2012 CHEVROLET COLORADO manual transmission

Black plate (10,1)Chevrolet Colorado Owner Manual - 2012
13-10 Customer Information
.Lock-Out Service: Service to
unlock the vehicle if you are
locked out.
.Battery Jump Start: Service to
jump start a dead battery.
.*Emergency Messages:
Transmission of urgent phone
messages.
.*Emergency Calls: Call for
emergency services.
.*Dealership Location
Assistance: Information
regarding addresses and
telephone numbers for
Chevrolet dealers.
.Emergency Towing: Tow to
the nearest dealer for warranty
service if the vehicle cannot be
driven.
If the vehicle is involved
in an accident during the
commission of a crime,
administrative violation,
or breach of traffic regulations,
Roadside Assistance will not
provide service. When thevehicle is not accessible to be
towed, all maneuvers required to
access it will be at the owner's
expense.
If the vehicle is in another city
outside of your residence,
Roadside Assistance is limited
to moving the vehicle to the
nearest dealer. If you would like
the vehicle moved to a different
dealer, you will be asked to
cover the difference in cost at
the time of the move.
If the vehicle cannot be received
by the nearest Chevrolet dealer
due to scheduling conflicts, the
vehicle will be taken to a safe
place where it will remain for up
to 48 hours until it can be taken
to the dealer. If the storage costs
exceed the amount authorized,
the owner is responsible to pay
the difference at the time of
service. Contact Roadside
Assistance for more information
on authorized amounts.
.*Trip Interruption: This service
is provided if you are prevented
from further usage of your
vehicle while traveling and it is
not possible for the nearest
Chevrolet dealership to repair
the vehicle the same day,
requiring the vehicle to stay at
the dealership for a night or
more. If this happens, in addition
to the previously listed services
and prior to confirmation by the
dealership, you are entitled to
choose one of the following
alternatives, within the limits of
existing Roadside Assistance
program guidelines. If the costs
exceed the amount authorized
for these services, you must pay
the difference at the time of
service.
Roadside Assistance
will coordinate hotel
accommodations for all vehicle
travelers for up to two nights.

Black plate (17,1)Chevrolet Colorado Owner Manual - 2012
Customer Information 13-17
In such cases, you can have control
of the repair and parts choices as
long as the cost stays within
reasonable limits.
Service Publications
Ordering Information
Service Manuals
Service Manuals have the diagnosis
and repair information on the
engines, transmission, axle,
suspension, brakes, electrical,
steering, body, etc.
Service Bulletins
Service Bulletins give additional
technical service information
needed to knowledgeably service
General Motors cars and trucks.
Each bulletin contains instructions
to assist in the diagnosis and
service of the vehicle.
Owner Information
Owner publications are written
specifically for owners and intended
to provide basic operational
information about the vehicle.
The Owner Manual includes the
Maintenance Schedule for all
models.
In-Portfolio: Includes a Portfolio,
Owner Manual, and Warranty
Booklet.
RETAIL SELL PRICE:
$35.00 (U.S.) plus handling and
shipping fees.
Without Portfolio: Owner
Manual only.
RETAIL SELL PRICE:
$25.00 (U.S.) plus handling and
shipping fees.
Current and Past Models
Technical Service Bulletins and
Manuals are available for current
and past model GM vehicles.
ORDER TOLL FREE:
1-800-551-4123 Monday - Friday
8:00 AM - 6:00 PM Eastern Time
For Credit Card Orders Only
(VISA-MasterCard-Discover), visit
Helm, Inc. at: www.helminc.com.
Or write to:
Helm, Incorporated
P.O. Box 07130
Detroit, MI 48207
Prices are subject to change
without notice and without incurring
obligation. Allow ample time for
delivery.
All listed prices are quoted in U.S.
funds. Make checks payable in U.S.
funds.

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 (2,1)Chevrolet Colorado Owner Manual - 2012
i-2 INDEX
B
Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-29Jump Starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-84
Load Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-7
Power Protection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-7
Voltage and ChargingMessages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-22
Blade Replacement, Wiper . . . 10-33
Bluetooth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-21
Brake System Warning Light . . . 5-15
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-26 Antilock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-40
Assist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-42
Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-27
Parking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-41
System Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-23
Braking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-4
Break-In, New Vehicle . . . . . . . . . 9-22
Bulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-37 Center High-Mounted
Stoplamp (CHMSL) . . . . . . . 10-37
Fog Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-5
Halogen Bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-35
Headlamp Aiming . . . . . . . . . . . 10-35 Bulb Replacement (cont.)
Headlamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-35
License Plate Lamps . . . . . . . 10-37
Taillamps, Turn Signal,
Stoplamps, and
Back-up Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . 10-36
Buying New Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-61
C
Calibration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-3
California Fuel Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . 9-49
Perchlorate MaterialsRequirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-3
Warning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-3
Canadian Vehicle Owners . . . . . . . . iii
Capacities and
Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-2
Carbon Monoxide Engine Exhaust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-30
Tailgate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-7
Winter Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-13
Cautions, Danger, and Warnings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iv CD Player . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-15
Center Console Storage . . . . . . . . 4-2
Center High-Mounted
Stoplamp (CHMSL) . . . . . . . . . 10-37
Chains, Tire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-66
Charging System Light . . . . . . . . 5-12
Check Engine Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-13
IgnitionTransmission Lock . . . . . . . . 10-32
Child Restraints
Infants and YoungChildren . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-36
Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children . . . . . . . . . 3-42
Older Children . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-34
Securing . . . . . . . . . . 3-53, 3-55, 3-57
Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-38
Cigarette Lighter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-5
Circuit Breakers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-39
Cleaning Exterior Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-94
Interior Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-97

Black plate (4,1)Chevrolet Colorado Owner Manual - 2012
i-4 INDEX
E
Electrical Equipment,Add-On . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-63
Electrical System Engine CompartmentFuse Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-39
Fuses and Circuit
Breakers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-39
Overload . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-38
Engine Air Cleaner/Filter . . . . . . . . . . . 10-17
Check and Service Engine
Soon Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-13
Compartment Overview . . . . . . . 10-6
Coolant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-19
Coolant Temperature Gauge . . . 5-9
Cooling System . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-18
Cooling System Messages . . . 5-23
Drive Belt Routing . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-4
Exhaust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-30
Fan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-24
Heater . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-26
Overheating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-22 Engine (cont.)
Power Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-24
Pressure Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-18
Running While Parked . . . . . . . . 9-30
Starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-25
Engine Oil Life System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-12
Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-24
Equipment, Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-62
Event Data Recorders . . . . . . . . 13-19
Exit Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-7
Extender, Safety Belt . . . . . . . . . . 3-18
Exterior Cargo Lamps . . . . . . . . . . 6-5
Exterior Lamp Controls . . . . . . . . . 6-1
Exterior Lamps Off Reminder . . . 6-2
F
Fan
Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-24
Filter,
Engine Air Cleaner . . . . . . . . . 10-17
Flash-to-Pass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-2
Flashers, Hazard Warning . . . . . . 6-4 Flat Tire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-67
Changing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-69
Floor Mats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10-100
Fluid Automatic Transmission . . . . 10-13
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-27
Four-Wheel DriveTransfer Case . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-36
Power Steering . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-24
Washer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-25
Fog Lamps
Bulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-5
Four-Wheel Drive . . . . . . . 9-36, 10-29
Front Axle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-30
Front Seats Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-3
Heated . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-7
Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-48 Additives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-50
Filling a Portable FuelContainer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-52
Filling the Tank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-51
Fuels in Foreign Countries . . . . 9-49

Black plate (5,1)Chevrolet Colorado Owner Manual - 2012
INDEX i-5
Fuel (cont.)Gasoline Specifications . . . . . . . 9-49
Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-8
Recommended . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-49
Requirements, California . . . . . 9-49
System Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-24
Fuel Economy Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-19
Full-Size Spare Tire . . . . . . . . . . 10-83
Fuses
Engine CompartmentFuse Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-39
Fuses and Circuit Breakers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-39
G
Gasoline
Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-49
Gauges Engine Coolant
Temperature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-9
Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-8
Odometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-8
Speedometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-8 Gauges (cont.)
Tachometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-8
Trip Odometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-8
Warning Lights and
Indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-6
General Information Service and Maintenance . . . . . 11-1
Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-53
Vehicle Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-2
Glove Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-1
GM Mobility Reimbursement Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-7
H
Halogen Bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-35
Hazard Warning Flashers . . . . . . . 6-4
Head Restraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-2
Headlamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-35Aiming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-35
Automatic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-3
Bulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . 10-35
Daytime RunningLamps (DRL) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-2 Headlamps (cont.)
Flash-to-Pass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-2
High-Beam On Light . . . . . . . . . . 5-18
High/Low Beam Changer . . . . . . 6-2
Heated Front Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-7
Heater Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-26
Heating and Air Conditioning . . . 8-1
High-Beam On Light . . . . . . . . . . . 5-18
High-Speed Operation . . . . . . . . 10-54
Highway Hypnosis . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-12
Hill and Mountain Roads . . . . . . . 9-12
Hood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-5
Horn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-2
How to Wear Safety Belts Properly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-12
Hydraulic Clutch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-16
I
Ignition Positions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-23
Ignition Transmission Lock Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-32
Immobilizer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-10

Black plate (7,1)Chevrolet Colorado Owner Manual - 2012
INDEX i-7
M
MaintenanceRecords . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11-16
Maintenance Schedule Recommended Fluidsand Lubricants . . . . . . . . . . . . .11-12
Transfer Case . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-36
Malfunction Indicator Lamp . . . . 5-13
Manual Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-12
Manual Transmission . . . . . . . . . . 9-34 Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-15
Manual Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-15
Messages Battery Voltage andCharging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-22
Brake System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-23
Door Ajar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-23
Engine Cooling System . . . . . . . 5-23
Engine Oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-24
Engine Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-24 Messages (cont.)
Fuel System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-24
Lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-25
Ride Control System . . . . . . . . . . 5-25
Service Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-25
Tire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-26
Transmission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-26
Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-22
Mirrors
Automatic DimmingRearview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-14
Convex . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-12
Manual . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-12
Manual Rearview . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-13
Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-13
Monitor System, Tire Pressure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-54
N
New Vehicle Break-In . . . . . . . . . . 9-22
O
Odometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-8Trip . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-8
Off-Road . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-6 Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-6
Recovery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-5
Oil
Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-9
Engine Oil Life System . . . . . 10-12
Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-24
Pressure Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-18
Older Children, Restraints . . . . . 3-34
Online Owner Center . . . . . . . . . . 13-6
OnStar
®System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-20
Operation, Infotainment System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-3
Ordering Service Publications . . . . . . . . 13-17
Outlets Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-5
Overheating, Engine . . . . . . . . . . 10-22