
Black plate (43,1)Chevrolet Colorado Owner Manual - 2012
Vehicle Care 10-43
RelaysUsage
A/C
CMPRSR Air Conditioning
Compressor
Backup Lamp Backup Lamp
BEAM SEL Beam Selection
DRL Daylight Running
Lamps
FOG/LAMP Fog Lamps
(If Equipped)
HDLP Headlamps
HORN Horn
IGN 3 HVAC Ignition 3, Climate
Control, Climate
Control Head
Fuse, Power
Seat Fuse Relays
Usage
PRK/LAMP Front Parking
Lamp Fuse, Rear
Parking Lamps
PWR/TRN Powertrain,
Electronic
Throttle Control
Fuse, Oxygen
Sensor Fuse
RAP Retained
Accessory
Power (Power
Window Fuse,
Wiper/Washer
Switch Fuse) Relays
Usage
RUN/CRNK Run/Crank, Airbag
System Fuse,
Cruise Control
Fuse, Ignition
Fuse, Back-Up
Lamps, ABS Fuse,
Front Axle, PCM-1,
Injectors Fuse,
Transmission
Fuse, ERLS
STRTR Starter Relay (PCM
Relay)
VSES Vehicle Stability
Enhancement
System
WPR Wipers (On/Off)
WPR 2 Wiper 2 (High/Low)

Black plate (62,1)Chevrolet Colorado Owner Manual - 2012
10-62 Vehicle Care
{WARNING
Mixing tires of different sizes,
brands, or types may cause
loss of control of the vehicle,
resulting in a crash or other
vehicle damage. Use the
correct size, brand, and type
of tires on all wheels.
{WARNING
Using bias-ply tires on the
vehicle may cause the wheel
rim flanges to develop cracks
after many miles of driving.
A tire and/or wheel could fail
suddenly and cause a crash.
Use only radial-ply tires with
the wheels on the vehicle.
If the vehicle tires must be replaced
with a tire that does not have a TPC
Spec number, make sure they are
the same size, load range, speed
rating, and construction (radial) as
the original tires.
Vehicles that have a tire pressure
monitoring system could give an
inaccurate low‐pressure warning
if non‐TPC Spec rated tires are
installed. See Tire Pressure Monitor
System on page 10‑54.
The Tire and Loading Information
label indicates the original
equipment tires on the vehicle.
See Vehicle Load Limits on
page 9‑16, for the label location
and more information about the
Tire and Loading Information label.Different Size Tires and
Wheels
If wheels or tires are installed that
are a different size than the original
equipment wheels and tires, vehicle
performance, including its braking,
ride and handling characteristics,
stability, and resistance to rollover
may be affected. If the vehicle has
electronic systems such as antilock
brakes, rollover airbags, traction
control, and electronic stability
control, the performance of these
systems can also be affected.

Black plate (16,1)Chevrolet Colorado Owner Manual - 2012
13-16 Customer Information
If a Crash Occurs
If there has been an injury, call
emergency services for help. Do not
leave the scene of a crash until all
matters have been taken care of.
Move the vehicle only if its position
puts you in danger, or you are
instructed to move it by a police
officer.
Give only the necessary information
to police and other parties involved
in the crash.
For emergency towing see
Roadside Assistance Program
(U.S. and Canada) on page 13‑7
orRoadside Assistance Program
(Mexico) on page 13‑9.
Gather the following information:
.Driver name, address, and
telephone number.
.Driver license number.
.Owner name, address, and
telephone number.
.Vehicle license plate number.
.Vehicle make, model, and
model year.
.Vehicle Identification
Number (VIN).
.Insurance company and policy
number.
.General description of the
damage to the other vehicle.
Choose a reputable repair facility
that uses quality replacement parts.
See “Collision Parts” earlier in this
section.
If the airbag has inflated, see What
Will You See after an Airbag
Inflates? on page 3‑25.
Managing the Vehicle Damage
Repair Process
In the event that the vehicle requires
damage repairs, GM recommends
that you take an active role in its
repair. If you have a pre-determined
repair facility of choice, take the
vehicle there, or have it towed there. Specify to the facility that any
required replacement collision parts
be original equipment parts, either
new Genuine GM parts or recycled
original GM parts. Remember,
recycled parts will not be covered by
the GM vehicle warranty.
Insurance pays the bill for the repair,
but you must live with the repair.
Depending on your policy limits,
your insurance company may
initially value the repair using
aftermarket parts. Discuss this with
the repair professional, and insist
on Genuine GM parts. Remember,
if the vehicle is leased, you may
be obligated to have the vehicle
repaired with Genuine GM parts,
even if your insurance coverage
does not pay the full cost.
If another party's insurance
company is paying for the repairs,
you are not obligated to accept a
repair valuation based on that
insurance company's collision
policy repair limits, as you have no
contractual limits with that company.

Black plate (19,1)Chevrolet Colorado Owner Manual - 2012
Customer Information 13-19
Reporting Safety Defects
to General Motors
In addition to notifying NHTSA (or
Transport Canada) in a situation like
this, notify General Motors.
Call 1-800-222-1020, or write:
Chevrolet Motor Division
Chevrolet Customer
Assistance Center
P.O. Box 33170
Detroit, MI 48232-5170
In Canada, call 1-800-263-3777
(English) or 1-800-263-7854
(French), or write:
General Motors of Canada Limited
Customer Care Centre,
Mail Code: CA1-163-005
1908 Colonel Sam Drive
Oshawa, Ontario L1H 8P7
Vehicle Data
Recording and
Privacy
This GM vehicle has a number of
sophisticated computers that record
information about the vehicle’s
performance and how it is driven.
For example, the vehicle uses
computer modules to monitor and
control engine and transmission
performance, to monitor the
conditions for airbag deployment
and deploy airbags in a crash, and,
if so equipped, to provide antilock
braking to help the driver control the
vehicle. These modules may store
data to help your dealer technician
service the vehicle. Some modules
may also store data about how you
operate the vehicle, such as rate of
fuel consumption or average speed.
These modules may also retain the
owner’s personal preferences, such
as radio pre-sets, seat positions,
and temperature settings.
Event Data Recorders
This vehicle has an Event Data
Recorder (EDR). The main purpose
of an EDR is to record, in certain
crash or near crash-like situations,
such as an airbag deployment or
hitting a road obstacle, data that
will assist in understanding how a
vehicle's systems performed. The
EDR is designed to record data
related to vehicle dynamics and
safety systems for a short period of
time, typically 30 seconds or less.
The EDR in this vehicle is designed
to record such data as:
.How various systems in the
vehicle were operating.
.Whether or not the driver and
passenger safety belts were
buckled/fastened.
.How far, if at all, the driver was
pressing the accelerator and/or
brake pedal.
.How fast the vehicle was
traveling.

Black plate (1,1)Chevrolet Colorado Owner Manual - 2012
INDEX i-1
A
Accessories andModifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-3
Accessory Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-27
Add-On Electrical Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-63
Adjustments
Lumbar, Front Seats . . . . . . . . . . . 3-4
Air Cleaner/Filter, Engine . . . . . 10-17
Air Vents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-3
Airbag Adding Equipment to theVehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-32
Airbag System Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-33
How Does an AirbagRestrain? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-24
Passenger Sensing System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-26
What Makes an Airbag
Inflate? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-24 Airbag System (cont.)
What Will You See after an
Airbag Inflates? . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-25
When Should an Airbag
Inflate? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-23
Where Are the Airbags? . . . . . . 3-21
Airbags Passenger Status Indicator . . . 5-11
Readiness Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-10
Servicing Airbag-EquippedVehicles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-31
System Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-20
Alarm System Anti-theft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-9
AM-FM Radio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-7
Antenna Satellite Radio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-14
Anti-theft
Alarm System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-9
Antilock Brake System (ABS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-40
Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-16 Appearance Care
Exterior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-94
Interior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-97
Ashtrays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-6
Assistance Program, Roadside . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-7, 13-9
Audio Players . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-15
CD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-15
Audio System Chime Level Adjustment . . . . . . . 5-6
Fixed Mast Antenna . . . . . . . . . . 7-14
Radio Reception . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-13
Theft-Deterrent Feature . . . . . . . . 7-2
Automatic Door Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-5
Headlamp System . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-3
Automatic Transmission . . . . . . . 9-31 Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-13
Shift Lock ControlFunction Check . . . . . . . . . . . 10-32
Axle, Front . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-30
Axle, Rear . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-30

Black plate (6,1)Chevrolet Colorado Owner Manual - 2012
i-6 INDEX
Infants and Young Children,Restraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-36
Infotainment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-1
Instrument Cluster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-7
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iii
J
Jump Starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-84
K
Keyless Entry Remote (RKE) System . . . . . . . . 2-3
Keys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-2
L
Labeling, Tire Sidewall . . . . . . . . 10-46
Lamp Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-25
Lamps Daytime Running (DRL) . . . . . . . 6-2
Dome . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-6
Exterior Cargo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-5
Exterior Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-1 Lamps (cont.)
Exterior Lamps Off
Reminder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-2
License Plate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-37
Malfunction Indicator . . . . . . . . . 5-13
Lap Belt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-17
Lap-Shoulder Belt . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-13
LATCH System Replacing Parts after a
Crash . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-52
LATCH, Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children . . . . . . . . . . 3-42
Latches, Seatback . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-6
Light StabiliTrak
®OFF . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-16
Lighter, Cigarette . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-5
Lighting Exit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-7
Illumination Control . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-6
Lights Airbag Readiness . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-10
Antilock Brake System(ABS) Warning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-16
Brake System Warning . . . . . . . 5-15 Lights (cont.)
Charging System . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-12
Cruise Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-19
Engine Oil Pressure . . . . . . . . . . 5-18
Flash-to-Pass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-2
High-Beam On . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-18
High/Low Beam Changer . . . . . . 6-2
Safety Belt Reminders . . . . . . . . . 5-9
Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-18
Tire Pressure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-17
Traction Control System
(TCS)/StabiliTrak
®. . . . . . . . . . 5-17
Limited-Slip Rear Axle . . . . . . . . . 9-45
Locks Automatic Door . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-5
Door . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-4
Lockout Protection . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-6
Power Door . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-5
Safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-6
Loss of Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-5
Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children (LATCH
System) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-42
Lumbar Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-4 Front Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-4

Black plate (8,1)Chevrolet Colorado Owner Manual - 2012
i-8 INDEX
P
ParkShifting into . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-27
Shifting out of . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-28
Parking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-29 Brake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-41
Brake and P (Park)Mechanism Check . . . . . . . . 10-32
Over Things That Burn . . . . . . . 9-29
Passenger Airbag Status Indicator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-11
Passenger Sensing System . . . 3-26
Perchlorate Materials Requirements, California . . . . . 10-3
Phone Bluetooth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-21
Pickup Conversion to Chassis Cab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-63
Power Door Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-5
Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-13
Outlets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-5
Protection, Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-7
Retained Accessory (RAP) . . . 9-27 Power (cont.)
Seat Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-3
Steering Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-24
Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-16
Pregnancy, Using Safety Belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-17
Privacy Radio FrequencyIdentification (RFID) . . . . . . . 13-20
Program Courtesy Transportation . . . . 13-13
Proposition 65 Warning, California . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-3
R
Radio FrequencyIdentification (RFID) . . . . . . . . 13-20
Statement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-21
Radios AM-FM Radio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-7
Reception . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-13
Satellite . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-11
Rear Axle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-30 Limited-Slip . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-45 Rear Doors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-7
Rear Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-8, 3-9
Rear Storage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-1
Rear Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-17
Rearview Mirror
Automatic Dimming . . . . . . . . . . . 2-14
Rearview Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-13
Reclining Seatbacks . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-4
Recommended
Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-49
Recommended Fluids and
Lubricants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-12
Records Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11-16
Recreational Vehicle Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-89
Reimbursement Program, GM Mobility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-7
Remote Keyless Entry (RKE) System . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-2, 2-3
Replacement Bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . 10-37
Replacement Parts
Airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-33
Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11-15

Black plate (9,1)Chevrolet Colorado Owner Manual - 2012
INDEX i-9
Replacing Airbag System . . . . . . 3-33
Replacing LATCH SystemParts after a Crash . . . . . . . . . . . 3-52
Replacing Safety Belt System Parts after a Crash . . . 3-19
Reporting Safety Defects Canadian Government . . . . . . 13-18
General Motors . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-19
U.S. Government . . . . . . . . . . . 13-18
Restraints Where to Put . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-40
Retained Accessory Power (RAP) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-27
Ride Control Systems Limited Slip Rear Axle . . . . . . . . 9-45
Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-25
Roads Driving, Wet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-11
Roadside Assistance Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-7, 13-9
Rotation, Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-59
Routing, Engine Drive Belt . . . . . 12-4
Running the Vehicle While
Parked . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-30S
Safety Belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-10Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-19
Extender . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-18
How to Wear Safety BeltsProperly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-12
Lap Belt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-17
Lap-Shoulder Belt . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-13
Reminders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-9
Replacing after a Crash . . . . . . 3-19
Use During Pregnancy . . . . . . . . 3-17
Safety Defects Reporting Canadian Government . . . . . . 13-18
General Motors . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-19
U.S. Government . . . . . . . . . . . 13-18
Safety Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-6
Safety System Check . . . . . . . . . . 3-18
Satellite Radio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-11
Scheduling Appointments . . . . . 13-12
Seatback Latches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-6
Seats
Adjustment, Front . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-3
Head Restraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-2
Heated Front . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-7
Lumbar Adjustment, Front . . . . . 3-4 Seats (cont.)
Power Adjustment, Front . . . . . . 3-3
Rear . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-8, 3-9
Reclining Seatbacks . . . . . . . . . . . 3-4
Secondary Latch System . . . . . 10-80
Securing Child Restraints . . . . . . . . 3-53, 3-55, 3-57
Security Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-18
Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-9
Service Accessories andModifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-3
Doing Your Own Work . . . . . . . . 10-4
Engine Soon Light . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-13
Maintenance Records . . . . . . .11-16
Maintenance, General Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-1
Parts Identification Label . . . . . 12-1
Publications Ordering Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-17
Scheduling Appointments . . . 13-12
Vehicle Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-25
Servicing the Airbag . . . . . . . . . . . 3-31