Page 314 of 394

Black plate (76,1)Chevrolet Colorado Owner Manual - 2012
10-76 Vehicle Care
Rear Position
11. Turn the wheel wrench counterclockwise to lower the
vehicle. Lower the jack
completely.
{WARNING
Wheel nuts that are improperly or
incorrectly tightened can cause
the wheels to become loose or
come off. The wheel nuts should
be tightened with a torque wrench
to the proper torque specification
(Continued)
WARNING (Continued)
after replacing. Follow the torque
specification supplied by the
aftermarket manufacturer when
using accessory locking wheel
nuts. SeeCapacities and
Specifications on page 12‑2 for
original equipment wheel nut
torque specifications.
Notice: Improperly tightened
wheel nuts can lead to brake
pulsation and rotor damage. To
avoid expensive brake repairs,
evenly tighten the wheel nuts in
the proper sequence and to the
proper torque specification. See
Capacities and Specifications on
page 12‑2 for the wheel nut
torque specification.
12. Tighten the wheel nuts firmly in a crisscross sequence, as
shown, by turning the wheel
wrench clockwise.
Reinstall the center cap when
the regular wheel and tire are
reinstalled. Place the cap on the
wheel and tap it into place until it is
flush with the wheel. The cap only
goes on one way. Be sure to line up
the tab on the center cap with the
indentation on the wheel.
Page 316 of 394

Black plate (78,1)Chevrolet Colorado Owner Manual - 2012
10-78 Vehicle Care
4. Insert the chiseled end of thejack handle at a slight angle
through the hole in the
rear bumper and into the
funnel-shaped guide.
5. Turn the wheel wrench clockwise to raise the tire part
way up. Make sure the retainer
is seated in the wheel opening
and the valve stem is
pointed down. Continue raising the tire, watch
to make sure it does not get
caught on anything on the
underbody. If the tire does get
caught, loosen two or three turns
and push and pull the tire and
then retighten.
Repeat this procedure as many
times as needed to ensure
proper stowage.
6. When the tire is properly seated to the underbody, continue
turning the wheel wrench
clockwise until you hear two
clicks or feel it skip twice. You
cannot overtighten the cable.7. Make sure the tire is storedsecurely. Push, pull (A), and
then try to turn (B) the tire. If the
tire moves, check to make sure
the tire valve stem is pointing
down, then use the wheel
wrench to loosen and then
tighten the cable.
Page 317 of 394
Black plate (79,1)Chevrolet Colorado Owner Manual - 2012
Vehicle Care 10-79
To store the tools:
1. Return the tools to thestorage bag.
2. Attach the storage bag to the floor under the front
passenger seat.
3. Reinstall the wing nut to secure the bag to the vehicle. To store the jack and wheel blocks:
Regular/Extended Cab
A. Jack
B. Wheel Blocks
C. Wing Nut
1. Install the wheel blocks (B) first.
2. Turn the wing nut (C) clockwise
to secure the wheel blocks to the
vehicle. 3. Lower the jack (A) all the way
and insert the jack into the
bracket.
4. Raise the jack by turning the handle clockwise to secure the
jack within the bracket.
5. Put the cover in position andinsert and tighten the wing nut to
secure it.
Page 318 of 394

Black plate (80,1)Chevrolet Colorado Owner Manual - 2012
10-80 Vehicle Care
Crew Cab
A. Jack
B. Wheel Blocks
C. Wing Nut
1. Attach the wheel blocks (B) tothe jack (A) with the wheel block
retainer and the wing nut (C).
2. Reinstall the jack and wheel block assembly in the mounting
bracket. Make sure to position
the holes in the base of the jack
onto the pins in the mounting
bracket. 3. Turn the handle to raise the jack
until it is secure, but do not
overtighten the jack in the
bracket.
Secondary Latch System
This vehicle has an
underbody‐mounted tire hoist
assembly that has a secondary
latch system. It is designed to stop
the spare tire from suddenly falling
off the vehicle. For the secondary
latch to work, the spare must be
installed with the valve stem
pointing down. See “Storing a Flat
or Spare Tire and Tools” underTire
Changing on page 10‑69.
{WARNING
Before beginning this procedure
read all the instructions. Failure to
read and follow the instructions
could damage the hoist assembly
and you and others could get
hurt. Read and follow the
instructions listed next. To release the spare tire from the
secondary latch:
1. Check under the vehicle to see if
the cable end fitting is visible.
2. If the cable end fitting is not visible, proceed to Step 6.
If it is visible, first try to tighten
the cable by turning the wheel
wrench clockwise until you
hear two clicks or feel it skip
twice. The cable cannot be
overtightened.
Page 319 of 394

Black plate (81,1)Chevrolet Colorado Owner Manual - 2012
Vehicle Care 10-81
3. Loosen the cable by turning thewheel wrench counterclockwise
three or four turns.
4. Repeat this procedure at least two times. If the spare tire
lowers to the ground, continue
with Step 5 under “Storing a Flat
or Spare Tire and Tools” under
Tire Changing on page 10‑69.
5. Turn the wrench counterclockwise until
approximately 15 cm (6 in) of
cable is exposed.
6. Stand the wheel blocks on their shortest ends, with the backs
facing each other.
A. Jack
B. Wheel Blocks
7. Place the bottom edge of the jack (A) on the wheel blocks (B).
Separate the wheel blocks so
that the jack is balanced
securely.8. Attach the jack handle,extension, and wheel wrench to
the jack and place it, with the
wheel blocks, under the vehicle
towards the front of the rear
bumper. Position the center lift
point of the jack under the
wheel.
9. Turn the wheel wrench clockwise to raise the jack
until it lifts the tire.
10. Continue raising the jack until the tire stops moving upward
and is held firmly in place.
Page 320 of 394

Black plate (82,1)Chevrolet Colorado Owner Manual - 2012
10-82 Vehicle Care
11. Remove the jack handle andinsert the hoist end of the
extension through the hole in
the rear bumper.
Turn the wheel wrench
counterclockwise one turn or
until the wheel retainer
assembly is disengaged.
12. Reinsert the jack handle into the jack. Lower the jack by
turning the wheel wrench
counterclockwise. Keep
lowering the jack until the
spare tire slides off the jack or
is hanging by the cable.
{WARNING
Someone standing too close
during the procedure could be
injured by the jack. If the spare
tire does not slide off the jack
completely, make sure no one is
behind you or on either side of
you as you pull the jack out from
under the spare.
13. Disconnect the jack handle from the jack and carefully
remove the jack. Use one hand
to push against the spare while
firmly pulling the jack out from
under the spare tire with the
other hand.
If the spare tire is hanging from
the cable, insert the hoist end
of the extension into the hoist
shaft hole in the bumper
and turn the wheel wrench
counterclockwise to lower the
spare the rest of the way.
14. Tilt the tire retainer at the endof the cable and pull it through
the wheel opening. Pull the tire
out from under the vehicle.
15. If the cable is hanging under the vehicle, turn the wheel
wrench clockwise to raise the
cable.
Have the hoist assembly
inspected as soon as you
can. A spare or flat tire can
not be stored using the hoist
assembly until it has been
replaced.
Page 329 of 394

Black plate (91,1)Chevrolet Colorado Owner Manual - 2012
Vehicle Care 10-91
6. Turn the ignition to LOCK/OFFand remove the key —the front
wheels will still turn.
7. Release the parking brake only after the vehicle being towed is
firmly attached to the towing
vehicle.
After towing see “Shifting Out of
N (Neutral)” underFour-Wheel Drive
on page 10‑29.
If the vehicle being towed will not be
started or driven for six weeks or
more, remove the battery cable from
the negative terminal (post) of the
battery to prevent the battery from
draining.Dolly Towing
Front Towing (Front Wheels Off
the Ground) –Two‐Wheel‐Drive
Vehicles
Notice: If a two-wheel-drive
vehicle is towed with the rear
wheels on the ground, the
transmission could be damaged.
The repairs would not be covered
by the vehicle warranty. Never
tow the vehicle with the rear
wheels on the ground. Two-wheel-drive vehicles should not
be towed with the rear wheels on
the ground. Two-wheel-drive
transmissions have no provisions
for internal lubrication while being
towed.
To dolly tow a two‐wheel‐drive
vehicle, the vehicle must be towed
with the rear wheels on the dolly.
See
“Rear Towing (Rear Wheels Off
the Ground)” later in this section for
more information.
Page 330 of 394

Black plate (92,1)Chevrolet Colorado Owner Manual - 2012
10-92 Vehicle Care
Front Towing (Front Wheels Off
the Ground)–Four-Wheel-Drive
Vehicles
Use the following procedure to dolly
tow a four-wheel-drive vehicle from
the front:
1. Attach the dolly to the tow
vehicle following the dolly
manufacturer's instructions.
2. Drive the front wheels onto the dolly. 3. Put an automatic transmission
in P (Park) or a manual
transmission in 1 (First).
4. Turn the engine off and firmly set the parking brake. See Parking
Brake on page 9‑41.
{WARNING
Shifting a full‐time
four‐wheel‐drive vehicle's
transfer case into N (Neutral)
can cause the vehicle to roll even
if the automatic transmission
is in P (Park) or the manual
transmission is in any gear. You
or others could be injured. Make
sure the parking brake is firmly
set before the transfer case is
shifted to N (Neutral).
5. Secure the vehicle to the dolly following the manufacturer's
instructions. 6. Shift the transfer case to
N (Neutral). See “Shifting into
N (Neutral)” underFour-Wheel
Drive on page 10‑29.
7. Release the parking brake only after the vehicle being towed is
firmly attached to the towing
vehicle.
8. Turn the ignition to LOCK/OFF.
After towing, see “Shifting Out of
N (Neutral)” underFour-Wheel Drive
on page 10‑29.
If the vehicle being towed will not be
started or driven for six weeks or
more, remove the battery cable from
the negative terminal (post) of the
battery to prevent the battery from
draining.