2012 CHEVROLET COLORADO service

Black plate (35,1)Chevrolet Colorado Owner Manual - 2012
Vehicle Care 10-35
Headlamp Aiming
Headlamp aim has been preset at
the factory and should need no
further adjustment.
However, if the vehicle is damaged
in a crash, the headlamp aim may
be affected. Aim adjustment to
the low-beam headlamps may be
necessary if oncoming drivers flash
their high-beam headlamps at you
(for vertical aim).
If the headlamps need to be
re-aimed, it is recommended that
the vehicle be taken to the dealer
for service.
Bulb Replacement
For the proper type of replacement
bulbs, seeReplacement Bulbs on
page 10‑37.
For any bulb‐changing procedure
not listed in this section, contact
your dealer.
Halogen Bulbs
{WARNING
Halogen bulbs have pressurized
gas inside and can burst if you
drop or scratch the bulb. You or
others could be injured. Be sure
to read and follow the instructions
on the bulb package.
Headlamps
A. Low-Beam Headlamp/Daytime Running Lamps (DRL)
B. High-Beam Headlamp
To replace one of these bulbs:
1. Open the hood. See Hood on
page 10‑5.
2. Reach in and access the bulb sockets from inside the engine
compartment.

Black plate (46,1)Chevrolet Colorado Owner Manual - 2012
10-46 Vehicle Care
Wheels and Tires
Tires
Every new GM vehicle has
high-quality tires made by a
leading tire manufacturer.
See the warranty manual for
information regarding the tire
warranty and where to get
service. For additional
information refer to the tire
manufacturer.
{WARNING
.Poorly maintained and
improperly used tires are
dangerous.
.Overloading the tires can
cause overheating as a result
of too much flexing. There
could be a blowout and a
serious crash. SeeVehicle
Load Limits on page 9‑16.
(Continued)
WARNING (Continued)
.Underinflated tires pose the
same danger as overloaded
tires. The resulting crash
could cause serious injury.
Check all tires frequently to
maintain the recommended
pressure. Tire pressure
should be checked when the
tires are cold.
.Overinflated tires are more
likely to be cut, punctured,
or broken by a sudden
impact—such as when
hitting a pothole. Keep tires at
the recommended pressure.
.Worn or old tires can cause a
crash. If the tread is badly
worn, replace them.
.Replace any tires that have
been damaged by impacts
with potholes, curbs, etc.
(Continued)
WARNING (Continued)
.Improperly repaired tires
can cause a crash. Only the
dealer or an authorized tire
service center should repair,
replace, dismount, and mount
the tires.
.Do not spin the tires in
excess of 55 km/h (35 mph)
on slippery surfaces such
as snow, mud, ice, etc.
Excessive spinning may
cause the tires to explode.
Tire Sidewall Labeling
Useful information about a tire
is molded into its sidewall.
The examples show a typical
passenger vehicle tire and a
compact spare tire sidewall.

Black plate (47,1)Chevrolet Colorado Owner Manual - 2012
Vehicle Care 10-47
Passenger (P‐Metric) Tire Example
(A) Tire Size:The tire size is
a combination of letters and
numbers used to define a
particular tire's width, height,
aspect ratio, construction type,
and service description. See the
“Tire Size” illustration later in this
section for more detail. (B) TPC Spec (Tire
Performance Criteria
Specification)
:Original
equipment tires designed to
GM's specific tire performance
criteria have a TPC specification
code molded onto the sidewall.
GM's TPC specifications meet
or exceed all federal safety
guidelines.
(C) DOT (Department of
Transportation)
:The
Department of Transportation
(DOT) code indicates that
the tire is in compliance
with the U.S. Department of
Transportation Motor Vehicle
Safety Standards.
(D) Tire Identification Number
(TIN)
:The letters and numbers
following the DOT (Department
of Transportation) code are
the Tire Identification Number
(TIN). The TIN shows the manufacturer and plant code,
tire size, and date the tire was
manufactured. The TIN is
molded onto both sides of the
tire, although only one side may
have the date of manufacture.
(E) Tire Ply Material
:The type
of cord and number of plies in
the sidewall and under the tread.
(F) Uniform Tire Quality
Grading (UTQG)
:Tire
manufacturers are required
to grade tires based on three
performance factors: treadwear,
traction, and temperature
resistance. For more information
see Uniform Tire Quality
Grading on page 10‑63.
(G) Maximum Cold Inflation
Load Limit
:Maximum load
that can be carried and the
maximum pressure needed to
support that load.

Black plate (48,1)Chevrolet Colorado Owner Manual - 2012
10-48 Vehicle Care
Compact Spare Tire Example
(A) Tire Ply Material:The type
of cord and number of plies in
the sidewall and under the tread.
(B) Temporary Use Only
:The
compact spare tire or temporary
use tire has a tread life of
approximately 5 000 km
(3,000 mi) and should not be
driven at speeds over 105 km/h
(65 mph). The compact spare
tire is for emergency use when
a regular road tire has lost air
and gone flat. If the vehicle has a compact spare tire, see
Compact Spare Tire on
page 10‑83
andIf a Tire Goes
Flat on page 10‑67.
(C) Tire Identification Number
(TIN)
:The letters and numbers
following the DOT (Department
of Transportation) code are
the Tire Identification Number
(TIN). The TIN shows the
manufacturer and plant code,
tire size, and date the tire was
manufactured. The TIN is
molded onto both sides of the
tire, although only one side may
have the date of manufacture.
(D) Maximum Cold Inflation
Load Limit
:Maximum load
that can be carried and the
maximum pressure needed to
support that load. (E) Tire Inflation
:The
temporary use tire or compact
spare tire should be inflated
to 420 kPa (60 psi). For more
information on tire pressure and
inflation see Tire Pressure on
page 10‑52.
(F) Tire Size
:A combination of
letters and numbers define a
tire's width, height, aspect ratio,
construction type, and service
description. The letter T as the
first character in the tire size
means the tire is for temporary
use only.
(G) TPC Spec (Tire
Performance Criteria
Specification)
:Original
equipment tires designed to
GM's specific tire performance
criteria have a TPC specification
code molded onto the sidewall.
GM's TPC specifications meet
or exceed all federal safety
guidelines.

Black plate (49,1)Chevrolet Colorado Owner Manual - 2012
Vehicle Care 10-49
Tire Designations
Tire Size
The following is an example
of a typical passenger vehicle
tire size.
(A) Passenger (P‐Metric) Tire:
The United States version of a
metric tire sizing system. The
letter P as the first character in
the tire size means a passenger
vehicle tire engineered to
standards set by the U.S. Tire
and Rim Association.
(B) Tire Width
:The three‐digit
number indicates the tire section
width in millimeters from
sidewall to sidewall. (C) Aspect Ratio
:A two‐digit
number that indicates the tire
height‐to‐width measurements.
For example, if the tire size
aspect ratio is 60, as shown in
item C of the illustration, it would
mean that the tire's sidewall is
60 percent as high as it is wide.
(D) Construction Code
:A
letter code is used to indicate
the type of ply construction in
the tire. The letter R means
radial ply construction; the
letter D means diagonal or
bias ply construction; and the
letter B means belted‐bias ply
construction.
(E) Rim Diameter
:Diameter of
the wheel in inches.
(F) Service Description
:These
characters represent the load
index and speed rating of the
tire. The load index represents
the load carrying capacity a tire is certified to carry. The speed
rating is the maximum speed a
tire is certified to carry a load.
Tire Terminology and
Definitions
Air Pressure:The amount
of air inside the tire pressing
outward on each square inch
of the tire. Air pressure is
expressed in kPa (kilopascal)
or psi (pounds per square inch).
Accessory Weight
:The
combined weight of optional
accessories. Some examples
of optional accessories are
automatic transmission, power
steering, power brakes, power
windows, power seats, and air
conditioning.
Aspect Ratio
:The relationship
of a tire's height to its width.

Black plate (57,1)Chevrolet Colorado Owner Manual - 2012
Vehicle Care 10-57
TPMS Malfunction Light and
Message
The TPMS will not function properly
if one or more of the TPMS sensors
are missing or inoperable. When the
system detects a malfunction, the
low tire pressure warning light
flashes for about one minute and
then stays on for the remainder of
the ignition cycle. A DIC warning
message also displays. The
malfunction light and DIC warning
message come on at each ignition
cycle until the problem is corrected.
Some of the conditions that can
cause these to come on are:
.One of the road tires has been
replaced with the spare tire.
The spare tire does not have a
TPMS sensor. The malfunction
light and the DIC message
should go off after the road tire
is replaced and the sensor
matching process is performed
successfully. See "TPMS Sensor
Matching Process" later in this
section.
.The TPMS sensor matching
process was not done or not
completed successfully after
rotating the vehicle's tires. The
malfunction light and the DIC
message should go off once the
TPMS sensor matching process
is performed successfully. See
“TPMS Sensor Matching
Process”later in this section.
.One or more TPMS sensors
are missing or damaged. The
malfunction light and the DIC
message should go off when the
TPMS sensors are installed and
the sensor matching process is
performed successfully. See
your dealer for service.
.Replacement tires or wheels do
not match the original equipment
tires or wheels. Tires and wheels
other than those recommended
could prevent the TPMS from
functioning properly. See Buying
New Tires on page 10‑61.
.Operating electronic devices or
being near facilities using radio
wave frequencies similar to the
TPMS could cause the TPMS
sensors to malfunction.
If the TPMS is not functioning
properly, it cannot detect or signal a
low tire condition. See your dealer
for service if the TPMS malfunction
light and DIC message comes on
and stays on.
TPMS Sensor Matching
Process
Each TPMS sensor has a unique
identification code. The identification
code needs to be matched to a
new tire/wheel position after rotating
the vehicle’ s tires or replacing one
or more of the TPMS sensors.
Also, the TPMS sensor matching
process should be performed after
replacing a spare tire with a road
tire containing the TPMS sensor.

Black plate (58,1)Chevrolet Colorado Owner Manual - 2012
10-58 Vehicle Care
The malfunction light and the DIC
message should go off at the next
ignition cycle. The sensors are
matched to the tire/wheel positions,
using a TPMS relearn tool, in the
following order: driver side front tire,
passenger side front tire, passenger
side rear tire, and driver side rear.
See your dealer for service or to
purchase a relearn tool.
There is one minute to match
the first tire/wheel position, and
five minutes overall to match all
four tire/wheel positions. If it takes
longer, the matching process stops
and must be restarted.
The TPMS sensor matching
procedure is:
1. Set the parking brake.
2. Turn the ignition to ON/RUN withthe engine off.
3. Turn the exterior lamp switch from AUTO to OFF four times
within three seconds. A double
horn chirp will sound and the
TPMS low tire warning light starts flashing. The double
horn chirp and flashing TPMS
warning light indicates the TPMS
matching process has started.
The TPMS warning light should
continue flashing throughout the
matching procedure. The LOW
TIRE message displays on the
Driver Information Center (DIC).
4. Start with the driver side front tire.
5. Place the relearn tool against the tire sidewall, near the valve
stem. Then press the button
to activate the TPMS sensor.
A horn chirp confirms that the
sensor identification code has
been matched to this tire and
wheel position.
6. Proceed to the passenger side front tire, and repeat the
procedure in Step 5.
7. Proceed to the passenger side rear tire, and repeat the
procedure in Step 5. 8. Proceed to the driver side rear
tire, and repeat the procedure in
Step 5.
9. After hearing the confirming horn chirp for the driver side rear tire,
check to see if the TPMS low tire
warning light and the DIC LOW
TIRE messages have turned off.
If yes, the TPMS sensors have
been relearned. Turn the ignition
switch to LOCK/OFF.
If the low tire warning light and
the SERV TPM message on
the DIC are on after completing
Step 5 for the driver side rear
tire, the sensor relearn process
has not been successful. Turn
the ignition to LOCK/OFF and
repeat the matching process
beginning with Step 2.
10. Set all four tires to the recommended air pressure
level as indicated on the Tire
and Loading Information label.

Black plate (61,1)Chevrolet Colorado Owner Manual - 2012
Vehicle Care 10-61
maintenance affect how fast aging
takes place. Tires will typically need
to be replaced due to wear before
they may need to be replaced
due to age. Consult the tire
manufacturer for more information
on when tires should be replaced.
Vehicle Storage
Tires age when stored normally
mounted on a parked vehicle. Park
a vehicle that will be stored for at
least a month in a cool, dry, clean
area away from direct sunlight to
slow aging. This area should be
free of grease, gasoline or other
substances that can deteriorate
rubber.
Parking for an extended period can
cause flat spots on the tires that
may result in vibrations while
driving. When storing a vehicle for
at least a month, remove the tires
or raise the vehicle to reduce the
weight from the tires.
Buying New Tires
GM has developed and matched
specific tires for the vehicle. The
original equipment tires installed
were designed to meet General
Motors Tire Performance Criteria
Specification (TPC Spec) system
rating. When replacement tires are
needed, GM strongly recommends
buying tires with the same TPC
Spec rating.
GM's exclusive TPC Spec system
considers over a dozen critical
specifications that impact the
overall performance of the
vehicle, including brake system
performance, ride and handling,
traction control, and tire pressure
monitoring performance. GM's TPC
Spec number is molded onto the
tire's sidewall near the tire size.
If the tires have an all‐season tread
design, the TPC Spec number will
be followed by MS for mud and
snow. SeeTire Sidewall Labeling on
page 10‑46 for additional
information. GM recommends replacing all the
tires at the same time. Uniform
tread depth on all tires will help to
maintain the performance of the
vehicle. Braking and handling
performance may be adversely
affected if all the tires are not
replaced at the same time. See
Tire Inspection on page 10‑59
and
Tire Rotation on page 10‑59 for
information on proper tire rotation.
{WARNING
Tires could explode during
improper service. Attempting to
mount or dismount a tire could
cause injury or death. Only your
dealer or authorized tire service
center should mount or dismount
the tires.