Black plate (29,1)Chevrolet Corvette Owner Manual - 2012
Keys, Doors, and Windows 2-29
Notice:Lowering the convertible
top when there are objects in the
storage area could damage it or
break the glass rear window.
Always verify that no objects are
in the storage area before
lowering the convertible top.
Notice: Lowering the convertible
top if it is damp, wet, or dirty can
cause stains, mildew, and
damage to the inside of the
vehicle. Dry off the convertible
top before lowering it.
Notice: If you lower the
convertible top on the vehicle
in cold weather (0°C (32°F) or
lower), you may damage
convertible top components.
Do not lower the top in cold
weather. Notice:
If you raise or lower the
convertible top while the vehicle
is in motion, you could damage
the top or the top mechanism.
The repairs would not be covered
by the warranty. Always put an
automatic transmission in
P (Park) or a manual transmission
in Neutral before raising or
lowering the convertible top.
Lowering the Power
Convertible Top
1. Park on a level surface.
Start the engine. Shift an
automatic transmission into
P (Park) and set the parking
brake. Shift a manual
transmission into Neutral, and
set the parking brake. 2. Make sure the trunk is closed,
the rear trunk partition in the rear
storage area is in the fastened
upright position, and no objects
are forward of the divider. See
“Rear Trunk Partition” under
Rear Storage on page 4‑2.
3. Release the convertible top front latch, located above the inside
rearview mirror, by pulling and
turning it clockwise. Push
upward on the front edge. The
windows will automatically lower.
4. Return the convertible top front latch to the closed position.
Black plate (30,1)Chevrolet Corvette Owner Manual - 2012
2-30 Keys, Doors, and Windows
5. Push and holdªon the
convertible top switch.
The convertible top will lower into
the rear of the vehicle. A chime will
sound when the convertible top has
lowered completely. If the radio is
on, the sound may be muted for a
brief time due to a new audio
system equalization being loaded.
If the convertible top is operated
multiple times, the engine should be
running to prevent drain on the
vehicle's battery. Under certain
conditions, the Driver Information
Center (DIC) may display a message regarding the convertible
top. See
Convertible Top Messages
on page 5‑38 for more information.
Raising the Power Convertible Top
Notice: If you raise or lower the
convertible top while the vehicle
is in motion, you could damage
the top or the top mechanism.
The repairs would not be covered
by the warranty. Always put an
automatic transmission in
P (Park) or a manual transmission
in Neutral before raising or
lowering the convertible top.
1. Park on a level surface. Start the engine. Shift an automatic
transmission into P (Park) and
set the parking brake. Shift a
manual transmission into Neutral
and set the parking brake.
2. Make sure the trunk lid is closed, the rear trunk partition in the rear
storage area is in the fastened
upright position, and no objects
are forward of the divider. See
“Rear Trunk Partition” under
Rear Storage on page 4‑2.3. Push and hold«on the
convertible top switch. The
convertible top will raise and the
windows will lower if they were
in the raised position. A chime
will sound when the convertible
top is raised completely.
4. After the convertible top is completely raised, release the
convertible top switch.
5. Pull the convertible top front latch down and turn it
counterclockwise to lock the
convertible top.
Black plate (31,1)Chevrolet Corvette Owner Manual - 2012
Keys, Doors, and Windows 2-31
If the radio is on, the sound may be
muted for a brief time due to a new
audio system equalization being
loaded.
If the vehicle has lost power, the
convertible top can still be raised by
releasing pressure on the hydraulic
pump, located under the passenger
side of the tonneau cover, using the
following steps. The carpet liner on
the passenger side must be pulled
back to access the hydraulic pump.
Never attempt to open or close the
convertible top manually without
releasing pressure first.
Manual operation of the convertible
top cannot be attempted for
five minutes after the last time the
convertible top switch was pressed
if the convertible top was not
opened completely and the tonneau
cover latched or closed completely
with the front latch locked in place
at the time the convertible top
switch was released.
1. Open the tonneau cover bypulling the manual release
cable.
The tonneau cover manual
release cable is located behind
the passenger seat head
restraint, on the underside
forward edge of the tonneau
cover.
Be careful when opening the
tonneau cover by hand. If the
tonneau cover is opened quickly,
damage can occur to the hinging
mechanism, which can prevent
proper operation of the
convertible top. 2. Pull back the carpet liner on the
passenger side to access the
hydraulic pump.
3. Locate the pressure release
bolt on the front side of the
hydraulic pump.
4. Use the wrench, located in the console, and turn the pressure
release bolt counterclockwise
one revolution, to relieve
pressure to the hydraulic pump.
This will allow the manual raising
of the convertible top.
Black plate (32,1)Chevrolet Corvette Owner Manual - 2012
2-32 Keys, Doors, and Windows
5. Then follow the steps underraising the manual convertible
top. See “Manual Operation” or
“Power Operation” in this
section.
When power is restored to the
vehicle, the hydraulic bolt must be
tightened, by turning it clockwise.
The convertible top switch can then
be used to lower or raise the
convertible top.
If the convertible top is operated
multiple times, the engine should
be running to prevent drain on the
vehicle's battery. Under certain
conditions, the Driver Information
Center (DIC) may display a
message regarding the convertible
top. See Convertible Top Messages
on page 5‑38 for more information. If the battery has been
disconnected, the power windows
must be initialized for the power
convertible top to operate. See
Power Windows on page 2‑18
for
more information.
Cleaning the Convertible Top
The convertible top should be
cleaned often. However, high
pressure car washes may cause
water to enter the vehicle.
When hand washing the convertible
top, do it in partial shade. Use a
mild soap, lukewarm water, and a
soft sponge. A chamois or cloth may
leave lint on the top, and a brush
can chafe the threads in the top
fabric. Do not use detergents,
harsh cleaners, solvents,
or bleaching agents. Wet the entire vehicle and wash the
top evenly to avoid spots or rings.
Let the soap remain on the fabric
for a few minutes. When the top is
really dirty, use a mild foam-type
cleaner. Thoroughly rinse the
entire vehicle, then let the top dry
in direct sunlight.
To protect the convertible top:
.After washing the vehicle, make
sure the convertible top is
completely dry before lowering it.
.Do not get any cleaner on the
vehicle's painted finish; it could
leave streaks.
Black plate (16,1)Chevrolet Corvette Owner Manual - 2012
3-16 Seats and Restraints
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.
Here are the most important things
to know about the airbag system:
{WARNING
You can be severely injured or
killed in a crash if you are not
wearing your safety belt, even
with airbags. Airbags are
designed to work with safety
belts, not replace them. Also,
airbags are not designed to inflate
in every crash. In some crashes
safety belts are the only restraint.
SeeWhen Should an Airbag
Inflate? on page 3‑18.
(Continued)
WARNING (Continued)
Wearing your safety belt during a
crash helps reduce the chance of
hitting things inside the vehicle or
being ejected from it. Airbags are
“supplemental restraints” to the
safety belts. Everyone in the
vehicle should wear a safety belt
properly, whether or not there is
an airbag for that person.
{WARNING
Because airbags inflate with great
force and faster than the blink of
an eye, anyone who is up
against, or very close to, any
airbag when it inflates can be
seriously injured or killed. Do not
sit unnecessarily close to any
airbag, as you would be if sitting
on the edge of the seat or
leaning forward.
(Continued)
WARNING (Continued)
Safety belts help keep you in
position before and during a
crash. Always wear the safety
belt, even with airbags. The driver
should sit as far back as possible
while still maintaining control of
the vehicle.
Occupants should not lean on or
sleep against the door or side
windows in seating positions with
seat-mounted airbags.
{WARNING
Children who are up against,
or very close to, any airbag
when it inflates can be seriously
injured or killed. Airbags plus
lap-shoulder belts offer protection
for adults and older children, but
not for young children and infants.
(Continued)
Black plate (20,1)Chevrolet Corvette Owner Manual - 2012
3-20 Seats and Restraints
Airbags supplement the protection
provided by safety belts by
distributing the force of the
impact more evenly over the
occupant's body.
But airbags would not help in
many types of collisions, primarily
because the occupant's motion is
not toward those airbags. SeeWhen
Should an Airbag Inflate? on
page 3‑18 for more information.
Airbags should never be regarded
as anything more than a supplement
to safety belts.
What Will You See after
an Airbag Inflates?
After the frontal and seat-mounted
side impact airbags inflate, they
quickly deflate, so quickly that some
people may not even realize the
airbags inflated. Some components
of the airbag module may be hot for
several minutes. For location of the
airbags, see Where Are the
Airbags? on page 3‑17. The parts of the airbag that come
into contact with you may be warm,
but not too hot to touch. There may
be some smoke and dust coming
from the vents in the deflated
airbags. Airbag inflation does not
prevent the driver from seeing out of
the windshield or being able to steer
the vehicle, nor does it prevent
people from leaving the vehicle.
{WARNING
When an airbag inflates, there
may be dust in the air. This dust
could cause breathing problems
for people with a history of
asthma or other breathing trouble.
To avoid this, everyone in the
vehicle should get out as soon as
it is safe to do so. If you have
breathing problems but cannot
get out of the vehicle after an
airbag inflates, then get fresh air
by opening a window or a door.
(Continued)
WARNING (Continued)
If you experience breathing
problems following an airbag
deployment, you should seek
medical attention.
The vehicle has a feature that may
automatically unlock the doors, turn
the interior lamps on, turn on the
hazard warning flashers, and shut
off the fuel system after the airbags
inflate. You can lock the doors, turn
the interior lamps off, and turn the
hazard warning flashers off by using
the controls for those features.
{WARNING
A crash severe enough to inflate
the airbags may have also
damaged important functions in
the vehicle, such as the fuel
system, brake and steering
systems, etc. (Continued)
Black plate (33,1)Chevrolet Corvette Owner Manual - 2012
Seats and Restraints 3-33
Child Restraint Systems
(A) Rear‐Facing Infant Seat
A rear-facing infant seat (A)
provides restraint with the seating
surface against the back of
the infant.
The harness system holds the infant
in place and, in a crash, acts to
keep the infant positioned in the
restraint.
(B) Forward-Facing Child Seat
A forward-facing child seat (B)
provides restraint for the child's
body with the harness.(C) Booster Seats
A booster seat (C) is a child restraint
designed to improve the fit of the
vehicle's safety belt system.
A booster seat can also help a
child to see out the window.
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.