
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 (26,1)Chevrolet Colorado Owner Manual - 2012
5-26 Instruments and Controls
Tire Messages
LOW TIRE
This message displays if a low tire
pressure is detected in any of the
vehicle's tires. Press and release
the reset stem to acknowledge
the message and clear it from the
display. The message appears at
each ignition cycle until the tires
are inflated to the correct inflation
pressure. SeeTires on page 10‑46
and Tire Pressure on page 10‑52 for
more information on tires and the
correct inflation pressures.
SERV (Service) TPM (Tire
Pressure Monitor)
This message displays if a part on
the Tire Pressure Monitor System
(TPMS) is not working properly.
The tire pressure light also flashes
and then remains on during the
same ignition cycle. See Tire
Pressure Light on page 5‑17.
Several conditions may cause
this message to appear. See Tire
Pressure Monitor Operation on
page 10‑56 for more information.
If the warning comes on and stays
on, there may be a problem with the
TPMS. See your dealer.
Transmission Messages
SERV (Service) 4WD
(Four-Wheel Drive)
This message displays when
there is a problem with the transfer
case control system. Check the
transfer case on your vehicle and
have it serviced by your dealer. See
Four-Wheel Drive on page 9‑36 for
more information about the transfer
case. Press and release the reset
stem to acknowledge the message
and clear it from the display.

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 (4,1)Chevrolet Colorado Owner Manual - 2012
6-4 Lighting
Hazard Warning Flashers
|(Hazard Warning Flasher):
Press this button located on the
instrument panel, to make the front
and rear turn signal lamps flash on
and off. This warns others that you
are having trouble.
Press
|again to turn the
flashers off.
The turn signals do not work while
the hazard warning flashers are on.
Turn and Lane-Change
Signals
Move the lever all the way up or
down to signal a turn.
Raise or lower the lever until the
arrow starts to flash to signal a lane
change. Hold it there until the lane
change is complete.
The lever returns to its starting
position when it is released. If after signaling a turn or a lane
change the arrows flash rapidly or
do not come on, a signal bulb may
be burned out.
Have the bulbs replaced. If the
bulb is not burned out, check the
fuse. For bulb replacement, see
Taillamps, Turn Signal, Stoplamps,
and Back-Up Lamps on page 10‑36.
For a blown fuse or circuit breaker,
see
Fuses and Circuit Breakers on
page 10‑39.
Turn Signal On Chime
If a turn signal is left on for more
than 1.2 km (3/4 of a mile), a chime
will sound at each flash of the turn
signal and the message TURN
SIGNAL will also appear in the DIC.
To turn the chime and message off,
move the turn signal lever to the off
position.
See “TURN SIGNAL” underLamp
Messages on page 5‑25 for more
information.

Black plate (1,1)Chevrolet Colorado Owner Manual - 2012
Infotainment System 7-1
Infotainment
System
Introduction
Infotainment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-1
Theft-Deterrent Feature . . . . . . . 7-2
Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-3
Radio
AM-FM Radio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-7
Satellite Radio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-11
Radio Reception . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-13
Fixed Mast Antenna . . . . . . . . . 7-14
Satellite Radio Antenna . . . . . . 7-14
Audio Players
CD Player . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-15
Phone
Bluetooth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-21
Introduction
Infotainment
Determine which radio the vehicle
has and read the following pages to
become familiar with its features.
{WARNING
Taking your eyes off the road
for extended periods could
cause a crash resulting in injury
or death to you or others. Do
not give extended attention to
entertainment tasks while driving.This system provides access to
many audio and non audio listings.
To minimize taking your eyes off the
road while driving, do the following
while the vehicle is parked:
.Become familiar with the
operation and controls of the
audio system.
.Set up the tone, speaker
adjustments, and preset radio
stations.

Black plate (22,1)Chevrolet Colorado Owner Manual - 2012
7-22 Infotainment System
.Pair cell phone(s) to the vehicle.
The system may not work with
all cell phones. See“Pairing a
Phone” in this section for more
information.
.If the cell phone has voice
dialing capability, learn to use
that feature to access the
address book or contact list.
See “Voice Pass-Thru” in this
section for more information.
.See “Storing and Deleting Phone
Numbers” in this section for
more information.
{WARNING
When using a cell phone, it can
be distracting to look too long or
too often at the screen of the
phone or the infotainment
(navigation) system. Taking your
eyes off the road too long or
too often could cause a crash
resulting in injury or death. Focus
your attention on driving. Vehicles with a Bluetooth system
can use a Bluetooth capable cell
phone with a Hands‐Free Profile to
make and receive phone calls. The
system can be used while the key is
in ON/RUN or ACC/ACCESSORY
position. The range of the Bluetooth
system can be up to 9.1 m (30 ft).
Not all phones support all functions,
and not all phones work with
the Bluetooth system. See
www.gm.com/bluetooth for more
information on compatible phones.
Voice Recognition
The Bluetooth system uses voice
recognition to interpret voice
commands to dial phone numbers
and name tags.
For additional information say
“Help”
while you are in a voice
recognition menu.
Noise: Keep interior noise levels to
a minimum. The system may not
recognize voice commands if there
is too much background noise. When to Speak:
A short tone
sounds after the system responds
indicating when it is waiting for a
voice command. Wait until the tone
and then speak.
How to Speak: Speak clearly in a
calm and natural voice.
Audio System
When using the in‐vehicle Bluetooth
system, sound comes through
the vehicle's front audio system
speakers and overrides the audio
system. Use the audio system
volume knob, during a call, to
change the volume level. The
adjusted volume level remains in
memory for later calls. To prevent
missed calls, a minimum volume
level is used if the volume is turned
down too low.

Black plate (3,1)Chevrolet Colorado Owner Manual - 2012
Driving and Operating 9-3
{WARNING
Taking your eyes off the road too
long or too often could cause a
crash resulting in injury or death.
Focus your attention on driving.
Refer to the Infotainment section
for more information on using that
system, including pairing and using
a cell phone.
If equipped, refer to the navigation
manual for information on that
system, including pairing and using
a cell phone.
Defensive Driving
Defensive driving means “always
expect the unexpected.” The first
step in driving defensively is to wear
the safety belt. See Safety Belts on
page 3‑10.
.Assume that other road users
(pedestrians, bicyclists, and
other drivers) are going to be
careless and make mistakes.
Anticipate what they might do
and be ready.
.Allow enough following distance
between you and the driver in
front of you.
.Focus on the task of driving.
Drunk Driving
Death and injury associated with
drinking and driving is a global
tragedy.
{WARNING
Drinking and then driving is
very dangerous. Your reflexes,
perceptions, attentiveness, and
judgment can be affected by even
a small amount of alcohol. You
can have a serious —or even
fatal —collision if you drive after
drinking.
Do not drink and drive or ride with
a driver who has been drinking.
Ride home in a cab; or if you are
with a group, designate a driver
who will not drink.

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.