2012 CHEVROLET COLORADO instrument cluster

Black plate (22,1)Chevrolet Colorado Owner Manual - 2012
5-22 Instruments and Controls
The following are the available
modes:
RFA 1 (default):This mode flashes
the parking lamps when you press
the lock or unlock buttons on the
RKE transmitter.
RFA 2: This mode flashes the
parking lamps and sounds the horn
when you press the lock button on
the RKE transmitter. This mode also
flashes the parking lamps when you
press the unlock button on the RKE
transmitter.
RFA 3: This mode flashes the
parking lamps and sounds the horn
when you press the lock or unlock
buttons on the RKE transmitter.
RFA 4: This mode disables RKE
feedback. There will be no feedback
when you press the lock or unlock
buttons on the RKE transmitter.Vehicle Messages
Messages are displayed on the DIC
to notify the driver that the status of
the vehicle has changed and that
some action may be needed by
the driver to correct the condition.
Multiple messages may appear one
after another. The messages are
displayed for several seconds each.
Some messages may not require
immediate action, but you should
press and release the trip odometer
reset stem to acknowledge that
you received the messages and to
clear them from the display. Each
message must be acknowledged
individually.
Some messages cannot be cleared
from the DIC display because they
are more urgent. These messages
require action before they can be
cleared. You should take any
messages that appear on the
display seriously and remember that
clearing the messages only makes
the messages disappear, not correct
the problem. The following are the possible
messages that can be displayed
and some information about them.
Battery Voltage and
Charging Messages
SERVICE CHARG (Charge)
SYS (System)
This message displays if there is a
problem with the battery charging
system. Under certain conditions,
the battery warning light may also
turn on in the instrument panel
cluster. See
Charging System Light
on page 5‑12. The battery will not
be charging at an optimal rate and
the vehicle will lose the ability to
enter the fuel economy mode. The
vehicle is safe to drive, however
have the electrical system checked
by your dealer. Press and release
the reset stem to acknowledge
the message and clear it from the
display.

Black plate (24,1)Chevrolet Colorado Owner Manual - 2012
5-24 Instruments and Controls
ENG (Engine) HOT
This message displays when the
engine coolant temperature is
hot. Check the engine coolant
temperature gauge. SeeEngine
Coolant Temperature Gauge on
page 5‑9. Have your vehicle
serviced by your dealer as soon
as possible if you suspect the
engine is overheating. See Engine
Overheating on page 10‑22 for more
information.
Engine Oil Messages
CHANGE OIL
This message displays when the oil
needs to be changed. Check the oil
in your vehicle as soon as possible
and have your vehicle serviced by
your dealer. See Engine Oil on
page 10‑9 andMaintenance
Schedule on page 11‑3 for more
information. Press and release the
reset stem to acknowledge the
message and clear it from the
display.
OIL
This message displays when the oil
pressure is low. See Engine Oil
Pressure Light on page 5‑18 and
Engine Oil on page 10‑9 for more
information.
Engine Power Messages
REDUCED POWER
This message displays when the
vehicle's engine power is reduced.
Reduced engine power can affect
the vehicle's ability to accelerate.
If this message is on, but there
is no reduction in performance,
proceed to your destination. The
performance may be reduced the
next time the vehicle is driven. The
vehicle may be driven at a reduced
speed while this message is on,
but acceleration and speed may be
reduced. Anytime this message
stays on, the vehicle should be
taken to your dealer for service as soon as possible. Press and release
the reset stem to acknowledge
the message and clear it from the
display.
Fuel System Messages
FUEL CAP
This message displays if the
vehicle's fuel cap is either off or
loose. Pull over as soon as possible
and check to see if the fuel cap is
secure. You may also see the check
engine light on the instrument panel
cluster. If the check engine light
does come on when the fuel cap
was loose, it may take a few driving
trips before the light turns off. See
Malfunction Indicator Lamp on
page 5‑13
for more information
if the light still remains on. Press
and release the reset stem to
acknowledge the message and
clear it from the display.

Black plate (2,1)Chevrolet Colorado Owner Manual - 2012
6-2 Lighting
Exterior Lamps Off
Reminder
If a door is open, a reminder chime
sounds when the headlamps or
parking lamps are manually turned
on and the key is out of the ignition.
To turn off the chime, turn the
headlamp switch to off and then
back on. In the automatic mode, the
headlamps turn off once the ignition
is in LOCK/OFF.
For vehicles first sold in Canada,
if the parking lamps are turned on
manually, the Daytime Running
Lamps (DRL) will stay on.
Headlamp High/
Low-Beam Changer
2 3
Headlamp High/Low Beam
Changer: Push the turn signal/
multifunction lever away from you
to turn the high beams on.
Pull the lever towards you to return
to low beams.
This indicator light turns on in the
instrument panel cluster when the
high beam headlamps are on.
Flash-to-Pass
This feature lets you use the
high-beam headlamps to signal
a driver in front of you that you
want to pass. It works even if the
headlamps are in the automatic
position.
To use it, pull the turn signal lever
toward you, then release it.
If the headlamps are in the
automatic position or on low
beam, the high-beam headlamps
will turn on. They will stay on as
long as the lever is held toward you. The high-beam indicator on the
instrument panel cluster will come
on. Release the lever to return to
normal operation.
Daytime Running
Lamps (DRL)
Daytime Running Lamps (DRL) can
make it easier for others to see the
front of your vehicle during the day.
Fully functional daytime running
lamps are required on all vehicles
first sold in Canada.
The DRL system will come on when
the following conditions are met:
.The ignition is on.
.The exterior lamps control is
in AUTO.
.The transmission is not in
P (Park) if you have an
automatic transmission.
.The light sensor determines it is
daytime.

Black plate (3,1)Chevrolet Colorado Owner Manual - 2012
Lighting 6-3
When the DRL are on, only the
parking lamps or reduced intensity
low beam headlamps will be on.
The taillamps, sidemarkers, and
other lamps will not be on. The
instrument panel will not be lit up
either.
When it begins to get dark, the
headlamps will automatically switch
from DRL to the regular headlamps.
The regular headlamp system
should be turned on when needed.
Automatic Headlamp
System
When it is dark enough outside,
the automatic headlamp system
will turn on after the transmission
has been shifted from P (Park) to
D (Drive). The headlamps, taillamps,
sidemarker, parking lamps, roof
marker lamps, and the instrumentpanel lights turn on at normal
brightness. The radio lights will
become dimmer when the
headlights are off compared to
when the headlights are on.
The vehicle has a light sensor
located on the top of the instrument
panel. Do not cover the sensor,
or the system will be on whenever
the ignition is on.
The system can turn on the
headlamps when driving in a
parking garage, through a tunnel or
when there is overcast weather.
This is normal.
There is a delay in the transition
between the daytime and nighttime
operation of the Daytime Running
Lamps (DRL) and the automatic
headlamp system so that driving
under bridges or bright overhead
street lights does not affect the
system. The DRL and automatic
headlamp system will only be
affected when the light sensor
detects a change in lighting lasting
longer than the delay.
If the vehicle is started in a dark
garage, the automatic headlamp
system will come on immediately.
Once the vehicle leaves the garage,
it will take about 1 minute for the
automatic headlamp system to
change to DRL if it is light outside.
During that delay, the instrument
panel cluster may not be as bright
as usual. Make sure the instrument
panel brightness control is in the
full bright position. See
Instrument
Panel Illumination Control on
page 6‑6.

Black plate (6,1)Chevrolet Colorado Owner Manual - 2012
6-6 Lighting
Interior Lighting
Instrument Panel
Illumination Control
D
(Instrument Panel Lights):
Turn the thumbwheel up or down to
brighten or dim the instrument panel
lights and the radio display. The
instrument panel lights, cluster, and
radio display do not dim to complete
darkness. Turning the thumbwheel
all the way up will turn on the dome
lamps and may also turn on the
cargo lamp, if the vehicle is
equipped with Bluetooth.
The instrument panel light
brightness control will only work if
the headlamps or parking lamps are
on. See Exterior Lamp Controls on
page 6‑1.
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. Dome Lamp Override
The dome lamp override button is
located below the exterior lamps
control.
E(Dome Lamp Override):
Press
this button in to make the dome
lamps remain off when the doors
are open. To return the lamps to
automatic operation, press
Eagain
and return it to the out position.

Black plate (24,1)Chevrolet Colorado Owner Manual - 2012
9-24 Driving and Operating
2. Shift the vehicle to neutral. Thiscan be done while the vehicle is
moving. After shifting to neutral,
firmly apply the brakes and steer
the vehicle to a safe location.
3. Come to a complete stop. Shift to P (Park) with an automatic
transmission, or neutral with a
manual transmission. Turn the
ignition to LOCK/OFF.
4. Set the parking brake. See Parking Brake on page 9‑41.
{WARNING
Turning off the vehicle while
moving may cause loss of power
assist in the brake and steering
systems and disable the airbags.
While driving, only shut the
vehicle off in an emergency.
If the vehicle cannot be pulled
over, and must be shut off while
driving, turn the ignition to ACC/
ACCESSORY. On vehicles with an automatic
transmission, the shift lever must be
in P (Park) to turn the ignition switch
to LOCK/OFF.
The steering can bind with the
wheels turned off center. If this
happens, move the steering wheel
from right to left while turning the
key to ACC/ACCESSORY. If this
doesn't work, then the vehicle needs
service.
B (ACC/ACCESSORY):
This
is the position in which you can
operate the electrical accessories or
items plugged into the accessory
power outlets. On automatic
transmission vehicles, this position
unlocks the ignition. On manual
transmission vehicles, it unlocks
the ignition and steering wheel. Use
this position if the vehicle must be
pushed or towed.
C (ON/RUN): This position can
be used to operate the electrical
accessories and to display some
instrument panel cluster warning
and indicator lights. This position can also be used for service and
diagnostics, and to verify the
proper operation of the malfunction
indicator lamp as may be required
for emission inspection purposes.
The switch stays in this position
when the engine is running. The
transmission is also unlocked in this
position on automatic transmission
vehicles.
If you leave the key in the ACC/
ACCESSORY or ON/RUN position
with the engine off, the battery could
be drained. You may not be able to
start your vehicle if the battery is
allowed to drain for an extended
period of time.
D (START):
This is the position that
starts the engine. When the engine
starts, release the key. The ignition
switch returns to ON/RUN for
driving.
A warning tone will sound when the
driver door is opened, the ignition is
in ACC/ACCESSORY or LOCK/OFF
and the key is in the ignition.

Black plate (31,1)Chevrolet Colorado Owner Manual - 2012
Driving and Operating 9-31
{WARNING
It can be dangerous to get out
of the vehicle if the automatic
transmission shift lever is not fully
in P (Park) with the parking brake
firmly set. The vehicle can roll. Do
not leave the vehicle when the
engine is running unless you
have to. If you have left the
engine running, the vehicle can
move suddenly. You or others
could be injured. To be sure the
vehicle will not move, even when
it is on fairly level ground, always
set the parking brake and move
the automatic transmission shift
lever to P (Park), or the manual
transmission shift lever to Neutral.
{WARNING
Four-wheel drive vehicles with the
transfer case in N (Neutral) will
allow the vehicle to roll, even if
the automatic transmission shift
lever is in P (Park). So, be sure
the transfer case is in a drive
gear—not in N (Neutral). Always
set the parking brake.
Follow the proper steps to be sure
the vehicle will not move. See
Shifting Into Park (Automatic
Transmission) on page 9‑27.
If pulling a trailer, see Driving
Characteristics and Towing Tips on
page 9‑53.
Automatic
Transmission
The vehicle has a shift lever on
the steering column.
It features an electronic shift
position indicator within the
instrument cluster. This display
is powered anytime the shift
lever is capable of being moved
out of P (Park). This means that
if the ignition is turned off, but
not in LOCK/OFF, there will be
a small current drain on the
battery which could discharge
the battery over a period of time.

Black plate (43,1)Chevrolet Colorado Owner Manual - 2012
Driving and Operating 9-43
Notice:If the wheel(s) of one axle
is allowed to spin excessively
while the StabiliTrak
®, ABS, brake
warning lights, and any relevant
DIC messages are displayed, the
transfer case could be damaged.
The repairs would not be covered
by the vehicle warranty. Reduce
engine power and do not spin
the wheel(s) excessively while
these lights and messages are
displayed.
TCS can operate on dry roads
under some conditions. When
this happens, the system may be
heard working or a reduction in
acceleration may be noticed. This
is normal and does not mean there
is a problem with the vehicle.
Examples of these conditions
include hard acceleration in a turn,
an abrupt upshift or downshift of the
transmission or driving on rough
roads. If cruise control is being used when
TCS begins to limit wheel spin,
the cruise control automatically
disengages. The cruise control
can be re-engaged when road
conditions allow. See
Cruise Control
on page 9‑46.
The message TRACTION FAULT
appears in the Driver Information
Center (DIC) when a TCS or
Antilock Brake System (ABS)
problem has been detected and the
vehicle needs service. When this
message is on, the system will not
limit wheel spin. Adjust your driving
accordingly. See Ride Control
System Messages on page 5‑25.
The TCS/StabiliTrak light will flash
on the instrument panel cluster
when the TCS system or StabiliTrak
is both on and activated.
The TCS/StabiliTrak button is
located on the instrument panel.
To turn off TCS, press and release
the TCS/StabiliTrak button. The
StabiliTrak OFF light comes on in
the instrument panel cluster, and
TRAC OFF comes on the DIC.
To turn TCS back on, press and
release the TCS/StabiliTrak button.