
Black plate (1,1)Chevrolet Colorado Owner Manual - 2012
2012 Chevrolet Colorado Owner ManualM
In Brief. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-1
Instrument Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-2
Initial Drive Information . . . . . . . . 1-3
Vehicle Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-15
Performance and Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-17
Keys, Doors, and Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-1
Keys and Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-2
Doors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-7
Vehicle Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-9
Exterior Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-12
Interior Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-13
Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-15
Seats and Restraints . . . . . . . . . 3-1
Head Restraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-2
Front Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-3
Rear Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-8
Safety Belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-10
Airbag System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-20
Child Restraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-34 Storage
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-1
Storage Compartments . . . . . . . . 4-1
Instruments and Controls . . . . 5-1
Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-2
Warning Lights, Gauges, and Indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-6
Information Displays . . . . . . . . . . 5-19
Vehicle Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-22
Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-1
Exterior Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-1
Interior Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-6
Lighting Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-7
Infotainment System . . . . . . . . . 7-1
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-1
Radio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-7
Audio Players . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-15
Phone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-21
Climate Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-1
Climate Control Systems . . . . . . 8-1
Air Vents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-3 Driving and Operating
. . . . . . . . 9-1
Driving Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-2
Starting and Operating . . . . . . . 9-22
Engine Exhaust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-30
Automatic Transmission . . . . . . 9-31
Manual Transmission . . . . . . . . . 9-34
Drive Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-36
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-40
Ride Control Systems . . . . . . . . 9-42
Cruise Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-46
Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-48
Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-53
Conversions and Add-Ons . . . 9-63
Vehicle Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-1
General Information . . . . . . . . . . 10-2
Vehicle Checks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-4
Headlamp Aiming . . . . . . . . . . . 10-35
Bulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . 10-35
Electrical System . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-38
Wheels and Tires . . . . . . . . . . . 10-46
Jump Starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-84
Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-89
Appearance Care . . . . . . . . . . . 10-94

Black plate (1,1)Chevrolet Colorado Owner Manual - 2012
In Brief 1-1
In Brief
Instrument Panel
Instrument Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-2
Initial Drive Information
Initial Drive Information . . . . . . . . 1-3
Remote Keyless Entry (RKE)System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-4
Door Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-4
Tailgate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-5
Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-6
Seat Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-7
Heated Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-8
Head Restraint Adjustment . . . . 1-8
Safety Belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-8 Passenger Sensing System . . . 1-9
Mirror Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-9
Steering Wheel
Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-10
Interior Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-11
Exterior Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-12
Windshield Wiper/Washer . . . . 1-12
Climate Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-13
Four-Wheel Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-14
Vehicle Features
Radio(s) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-15
Satellite Radio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-16
Cruise Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-16
Driver Information
Center (DIC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-17
Power Outlets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-17
Performance and Maintenance
Traction Control
System (TCS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-17
StabiliTrak
®System . . . . . . . . . 1-18
Tire Pressure Monitor . . . . . . . . 1-18
Engine Oil Life System . . . . . . 1-18
Driving for Better Fuel Economy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-19
Roadside Assistance Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-19
OnStar
®. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-20

Black plate (9,1)Chevrolet Colorado Owner Manual - 2012
In Brief 1-9
Passenger Sensing
System
The passenger sensing system,
if equipped, will turn off the right
front passenger frontal airbag under
certain conditions. The driver
airbags are not affected by this.
If the vehicle has one of the
passenger airbag status indicators
pictured in the following illustrations,
then the vehicle has a passenger
sensing system.
The passenger airbag status
indicator will be visible on the
instrument panel when the vehicle
is started.
United States
Canada and Mexico
See Passenger Sensing System on
page 3‑26 for important information.
Mirror Adjustment
Exterior Mirrors
Vehicles with outside power mirrors
have controls on the driver door
armrest.
To adjust the power mirrors:
1. Move the selector switch to the
L (left) or R (right) to choose the
driver or passenger mirror.
2. Press one of the four arrows located on the control pad to
move the mirror to the desired
direction.

Black plate (13,1)Chevrolet Colorado Owner Manual - 2012
Keys, Doors, and Windows 2-13
Manually fold the mirrors inward
to prevent damage when going
through an automatic car wash. To
fold, push the mirrors toward the
vehicle. Push outward, to return the
mirrors to their original position.
Power Mirrors
Vehicles with outside power mirrors
have controls on the driver door
armrest.To adjust the power mirrors:
1. Move the selector switch to the
L (left) or R (right) to choose the
driver or passenger mirror.
2. Press one of the four buttons located on the control pad to
move the mirror to the desired
direction.
3. Return the selector switch to the center position once the mirrors
are adjusted.
If the mirror begins making a
ratcheting sound, the mirror has
reached the end of its travel and
can go no farther in that direction.
To stop the sound, reverse the
mirror direction using the
control pad.
Manually fold the mirrors inward
to prevent damage when going
through an automatic car wash.
To fold, push the mirror toward the
vehicle. Push outward, to return the
mirror to its original position.
Interior Mirrors
Manual Rearview Mirror
Adjust this mirror for a clear view of
the area behind the vehicle. Hold
the mirror in the center to move it
up, down, or side-to-side. To reduce
headlamp glare, push the tab
forward for daytime use and pull it
for nighttime use.
Vehicles with OnStar
®have three
additional control buttons located at
the bottom of the mirror. See your
dealer for more information on the
system and how to subscribe to
OnStar. See the OnStar Owner's
Guide for more information about
the services OnStar provides.

Black plate (3,1)Chevrolet Colorado Owner Manual - 2012
Instruments and Controls 5-3
Move the band to one of the
following positions:
8(Mist):For a single wipe, move
the band to
8and then release it.
For several wipes, hold the band
on
8longer.
N(Adjustable Interval Wipes):
For adjustable interval wipes, turn
the band up for more frequent wipes
or down for less frequent wipes.
6(Low Speed): For slow
wipes, turn the band to the first solid
position past the delay settings.
1(High Speed): For fast wipes,
turn the band to the second solid
position past the delay settings.
9(Off): Use to turn the wipers off.
Clear snow and ice from the wiper
blades before using them. If frozen
to the windshield, carefully loosen or
thaw them. Damaged wiper blades
should be replaced.
Windshield Washer
{WARNING
In freezing weather, do not use
the washer until the windshield
is warmed. Otherwise the
washer fluid can form ice on the
windshield, blocking your vision.
Q L(Washer Fluid): Push the
paddle on top of the multifunction
lever to spray washer fluid on the
windshield. The wipers will clear
the window and then either stop or
return to your preset speed.
Compass
Compass Operation
PressY bor depending on the
mirror, press
Oonce to turn the
display on or off.
Compass Calibration
The compass may need
calibration if:
.CAL is displayed while driving in
the vehicle.
.After approximately five seconds,
the display does not show a
compass heading, N for North,
for example, there may be a
strong magnetic field interfering
with the compass. Interference
can be caused by a magnetic
antenna mount, magnetic note
pad holder, or a similar
magnetic item.
.The compass does not display
the correct heading and the
compass zone variance is set
correctly.
To calibrate, CAL must be displayed
in the mirror compass windows.
If CAL is not displayed, press and
hold
Y b/Ofor several seconds or
until CAL is displayed.

Black plate (4,1)Chevrolet Colorado Owner Manual - 2012
5-4 Instruments and Controls
The compass can be calibrated by
driving the vehicle in circles at
8 km/h (5 mph) or less until the
display reads a direction.
Compass Variance
The mirror is set to zone eight.
If you do not live in zone eight or
drive out of the area, the compass
variance needs to be changed to
the appropriate zone.
To adjust for compass variance:
1. Find the current location andvariance zone number on the
following zone map.
2. Press and holdYb/Ountil Z
and/or a zone number displays.
3. Press
Y b/Orepeatedly until
the new zone number displays.
After you stop pressing the
button, the display shows a
compass direction within a
few seconds.
Clock
AM-FM Radio
Press and hold HR until the correct
hour displays. Press and hold MN
until the correct minute displays.
There is an initial two-second delay
before the clock goes into time-set
mode. To display the time with the
ignition off, press RCL, HR, or MN.
Radio with CD (MP3/WMA)
Press and hold the HR button until
the correct hour displays. Press and
hold the MN button until the correct
minute displays. The time can be
set with the ignition on or off.
To synchronize the time with an
FM station broadcasting Radio Data
System (RDS) information, press
and hold the HR and MN buttons
at the same time until RDS TIME
displays. To accept this time, press
and hold the HR and MN buttons,
at the same time, for another
two seconds. If the time is not
available from the station, NO
UPDAT (update) displays.