Black plate (22,1)Chevrolet Avalanche Owner Manual - 2012
2-22 Keys, Doors, and Windows
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:
1(Rear Window Defogger):
Press to heat the mirrors.
See “Rear Window Defogger” under
Dual Automatic Climate Control
System on page 8‑4 orClimate
Control Systems on page 8‑1 for
more information.
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).
See Vehicle Personalization (With
DIC Buttons) on page 5‑45 for more
information.
Interior Mirrors
Manual Rearview Mirror
Hold the mirror in the center to
move it for a clearer view of behind
your vehicle. Adjust the mirror to
avoid glare from the headlamps
behind you. Push the tab at the
bottom of the mirror forward for
daytime use and pull it for
nighttime 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.
Black plate (24,1)Chevrolet Avalanche Owner Manual - 2012
2-24 Keys, Doors, and Windows
Power Windows
{WARNING
Leaving children in a vehicle with
the keys is dangerous for many
reasons. Children or others could
be badly injured or even killed.
They could operate the power
windows or other controls or even
make the vehicle move. The
windows will function and they
could be seriously injured or killed
if caught in the path of a closing
window. Do not leave keys in a
vehicle with children.
When there are children in the
rear seat use the window lockout
button to prevent unintentional
operation of the windows.
The power window switches are
located on each of the side doors.
The driver door also has switches
that control the front passenger and
rear windows. The power windows
work when the ignition is in ON/
RUN or ACC/ACCESSORY, or in
Retained Accessory Power (RAP).
SeeRetained Accessory Power
(RAP) on page 9‑28.
Press the switch to lower the
window. Pull up the front of the
switch to raise the window.
Express Down Windows
Windows that have the
express‐down feature allow the
windows to be lowered without
holding the switch. Press the
window switch fully and release it to
activate the express‐down feature.
The express mode can be canceled
at any time by briefly pressing,
or pulling the switch.
Window Lockout
o(Window Lockout): The
window lockout switch is on the
driver door. This feature prevents
the rear passenger windows from
operating, except from the driver
position. Press the switch to turn
the lockout feature on or off. An
indicator light shows the feature
is on.
Black plate (25,1)Chevrolet Avalanche Owner Manual - 2012
Keys, Doors, and Windows 2-25
Sun Visors
Pull the sun visor down to block
glare. Detach the sun visor from the
center mount to pivot to the side
window, or to extend along the rod,
if available.
Roof
Sunroof
A. Open or Close Sunroof
B. Vent
On vehicles with a sunroof, there
are two sunroof switches on the
overhead console above the
rearview mirror.The sunroof only operates when the
ignition is in ON/RUN or ACC/
ACCESSORY, or in Retained
Accessory Power (RAP). See
Retained Accessory Power (RAP)
on page 9‑28.
To open or close the sunroof, press
the open or close switch (A) to the
first detent position.
To express open or close the
sunroof, press the open or close
switch (A) to the second detent
position and release. To stop the
movement, press the switch again.
The sunroof has a comfort stop
feature which stops the sunroof from
opening to the full-open position.
From the comfort stop position,
press the open or close switch (A) a
second time to open the sunroof to
the full-open position.
Black plate (26,1)Chevrolet Avalanche Owner Manual - 2012
2-26 Keys, Doors, and Windows
To automatically vent or close the
sunroof, press the vent open or
close switch (B).
When the sunroof is opened, an air
deflector will automatically raise.
The air deflector will retract when
the sunroof is closed.
The sunroof also has a sunshade
which can be pulled forward to block
sun rays. The sunshade must be
opened and closed manually.
If an object is in the path of the
sunroof while it is closing, the
anti-pinch feature will detect the
object and stop the sunroof.
Dirt and debris may collect on the
sunroof seal or in the track. This
could cause an issue with sunroof
operation, noise, or plugging the
water drainage system. Periodically
open the sunroof and remove any
obstacles or loose debris. Wipe the
sunroof seal and roof sealing area
using a clean cloth, mild soap, and
water. Do not remove grease from
the sunroof.
Black plate (8,1)Chevrolet Avalanche Owner Manual - 2012
3-8 Seats and Restraints
Memory Remote Recall
The memory feature can recall the
driver seat, outside mirrors, and
pedals, if equipped, to stored
positions when entering the vehicle.
To activate, unlock the driver
door with the Remote Keyless
Entry (RKE) transmitter. The driver
seat, outside mirrors, and adjustable
pedals, if equipped, will move to the
memory position associated with the
transmitter used to unlock the
vehicle.
This feature can be turned on or off
using the vehicle personalization
menu. SeeVehicle Personalization
(With DIC Buttons) on page 5‑45 for
more information.
To stop recall movement, press one
of the power seat controls, memory
buttons, or power mirror buttons,
or the adjustable pedal switch. If something has blocked the driver
seat and/or the adjustable pedals
while recalling a memory position,
the recall may stop. Remove the
obstruction; then press and hold the
appropriate manual control for the
memory item that is not recalling
for two seconds. Try recalling the
memory position again by pressing
the appropriate memory button.
If the memory position is still not
recalling, see your dealer for
service.
Easy Exit Driver Seat
This feature can move the seat
rearward to allow extra room to exit
the vehicle.
B(Easy Exit Driver Seat):
Press
to recall the easy exit seat position.
The vehicle must be in P (Park). If the easy exit seat feature is
programmed on in the vehicle
personalization menu, automatic
seat movement occurs when the
ignition key is removed.
A single beep sounds. The driver
seat moves back approximately
8 cm (3 in). To move the seat back
farther, press
Bagain until the
seat is all the way back.
If something has blocked the driver
seat while recalling the exit position,
the recall may stop. Remove the
obstruction; then press and hold
the power seat control rearward for
two seconds. Try recalling the exit
position again. If the exit position is
still not recalling, see your dealer for
service.
See Vehicle Personalization (With
DIC Buttons) on page 5‑45 for more
information.
Black plate (25,1)Chevrolet Avalanche Owner Manual - 2012
Seats and Restraints 3-25
Driver Side Shown, PassengerSide Similar
The roof-rail airbags for the driver,
right front passenger, and second
row outboard passengers are in the
ceiling above the side windows.
{WARNING
If something is between an
occupant and an airbag, the
airbag might not inflate properly
or it might force the object into
that person causing severe injury (Continued)
WARNING (Continued)
or even death. The path of an
inflating airbag must be kept
clear. Do not put anything
between an occupant and an
airbag, and do not attach or put
anything on the steering wheel
hub or on or near any other
airbag covering.
Do not use seat accessories that
block the inflation path of a
seat-mounted side impact airbag.
Never secure anything to the roof
of a vehicle with roof-rail airbags
by routing a rope or tie‐down
through any door or window
opening. If you do, the path of an
inflating roof-rail airbag will be
blocked.
When Should an Airbag
Inflate?
Frontal airbags are designed to
inflate in moderate to severe frontal
or near-frontal crashes to help
reduce the potential for severe
injuries mainly to the driver's or right
front passenger's head and chest.
However, they are only designed to
inflate if the impact exceeds a
predetermined deployment
threshold. Deployment thresholds
are used to predict how severe a
crash is likely to be in time for the
airbags to inflate and help restrain
the occupants.
Whether the frontal airbags will or
should deploy is not based on how
fast your vehicle is traveling.
It depends largely on what you hit,
the direction of the impact, and how
quickly your vehicle slows down.
Black plate (28,1)Chevrolet Avalanche Owner Manual - 2012
3-28 Seats and Restraints
What Will You See after
an Airbag Inflates?
After the frontal airbags and
seat-mounted side impact airbags
inflate, they quickly deflate, so
quickly that some people may not
even realize an airbag inflated.
Roof-rail airbags may still be at least
partially inflated for some time after
they deploy. Some components of
the airbag module may be hot for
several minutes. For location of the
airbag modules, seeWhat Makes
an Airbag Inflate? on page 3‑27.
The parts of the airbag that come
into contact with you may be warm,
but not too hot to touch. There may
be some smoke and dust coming
from the vents in the deflated
airbags. Airbag inflation does not
prevent the driver from seeing out of
the windshield or being able to steer
the vehicle, nor does it prevent
people from leaving the vehicle.
{WARNING
When an airbag inflates, there
may be dust in the air. This dust
could cause breathing problems
for people with a history of
asthma or other breathing trouble.
To avoid this, everyone in the
vehicle should get out as soon as
it is safe to do so. If you have
breathing problems but cannot
get out of the vehicle after an
airbag inflates, then get fresh air
by opening a window or a door.
If you experience breathing
problems following an airbag
deployment, you should seek
medical attention.
The vehicle may have a feature that
may automatically unlock the doors,
turn on the interior lamps and
hazard warning flashers, and shut
off the fuel system after the airbags
inflate. You can lock the doors, turn off the interior lamps and hazard
warning flashers by using the
controls for those features.
{WARNING
A crash severe enough to inflate
the airbags may have also
damaged important functions in
the vehicle, such as the fuel
system, brake and steering
systems, etc. Even if the vehicle
appears to be drivable after a
moderate crash, there may be
concealed damage that could
make it difficult to safely operate
the vehicle.
Use caution if you should attempt
to restart the engine after a crash
has occurred.
In many crashes severe enough to
inflate the airbag, windshields are
broken by vehicle deformation.
Additional windshield breakage
may also occur from the right front
passenger airbag.
Black plate (1,1)Chevrolet Avalanche Owner Manual - 2012
Instruments and Controls 5-1
Instruments and
Controls
Controls
Steering Wheel Adjustment . . . 5-2
Steering Wheel Controls . . . . . . 5-3
Horn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-5
Windshield Wiper/Washer . . . . . 5-5
Compass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-6
Clock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-8
Power Outlets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-9
Warning Lights, Gauges, and
Indicators
Warning Lights, Gauges, andIndicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-10
Instrument Cluster . . . . . . . . . . . 5-11
Speedometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-12
Odometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-12
Trip Odometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-12
Tachometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-12
Fuel Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-12
Engine Oil Pressure Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-13
Engine Coolant Temperature Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-14 Voltmeter Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-15
Safety Belt Reminders . . . . . . . 5-15
Airbag Readiness Light . . . . . . 5-16
Passenger Airbag Status
Indicator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-17
Charging System Light . . . . . . 5-18
Malfunction Indicator Lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-19
Brake System Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-21
Antilock Brake System (ABS) Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-22
Tow/Haul Mode Light . . . . . . . . 5-23
StabiliTrak
®OFF Light . . . . . . . 5-23
Traction Control System (TCS)/StabiliTrak
®Light . . . . 5-23
Tire Pressure Light . . . . . . . . . . 5-24
Engine Oil Pressure Light . . . . 5-24
Low Fuel Warning Light . . . . . . 5-25
Security Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-25
High-Beam On Light . . . . . . . . . 5-26
Front Fog Lamp Light . . . . . . . . 5-26
Cruise Control Light . . . . . . . . . 5-26
Information Displays
Driver Information Center (DIC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-26
Vehicle Messages
Vehicle Messages . . . . . . . . . . . 5-35
Battery Voltage and ChargingMessages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-36
Brake System Messages . . . . 5-36
Door Ajar Messages . . . . . . . . . 5-37
Engine Cooling System Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-37
Engine Oil Messages . . . . . . . . 5-38
Engine Power Messages . . . . 5-39
Fuel System Messages . . . . . . 5-39
Key and Lock Messages . . . . . 5-40
Lamp Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-40
Object Detection System Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-40
Ride Control System Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-40
Airbag System Messages . . . . 5-42
Anti-theft Alarm System Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-42
Tire Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-42
Transmission Messages . . . . . 5-43
Vehicle Reminder Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-44
Washer Fluid Messages . . . . . 5-44