
Black plate (49,1)Chevrolet Corvette Owner Manual - 2012
Instruments and Controls 5-49
TRACTION SYSTEM AND
ACTIVE HANDLING–ON
If the Traction Control System (TCS)
and Active Handling System are off,
this message displays briefly, the
instrument panel cluster light turns
off, and a sound will be heard when
the TCS and Active Handling
System are turned on by briefly
pressing the Active Handling
System button on the console.
See Traction Control System (TCS)
on page 9‑36 andActive Handling
System on page 9‑38 for more
information.
TRACTION SYSTEM –OFF
This message displays and stays
on, a sound will be heard, when the
TCS is turned off by pressing the
Active Handling System button on
the console. See Traction Control
System (TCS) on page 9‑36 for
more information.
To acknowledge the message,
press the RESET button.
TRACTION SYSTEM –ON
This message displays and a sound
will be heard when the Traction
Control System (TCS) is turned on
by pressing the Active Handling
System button on the console. This
message automatically clears from
the DIC display on its own. See
Traction Control System (TCS) on
page 9‑36 for more information.
Safety Belt Messages
BUCKLE PASSENGER
This message reminds you to
buckle the passenger's safety belt.
This message displays and a sound
will be heard when the ignition is on,
the driver's safety belt is buckled,
the passenger's safety belt is
unbuckled with the passenger
airbag enabled, and the vehicle
is in motion. You should have the
passenger buckle their safety belt.
The reminder will be repeated if the
ignition is on, the vehicle is in
motion, the driver is buckled, the
passenger is still unbuckled, and the
passenger airbag is enabled. If the
passenger's safety belt is already
buckled, this message will not
come on.

Black plate (19,1)Chevrolet Corvette Owner Manual - 2012
Driving and Operating 9-19
{WARNING
ZR1s, and Z06s with RPO CFZ,
contain parts made from carbon
fiber.
When damaged, the exposed
edges can be very sharp.
A person could be injured by
these sharp edges. Use caution
when washing the vehicle,
coming in contact with,
or removing damaged carbon
fiber parts. See your dealer for
replacement.
Under normal operation, these
components will occasionally
contact some road surfaces
(speed bumps, driveway
ramps, etc.). This can be heard
inside the vehicle as a scraping
noise. This is normal and does not
indicate a problem.
Use care when approaching bumps
or objects on road surfaces and
avoid them when possible.
Ignition Positions
The vehicle has an electronic
keyless ignition with a push-button
start.
In order to shift out of P (Park),
the vehicle must be running or in
Acc. mode and the regular brake
pedal must be applied.
/(START): Press this button
while your foot is on the brake for
an automatic transmission, or while
pressing in the clutch for a manual
transmission, to start the engine.
If the vehicle is in OFF or Retained Accessory Power (RAP) mode, the
Remote Keyless Entry (RKE)
transmitter must be inside the
vehicle to start the engine.
9Acc. (STOPPING THE ENGINE/
OFF/ACCESSORY): When the
vehicle is stopped with the engine
on, press the button once to turn
the engine off.
Do not turn the engine off when the
vehicle is moving. This will cause a
loss of power assist in the brake
and steering systems and disable
the airbags.
If the vehicle must be shut off in
an emergency:
1. Brake using a firm and steady pressure. Do not pump the
brakes repeatedly. This may
deplete power assist, requiring
increased brake pedal force.
2. Shift the vehicle to neutral. This can be done while the vehicle is
moving. After shifting to neutral,
firmly apply the brakes and steer
the vehicle to a safe location.

Black plate (20,1)Chevrolet Corvette Owner Manual - 2012
9-20 Driving and Operating
3. Come to a complete stop. Shiftto P (Park) with an automatic
transmission, or Neutral with a
manual transmission. Turn the
ignition to OFF.
4. Set the parking brake. See Parking Brake on page 9‑36
{WARNING
Turning off the vehicle while
moving may cause loss of power
assist in the brake and steering
systems and disable the airbags.
While driving, only shut the
vehicle off in an emergency.
If the vehicle cannot be pulled over,
and must be shut off while driving,
turn the ignition to ACC/
ACCESSORY. When the engine is on or the
vehicle is in accessory power mode,
it is recommended that a manual
transmission be placed in
R (Reverse). An automatic
transmission must be placed in
P (Park). Then press the Acc. button
to turn the engine off and place the
vehicle in RAP. See
Retained
Accessory Power (RAP) on
page 9‑23 for more information.
If an automatic vehicle is not
correctly placed in P (Park) a SHIFT
TO PARK message will display on
the Driver Information Center (DIC).
For more information, see
Transmission Messages on
page 5‑53.
When the engine is off, press this
button to place the vehicle in
accessory mode. ACCESSORY
MODE ON will display on the Driver
Information Center (DIC). This mode
allows you to use things like the
radio and the power windows while
the engine is off. Use accessory
mode if you must have the vehicle in motion while the engine is off, for
example, if the vehicle is being
pushed or towed.
After being in accessory mode for
about 10 minutes, the vehicle will
automatically enter RAP or OFF,
depending on if the doors are
opened or closed.
Service Only Mode
This power mode is available for
service and diagnostics, and to
verify the proper operation of the
malfunction indicator lamp as may
be required for emission inspection
purposes. With the vehicle off,
pressing and holding the bottom of
the button for more than
five seconds will place the vehicle in
Service Only Mode. The instruments
and audio systems will operate as
they do when the engine is running,
but the vehicle will not be able to be
driven. The engine will not start in
Service Only Mode. Push the button
again to turn the vehicle off.

Black plate (4,1)Chevrolet Corvette Owner Manual - 2012
10-4 Vehicle Care
Accessories and
Modifications
Adding non‐dealer accessories or
making modifications to the vehicle
can affect vehicle performance and
safety, including such things as
airbags, braking, stability, ride and
handling, emissions systems,
aerodynamics, durability, and
electronic systems like antilock
brakes, traction control, and stability
control. These accessories or
modifications could even cause
malfunction or damage not covered
by the vehicle warranty.Damage to vehicle components
resulting from modifications or the
installation or use of non‐GM
certified parts, including control
module or software modifications,
is not covered under the terms of
the vehicle warranty and may affect
remaining warranty coverage for
affected parts.
GM Accessories are designed to
complement and function with other
systems on the vehicle. See your
dealer to accessorize the vehicle
using genuine GM Accessories
installed by a dealer technician.
Also, see
Adding Equipment to
the Airbag-Equipped Vehicle on
page 3‑26.
Lifting the Vehicle
{WARNING
Lifting a vehicle can cause an
injury. The vehicle can slip off the
jack and roll over you or other
people. You and they could be
badly injured. Find a level place
to lift your vehicle. To help
prevent the vehicle from moving:
1. Set the parking brake firmly.
2. Put an automatic transmission shift lever in
P (Park), or shift a manual
transmission to 1 (First) or
R (Reverse).
3. Turn off the engine.
To be even more certain the
vehicle won't move, put blocks in
front of and behind the wheels.

Black plate (8,1)Chevrolet Corvette Owner Manual - 2012
10-8 Vehicle Care
Vehicle Checks
Doing Your Own
Service Work
{WARNING
You can be injured and the
vehicle could be damaged if you
try to do service work on a vehicle
without knowing enough about it.
.Be sure you have sufficient
knowledge, experience,
the proper replacement
parts, and tools before
attempting any vehicle
maintenance task.(Continued)
WARNING (Continued)
.Be sure to use the proper
nuts, bolts, and other
fasteners. Metric and English
fasteners can be easily
confused. If the wrong
fasteners are used,
parts can later break or fall
off. You could be hurt.
If doing some of your own service
work, use the proper service
manual. It tells you much more
about how to service the vehicle
than this manual can. To order the
proper service manual, see Service
Publications Ordering Information
on page 13‑17. This vehicle has an airbag system.
Before attempting to do your own
service work, see
Servicing the
Airbag-Equipped Vehicle on
page 3‑25.
Keep a record with all parts
receipts and list the mileage and the
date of any service work performed.
See Maintenance Records on
page 11‑15.

Black plate (6,1)Chevrolet Corvette Owner Manual - 2012
i-6 INDEX
I
Ignition Positions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-19
Immobilizer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-15
Infants and Young Children,Restraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-30
Infotainment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-1
Instrument Cluster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-9
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iii
J
Jump Starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-82
K
Key and Lock Messages . . . . . . . 5-43
Keyless Entry Remote (RKE) System . . . . . . . . 2-3
Keys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-2
L
Labeling, Tire Sidewall . . . . . . . . 10-62
Lamp Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-45
Lamps Courtesy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-6
Daytime Running (DRL) . . . . . . . 6-2
Exterior Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-1
Exterior Lamps OffReminder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-2
Exterior Lighting Battery Saver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-6
Headlamps, Front Turn Signal, and Parking
Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-49
Malfunction Indicator . . . . . . . . . 5-19
On Reminder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-27
Reading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-6
Lap-Shoulder Belt . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-11
LATCH System Replacing Parts after a
Crash . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-39
LATCH, Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children . . . . . . . . . . 3-35
Latches, Seatback . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-7
Lifting the Vehicle, Tires . . . . . . . 10-4 Light
StabiliTrak®OFF . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-24
Lighter, Cigarette . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-7
Lighting Entry/Exit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-6
Illumination Control . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-5
Lights
Active Handling System . . . . . . 5-25
Airbag Readiness . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-18
Antilock Brake System(ABS) Warning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-22
Brake System Warning . . . . . . . 5-22
Flash-to-Pass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-2
Front Fog Lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-27
High-Beam On . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-27
High/Low Beam Changer . . . . . . 6-2
One-to-Four Shift . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-23
Safety Belt Reminders . . . . . . . . 5-17
Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-26
Tire Pressure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-25
Traction Off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-24
Limited-Slip Rear Axle . . . . . . . . . 9-42

Black plate (8,1)Chevrolet Corvette Owner Manual - 2012
i-8 INDEX
O
Odometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-12
Off-RoadRecovery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-5
Oil Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-16
Engine Oil Life System . . . . . 10-22
Engine Oil PressureGauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-14
Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-41
Older Children, Restraints . . . . . 3-28
One-to-Four Shift Light . . . . . . . . 5-23
Online Owner Center . . . . . . . . . . 13-6
OnStar
®
Additional Information . . . . . . . . 14-5
Connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14-4
Diagnostics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14-5
Emergency . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14-2
Navigation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14-2
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14-1
Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14-2
OnStar
®System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-25
Operation, Infotainment System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-2
Ordering
Service Publications . . . . . . . . 13-17 Outlets
Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-6
Overheated Engine Protection
Operating Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-36
Overheating, Engine . . . . . . . . . . 10-34
Overview, OnStar
®. . . . . . . . . . . . 14-1
P
Panel, Roof . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-20
Park Shifting into . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-23
Shifting out of . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-25
Parking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-25 Brake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-36
Brake and P (Park)Mechanism Check . . . . . . . . 10-46
Over Things That Burn . . . . . . . 9-25
Passenger Airbag Status Indicator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-18
Passenger Compartment Air Filter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-6
Passenger Sensing System . . . 3-21
Perchlorate Materials
Requirements, California . . . . . 10-3 Personalization
Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-55
Phone Bluetooth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-18
Power Door Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-10
Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-16
Outlets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-6
Protection, Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-6
Retained Accessory (RAP) . . . 9-23
Seat Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-3
Steering Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-36
Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-18
Pregnancy, Using Safety Belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-13
Privacy
Radio FrequencyIdentification (RFID) . . . . . . . 13-21
Program Courtesy Transportation . . . . 13-14
Proposition 65 Warning,
California . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-3

Black plate (10,1)Chevrolet Corvette Owner Manual - 2012
i-10 INDEX
Scheduling Appointments . . . . . 13-13
Seatback Latches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-7
SeatsAdjustment, Front . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-2
Head Restraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-2
Heated Front . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-8
Lumbar Adjustment, Front . . . . . 3-3
Memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-5
Power Adjustment, Front . . . . . . 3-3
Reclining Seatbacks . . . . . . . . . . . 3-3
Securing Child Restraints . . . . . . 3-39
Security
Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-26
Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-13
Security, OnStar
®. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14-2
Selective Ride Control . . . . . . . . . 9-43
Service
Accessories andModifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-4
Doing Your Own Work . . . . . . . . 10-8
Engine Soon Light . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-19
Maintenance Records . . . . . . .11-15
Maintenance, General Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-1
Parts Identification Label . . . . . 12-1 Service (cont.)
Publications Ordering
Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-17
Scheduling Appointments . . . 13-13
Vehicle Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-50
Servicing the Airbag . . . . . . . . . . . 3-25
Shift Lock Control Function Check, Automatic
Transmission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-46
Shifting Into Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-23
Out of Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-25
Signals, Turn and Lane-Change . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-4
Specifications and Capacities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-2
Speedometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-12
Sport Cup Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-61
StabiliTrak OFF Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-24
Starter Switch Check . . . . . . . . . 10-45
Starting the Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-21
Starting the Vehicle Messsages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-50 Steering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-4
Fluid, Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-36
Wheel Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-2
Wheel Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-3
Storage Rear . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-2
Storage Areas
Cargo Cover . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-3
Center Console . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-3
Convenience Net . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-4
Glove Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-1
Stuck Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-13
Sun Visors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-19
Symbols . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iv
System Infotainment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-1