10 INDEX
Seats (cont.)Lumbar Adjustment, Front . . . . . 3-6
Power Adjustment, Front . . . . . . 3-4
Rear . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-11
Reclining Seatbacks . . . . . . . . . . . 3-7
Third Row Seat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-13
Secondary Latch System . . . . . 10-78
Securing Child Restraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-63, 3-66
Security Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-23
Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-12
Service Accessories and
Modifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-3
Doing Your Own Work . . . . . . . . 10-4
Engine Soon Light . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-16
Maintenance Records . . . . . . . . 11-9
Maintenance, General Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-1
Parts Identification Label . . . . . 12-1
Publications Ordering Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-15 Service (cont.)
Scheduling Appointments . . . 13-10
Vehicle Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-38
Servicing the
Airbag-Equipped Vehicle . . . . . 3-44
Shift Lock Control Function Check, Automatic
Transmission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-27
Shifting
Into Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-20
Out of Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-21
Sidemarker and Stoplamps Bulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . 10-30
Signals, Turn and
Lane-Change . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-4
Spare Tire Compact . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-80
Specifications and
Capacities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-2
Speedometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-12
StabiliTrak
®Indicator Light . . . . 5-21
StabiliTrak®System . . . . . . . . . . . 9-30
Start Vehicle, Remote . . . . . . . . . . 2-5 Starter Switch Check . . . . . . . . . 10-26
Starting the Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-18
Steering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-4
Fluid, Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-21
Wheel Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-2
Wheel Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-2
Storage Areas
Armrest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-1
Cargo Cover . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-3
Cargo Management System . . . 4-4
Center Console . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-2
Convenience Net . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-4
Floor Console . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-2
Glove Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-1
Instrument Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-1
Roof Rack System . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-5
Storing the Tire Sealant and Compressor Kit . . . . . . . . . 10-68
Stuck Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-11
Sun Visors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-21
Sunroof . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-21
Symbols . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iv
System Roof Rack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-5

Black plate (11,1)Chevrolet Traverse Owner Manual - 2011
INDEX i-11
T
Tachometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-12
TaillampsBulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . 10-30
Text Telephone (TTY) Users . . . 13-6
Theft-Deterrent Systems . . . . . . . 2-14 Immobilizer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-14
Third-Row Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-13
Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-8
Tires Buying New Tires . . . . . . . . . . . 10-52
Chains . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-58
Changing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-69
Compact Spare . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-80
Designations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-41
Different Size . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-54
If a Tire Goes Flat . . . . . . . . . . 10-58
Inflation Monitor System . . . . 10-47
Inspection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-50
Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-38
Pressure Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-21
Pressure Monitor System . . . 10-45
Rotation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-50 Tires (cont.)
Sealant and
Compressor Kit . . . . . . . . . . . 10-61
Sealant and Compressor
Kit, Storing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-68
Secondary Latch System . . . 10-78
Sidewall Labeling . . . . . . . . . . . 10-39
Terminology and Definitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-41
Uniform Tire Quality Grading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-55
Wheel Alignment and Tire Balance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-56
Wheel Replacement . . . . . . . . 10-57
When It Is Time for New
Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-52
Tow/Haul Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-27
Tow/Haul Mode Light . . . . . . . . . . 5-20
Towing Driving Characteristics . . . . . . . . 9-46
Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-55
General Information . . . . . . . . . . 9-46
Recreational Vehicle . . . . . . . . 10-85
Trailer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-52
Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-85 Trailer Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-52
Transmission
Automatic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-24
Fluid, Automatic . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-12
Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-39
Transportation Program, Courtesy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-11
Turn and Lane-Change Signals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-4
Turn Signal, Bulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . 10-30
U
Ultrasonic Parking Assist . . . . . . 9-34
Uniform Tire Quality
Grading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-55
Universal Remote System . . . . . 5-48 Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-52
Programming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-48
Using this Manual . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iv