Black plate (1,1)Chevrolet Colorado Owner Manual - 2012
Lighting 6-1
Lighting
Exterior Lighting
Exterior Lamp Controls . . . . . . . . 6-1
Exterior Lamps OffReminder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-2
Headlamp High/Low-Beam Changer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-2
Flash-to-Pass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-2
Daytime Running Lamps (DRL) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-2
Automatic Headlamp System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-3
Hazard Warning Flashers . . . . . 6-4
Turn and Lane-Change Signals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-4
Fog Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-5
Exterior Cargo Lamps . . . . . . . . . 6-5
Interior Lighting
Instrument Panel Illumination Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-6
Dome Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-6
Lighting Features
Exit Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-7
Battery Load Management . . . . 6-7
Battery Power Protection . . . . . . 6-7
Exterior Lighting
Exterior Lamp Controls
The exterior lamp control is located
on the instrument panel on the left
side of the steering wheel.
O(Exterior Lamps): Turn the
knob, located to the right of this
symbol, to choose one of the four
exterior lamp positions.
O(Off): Turns off all exterior lamps
including the Daytime Running
Lamps (DRL). AUTO:
Turns the headlamps on
automatically at normal brightness,
together with the following:
.Sidemarker Lamps
.Taillamps
.Parking Lamps
.Instrument Panel Lights
See Automatic Headlamp System
on page 6‑3 for more information.
;(Parking Lamps): Turns on
the parking lamps, together with the
following:
.Sidemarker Lamps
.Taillamps
.License Plate Lamps
.Instrument Panel Lights
2(Headlamps): Turns on the
headlamps, together with the
previously listed lamps and lights.
Black plate (5,1)Chevrolet Colorado Owner Manual - 2012
Lighting 6-5
Fog Lamps
The fog lamp button is located near
the exterior lamps control.
#:For vehicles with fog lamps,
press to turn the fog lamps on or off.
An indicator light will turn on in the
button when the fog lamps are on.
The parking lamps or low‐beam
headlamps must be on for the fog
lamps to work. The fog lamps will
go off whenever the high-beam
headlamps come on. When the high
beams go off, the fog lamps come
on again. Some localities have laws that
require the headlamps to be on
along with the fog lamps.
Exterior Cargo Lamps
The cargo lamps (if equipped) can
be used if more light is needed in
the cargo area of the vehicle or in
the top-box storage units.
This button is located on the driver
side of the instrument panel near
the exterior lamp control.Press to turn the cargo lamps on
and off.
The dome lamps must be on for the
cargo lamps to come on. See
Dome
Lamps on page 6‑6.
If the vehicle is equipped with
Bluetooth
®, turning the instrument
panel illumination control
thumbwheel all the way up will
turn on the cargo lamps.
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 (3,1)Chevrolet Colorado Owner Manual - 2012
Climate Controls 8-3
@(Recirculation):Press to turn
the recirculation mode on or off. An
indicator light on the button comes
on to show that the recirculation
mode is on. This mode recirculates
and helps to quickly cool the air
inside the vehicle. It can be used to
prevent outside air and odors from
entering the vehicle.
The recirculation mode cannot be
used with floor/defog, defrost,
or defogging modes. If recirculation
is selected in these modes, the
indicator will flash or not come on.Air Vents
Use the thumbwheel on the outlets
to change the direction of the
air flow.
Lift up or push down on the
thumbwheel located in the center
of the outlet to direct the air up or
down, or slide the thumbwheel to
the left or right to direct the airflow
from side‐to‐side. Operation Tips.Clear away any ice, snow or
leaves from the air inlets at the
base of the windshield that may
block the flow of air into the
vehicle.
.Use of non-GM approved hood
deflectors may adversely affect
the performance of the system.
.Keep the path under the front
seats clear of objects to help
circulate the air inside of the
vehicle more effectively.
Black plate (1,1)Chevrolet Colorado Owner Manual - 2012
Driving and Operating 9-1
Driving and
Operating
Driving Information
Distracted Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-2
Defensive Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-3
Drunk Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-3
Control of a Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . 9-4
Braking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-4
Steering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-4
Off-Road Recovery . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-5
Loss of Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-5
Off-Road Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-6
Driving on Wet Roads . . . . . . . . 9-11
Highway Hypnosis . . . . . . . . . . . 9-12
Hill and Mountain Roads . . . . . 9-12
Winter Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-13
If the Vehicle Is Stuck . . . . . . . . 9-15
Vehicle Load Limits . . . . . . . . . . 9-16
Truck-Camper LoadingInformation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-22
Starting and Operating
New Vehicle Break-In . . . . . . . . 9-22
Ignition Positions . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-23
Starting the Engine . . . . . . . . . . 9-25
Engine Heater . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-26
Retained AccessoryPower (RAP) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-27
Shifting Into Park (Automatic Transmission) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-27
Shifting out of Park (Automatic Transmission) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-28
Parking (Manual Transmission) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-29
Parking over Things That Burn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-29
Engine Exhaust
Engine Exhaust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-30
Running the Vehicle WhileParked . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-30
Automatic Transmission
Automatic Transmission . . . . . 9-31
Manual Transmission
Manual Transmission . . . . . . . . 9-34
Drive Systems
Four-Wheel Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-36
Brakes
Antilock BrakeSystem (ABS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-40
Parking Brake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-41
Brake Assist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-42
Ride Control Systems
Traction Control System (TCS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-42
StabiliTrak
®System . . . . . . . . . 9-44
Limited-Slip Rear Axle . . . . . . . 9-45
Cruise Control
Cruise Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-46
Black plate (2,1)Chevrolet Colorado Owner Manual - 2012
9-2 Driving and Operating
Fuel
Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-48
Recommended Fuel . . . . . . . . . 9-49
Gasoline Specifications(U.S. and Canada Only) . . . . 9-49
California Fuel
Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-49
Fuels in Foreign Countries . . . 9-49
Fuel Additives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-50
Filling the Tank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-51
Filling a Portable Fuel Container . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-52
Towing
General TowingInformation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-53
Driving Characteristics and Towing Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-53
Trailer Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-57
Towing Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . 9-62
Conversions and Add-Ons
Add-On Electrical Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-63
Pickup Conversion to Chassis Cab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-63
Driving Information
Distracted Driving
Distraction comes in many forms
and can take your focus from the
task of driving. Exercise good
judgment and do not let other
activities divert your attention
away from the road. Many local
governments have enacted laws
regarding driver distraction. Become
familiar with the local laws in
your area.
To avoid distracted driving, always
keep your eyes on the road, hands
on the wheel, and mind on the drive.
.Do not use a phone in
demanding driving situations.
Use a hands-free method to
place or receive necessary
phone calls.
.Watch the road. Do not
read, take notes, or look up
information on phones or other
electronic devices.
.Designate a front seat
passenger to handle potential
distractions.
.Become familiar with vehicle
features before driving, such
as programming favorite radio
stations and adjusting climate
control and seat settings.
Program all trip information into
any navigation device prior to
driving.
.Wait until the vehicle is parked
to retrieve items that have fallen
to the floor.
.Stop or park the vehicle to tend
to children.
.Keep pets in an appropriate
carrier or restraint.
.Avoid stressful conversations
while driving, whether with a
passenger or on a cell phone.
Black plate (4,1)Chevrolet Colorado Owner Manual - 2012
9-4 Driving and Operating
Control of a Vehicle
Braking, steering, and accelerating
are important factors in helping to
control a vehicle while driving.
Braking
Braking action involves perception
time and reaction time. Deciding to
push the brake pedal is perception
time. Actually doing it is
reaction time.
Average driver reaction time is
about three‐fourths of a second.
In that time, a vehicle moving at
100 km/h (60 mph) travels 20 m
(66 ft), which could be a lot of
distance in an emergency.
Helpful braking tips to keep in mind
include:
.Keep enough distance between
you and the vehicle in front
of you.
.Avoid needless heavy braking.
.Keep pace with traffic.If the engine ever stops while the
vehicle is being driven, brake
normally but do not pump the
brakes. Doing so could make the
pedal harder to push down. If the
engine stops, there will be some
power brake assist but it will be
used when the brake is applied.
Once the power assist is used up,
it can take longer to stop and the
brake pedal will be harder to push.
Steering
Hydraulic Power Steering
Your vehicle has hydraulic
power steering. It may require
maintenance. See
Power Steering
Fluid on page 10‑24.
If power steering assist is lost
because the engine stops or the
power steering system is not
functioning, the vehicle can be
steered but may required increased
effort. See your dealer if there is a
problem.
Curve Tips
.Take curves at a reasonable
speed.
.Reduce speed before entering a
curve.
.Maintain a reasonable steady
speed through the curve
.Wait until the vehicle is out of
the curve before accelerating
gently into the straightaway.
Steering in Emergencies
.There are some situations when
steering around a problem may
be more effective than braking.
.Holding both sides of the
steering wheel allows you to turn
180 degrees without removing
a hand.
.The Antilock Brake System
(ABS) allows steering while
braking.
Black plate (5,1)Chevrolet Colorado Owner Manual - 2012
Driving and Operating 9-5
Off-Road Recovery
The vehicle's right wheels can drop
off the edge of a road onto the
shoulder while driving. Follow
these tips:
1. Ease off the accelerator andthen, if there is nothing in the
way, steer the vehicle so that
it straddles the edge of the
pavement. 2. Turn the steering wheel about
one-eighth of a turn, until the
right front tire contacts the
pavement edge.
3. Then turn the steering wheel to go straight down the roadway.
Loss of Control
Skidding
There are three types of skids that
correspond to the vehicle's three
control systems:
.Braking Skid —wheels are not
rolling.
.Steering or Cornering
Skid —too much speed or
steering in a curve causes tires
to slip and lose cornering force.
.Acceleration Skid —too much
throttle causes the driving
wheels to spin. Defensive drivers avoid most skids
by taking reasonable care suited
to existing conditions, and by not
overdriving those conditions. But
skids are always possible.
If the vehicle starts to slide, follow
these suggestions:
.Ease your foot off the
accelerator pedal and quickly
steer the way you want the
vehicle to go. The vehicle may
straighten out. Be ready for a
second skid if it occurs.
.Slow down and adjust your
driving according to weather
conditions. Stopping distance
can be longer and vehicle
control can be affected when
traction is reduced by water,
snow, ice, gravel, or other
material on the road. Learn to
recognize warning clues
—such
as enough water, ice, or packed
snow on the road to make a
mirrored surface —and slow
down when you have any doubt.