
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 (23,1)Chevrolet Colorado Owner Manual - 2012
Instruments and Controls 5-23
Brake System Messages
ABS (Antilock Brake System)
FAULT
This message displays if there is a
problem with the Antilock Brake
System (ABS). Check the ABS as
soon as possible and have your
vehicle serviced by your dealer. See
Braking on page 9‑4andAntilock
Brake System (ABS) Warning Light
on page 5‑16 for more information.
Press and release the reset stem to
acknowledge the message and
clear it from the display.
BRAKES
This message displays if there is a
problem with the brakes. Check the
brakes as soon as possible and
have your vehicle serviced by your
dealer. See Braking on page 9‑4
and Antilock Brake System (ABS)
Warning Light on page 5‑16 for
more information. Press and release
the reset stem to acknowledge the
message and clear it from the
display.
FLUID
This message displays if the brake
fluid is low. Check the brake fluid
as soon as possible and have your
vehicle serviced by your dealer.
See Braking on page 9‑4 for more
information. Press and release the
reset stem to acknowledge the
message and clear it from the
display.
PARK BRK (Brake)
This message displays when the
parking brake is set. See Parking
Brake on page 9‑41 andAntilock
Brake System (ABS) Warning Light
on page 5‑16 for more information.
The message clears from the
display after the parking brake
is released or by pressing and
releasing the reset stem.
Door Ajar Messages
DOORS
This message displays when one or
more of the doors is ajar. Check all
the doors on your vehicle to make
sure they are closed. The message
clears from the display after all of
the doors are closed.
Engine Cooling System
Messages
AC (Air Conditioning) OFF
This message displays when the
engine coolant temperature is too
high and the air conditioning in your
vehicle needs to be turned off. See
Engine Overheating on page 10‑22
and Climate Control Systems on
page 8‑1 for more information. This
message displays along with the
ENG HOT message.

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 (7,1)Chevrolet Colorado Owner Manual - 2012
Lighting 6-7
Lighting Features
Exit Lighting
The interior lamps will come on
when the key is removed from the
ignition. The lamps will not come
on if the dome override button is
pressed in.
Battery Load
Management
The vehicle has Electric Power
Management (EPM) that estimates
the battery's temperature and state
of charge. It then adjusts the voltage
for best performance and extended
life of the battery.
When the battery's state of charge
is low, the voltage is raised slightly
to quickly bring the charge back up.
When the state of charge is high,
the voltage is lowered slightly to
prevent overcharging. If the vehicle
has a voltmeter gauge or a voltage
display on the Driver Information
Center (DIC), you may see thevoltage move up or down. This is
normal. If there is a problem, an
alert will be displayed.
The battery can be discharged at
idle if the electrical loads are very
high. This is true for all vehicles.
This is because the generator
(alternator) may not be spinning
fast enough at idle to produce all
of the power needed for very high
electrical loads.
A high electrical load occurs when
several of the following are on,
such as: headlamps, high beams,
fog lamps, rear window defogger,
climate control fan at high speed,
heated seats, engine cooling fans,
trailer loads, and loads plugged into
accessory power outlets.
EPM works to prevent excessive
discharge of the battery. It does this
by balancing the generator's output
and the vehicle's electrical needs.
It can increase engine idle speed to
generate more power whenever
needed. It can temporarily reduce
the power demands of some
accessories.
Normally, these actions occur in
steps or levels, without being
noticeable. In rare cases at the
highest levels of corrective action,
this action may be noticeable to
the driver. If so, a DIC message
might be displayed, such as
BATTERY SAVER ACTIVE,
BATTERY VOLTAGE LOW, or LOW
BATTERY. If one of these messages
displays, it is recommended that the
driver reduce the electrical loads as
much as possible. See
Driver
Information Center (DIC) on
page 5‑19.
Battery Power Protection
This feature shuts off the dome
lamp if it is left on for more than
20 minutes when the ignition is in
LOCK/OFF. This helps to prevent
the battery from running down.

Black plate (2,1)Chevrolet Colorado Owner Manual - 2012
7-2 Infotainment System
For more information, seeDefensive
Driving on page 9‑3.
Notice: Contact your dealer
before adding any equipment.
Adding audio or communication
equipment could interfere with
the operation of the engine, radio,
or other systems, and could
damage them. Follow federal
rules covering mobile radio and
telephone equipment.
Notice: The chime signals related
to safety belts, parking brake,
and other functions of the
vehicle operate through the
radio/entertainment system. If that equipment is replaced
or additional equipment is
added to the vehicle, the
chimes may not work. Make sure
that replacement or additional
equipment is compatible with the
vehicle before installing it. See
Accessories and Modifications on
page 10‑3.
The vehicle has Retained
Accessory Power (RAP). With RAP,
the audio system can be played
even after the ignition is turned off.
See
Retained Accessory Power
(RAP) on page 9‑27 for more
information.Theft-Deterrent Feature
TheftLock®is designed to
discourage theft of the radio. The
feature works automatically by
learning a portion of the Vehicle
Identification Number (VIN). If the
radio is moved to a different vehicle,
it does not operate and either LOC
or LOCKED displays.
When the radio and vehicle are
turned off, there may be a blinking
red light to indicate TheftLock is
armed.
With TheftLock activated, the radio
does not operate if stolen.

Black plate (7,1)Chevrolet Colorado Owner Manual - 2012
Infotainment System 7-7
Radio Messages
AM-FM Radio
CAL (Calibration Error):The
audio system has been calibrated
for the vehicle from the factory.
If CAL displays it means that the
radio has not been configured
properly for the vehicle and it must
be returned to your dealer for
service.
LOC (Locked): This message
displays when the THEFTLOCK
®
system has locked up. Take the
vehicle to your dealer for service.
If any error occurs repeatedly or
if an error cannot be corrected,
contact your dealer. Radio with CD (MP3/WMA)
CAL ERR (Calibration Error):
The
audio system has been calibrated
for the vehicle from the factory.
If CAL ERR displays it means that
the radio has not been configured
properly for the vehicle and it must
be returned to your dealer for
service.
LOCKED: This message displays
when the TheftLock
®system has
locked up. Take the vehicle to your
dealer for service.
If any error occurs repeatedly or
if an error cannot be corrected,
contact your dealer.
Radio
AM-FM Radio
Finding a Station
AM-FM Radio
AM FM: Press to switch between
FM1, FM2, or AM.
TUNE: Turn to select radio
stations.
oSEEK: Press to go to the
previous station and stay there.
To scan stations, press and
hold
oSEEK for two seconds
until a beep sounds. The radio
goes to a station, plays for a few
seconds, then goes to the next
station. Press
oSEEK again to
stop scanning.

Black plate (12,1)Chevrolet Colorado Owner Manual - 2012
7-12 Infotainment System
Finding an XM Channel
BAND:Press to switch between
FM1, FM2, AM, or XM1 or XM2
(if equipped). The selection
displays.
DISPL (Display): Press to
retrieve four different categories of
information related to the current
song or channel: Artist, Song Title,
Category or PTY, Channel Number/
Channel Name.
qTUNEr: Turn to select XM
Channels.
qSEEKr: Press to go to the
previous or next channel and stay
there.
qSCANr: Press and hold for
more than two seconds, SCAN
displays and the radio beeps once.
The radio goes to a channel, plays
for a few seconds, then goes to the
next channel. Press
qorragain,
to stop scanning presets. To scan preset channels, press
and hold
qorrfor more than
four seconds, PSCN displays and
the radio beeps once. The radio
goes to a preset channel, plays for a
few seconds, then goes to the next
preset channel. Press
qorragain,
to stop scanning presets.
Setting Preset Channels
If the radio has XM, up to
30 stations (6 FM1, 6 FM2, 6 AM,
6 XM1, and 6 XM2) can be
programmed on the six numbered
pushbuttons.
To program either radio:
1. Tune in the desired channel.
2. Press and hold one of the six numbered pushbuttons
until the radio beeps once.
When that numbered pushbutton
is pressed again, the channel
that was stored, returns.
3. Repeat the steps for each pushbutton.
XM Radio Messages
XL (Explicit Language
Channels): These channels, or
any others, can be blocked at a
customer's request, by calling
1-800-929-2100 in the U.S. and
1-877-438-9677 in Canada.
Updating: The encryption code in
the receiver is being updated, and
no action is required. This process
should take no longer than
30 seconds.
No Signl: The system is
functioning correctly, but the
vehicle is in a location that is
blocking the XM signal. When
the vehicle is moved into an open
area, the signal should return.
Loading: The radio system is
acquiring and processing audio and
text data. No action is needed. This
message should disappear shortly.
Off Air: This channel is not
currently in service. Tune to
another channel.

Black plate (13,1)Chevrolet Colorado Owner Manual - 2012
Infotainment System 7-13
CH Unavl:This previously
assigned channel is no longer
assigned. Tune to another station.
If this station was one of the
presets, choose another station for
that preset button.
Unauth: This channel is blocked or
cannot be received with your XM
Subscription package.
No Info: No artist, song title,
category, or text information is
available at this time on this
channel. The system is working
properly.
No Subscription Please Renew:
XM subscription needs to be
reactivated. Contact XM at
www.xmradio.com or call
1-800-929-2100 in the U.S.
and www.xmradio.ca or call
1-877-438-9677 in Canada.
NotFound: No artist, song title,
category, or text information is
available at this time on this
channel. The system is working
properly. XM Lock:
The XM receiver in your
vehicle could have previously been
in another vehicle. For security
purposes, XM receivers cannot be
swapped between vehicles. If this
message is received after having
your vehicle serviced, check with
your dealer.
Radio ID: If this message is
received when tuned to channel 0,
there could be a receiver fault.
Consult with your dealer.
Unknown: If this message is
received when tuned to channel 0,
there could be a receiver fault.
Consult with your dealer.
Check XM: If this message does
not clear within a short period of
time, the receiver could have a fault.
Consult with your dealer.Radio Reception
Frequency interference and
static can occur during normal
radio reception if items such
as cell phone chargers, vehicle
convenience accessories, and
external electronic devices are
plugged into the accessory power
outlet. If there is interference or
static, unplug the item from the
accessory power outlet.
AM
The range for most AM stations is
greater than for FM, especially at
night. The longer range can cause
station frequencies to interfere
with each other. For better radio
reception, most AM radio stations
boost the power levels during the
day, and then reduce these levels
during the night. Static can also
occur when things like storms and
power lines interfere with radio
reception. When this happens, try
reducing the treble on the radio.