2012 CHEVROLET AVALANCHE tailgate

Black plate (16,1)Chevrolet Avalanche Owner Manual - 2012
2-16 Keys, Doors, and Windows
Tailgate
{WARNING
It is extremely dangerous to ride
on the tailgate, even when the
vehicle is operated at low speeds.
People riding on the tailgate
can easily lose their balance
and fall in response to vehicle
maneuvers. Falling from a moving
vehicle may result in serious
injuries or death. Do not allow
people to ride on the tailgate.
Be sure everyone in your vehicle
is in a seat and using a safety
belt properly.Use the Remote Keyless
Entry (RKE) transmitter or power
door lock switch to lock and unlock
the tailgate.
Open the tailgate by lifting up on its
handle while pulling the tailgate
toward you.
To close the tailgate, push it firmly
upward until it latches. Push and
pull on the tailgate to be sure it is
latched securely.
Tailgate Removal
The tailgate is not to be removed.
Removing the tailgate may cause
damage to electrical connector
resulting in loss of lock/unlock and
rear vision camera function.
Power Assist Steps
The vehicle may have power assist
steps.
The switch used to disable the
power assist steps is located on the
center console below the climate
control system.
The power assist steps
automatically extend from beneath
the vehicle on the side in which the
door has been opened. Once the
door is closed, the assist steps
automatically move back under the
vehicle after a brief delay. The
vehicle must not be moving for the
assist steps to extend or retract.
The assist steps cannot be disabled
in the extended position.

Black plate (17,1)Chevrolet Avalanche Owner Manual - 2012
Keys, Doors, and Windows 2-17
Vehicle Security
This vehicle has theft-deterrent
features; however, they do not make
it impossible to steal.
Anti-theft Alarm System
Your vehicle has a content
theft-deterrent alarm system.
This is the security light.
To arm the theft-deterrent system:
1. Open the door.
2. Lock the door with the RemoteKeyless Entry (RKE) transmitter
or the power door lock switch.
The security light will come on to
inform the driver the system is
arming. If a door is open when
the doors are locked, the
security light will flash. If the delayed locking feature is
turned on, the theft‐deterrent
system will not start the arming
process until the last door is
closed and the delay timer has
expired. See
Delayed Locking
on page 2‑8.
3. Close all doors. The security light should go off after about
30 seconds. The alarm is not
armed until the security light
goes off.
The content theft deterrent
system does not sense if the
midgate or tailgate are open or
ajar, therefore, vehicle contents
may not be protected if the
midgate is left open or ajar.
If a locked driver door is opened
without using the RKE transmitter,
a ten 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 ten second pre-alarm, the alarm will go off.
Your 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 vehicle's key or the manual door
lock. It activates only if you use the
power door lock switch with the door
open or the RKE transmitter. You
should also remember that you can
start your vehicle with the correct
ignition key if the alarm has been
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 the doors with the
RKE transmitter. Unlocking a
door any other way will set off
the alarm if it is armed.

Black plate (3,1)Chevrolet Avalanche Owner Manual - 2012
Storage 4-3
Even when all of these things are
working properly and the cover
system is on, there may be some
instances (heavy rains, automated
car washes, etc.) when water can
collect in the following areas:
A. Top drain grates
B. Removable front drain grate(Midgate drain grate) C. Side rail channels and
catch cups
D. Front drains
E. Water drainage area around both sides of the box and the
tailgate side
F. Rear drains
G. Cargo floor
H. Cargo matMaintenance and Cleaning
To ensure that the water
management system performs
properly, be sure that the Midgate,
tailgate, and cover system are fully
closed and that all parts are clean
and not blocked with debris. Follow
the instructions given next in this
section for the proper procedures on
cleaning each item.
Top Drain Grates –Removal
and Cleaning
The top drain grates are located
near the rear window on both sides
of the vehicle. Clean the grates and
drains if there is a blockage.

Black plate (6,1)Chevrolet Avalanche Owner Manual - 2012
4-6 Storage
Additional Storage
Features
Cargo Cover Panels
For vehicles with a three-piece
cargo cover system, the cargo
panels can be removed and stored
in the cargo area of the vehicle.
{WARNING
Improperly stored cargo cover
panels could be thrown about the
vehicle during a collision or
sudden maneuver. Someone
could be injured. If a panel is
removed, always store it in the
proper storage location. When
putting it back, always make sure
that it is securely reattached.Notice:
Exceeding the weight
limit of 113 kg (250 lbs) can
damage the cargo covers, and the
repairs would not be covered by
the vehicle warranty. Do not put
anything on top of the cargo
covers over the weight limit.
To remove a cargo panel(s):
1. Lower the tailgate. See Tailgate
on page 2‑16 for more
information on the tailgate.
The panels are embossed on
the upper center portion with the
numbers 1, 2 and 3. There are also numbered labels on the
bottom of the panels. The
numbers on the top and bottom
of the panels will be used as
reference when removing,
storing and reinstalling the
panels.
2. Unlock the cargo panel 3 by
pulling forward on the driver side
and passenger side cargo panel
latches, located on the bottom of
each cargo panel.

Black plate (46,1)Chevrolet Avalanche Owner Manual - 2012
5-46 Instruments and Controls
Press the customization button until
the DISPLAY LANGUAGE screen
appears on the DIC display. Press
the set/reset button once to access
the settings for this feature. Then
press the customization button to
scroll through the following settings:
ENGLISH (default):All messages
will appear in English.
FRANCAIS: All messages will
appear in French.
ESPANOL: All messages will
appear in Spanish.
NO CHANGE: No change will be
made to this feature. The current
setting will remain.
To select a setting, press the set/
reset button while the desired
setting is displayed on the DIC.
You can also change the language
by pressing the trip odometer reset
stem. See “Language” under DIC
Operation and Displays (Without
DIC Buttons) earlier in this section
for more information. AUTO DOOR LOCK
This feature allows you to select
when the vehicle's doors will
automatically lock. See
Automatic
Door Locks on page 2‑8 for more
information.
Press the customization button until
AUTO DOOR LOCK appears on the
DIC display. Press the set/reset
button once to access the settings
for this feature. Then press the
customization button to scroll
through the following settings:
SHIFT OUT OF PARK (default):
The doors, including the tailgate, will
automatically lock when the vehicle
is shifted out of P (Park).
AT VEHICLE SPEED: The doors,
including the tailgate, will
automatically lock when the vehicle
speed is above 13 km/h (8 mph) for
3 seconds.
NO CHANGE: No change will be
made to this feature. The current
setting will remain. To select a setting, press the set/
reset button while the desired
setting is displayed on the DIC.
AUTO DOOR UNLOCK
This feature allows you to select
whether or not to turn off the
automatic door unlocking feature.
It also allows you to select which
doors and when the doors will
automatically unlock. See
Automatic
Door Locks on page 2‑8 for more
information.
Press the customization button until
AUTO DOOR UNLOCK appears on
the DIC display. Press the set/reset
button once to access the settings
for this feature. Then press the
customization button to scroll
through the following settings:
OFF: None of the doors will
automatically unlock.
DRIVER AT KEY OUT: Only the
driver door will unlock when the key
is taken out of the ignition.

Black plate (47,1)Chevrolet Avalanche Owner Manual - 2012
Instruments and Controls 5-47
DRIVER IN PARK:Only the driver
door will unlock when the vehicle is
shifted into P (Park).
ALL AT KEY OUT: All of the doors,
including the tailgate, will unlock
when the key is taken out of the
ignition.
ALL IN PARK (default): All of the
doors, including the tailgate, will
unlock when the vehicle is shifted
into P (Park).
NO CHANGE: No change will be
made to this feature. The current
setting will remain.
To select a setting, press the set/
reset button while the desired
setting is displayed on the DIC.
REMOTE DOOR LOCK
This feature allows you to select the
type of feedback you will receive
when locking the vehicle with the
Remote Keyless Entry (RKE)
transmitter. You will not receive feedback when locking the vehicle
with the RKE transmitter if the doors
are open. See
Remote Keyless
Entry (RKE) System Operation on
page 2‑3 for more information.
Press the customization button until
REMOTE DOOR LOCK appears on
the DIC display. Press the set/reset
button once to access the settings
for this feature. Then press the
customization button to scroll
through the following settings:
OFF: There will be no feedback
when you press the lock button on
the RKE transmitter.
LIGHTS ONLY: The exterior lamps
will flash when you press the lock
button on the RKE transmitter.
HORN ONLY: The horn will sound
on the second press of the lock
button on the RKE transmitter. HORN & LIGHTS (default):
The
exterior lamps will flash when you
press the lock button on the RKE
transmitter, and the horn will sound
when the lock button is pressed
again within five seconds of the
previous command.
NO CHANGE: No change will be
made to this feature. The current
setting will remain.
To select a setting, press the set/
reset button while the desired
setting is displayed on the DIC.
REMOTE DOOR UNLOCK
This feature allows you to select the
type of feedback you will receive
when unlocking the vehicle with the
Remote Keyless Entry (RKE)
transmitter. You will not receive
feedback when unlocking the
vehicle with the RKE transmitter if
the doors are open. See Remote
Keyless Entry (RKE) System
Operation on page 2‑3 for more
information.

Black plate (48,1)Chevrolet Avalanche Owner Manual - 2012
5-48 Instruments and Controls
Press the customization button until
REMOTE DOOR UNLOCK appears
on the DIC display. Press the set/
reset button once to access the
settings for this feature. Then press
the customization button to scroll
through the following settings:
LIGHTS OFF:The exterior lamps
will not flash when you press the
unlock button on the RKE
transmitter.
LIGHTS ON (default): The exterior
lamps will flash when you press the
unlock button on the RKE
transmitter.
NO CHANGE: No change will be
made to this feature. The current
setting will remain.
To select a setting, press the set/
reset button while the desired
setting is displayed on the DIC. DELAY DOOR LOCK
This feature allows you to select
whether or not the locking of the
vehicle's doors and tailgate will be
delayed. When locking the doors
and tailgate with the power door
lock switch and a door or the
tailgate is open, this feature will
delay locking the doors and tailgate
until five seconds after the last door
is closed. You will hear three chimes
to signal that the delayed locking
feature is in use. The key must be
out of the ignition for this feature to
work. You can temporarily override
delayed locking by pressing the
power door lock switch twice. See
Delayed Locking on page 2‑8
for
more information.
Press the customization button until
DELAY DOOR LOCK appears on
the DIC display. Press the set/reset button once to access the settings
for this feature. Then press the
customization button to scroll
through the following settings:
OFF:
There will be no delayed
locking of the vehicle's doors.
ON (default): The doors will not
lock until five seconds after the last
door or the tailgate is closed.
NO CHANGE: No change will be
made to this feature. The current
setting will remain.
To select a setting, press the set/
reset button while the desired
setting is displayed on the DIC.
EXIT LIGHTING
This feature allows you to select the
amount of time you want the
exterior lamps to remain on when it
is dark enough outside. This
happens after the key is turned from
ON/RUN to LOCK/OFF.
Press the customization button until
EXIT LIGHTING appears on the DIC
display. Press the set/reset button

Black plate (54,1)Chevrolet Avalanche Owner Manual - 2012
9-54 Driving and Operating
Object Detection
Systems
Ultrasonic Parking Assist
If available, the Ultrasonic Rear
Parking Assist (URPA) system
assists the driver with parking
and avoiding objects while in
R (Reverse). URPA operates at
speeds less than 8 km/h (5 mph).
The sensors on the rear bumper
detect objects up to 2.5 m (8 ft)
behind the vehicle, and at least
25 cm (10 in) off the ground.
{WARNING
The URPA system does not
detect pedestrians, bicyclists,
animals, or any other objects
located below the bumper or that
are too close or too far from the
vehicle. To prevent injury, death,(Continued)
WARNING (Continued)
or vehicle damage, even with
URPA, always check behind the
vehicle and check all mirrors
before backing.
How the System Works
URPA comes on automatically when
the shift lever is moved into
R (Reverse). A single tone sounds
to indicate the system is working.
URPA operates only at speeds less
than 8 km/h (5 mph).
An obstacle is indicated by audible
beeps. The interval between the
beeps becomes shorter as the
vehicle gets closer to the obstacle.
When the distance is less than
30 cm (12 in) the beeping is a
continuous tone for five seconds. To be detected, objects must be at
least 25 cm (10 in) off the ground
and below tailgate level. Objects
must also be within 2.5 m (8 ft) from
the rear bumper. This distance may
be less during warmer or humid
weather.
Turning the System On and Off
The URPA system can be turned on
and off using the rear park aid
disable button located next to the
radio.
The indicator light comes on when
the system is disabled and turns off
when the system is on.