Black plate (1,1)Chevrolet Colorado Owner Manual - 2012
2012 Chevrolet Colorado Owner ManualM
In Brief. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-1
Instrument Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-2
Initial Drive Information . . . . . . . . 1-3
Vehicle Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-15
Performance and Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-17
Keys, Doors, and Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-1
Keys and Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-2
Doors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-7
Vehicle Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-9
Exterior Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-12
Interior Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-13
Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-15
Seats and Restraints . . . . . . . . . 3-1
Head Restraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-2
Front Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-3
Rear Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-8
Safety Belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-10
Airbag System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-20
Child Restraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-34 Storage
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-1
Storage Compartments . . . . . . . . 4-1
Instruments and Controls . . . . 5-1
Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-2
Warning Lights, Gauges, and Indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-6
Information Displays . . . . . . . . . . 5-19
Vehicle Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-22
Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-1
Exterior Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-1
Interior Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-6
Lighting Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-7
Infotainment System . . . . . . . . . 7-1
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-1
Radio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-7
Audio Players . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-15
Phone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-21
Climate Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-1
Climate Control Systems . . . . . . 8-1
Air Vents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-3 Driving and Operating
. . . . . . . . 9-1
Driving Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-2
Starting and Operating . . . . . . . 9-22
Engine Exhaust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-30
Automatic Transmission . . . . . . 9-31
Manual Transmission . . . . . . . . . 9-34
Drive Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-36
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-40
Ride Control Systems . . . . . . . . 9-42
Cruise Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-46
Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-48
Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-53
Conversions and Add-Ons . . . 9-63
Vehicle Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-1
General Information . . . . . . . . . . 10-2
Vehicle Checks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-4
Headlamp Aiming . . . . . . . . . . . 10-35
Bulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . 10-35
Electrical System . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-38
Wheels and Tires . . . . . . . . . . . 10-46
Jump Starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-84
Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-89
Appearance Care . . . . . . . . . . . 10-94
Black plate (1,1)Chevrolet Colorado Owner Manual - 2012
In Brief 1-1
In Brief
Instrument Panel
Instrument Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-2
Initial Drive Information
Initial Drive Information . . . . . . . . 1-3
Remote Keyless Entry (RKE)System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-4
Door Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-4
Tailgate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-5
Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-6
Seat Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-7
Heated Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-8
Head Restraint Adjustment . . . . 1-8
Safety Belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-8 Passenger Sensing System . . . 1-9
Mirror Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-9
Steering Wheel
Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-10
Interior Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-11
Exterior Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-12
Windshield Wiper/Washer . . . . 1-12
Climate Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-13
Four-Wheel Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-14
Vehicle Features
Radio(s) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-15
Satellite Radio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-16
Cruise Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-16
Driver Information
Center (DIC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-17
Power Outlets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-17
Performance and Maintenance
Traction Control
System (TCS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-17
StabiliTrak
®System . . . . . . . . . 1-18
Tire Pressure Monitor . . . . . . . . 1-18
Engine Oil Life System . . . . . . 1-18
Driving for Better Fuel Economy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-19
Roadside Assistance Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-19
OnStar
®. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-20
Black plate (4,1)Chevrolet Colorado Owner Manual - 2012
1-4 In Brief
Remote Keyless Entry
(RKE) System
The RKE transmitter is used to lock
and unlock the doors from up to 9 m
(30 ft) away from the vehicle.
Press UNLOCK to unlock the doors
and press LOCK to lock them.
Press
Lto sound the horn and
to flash the exterior lamps for
30 seconds. Lock and unlock feedback can
be personalized. See
Driver
Information Center (DIC) on
page 5‑19.
See Keys on page 2‑2 andRemote
Keyless Entry (RKE) System
Operation on page 2‑3.
Door Locks
Manual Door Locks
Lock or unlock the doors from the
outside with the key in the driver
or front passenger door or press
the LOCK or UNLOCK button
on the Remote Keyless Entry
(RKE) transmitter.From inside the vehicle, move
the lever on the door forward or
rearward to lock or unlock the door.
Seeing the red line on the lever
indicates the door is unlock.
Black plate (5,1)Chevrolet Colorado Owner Manual - 2012
In Brief 1-5
Power Door Locks
Vehicles with power door locks, the
switches are located on the front
door armrests.
Press L to lock the doors.
Press U to unlock the doors.
For more information see:
.Door Locks on page 2‑4.
.Power Door Locks on page 2‑5.
Safety Locks (Crew Cab)
If the vehicle is a crew cab model, it
may have rear door safety locks on
the rear doors. With this feature,
the rear doors are locked so they
cannot be opened from the inside.
The rear door safety locks are
located on the inside edge of each
rear door below the safety lock
label.
For more information, seeSafety
Locks (Crew Cab) on page 2‑6.
Tailgate
Open the tailgate by pulling up on
the outside handle while pulling the
tailgate down.
On vehicles with a locking tailgate,
use the ignition key to unlock it.
For more information see Tailgate
on page 2‑7.
Black plate (11,1)Chevrolet Colorado Owner Manual - 2012
In Brief 1-11
To adjust:
1. Hold the steering wheel and pullthe lever toward you.
2. Move the steering wheel up or down.
3. Release the lever to lock the wheel in place.
Do not adjust the steering wheel
while driving.Interior Lighting
Dome Lamps
The dome lamps come on when any
door is opened.
To manually turn on the dome
lamps, turn the thumbwheel, located
next to the exterior lamps control, all
the way up. The cargo lamps may
come on, if the vehicle is equipped
with Bluetooth. In this position, the
lamps remain on whether a door is
opened or closed. Reading Lamps
Press the lens on the lamps to turn
each reading lamp on or off.
These lamps will not come on with
the dome lamps.
For more information see:
.“Dome Lamp Override”
under
Dome Lamps on page 6‑6.
.Instrument Panel Illumination
Control on page 6‑6.
.Exit Lighting on page 6‑7.
Black plate (17,1)Chevrolet Colorado Owner Manual - 2012
In Brief 1-17
Driver Information
Center (DIC)
The DIC is located on the
instrument panel cluster. It displays
the status of many vehicle systems
and enables some features to be
personalized.
Use the trip reset stem located on
the instrument panel cluster to scroll
through the available functions.
For more information, seeDriver
Information Center (DIC) on
page 5‑19.
Vehicle Personalization
Some vehicle features can be
personalized through the DIC.
These features include:
.Language: English, Spanish,
or French
.Automatic Door Locks
.RKE Feedback For more information, see
Driver
Information Center (DIC) on
page 5‑19.
Power Outlets
The accessory power outlets can be
used to plug in electrical equipment,
such as a cell phone or MP3 player.
The vehicle may have an accessory
power outlet located below the
climate control system and on the
rear of the center console.
See Power Outlets on page 5‑5.
Performance and
Maintenance
Traction Control
System (TCS)
The traction control system limits
wheel spin. The system turns on
automatically every time the vehicle
is started.
.To turn off traction control, press
and release the TCS/StabiliTrak
button on the instrument panel.
gilluminates and the appropriate
DIC message is displayed. See
Ride Control System Messages
on page 5‑25.
.Press and release the TCS/
StabiliTrak button again to turn
on traction control.
For more information, see Traction
Control System (TCS) on
page 9‑42.
Black plate (20,1)Chevrolet Colorado Owner Manual - 2012
1-20 In Brief
OnStar®
For vehicles with an active OnStar
subscription, OnStar uses several
innovative technologies and live
Advisors to provide a wide range
of safety, security, navigation,
diagnostics, and calling services.
Automatic Crash Response
In a crash, built‐in sensors
automatically alert an OnStar
Advisor who is immediately
connected to the vehicle to see if
you need help.
How OnStar Service Works
Q:Push this blue button to
connect to a specially trained
OnStar Advisor to verify your
account information and to answer
questions.
]: Push this red emergency
button to get priority help from
specially trained OnStar Emergency
Advisors.
X: Push this button for hands‐free,
voice‐activated calling and to give
voice commands for Hands‐Free
Calling and Turn‐by‐Turn
Navigation.
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 on all vehicles. For more information,
see the OnStar Owner's Guide;
visit 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 OnStar Advisor
24 hours a day, seven days a week.
For a full description of OnStar
services and system limitations, see
the OnStar Owner's Guide in the
glove box.
OnStar service is subject to the
OnStar Terms and Conditions
included in the OnStar Glove
Box Kit.
OnStar service requires wireless
communication networks and the
Global Positioning System (GPS)
satellite network. Not all OnStar
services are available everywhere
or on all vehicles at all times.
Black plate (1,1)Chevrolet Colorado Owner Manual - 2012
Keys, Doors, and Windows 2-1
Keys, Doors, and
Windows
Keys and Locks
Keys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-2
Remote Keyless Entry (RKE)System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-2
Remote Keyless Entry (RKE) System Operation . . . . . . . . . . . 2-3
Door Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-4
Power Door Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-5
Automatic Door Locks . . . . . . . . . 2-5
Lockout Protection . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-6
Safety Locks (Crew Cab) . . . . . 2-6
Doors
Rear Doors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-7
Tailgate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-7
Vehicle Security
Vehicle Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-9
Anti-theft Alarm System . . . . . . . 2-9
Immobilizer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-10
Immobilizer Operation (PASS-Key III+
Canada Only) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-10
Immobilizer Operation (Passlock U.S. Only) . . . . . . . 2-12
Exterior Mirrors
Convex Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-12
Manual Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-12
Power Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-13
Interior Mirrors
Manual Rearview Mirror . . . . . . 2-13
Automatic Dimming RearviewMirror . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-14
Windows
Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-15
Manual Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-15
Power Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-16
Rear Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-17
Sun Visors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-17