Page 22 of 432

Black plate (16,1)Chevrolet Corvette Owner Manual - 2012
1-16 In Brief
Transmission
Manual Paddle Shift
(Automatic Transmission)
The Manual Paddle Shift system
can be used in D (Drive) or
S (Sport Mode). The system is
activated by pushing the paddle,
above the steering wheel spokes,
to manually up-shift to the next
gear, or pulling on the paddle,
behind the steering wheel
spokes to manually down-shift.The current gear will be displayed
in the Driver Information (DIC),
or the Head-Up Display (HUD),
if the vehicle has either of these
features.
The Manual Paddle Shift system
can be deactivated by moving the
shift lever from S (Sport Mode)
back to D (Drive), or by holding
the up‐shift paddle for more than
one second. If the shift lever was in
D (Drive) when the system was
activated, the transmission will
return to automatic shifting after
10 seconds of cruising at a steady
speed and no manual shifts,
or when the vehicle comes to
a stop.
The Manual Paddle Shift system
will not allow either an up-shift or a
down-shift, if the vehicle speed is
too fast or too slow, nor will it
allow a start from 4 (Fourth) or
higher gear.
See
Manual Mode on page 9‑29.
One to Four Shift Light
(Manual Transmission)
On vehicles with a manual
transmission, when this light
comes on, you can only shift
from 1 (First) to 4 (Fourth) instead
of 1 (First) to 2 (Second).
For more information about shifting
for the best fuel economy, see
Manual Transmission on page 9‑32.
Page 25 of 432
Black plate (19,1)Chevrolet Corvette Owner Manual - 2012
In Brief 1-19
Steering Wheel Controls
For vehicles with steering wheel
controls, some audio controls can
be adjusted at the steering wheel.
bg: Press to turn on and off the
vehicle speakers. Press and hold
longer than two seconds to interact
with the OnStar
®or Bluetooth
systems.
c: Press to reject an incoming
call, or to end a call.
e+ /e−: Press to Increase or
decrease volume.
w/x: Press to change radio
stations or select tracks on a CD.
1 to 6: Press to play stations that
are programmed on the radio preset
pushbuttons.
For more information, see Steering
Wheel Controls on page 5‑3.
Cruise Control
The cruise controls are located at
the end of the multifunction lever.
9: Turns the system off.
R: Turns the system on.
S:Makes the vehicle accelerate
or resume a previously set speed.
T: Press the button at the end of
the lever to set the speed.
See Cruise Control on page 9‑45.
Page 70 of 432

Black plate (4,1)Chevrolet Corvette Owner Manual - 2012
3-4 Seats and Restraints
{WARNING
Sitting in a reclined position when
the vehicle is in motion can be
dangerous. Even when buckled
up, the safety belts cannot do
their job.
The shoulder belt will not be
against your body. Instead, it will
be in front of you. In a crash, you
could go into it, receiving neck or
other injuries.
The lap belt could go up over
your abdomen. The belt forces
would be there, not at your pelvic
bones. This could cause serious
internal injuries.
For proper protection when the
vehicle is in motion, have the
seatback upright. Then sit well
back in the seat and wear the
safety belt properly.
Do not have a seatback reclined if
the vehicle is moving.
Memory Seats
On vehicles with the memory
feature, the controls on the driver
door are used to program and recall
memory settings for the driver seat,
outside mirrors, and the telescopic
steering column, if equipped.
The numbers on the back of the
Remote Keyless Entry (RKE)
transmitters correspond to the
numbers on the memory buttons.
Page 71 of 432

Black plate (5,1)Chevrolet Corvette Owner Manual - 2012
Seats and Restraints 3-5
Storing Memory Positions
To save into memory:
1. Adjust the driver seat, bothoutside mirrors, and the
telescopic steering column,
if equipped.
2. Press and hold “1”until
two beeps sound.
3. Repeat for a second driver position using “2.”
To recall a memory position:
.On vehicles with an automatic
transmission, press and release
“1” or“2.”
If the vehicle is in P (Park), a
single beep sounds and the
memory position is recalled after
a brief delay.
If the vehicle is not in P (Park),
three beeps sound and the
memory position is not recalled.
.On vehicles with a manual
transmission, when the vehicle
is on, the parking brake must be
set to recall a memory position.
Press and release “1”or“2.”
A single beep sounds and the
memory position is recalled after
a brief delay.
If the vehicle is on and the
parking brake is not set,
three beeps sound and the
memory position is not recalled.
Memory Remote Recall
(Automatic Transmission)
This feature can recall the driver
seat, outside mirrors, and telescopic
steering column, if equipped, to
stored positions when entering the
vehicle.
To activate, enter the vehicle and
start the engine. The driver seat,
outside mirrors, and telescopic
steering column will move to the memory position associated with
the transmitter used to unlock the
vehicle.
This feature is turned on or off using
the vehicle personalization menu.
See
Vehicle Personalization on
page 5‑54.
To stop recall movement, press one
of the power seat controls, power
mirror or memory buttons, or the
telescopic steering column switch.
If something has blocked the driver
seat while recalling a memory
position, the recall may stop.
Remove the obstruction; then press
and hold the appropriate manual
control for the memory item that is
not recalling for two seconds.
Try recalling the memory position
again by pressing the appropriate
memory button. If the memory
position is still not recalling, see
your dealer for service.
Page 72 of 432

Black plate (6,1)Chevrolet Corvette Owner Manual - 2012
3-6 Seats and Restraints
Easy Exit Driver Seat
This feature can move the seat
rearward and the telescopic steering
column, if equipped, out of the way
to allow extra room to exit the
vehicle.
B(Easy Exit Driver Seat):Press
to save and recall the easy exit seat
position.
To save into memory:
1. Recall the desired driving
position by pressing “1.”
2. Adjust the seat and the telescopic steering column to the
desired exit position.
3. Press and hold
Buntil
two beeps sound.
4. Repeat for a second driver position using “2.” To recall, press and release
B.
The vehicle must be in P (Park) for
an automatic transmission or the
parking brake must be set for a
manual transmission. A single beep
sounds. The seat and telescopic
steering column will move to the
position previously stored for the
identified driver.
If the easy exit seat feature is
programmed on in the vehicle
personalization menu, automatic
recall occurs when one of the
following conditions is met:
.The vehicle is turned off, in
Retained Accessory
Power (RAP) or accessory
mode, and the driver door is
opened.
.The vehicle is turned off, or in
RAP, and the unlock button on
the RKE transmitter is pressed. If something has blocked the driver
seat while recalling the exit position,
the recall may stop. Remove the
obstruction; then press and hold the
power seat control rearward for
two seconds. Try recalling the exit
position again. If the exit position is
still not recalling, see your dealer for
service.
See
Vehicle Personalization on
page 5‑54.
Page 81 of 432

Black plate (15,1)Chevrolet Corvette Owner Manual - 2012
Seats and Restraints 3-15
After a minor crash, replacement of
safety belts may not be necessary.
But the safety belt assemblies that
were used during any crash may
have been stressed or damaged.
See your dealer to have the safety
belt assemblies inspected or
replaced.
New parts and repairs may be
necessary even if the safety belt
system was not being used at the
time of the crash.
Have the safety belt pretensioners
checked if the vehicle has been in a
crash, or if the airbag readiness light
stays on after you start the vehicle
or while you are driving. SeeAirbag
Readiness Light on page 5‑17.Airbag System
The vehicle has the following
airbags:
.A frontal airbag for the driver.
.A frontal airbag for the front
outboard passenger.
.A seat-mounted side impact
airbag for the driver.
.A seat-mounted side impact
airbag for the front outboard
passenger.
All vehicle airbags have the word
AIRBAG on the trim or on a label
near the deployment opening. For frontal airbags, the word
AIRBAG is on the center of the
steering wheel for the driver and on
the instrument panel for the front
outboard passenger.
For seat-mounted side impact
airbags, the word AIRBAG is on the
side of the seatback closest to
the door.
Airbags are designed to supplement
the protection provided by safety
belts. Even though today's airbags
are also designed to help reduce
the risk of injury from the force of an
inflating bag, all airbags must inflate
very quickly to do their job.
Page 83 of 432
Black plate (17,1)Chevrolet Corvette Owner Manual - 2012
Seats and Restraints 3-17
There is an airbag readiness light
on the instrument panel, which
shows the airbag symbol.
The system checks the airbag
electrical system for malfunctions.
The light tells you if there is an
electrical problem. SeeAirbag
Readiness Light on page 5‑17
for more information.
Where Are the Airbags?
The driver frontal airbag is in the
center of the steering wheel.
The front outboard passenger
frontal airbag is in the passenger
side instrument panel.
Page 84 of 432

Black plate (18,1)Chevrolet Corvette Owner Manual - 2012
3-18 Seats and Restraints
Driver Side Shown,
Passenger Side Similar
The driver and front outboard
passenger seat-mounted side
impact airbags are in the side of
the seatbacks closest to the door.
{WARNING
If something is between an
occupant and an airbag, the
airbag might not inflate properly
or it might force the object into
that person causing severe injury
or even death. The path of an
inflating airbag must be kept
clear. Do not put anything
between an occupant and an
airbag, and do not attach or put
anything on the steering wheel
hub or on or near any other
airbag covering.
Do not use seat accessories that
block the inflation path of a
seat-mounted side impact airbag.
When Should an Airbag
Inflate?
Frontal airbags are designed to
inflate in moderate to severe frontal
or near frontal crashes to help
reduce the potential for severe
injuries mainly to the driver's or
front outboard passenger's head
and chest. However, they are only
designed to inflate if the impact
exceeds a predetermined
deployment threshold. Deployment
thresholds are used to predict how
severe a crash is likely to be in time
for the airbags to inflate and help
restrain the occupants.
Whether the frontal airbags will or
should deploy is not based primarily
on how fast the vehicle is traveling.
It depends on what is hit, the
direction of the impact, and how
quickly the vehicle slows down.