
Black plate (21,1)Chevrolet Corvette Owner Manual - 2012
Seats and Restraints 3-21
WARNING (Continued)
Even if the vehicle appears to be
drivable after a moderate crash,
there may be concealed damage
that could make it difficult to
safely operate the vehicle.
Use caution if you should attempt
to restart the engine after a crash
has occurred.
In many crashes severe enough to
inflate the airbag, windshields are
broken by vehicle deformation.
Additional windshield breakage may
also occur from the front outboard
passenger airbag.
.Airbags are designed to inflate
only once. After an airbag
inflates, you will need some
new parts for the airbag system.
If you do not get them, the
airbag system will not be there
to help protect you in another
crash. A new system will include
airbag modules and possibly other parts. The service manual
for the vehicle covers the need
to replace other parts.
.The vehicle has a crash sensing
and diagnostic module which
records information after a
crash. See
Vehicle Data
Recording and Privacy on
page 13‑20 andEvent Data
Recorders on page 13‑20.
.Let only qualified technicians
work on the airbag system.
Improper service can mean that
the airbag system will not work
properly. See your dealer
for service.
Passenger Sensing
System
The vehicle has a passenger
sensing system for the front
outboard passenger position. The
passenger airbag status indicator
will light in the rearview mirror when
the vehicle is started.
United States
Canada and Mexico
The words ON and OFF, or the
symbol for on and off, will be visible
during the system check. When the
system check is complete, either the
word ON or OFF, or the symbol for
on or off, will be visible. See
Passenger Airbag Status Indicator
on page 5‑18.

Black plate (26,1)Chevrolet Corvette Owner Manual - 2012
3-26 Seats and Restraints
Adding Equipment to the
Airbag-Equipped Vehicle
Adding accessories that change the
vehicle's frame, bumper system,
height, front end or side sheet
metal, may keep the airbag system
from working properly. The
operation of the airbag system can
also be affected by changing or
moving any parts of the front seats,
safety belts, the airbag sensing and
diagnostic module, steering wheel,
instrument panel, inside rearview
mirror, front sensors, or airbag
wiring.
Your dealer and the service manual
have information about the location
of the airbag sensors, sensing and
diagnostic module, and airbag
wiring.In addition, the vehicle has a
passenger sensing system for the
front outboard passenger position,
which includes sensors that are
part of the passenger seat. The
passenger sensing system may not
operate properly if the original seat
trim is replaced with non-GM
covers, upholstery or trim, or with
GM covers, upholstery or trim
designed for a different vehicle. Any
object, such as an aftermarket seat
heater or a comfort enhancing pad
or device, installed under or on top
of the seat fabric, could also
interfere with the operation of the
passenger sensing system.
This could either prevent proper
deployment of the passenger
airbag(s) or prevent the passenger
sensing system from properly
turning off the passenger airbag(s).
See
Passenger Sensing System on
page 3‑21. If you have to modify your vehicle
because you have a disability and
have questions about whether the
modifications will affect the vehicle's
airbag system, or if you have
questions about whether the airbag
system will be affected if the vehicle
is modified for any other reason,
call Customer Assistance.
See
Customer Assistance Offices
(U.S. and Canada) on page 13‑5 or
Customer Assistance Offices
(Mexico) on page 13‑6.

Black plate (3,1)Chevrolet Corvette Owner Manual - 2012
Instruments and Controls 5-3
The telescopic steering column
position can be stored with your
memory settings. See“Memory
Seat, Mirrors, and Steering Wheel”
under Power Seat Adjustment on
page 3‑3 for more information.
Steering Wheel Controls
For vehicles with steering wheel
controls, some audio controls can
be adjusted at the steering wheel.
b/g(Mute/Push to Talk): Press
to silence the vehicle speakers only.
Press again to turn the sound on.
For vehicles with Bluetooth or
OnStar
®systems press and holdb /gfor longer than two seconds
to interact with those systems.
See Bluetooth on page 7‑18 and
OnStar Overview on page 14‑1 for
more information.
c(Phone On Hook): Press to
reject an incoming call, or end a
current call.
w x(Next/Previous): Press to
change radio stations or select
tracks on a CD.
To change radio stations:
.Pressworxto go to the next
or to the previous radio station
and stay there. The radio only
seeks stations with a strong
signal that are in the
selected band.
.Press and holdworxfor
two seconds until SCAN displays
and a beep sounds to scan
stations. The radio goes to a
station, plays for a few seconds,
then goes to the next station.
Press again to stop scanning.
.Press and holdworxfor
four seconds until PRESET
SCAN displays and a beep
sounds to scan presets. The
radio goes to a station, plays for
a few seconds, then goes to the
next station. Press again to
stop scanning.
To select tracks on a CD:
.Pressworxto go to the next
or to the previous track when a
CD is playing.
.Press and holdworxfor
more than two seconds to scan
the current CD. The CD goes to
the next track, plays the first
10 seconds, then goes to the
next track. Press again to
stop scanning.

Black plate (5,1)Chevrolet Corvette Owner Manual - 2012
Instruments and Controls 5-5
Windshield Washer
Press and hold the button at the end
of the lever to spray washer fluid on
the windshield. The washer will
spray until the button is released.
The wipers will continue to clear the
window for about six seconds after
the button is released and then stop
or return to your preset speed.
{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.
If the fluid in the windshield washer
fluid reservoir is low, the message
CHECK WASHER FLUID will
appear on the Driver Information
Center (DIC) display. It will take
15 seconds after the bottle is refilled
for this message to turn off. For information on the correct
washer fluid to use, see
Washer
Fluid on page 10‑38 and
Recommended Fluids and
Lubricants on page 11‑12.
Compass
Compass Operation
With the compass feature on, each
time the vehicle is started, the
compass will take a few seconds to
adjust and display the current
compass heading. For example,
NE is displayed for north-east.
Compass Calibration
PressPonce to turn the compass
display on or off.
If after several seconds the display
does not show a compass heading,
there may be a strong magnetic
field interfering with the compass.
Interference can be caused by a
magnetic antenna mount, note pad
holder, or similar object. If the letter C or CAL appears in the
compass window, the compass
needs calibration.
Depending on the mirror, in order
to calibrate, CAL must be displayed
in the mirror compass windows.
If CAL is not displayed, press
Pfor
several seconds or until CAL is
displayed.
If the compass has map lamps, it
can be placed in calibration mode
by pressing and holding the left map
light button until a C appears on the
compass display.
The mirror compass can be
calibrated by driving the vehicle in
circles at 8 km/h (5 mph) or less until
the display reads a direction.

Black plate (6,1)Chevrolet Corvette Owner Manual - 2012
5-6 Instruments and Controls
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 your current location andvariance zone number on the
zone map that follows.
2. Press and holdPuntil a Z and
a zone number displays. The
compass is now in zone mode. 3. Once the zone number displays,
press
Prepeatedly until you
reach the correct zone number.
Stop pressing
Pand the mirror
returns to normal operation.
Clock
To set the clock:
1. Press and hold H until the correct hour displays.
2. Press and hold M until the correct minute displays.
The clock mode automatically times
out with the changed display format
set as the current default setting.
To set the clock on a navigation
system, see the separate navigation
manual.
Power Outlets
The accessory power outlet can be
used to plug in electrical equipment,
such as a cell phone or MP3 player.
The accessory power outlet is
located inside the center console
storage compartment, on the
forward left side.
Remove the cover to access and
replace when not in use.
{WARNING
Power is always supplied to the
outlets. Do not leave electrical
equipment plugged in when the
vehicle is not in use because the
vehicle could catch fire and cause
injury or death.

Black plate (18,1)Chevrolet Corvette Owner Manual - 2012
5-18 Instruments and Controls
Airbag Readiness Light
The system checks the airbag's
electrical system for possible
malfunctions. If the light stays on
it indicates there is an electrical
problem. The system check
includes the airbag sensor(s),
the passenger sensing system, the
pretensioners, the airbag modules,
the wiring, and the crash sensing
and diagnostic module. For more
information on the airbag system,
seeAirbag System on page 3‑15.
The airbag readiness light flashes
for a few seconds when the engine
is started. If the light does not come
on then, have it fixed immediately.
{WARNING
If the airbag readiness light stays
on after the vehicle is started or
comes on while driving, it means
the airbag system might not be
working properly. The airbags in
the vehicle might not inflate in a
crash, or they could even inflate
without a crash. To help avoid
injury, have the vehicle serviced
right away.
If there is a problem with the airbag
system, an airbag Driver Information
Center (DIC) message can also
come on. See Vehicle Messages on
page 5‑36 for more information.
Passenger Airbag Status
Indicator
The vehicle has the passenger
sensing system. See Passenger
Sensing System on page 3‑21 for
important safety information. The
rearview mirror has a passenger
airbag status indicator.
United States

Black plate (54,1)Chevrolet Corvette Owner Manual - 2012
5-54 Instruments and Controls
If this message is displayed during
normal vehicle operation on flat
roads, the vehicle may need
service. See your dealer for an
inspection.
If driving in a performance or
competitive manner, the use of
(S) Sport Automatic Mode or
(S) Sport Manual Paddle Shift gear
selection is recommended. See
Automatic Transmission on
page 9‑27for more information.
To acknowledge the message, press
the RESET button. The message
reappears every 10 minutes until
this condition changes. If you do not
press the RESET button, the
message remains on the display
until the condition changes.
UPSHIFT NOW
See Manual Transmission on
page 9‑32.
Vehicle Reminder
Messages
ACCESSORY MODE ON
This message displays when the
vehicle is in accessory mode.
ICE POSSIBLE
This message displays when the
outside air temperature is cold
enough to create icy road
conditions. Adjust your driving
accordingly.
OPTIONS UNAVAILABLE
This message displays for a few
seconds if a RKE transmitter that is
not labeled 1 or 2 is used and you
try to personalize the features on
the vehicle by pressing the OPTION
button. The personalization system
will not recognize the transmitter
and the DIC will not display the
current driver number or the menus
used to set personalizations. The personalization features will
then be set to the default states.
See
Vehicle Personalization on
page 5‑55 for more information.
SET PARK BRAKE FOR SEAT
RECALL
If the vehicle has a manual
transmission, this message displays
if you try to recall the memory
positions when the ignition is on and
the parking brake is not set. If the
vehicle is on, you must set the
parking brake in order for the
memory positions to recall.
See“Memory Seat, Mirrors and
Steering Wheel” underPower Seat
Adjustment on page 3‑3 for more
information.
Washer Fluid Messages
CHECK WASHER FLUID
See Washer Fluid on page 10‑38.

Black plate (55,1)Chevrolet Corvette Owner Manual - 2012
Instruments and Controls 5-55
Vehicle
Personalization
Many features on your vehicle can
be personalized. This means that
the operation of these features
can be set to operate differently
depending on who is driving the
vehicle. See“Personal Options”
later in this section for the features
that you can personalize.
The personalization settings for
other features are automatically
updated and saved as the driver
adjusts them. These include the
following settings and presets:
.The radio presets, tone,
volume, fade, balance,
equalization (EQ) settings, and
source (radio or CD).
.The last climate control setting.
.The Head-Up Display (HUD)
position and dimming level,
if your vehicle has this feature.
.The instrument panel cluster
dimming level and last selected
DIC display.
Separate personalization settings
are saved for two different drivers.
One of the Remote Keyless Entry
(RKE) transmitters is assigned to
driver 1. The other is assigned to
driver 2. The backs of the RKE
transmitters are labelled 1 or 2 to
correspond to each driver.
The current driver's preferences are
recalled when one of the following
occurs:
.The lock or unlock button on the
RKE transmitter, labelled 1 or 2,
is pressed.
.The appropriate memory
button, 1 or 2, located on the
driver door is pressed. See
“Memory Seat, Mirrors, and
Steering Wheel” underPower
Seat Adjustment on page 3‑3 for
more information.
.A valid RKE transmitter is
detected upon opening the
driver door.
If more than one valid RKE
transmitter is detected upon opening
the driver door, the driver
preferences for the lowest driver
number will be recalled.
If an RKE transmitter that is not
labelled 1 or 2 is used, the
personalization system will not
recognize the transmitter. The Driver
Information Center (DIC) will not
display a current driver number and
the features that are normally
programmed through the DIC will be
set to the default states. Also, if the
OPTION button is pressed, the DIC
does not display the menus used to
set personalizations, but instead
displays OPTIONS UNAVAILABLE
for a few seconds.