Black plate (5,1)Chevrolet Avalanche Owner Manual - 2012
OnStar 14-5
OnStar Mobile App
With an iPhone®or
Android™-based mobile device, an
OnStar mobile app can be
downloaded. The vehicle can be
remote started, if equipped, or the
doors can be unlocked from
anywhere there is cell phone
service. It can also check the fuel
level, tire pressure, and oil life.
It can connect to an OnStar Advisor
anytime. For OnStar mobile app
compatibility or further information,
see www.onstar.com.
Diagnostics
OnStar Vehicle Diagnostics will
perform a vehicle check every
month. It will check the engine,
transmission, antilock brakes, and
major vehicle systems. It also
checks the tire pressures, if the
vehicle is equipped with the Tire
Pressure Monitoring System. If a
diagnostics check is needed
between e-mails, push
Q, and an
Advisor can run a check.
OnStar Additional
Information
Transferring Service
PushQto request account transfer
eligibility information. The Advisor
can assist in canceling or removing
account information. If OnStar
receives information that vehicle
ownership has changed, OnStar
may send a voice message to the
vehicle, requesting updated account
information.
Reactivation for Subsequent
Owners
PushQand follow the prompts to
speak to an Advisor as soon as
possible after acquiring the vehicle.
The Advisor will update vehicle
records and will explain the OnStar
service offers and options available.
Black plate (6,1)Chevrolet Avalanche Owner Manual - 2012
14-6 OnStar
How OnStar Service Works
Automatic Crash Response,
Emergency Services, Crisis Assist,
Stolen Vehicle Assistance, Vehicle
Diagnostics, Remote Door Unlock,
Roadside Assistance, Turn-by-Turn
Navigation, and Hands-Free Calling
are available on most vehicles. Not
all OnStar services are available
everywhere or on all vehicles. For
more information, a full description
of OnStar services, system
limitations, and OnStar terms and
conditions, see www.onstar.com
(U.S.) or www.onstar.ca (Canada);
contact OnStar at 1-888-4-ONSTAR
(1‐888‐466‐7827) or TTY
1‐877‐248‐2080; or push
Qto
speak with an Advisor. OnStar
services require a vehicle electrical
system, wireless service, and GPS
satellite technologies to be available
and operating for features to
function properly. These systems
may not operate if the battery is
discharged or disconnected. OnStar service cannot work unless
your vehicle is in a place where
OnStar has an agreement with a
wireless service provider for service
in that area, and the wireless
service provider has coverage,
network capacity, reception, and
technology compatible with OnStar
’s
service. Service involving location
information about the vehicle cannot
work unless GPS signals are
available, unobstructed, and
compatible with the OnStar
hardware. OnStar service may not
work if the OnStar equipment is not
properly installed or it has not been
properly maintained. If equipment or
software is added, connected,
or modified, OnStar service may not
work. Other problems beyond
OnStar ’s control may prevent
service such as hills, tall buildings,
tunnels, weather, electrical system
design and architecture of the
vehicle, damage to the vehicle in a
crash, or wireless phone network
congestion or jamming. See
Radio Frequency Statement on
page 13‑20 for information
regarding Part 15 of the Federal
Communications Commission (FCC)
rules and Industry Canada
Standards RSS-GEN/210/220/310.
Services for People with
Disabilities
Advisors provide services to help
subscribers with physical disabilities
and medical conditions.
Push
Qfor help with:
.Locating a gas station with an
attendant to pump gas.
.Finding a hotel, restaurant, etc.,
that meets accessibility needs.
.Providing directions to the
closest hospital or pharmacy in
urgent situations.
Black plate (7,1)Chevrolet Avalanche Owner Manual - 2012
OnStar 14-7
TTY Users
OnStar has the ability to
communicate to the deaf,
hard‐of‐hearing, or speech‐impaired
customers while in the vehicle. The
available dealer‐installed TTY
system can provide in-vehicle
access to all of the OnStar services,
except Virtual Advisor and OnStar
Turn‐by‐Turn Navigation.
Onstar.com
The website provides access to
account information, manages the
OnStar subscription, and allows
viewing of videos of each service.
Get subscription plan pricing and
sign up for OnStar Vehicle
Diagnostics. Click on the“My
Account” tab on the home page.
OnStar Personal Identification
Number (PIN)
A PIN is needed to access some of
the OnStar services, like Remote
Door Unlock and Stolen Vehicle
Assistance. You will be prompted to
change the PIN the first time when
speaking with an Advisor. To
change the OnStar PIN, call OnStar
and provide the Advisor with the
current number.
Warranty
OnStar equipment may be
warranted as part of the new-vehicle
limited warranty. The manufacturer
of the vehicle furnishes detailed
warranty information.
Languages
The vehicle can be programmed to
respond in French or Spanish. Push
Qand ask an Advisor. Advisors
can speak French or Spanish.
Potential Issues
Some OnStar services are disabled
after five days. OnStar cannot
perform Remote Door Unlock or
Stolen Vehicle Assistance after the
vehicle has been off continuously
for five days. After five days, OnStar
can contact Roadside Assistance
and a locksmith to help gain access
to the vehicle.
Global Positioning
System (GPS)
.Obstruction of the GPS can
occur in a large city with tall
buildings; in parking garages;
around airports; in tunnels,
underpasses, or parking
garages; or in an area with very
dense trees. If GPS signals are
not available, the OnStar system
should still operate to call
OnStar. However, OnStar could
have difficulty identifying the
exact location.
Black plate (1,1)Chevrolet Avalanche Owner Manual - 2012
INDEX i-1
A
Accessories andModifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-3
Accessory Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-28
Active Fuel Management
®. . . . . 9-30
Add-On Electrical Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-84
Additional Information, OnStar
®. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14-5
Adjustable Throttle and Brake Pedal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-22
Adjustments Lumbar, Front Seats . . . . . . . . . . . 3-4
Air Cleaner/Filter, Engine . . . . . 10-16
Air Vents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-10
Airbag Adding Equipment to theVehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-34
Airbag System Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-35
How Does an Airbag
Restrain? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-27
Passenger Sensing System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-29
What Makes an Airbag
Inflate? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-27 Airbag System (cont'd)
What Will You See after an
Airbag Inflates? . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-28
When Should an Airbag
Inflate? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-25
Where Are the Airbags? . . . . . . 3-24
Airbags Passenger Status Indicator . . . 5-17
Readiness Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-16
Servicing Airbag-EquippedVehicles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-34
System Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-22
Alarm System Anti-theft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-17
AM-FM Radio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-8
Antenna Satellite Radio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-13
Anti-theft
Alarm System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-17
Alarm System Messages . . . . . 5-42
Antilock Brake System (ABS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-44
Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-22 Appearance Care
Exterior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-96
Interior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-99
Armrest Storage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-1
Assistance Program, Roadside . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-7, 13-9
Audio Players . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-14
CD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-14
CD/DVD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-19
Audio System Radio Reception . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-13
Rear Seat (RSA) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-45
Theft-Deterrent Feature . . . . . . . . 7-2
Automatic Door Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-8
Headlamp System . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-4
Level Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-50
Automatic Transmission . . . . . . . 9-32 Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-13
Manual Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-35
Shift Lock ControlFunction Check . . . . . . . . . . . 10-33
Auxiliary Devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-30
Axle, Front . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-31
Axle, Rear . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-31
Black plate (3,1)Chevrolet Avalanche Owner Manual - 2012
INDEX i-3
CleaningExterior Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-96
Interior Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-99
Climate Control Systems . . . . . . . 8-1 Air Conditioning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-1
Dual Automatic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-4
Heating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-1
Clock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-8
Cluster, Instrument . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-11
Collision Damage Repair . . . . . 13-14
Compass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-6
Connections, OnStar
®. . . . . . . . . 14-4
Continuous Damping Control (CDC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-50
Control of a Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-4
Convex Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-20
Coolant Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-18
Engine TemperatureGauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-14
Cooling System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-18
Engine Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-37
Courtesy Transportation Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-13
Cover
Cargo Panels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-6 Cruise Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-51
Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-26
Cupholders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-1
Customer Assistance . . . . . . . . . . 13-6 Offices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-4, 13-5
Text Telephone (TTY)Users . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-6
Customer Information Service PublicationsOrdering Information . . . . . . 13-16
Customer Satisfaction
Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-1, 13-3
D
Damage Repair, Collision . . . . . 13-14
Danger, Warnings, andCautions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iv
Data Recorders, Event . . . . . . . 13-19
Daytime Running
Lamps (DRL) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-3
Defensive Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-3
Delayed Locking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-8
Devices, Auxiliary . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-30
Diagnostics, OnStar
®. . . . . . . . . . 14-5
Distracted Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-2
Dome Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-7 Door
Ajar Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-37
Delayed Locking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-8
Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-7
Power Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-8
Drive Belt Routing, Engine . . . . . 12-3
Driver Information Center (DIC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-26
Driving Characteristics andTowing Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-67
Defensive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-3
Drunk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-3
For Better Fuel Economy . . . . . 1-26
Highway Hypnosis . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-12
Hill and Mountain Roads . . . . . . 9-12
If the Vehicle is Stuck . . . . . . . . . 9-15
Loss of Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-5
Off-Road . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-6
Off-Road Recovery . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-5
Vehicle Load Limits . . . . . . . . . . . 9-16
Wet Roads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-11
Winter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-13
Dual Automatic Climate Control System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-4
Black plate (5,1)Chevrolet Avalanche Owner Manual - 2012
INDEX i-5
Front Fog LampLight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-26
Front Seats Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-3
Heated and Ventilated . . . . . . . . . 3-9
Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-60 Additives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-62
E85 (85% Ethanol) . . . . . . . . . . . 9-63
Filling a Portable Fuel
Container . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-66
Filling the Tank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-64
Fuels in Foreign Countries . . . . 9-62
Gasoline Specifications . . . . . . . 9-61
Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-12
Low Fuel Warning Light . . . . . . . 5-25
Management, Active . . . . . . . . . . 9-30
Recommended . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-61
Requirements, California . . . . . 9-61
System Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-39
Fuel Economy Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-26
Full-Size Spare Tire . . . . . . . . . . 10-86 Fuses
Engine Compartment
Fuse Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-41
Fuses and Circuit Breakers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-41
Instrument Panel Fuse Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-46
G
Garage Door Opener . . . . . . . . . . 5-53
Programming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-53
Gasoline Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-61
Gauges Engine CoolantTemperature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-14
Engine Oil Pressure . . . . . . . . . . 5-13
Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-12
Odometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-12
Speedometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-12
Tachometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-12
Trip Odometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-12
Voltmeter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-15
Warning Lights and Indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-10 General Information
Service and Maintenance . . . . . 11-1
Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-66
Vehicle Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-2
Glass Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . 10-35
Glove Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-1
GM Mobility Reimbursement Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-7H
Halogen Bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-38
Hazard Warning Flashers . . . . . . . 6-5
Head Restraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-2
HeadlampsAiming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-35
Automatic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-4
Bulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . 10-38
Daytime RunningLamps (DRL) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-3
Flash-to-Pass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-3
High-Beam On Light . . . . . . . . . . 5-26
High/Low Beam Changer . . . . . . 6-3
Heated and Ventilated Front
Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-9
Heated Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-22
Black plate (7,1)Chevrolet Avalanche Owner Manual - 2012
INDEX i-7
Locking Rear Axle . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-49
LocksAutomatic Door . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-8
Delayed Locking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-8
Door . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-7
Lockout Protection . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-8
Power Door . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-8
Safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-8
Loss of Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-5
Low Fuel Warning Light . . . . . . . . 5-25
Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children (LATCH
System) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-45
Lumbar Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-4 Front Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-4
M
MaintenanceRecords . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11-15
Maintenance Schedule Recommended Fluidsand Lubricants . . . . . . . . . . . . .11-12
Transfer Case . . . . . . . . . . 9-37, 9-42
Malfunction Indicator Lamp . . . . 5-19
Manual Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-35
Memory Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-9 Memory Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-7
Messages
Airbag System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-42
Anti-theft Alarm System . . . . . . . 5-42
Battery Voltage andCharging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-36
Brake System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-36
Door Ajar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-37
Engine Cooling System . . . . . . . 5-37
Engine Oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-38
Engine Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-39
Fuel System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-39
Key and Lock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-40
Lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-40
Object Detection System . . . . . 5-40
Ride Control System . . . . . . . . . . 5-40
Tire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-42
Transmission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-43
Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-35
Vehicle Reminder . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-44
Washer Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-44
Midgate
®. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-9 Mirrors
Automatic Dimming
Rearview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-22
Convex . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-20
Folding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-21
Heated . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-22
Manual Rearview . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-22
Park Tilt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-22
Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-20
Monitor System, Tire Pressure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-58
N
Navigation
Vehicle Data Recordingand Privacy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-20
Navigation, OnStar
®. . . . . . . . . . . 14-2
New Vehicle Break-In . . . . . . . . . . 9-22
Black plate (8,1)Chevrolet Avalanche Owner Manual - 2012
i-8 INDEX
O
Object Detection SystemMessages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-40
Odometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-12 Trip . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-12
Off-Road . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-6 Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-6
Recovery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-5
Oil Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-8
Engine Oil Life System . . . . . .10-11
Engine Oil PressureGauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-13
Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-38
Pressure Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-24
Older Children, Restraints . . . . . 3-36
Online Owner Center . . . . . . . . . . 13-6
OnStar
®
Additional Information . . . . . . . . 14-5
Connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14-4
Diagnostics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14-5
Emergency . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14-2
Navigation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14-2
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14-1
Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14-2
OnStar
®System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-27 Operation, Infotainment
System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-3
Ordering Service Publications . . . . . . . . 13-16
Outlets Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-9
Overheated Engine
Protection
Operating Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-24
Overheating, Engine . . . . . . . . . . 10-22
Overview, OnStar
®. . . . . . . . . . . . 14-1
P
Park Shifting into . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-28
Shifting out of . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-29
Park Tilt Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-22
Parking Assist, Ultrasonic . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-54
Brake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-45
Brake and P (Park)Mechanism Check . . . . . . . . 10-34
Over Things That Burn . . . . . . . 9-30
Passenger Airbag Status Indicator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-17
Passenger Sensing System . . . 3-29 Perchlorate Materials
Requirements, California . . . . . 10-3
Personalization Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-45
Phone Bluetooth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-47
Power
Door Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-8
Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-20
Outlets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-9
Protection, Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-8
Retained Accessory (RAP) . . . 9-28
Seat Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-4
Steering Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-25
Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-24
Power Assist Steps . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-16
Pregnancy, Using Safety
Belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-19
Privacy Radio FrequencyIdentification (RFID) . . . . . . . 13-20
Program Courtesy Transportation . . . . 13-13
Proposition 65 Warning, California . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-2